Kevin Scholz of Advanced Hires was honored to have been asked to speak to high-school students on career day at Atlas Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee. We spoke on the topic of resumes.
Today, resumes are a lot more than just resumes. Resumes are a lot more than a list of responsibilities, education, certifications, and employment histories. It’s ALL about DEMONSTRATING A CAPACITY TO SUCCEED on paper. I call the concept DACTS – Demonstrating a Capacity to Succeed. Effective resumes need to come to life and reach out to the hiring manager in a way where they say “wow.”
For the most part, students lack the experience that many employers are looking for, however, the good news is that there are strategic ways to Demonstrate a Capacity to Succeed with the right detailed documentation of project-based work, describe work experience and responsibilities using accomplishments, starting bullet-points with action words, proactively obtaining and incorporating testimonials, incorporating transferable skills unrelated to the specific role, focusing on character, and much more.
More and more managers hire people for the person they are. The best experience a person can have is experience in succeeding in roles for which someone walked into and had no prior experience. Show what you accomplished and how you were able to figure it out and make it happen. This demonstrates a capacity to succeed. Show an ownership, accountability, and responsibility mindset with all tasks while never blaming others.