Day3 Overview

This is it.  On Day 3, we put it all together.  The good news is that you’ve already done the heavy lifting.  Like yesterday, for best results, watch one step in the video, do the work, and then continue.  This way, you’ll have my resume pro tips fresh as you write each section.  There is a final 3 Day Resume Checklist when you’re done.  So for now, keep moving forward with the videos and do one step at a time so you don’t have to remember everything at once.

In Day 3, we’ll have 5 steps.  If you’re using the included 3 Day Resume Template, we’ll be working from top to bottom so when you’re done with Step 5, you’ll have a complete targeted resume.

1. Step 1 – Build the Career Summary which is also known as the Highlight Reel.
2. Step 2 – Build the Skills and Software Proficiencies section.
3. Step 3 – We’ll fill out the Work Experience section you outlined yesterday.
4. Step 4 – Build the Education section.
5. Step 5 – Build the Personal and Professional Development section.

Before we get started with the steps, I want you to keep the following in mind as you’re writing your resume.  Most importantly, what is the whole reason of the 3 Day Resume?  Your end goal is to have an effective targeted resume so you can apply for jobs and get an interview.  Your resume needs to get past both the Applicant Tracking System, or ATS, and the human reader before you get a call back.

This is worth repeating.  The way we get past the ATS and get the human to call us for an interview is building a targeted resume.  This is why we just spent the first two days in this 3 Day Resume course to make sure we targeted a job title and thoroughly worked through matching our personal skills and experience to the job description.  Most people don’t bother with the first two days of prep and then they wonder why they aren’t getting many calls back. 

When working to get past the ATS, you’ll have to think like a computer.  I brought this up yesterday, but you want to make sure you use the exact same keywords and phrases from the job descriptions.  Don’t get hung up on the term keywords.  Keywords are just words that you see repeated and are important in the job description.  In thinking like the ATS, the computer has two things to compare: the job description and your resume.  The more closely they match, the higher the chances you have of getting past the ATS.  I’ll say this every step of the way.  The answers to the test are in the job description.  The closer you match the job description, the better your resume will be.

Once you get past the ATS, you’ll want to think like a human.  On Day 1, I shared that most humans would glance over a resume for six-seconds.  When you’re building your resume, you want those six-seconds to count so that the recruiter or hiring manager will take a closer look and hopefully, invite you for an interview.  Formatting and location of words matter.  People read from top to bottom and left to right.  Put your strongest most eye-catching information at the top.  Use bold for the section titles and headers.  Leave negative white space as needed so your resume readers can rest their eyes and find sections easily.  We’ll cover all of this today.

Avoid insider language also known as jargon.  Remember that your human reader may be someone in Human Resources or from another industry, so they won’t necessarily understand if you use a lot of specialized language.  You’re not showing off to anyone if you use words that they don’t understand so they toss your resume aside.  Also, avoid unfamiliar acronyms that aren’t related to the job requirements.  If you must include them, make sure you spell them out.

Lastly, remember that the resume is not your life story or even your entire career history.  Your resume is a targeted document that is carefully curated to show the ATS and human readers that you’re the right fit for the targeted job title.  You don’t need to include every single detail of every job you’ve ever had.  The more closely you mirror the words for the ATS and resemble the job description for the human readers, the better your chances of getting an interview for this job.  As you’re working through these steps in Day 3, ask yourself, if you were looking at your own resume, would you consider yourself a good fit for this role?  Would you think, I should definitely invite this person for an interview?  If not, then what can you showcase differently on your resume that would be compelling for a recruiter or hiring manager to call you back?   OK, with that, let’s get started.