Don't just say it...prove it!

By Piper C. Reason

January 26, 2006

If you can't talk about your experience and skills in a way that a perspective employer finds convincing, you don't have a very good chance of being hired … which can be really frustrating when you know you can do the job! But job search isn't just about knowing what you can do, it's knowing how to assure someone else – someone who not only has never met you, but someone who has become a tad skeptical about applicants' claims of skills and abilities.

First, in order to know which skills, traits, and experiences you need to be sharing, you need to research the job and organization. Knowing what they are looking for is just as important as knowing what you have to offer. If you use most of your resumé to convince the organization that you have terrific computer skills and never mention your excellent customer service skills, you may never make it to the interview stage. And, in case you didn't already know it, the resumé/cover letter package – just like an application form – is a tool for screening you out, not in. Most employers do not interview all applicants and, in fact, the fewer they need to spend time interviewing, the better. Most resumés get fewer than 10 seconds' attention before a decision is made whether or not to consider the applicant. From the applicant's perspective, it's a real bummer that so little consideration is given to the application package. But it makes a lot of sense when you consider the employer's perspective.

A very popular claim these days, for instance, is the ability to "multi-task." (An expression which is soooo overused, I recommend you never include it in your resumé or cover letter.) The reason it's so popular is easily understood: most employers want someone who can do two or three or more things at once and still work efficiently. Well that's great, and maybe you're one of the people who really can multi-task, but how can you convince a stranger of that? One way is to include a letter of recommendation with your resumé package, but that means the employer has even more reading to do, and that is not something they want to do. A better way to make your case is by providing a few examples of how often you have done it, how you have been recognized for it, or what you believe about it. Here are a couple of examples that demonstrate the ability to multi-task:

• As the receptionist of a busy insurance company, answered multi-line phone system, spoke with callers in order to forward them to the appropriate department or individual, took paper messages accurately, directed visitors, processed incoming mail, helped with bulk mailing projects, and made travel arrangements for staff of 11.
• Participated in several projects simultaneously, requiring interaction by phone, email, and in meetings with multiple departments and dozens of coworkers in order to achieve goals by adhering to project timelines.

Assuming that your job choice is a good fit in the first place (I'll talk about that another time), my recommendation is to research the career until you are very clear about the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to do the job well. Research can be done in several ways, some of which are easier than others (depending on your personality). Shy folks like using the internet or directories while extroverted, social types will use any excuse to talk with people. The best, of course, is the combination.

Next, make a list of everything you have done or believe you can do. Use assessments, write our your work history, list your leisure activities, all the training you've ever had (formal and informal). This step will help you with every part of the job search process from application to interview to your actual performance on the job. Knowing thyself is as important today as it was in the time of Socrates. (And isn't it good to know that some things never change!?!)

Part three is doing a good job of "proving" that you have the skill, knowledge, and experience you claim. A relatively simple way to get this started is to list what the job requires on one side of a page and how you can fulfill that requirement on the other side. If you're not sure your "proof" is working, have someone who doesn't know what you did look at your examples. If you can't convince him/her, it's back to the drawing board!

Additional resources for assessments and career exploration:

• http://online.onetcenter.org
• http://keirsey.com/matrix.html
• What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles, Ten Speed Press, © 2003
• Occupational Outlook Handbook US Department of Labor, JIST Publishing, Inc., © 2006-2007
• The Wizard of Work by Richard Gaither with John Baker, Ten Speed Press, ©1995 [see chapter 5 on Research Information]