It’s not toot my horn or anything, but I can climb literally any mountain that is put in front of me… until the time comes when the job search and resume suddenly becomes m Mount Everest. They are exhausting, time consuming, and overwhelming, and the thought of creating one is enough to create a pit of fear in my stomach. Obviously, I missed a basic life class on how to build a flawless resume without losing your mind.
That said, while resumes are not just one-size-fits-all, I’ve learned that there are all the things that successful women have in their own—and I’ve tapped two experts to give you all the information.
Whether you’re looking to update your current resume, expand your job search, or get a job, you’ve come to the right place. With these tips, you can get your resume back on track and land your dream job with ease. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about what successful women have on their resumes.
Victoria Coffee
MBA and Product Strategist at BabyQuip
Coffee is passionate about product management and research and has spent over ten years working at companies such as Dyson, US Bank, and Kroger. Now, his goal is to ensure that BabyQuip continues to delight families by addressing pain points and feedback from customers and raters.
Gwendolyn (Wendy) connects
Content and Brand Strategist, Journalist, and Global Content Director at SmartNews
Bonds is an award-winning journalist and author whose work spans some of the largest media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, CNBC, and others. Prior to joining SmartNews, he was CCO at Consumer Reports and oversaw all editorial strategy.
1. They have a story
Anyone can list all the jobs that work at a startup, but successful women take it up a notch. Coffee explained to me that successful women will gain insight and show potential employers the various benefits they have provided in previous jobs using relevant metrics and demonstrating selected accomplishments. Not only does this help tell their work story, but it also shows what they can contribute to their new job.
“For example, instead of saying you’ve ‘done the best process,’ describe the process and number of efficiencies you’ve created,” Coffee said. For example, Coffee suggests something like “Shortened sales reporting process by 50% by integrating data directly” when describing your previous accomplishments.
2. They have what is required for the job
“Every job is a little different in terms of what skills you have to play up or down. It’s hard for me to recreate a one-size-fits-all,” Bounds told me. He went on to explain that this is why successful women will keep a “shell” template that they can customize to fit the job they’re looking for. “Some jobs may require you to rely on your sales or P&L experience. ; others may be more interested in leadership or collaboration skills. It’s worth taking the time to make sure your resume speaks directly to the opportunity. “
To do this, Coffee explains that successful women will take the time to research the skills and experience necessary for the job and then add people with certain abilities to their resume. Likewise, they must review the job description in their field to show that their resume matches and provide examples for at least 80% of the standard’s requirements.
3. They have their own interests
Contrary to popular opinion, successful women are not all work and no play. Of course, they have a work-life balance. That’s why they have to put a “personal preference” section on bottom of their resume while education and work experience-something that hiring managers love. “When I’m hiring someone for a good, long-term job, I want to know what they need outside of work,” Bounds explained to me. “A person who has a well-rounded and interesting life is likely to be the one who will bring important outside ideas into the company, and who is less likely to suffer from burnout.”
4. They have a clean design
Successful women also know how to create a clean resume that shows employers they’re a hard worker in 30 seconds or less. And according to Bounds, they will do this by keeping their resume clean, modern and readable; they must include bullets, quotation marks or punctuation marks alike, and ensure that their spelling and grammar are flawless. After all, they don’t need to distract from their work with a well-designed template—their work speaks for itself.
5. They have a collection of points
Most of us struggle to come up with a half-assed Instagram bio, but successful women don’t have that problem with their social media or resume. In addition to highlighting their history and field of expertise, Coffee told me that they will also stand out by including them. private brand and their executive collection. They should place this at the top of their resume, under their contact information. “Positioning yourself in this way will leave a lasting impression and make you different from the rest on the platform,” said Coffee.
That said, successful women won’t miss any ol’ words and slap it on their resume. Instead, Coffee explained that they will take time to think about who they are at their core, whether it is excellence, a creator, a creator, and so on. They will also ask their friends, family, and colleagues about the qualities and values that make them unique and use their responses to create an amazing statement about themselves.
6. They have good language
Successful women know how to talk and walk the talk, and they will demonstrate this by using the right language on their resume. Not only will they include keywords from the job description, but they will also use action verbs like “create,” “manage,” and more. Likewise, they have to be upfront and honest about any gaps in their history and what they used that time off for – an insight that Bound says pays off tenfold.
Also, Bounds said that successful women know what’s going on in all industries and they will use this knowledge in their children. And now, it’s no secret that machine learning and AI design are all the rage. That’s why these women are familiar with the basics and try things like ChatGPT to understand how they work and can be applied to their work or the company they work for.
7. They are honest
Above all, successful women are 100% authentic in their startups. They know how to make their energy high without sounding too loud by highlighting their skills, accomplishments, and experiences. And this tone makes it easier for managers to trust and, in turn, hire them. With these women, what you see is what you get. And they don’t have any bones hiding in their house.
When it comes down to it, successful women seem to get jobs easier and better than others because they have who they are. They don’t apologize for their success, and they sure as hell don’t try to downplay it to cater to everyone else’s weak needs. Be honest with yourself and follow the tips above, and you’ll soon land the jobs you want thanks to your resume.
