skills | Robin's Resumes (r)

The Importance of Collaboration on Your Resume

Aug 29 2021

Collaboration is an important skill and attitude across every function and area of a company. In a Robert Half, 80% of CFOs stated that they are collaborating more now than ever before, especially with technology leaders. On the other hand, some companies are suffering from collaboration overload—in the attempt to include everyone, they generate a hailstorm of emails, voice messages, and meetings that bring productivity to a halt.

Therefore, in your resume, you want to show your ability to both collaborate and recognize the limits of collaboration. You do that by stressing:

Benefits. What did your collaboration accomplish that was beneficial to the companies where you have worked in the past?
Ability to meet a common goal. What was the goal everyone was striving toward, and what did you personally do to accomplish that goal?
Results. What metrics or programs did you use to track and measure the results of the collaboration? Did you exceed those metrics?
Leadership. What part did you play in starting, organizing, or implementing collaboration? Did you turn around a lack of collaboration or silo mentality that had caused problems?
Rewards. Did the collaboration lead to a better working relationship long term? Did other parts of the organization copy it? Did it receive recognition from the company?

When discussing collaboration, keep in mind that strategic partnerships outside your company are just as valuable as those within. For example, suppose you collaborate with vendors, form or belong to an industry association, or build bridges with companies that attract a similar range of customers or operate in your geographic area. In that case, you are also demonstrating your collaboration skills. A recent survey by Booz, Allen & Hamilton revealed that company alliances have grown 25% a year over the past 25 years.

Another type of collaboration, often referred to as “closed collaboration,” occurs when you invite outside experts into your company for a limited contribution to a specific problem. Those experts could have the technology, people management, financial, or other specialized skills lacking in your company or in the project you want to initiate.

If you need help demonstrating your collaboration skills in your resume, contact Robin’s Resumes®, where collaborating with job seekers like you is integral to our business.

Resumes for Business Development Professionals

Jul 12 2020

Business development professionals help their companies to forge relationships—with customers, other organizations, and markets—that lead to growth. They need the following skills and talents:

Strategic thinking because entering new markets or expanding old ones demands strategic and often innovative ideas.
Budget management—perhaps you may have your own budget or be given a share of the marketing budget, but in any case, you will need to use it effectively and efficiently.
Team leadership because you are going to have to work closely with IT, marketing, and sales as well as your own direct reports.
Computer skills because you will need to develop, use, and maintain productivity, customer relationship management, website, social media, and other online and software tools.
Analytic skills to recognize, gather, and use the most helpful data about markets, customers, and competitors.
Project management skills because growth is not accomplished with one swift change but over the course of many months.
Negotiation skills because relations with partners, regulatory agencies, vendors, peers, and C-level leaders and boards all depend on the ability to collaborate and negotiate successfully.
Appreciation for numbers because your current employers—and any new employers—is going to be most impressed by numbers (for example, “increased customer satisfaction scores by 14% in just 5 months”).
Financial acumen because all of the work of business development is aimed at increasing revenue and decreasing costs.

In addition to the skills and talents listed above, a business development professional may need a relevant degree. For global companies, fluency in at least one other language is important. Some companies or industries may require familiarity with a specific category of products or specific software programs.

Robin’s Resumes® has been helping business development professionals thrive in their careers for more than 20 years. Contact us today.

New Emphasis on Skills by Hiring Managers

Mar 31 2019

A recent article in BusinessNH Magazine discussed how colleges are rethinking degree programs to provide credentials in the specific skill sets that companies and hiring managers want most. The article told the story of a general manager in a large company who was asked what degree would be helpful for his employees. The manager could not name any degree, but he could give a list of specific skills.

Industry has long offered credentials in a specific skill set (think Lean, Six Sigma, or FINRA certifications) but colleges have always focused on degrees, not certifications. In fact, in many industries and positions, a degree bears little or no relationship whatever to the hard and soft skills required for success. This lack of relationship does not mean that a college degree has no value; however, colleges are now recognizing that, in many cases, credentials mean more to hiring managers and recruiters than a specific degree.

