CareerJournal posted an article titled Finding the Right Keywords to Get Your Resume Noticed. As you have probably noticed, we are on a crusade to stop companies from making initial candidate decisions based on resumes only. We go to great lengths to parse a resume for key information. We have our own keywords and, more importantly, key data that supports their claims. Notice this section of the article:
Although many keywords are industry specific, Mr. Block says, certain phrases are important to almost all companies. They include “communication skills,” “problem-solving,” “team work,” “leadership,” “resource optimization,” and “image and reputation management.”
“Business development” might be one of the most important of all, he says.
It is one thing to have popular keywords, it is another to provide tangible support of the claim. It is still a further item to exhibit the sales skills that support the business development claim.
Here is an excerpt I have to parse (my emphasis added):
“You need to communicate the things that you do in a positive, active way,” he says. Using strong phrases like “led a team” or “built a team” instead of “worked with a team” can make a subtle but important distinction to a recruiter.
Positive, active words are important in a resume. Inaccurate words are not. Led, built and worked are all 3 very different verbs. General questions that I would pursue in a phone screen or interview for each statement:
“Led a team” – How big was the team? What were your day-to-day responsiblities? Overall, how well did the team perform against its target/quota/objective? What was one of the largest obstacles you had to lead your team through? How would you describe you leadership style?
“Built a team” – How many team members did you inherit and how many did you personally add? Tell us about your process for adding to the team. Besides building the team, what other responsiblities did you have?
“Worked with a team” – What were your specific responsibilities on the team? Walk us through how the team functioned. What team objectives were you working towards and how did you do in attaining them? What contributions did you make to the success of the team?
My rather lengthy point here is that words do matter on a resume. Worked, built and led are 3 very different verbs that lead to completely different lines of questioning. Wantonly interchanging these 3 verbs speaks more to embellishment than to accuracy. As an interviewer, it is your responsiblity to drill down on the candidate’s responsiblities within the context of the team.