How does that affect your resume?

You should be aware that your college major is not a sentence for life! If you majored in accounting, for example, and truly dislike it, aim for another career, perhaps one where your accounting background is an asset but not what you do daily. It is the job of your resume to target the position you want while selling hiring managers and recruiters on the value-added that you offer.
If certifications in your field are offered at your college or in your industry, consider becoming certified in addition to or in place of pursuing a college degree. When you come to an employer with certifications in hand, you are automatically more desirable. It is the job of your resume to promote the certifications you have gained.
Any experience in the workplace is better than no experience because you acquire transferable skills in every position you hold. It is the job of your resume to convince employers that those skills are in fact transferable.

Robin’s Resumes® helps you to make sure that your skills are described in a way that makes you a valuable prospect for hiring managers—even in fields that differ from your degree. Contact us today.

What Not to Include in Your Resume

Jun 17 2018

Your high school education, unless you are applying for your first job after high school. Generally, employers only look at—and care about—your post-secondary education.

Badly outdated skills. No businesses are currently using WordStar or mimeograph machines.

Skills you do not have. If your German is not fluent, then say that it is “conversational German” or “basic German.” Do not lie and do not exaggerate.

Your religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or political party, unless you are applying for a position where that information might be important—for example, secretary for a church or campaign manager for a politician.

Personal information that employers are legally not supposed to ask you about, such as your marital status, number of children, race, religion, and health. If you will need accommodation for a disability, you can bring that up when it seems appropriate. If you absolutely cannot fulfill the duties of the position (“must lift 50 pounds” or “driver’s license required”), then you should not apply.

A personal email that sounds too personal, such as greatdude@aol.com. The contact information that you include should be professional.

Your references. While references may be crucial later on, you should wait until the company asks for them. You do not want your references bothered over every potential position, only the ones where you are an actual candidate.

Overlong explanations about a job loss or gap in employment. Most job losses do not need to be explained at all. You should be honest about gaps, but a short sentence is enough (“Moved to Los Angeles to care for a relative”).

It can be difficult to sift through content to know what is and what is not important. At Robin’s Resumes®, we know what to include and what to delete. Let us help you choose relevant information for a comprehensive application.

Is Everything on Your Resume Worth Mentioning?

Feb 11 2018

Job seekers often worry that they are including information on their resume that is not worth mentioning. For example:

Everyone in Beth’s retail store gets to be “Employee of the Month” at some point—should she mention that honor on her resume?
Ralph is fluent in French but has never used that skill on the job—should he mention it on his resume?
Frank took time off to help a very ill sibling but volunteered at a local community center during that time. Should he mention his volunteer work?
After Margaret was laid off from her last job, she took a position outside her field and now wants to return to it—should she mention that outlier position?

In every case, the answer is yes, although with qualifications.

Rewards and other acknowledgments by your company help you stand out from the crowd. Recruiters like to know that you were appreciated at a previous job. However, make sure you do not inflate “Employee of the Month” into “subject matter expert.”

Experience in foreign languages and foreign travel are important in this age of global commerce. You can mention your skill in the summary at the top of the resume or keep it to the end. Even “conversational” skill is valued so do not underestimate yourself.

If you contributed your time or expertise as a volunteer, mention your service. Many companies want employees who are ready to give back to the community. They will also be happy to see that you kept your skills sharp. However, do not paper over a gap in employment or try to claim you were an employee instead; be upfront about the gap and the reasons for it.

Returning to a previous field can be difficult, but these days most employers recognize that career paths are not straightforward. In fact, they may appreciate the perspective you gained from work in another field. It may make sense to mention old positions briefly under a final “previous employment” heading.

At Robin’s Resumes®, we help you understand the value of your honors, skills, volunteer work, and previous jobs. Your resume should communicate that value to potential employers. Contact us today.