Resume Writing (Bullet Points/Individual Contributions)

So you have an accurate history of employment and some things to consider separating you from the pack. The next thing I like to look at is after completing about four or five bullet points for each job. I look to review the things that have had the largest impact.  What are your long term goals and what is the next job you are looking for?

Again for the next job you are looking for things work in a similar manner.

Find a target job description. I will review a few statements to review which might have more impact.

a.      Distribute and re issue keys to guest rooms, process all payment types credit/debit, cash and/or check 

b.       Run daily shift reports and authorization forms for future reservations and partner with the accounting dept. to resolve any late or disputed charges 

c.        Assist the Rooms Controller as well as program keys prior too guest arrival for flawless check in to, to include room blocks for groups in house. 

When I read a. as a bullet point the question is how is distributing keys to guest rooms impacting customer service?  How is processing all payment types credit/debit, cash and/or check impacting your job performance?  How much money are you responsible for over the course of 24hrs? How much does this equate to over the course of a month, year? How many upgrades were sold? I look at each of these bullet points as an opportunity to extend a personal impact on the operations. 

I would ask similar questions for b.  When running daily shift reports and authorization forms for future reservations to resolve any late disputed charges? How much are you running on average? How far back do you typically have disputed charges if this information is available? Do any of the customers return as a result of how you handle these disputed charges.  I look at disputed charges as a function of revenue or expenses. If you can compare the amount you save the company in comparison to what you are processing you can paint a picture of how much of an impact your work is contributing. 

When I look at bullet c. there seems to be criteria for a flawless check in. Find out the criteria again this is an opportunity to measure how you are impacting the business. Average out how many check- ins you do for a shift, week, month, and yearly.  Then find out how many of those are flawless. Do the room blocks save the company money or increase the likelihood of customers returning? This is another opportunity to put numbers to the work you are doing. 

Okay now that, you have several bullet points with numbers to go with them.  Just my guess but the area with the largest impact is going to be how much money you are transacting on a daily basis processing  payments is going to be a large number when you figure out how much it is over the course of a year.  But, I would definitely choose the bullets with the largest impact.

Understanding these questions are going to make things easier to have a conversation when you are interviewing for that next job.  For example you would now know how many people or groups on average you would be processing per day. How does the new job compare? If you have been working with the accounting department you probably understand how often there are disputed charges and what they consist of how does your prospective company handle these situations? What constitutes a flawless check in at your prospective company? Are there any leaders at the prospective company with flawless check-ins?

Package

Basic Resume $51.38 USD Basic Resume + Cover Letter $77.06 USD Basic Resume + Cover Letter + LinkedIn Profile $154.13 USD

Resume Writing (The Job Description)

I remember the days when you would walk into the Human Resources department and ask if the company you wanted to work for were hiring. In today’s technically savvy world your representative is your resume.  Long gone are the days when you are able to immediately converse with a hiring manager.  Is your resume getting you through the door and starting the conversation?

In today’s market there are a few things that will have an impact on your job search, your resume.  

I have read numerous websites as well as visited with, consultants, strategists, headhunters, executive job placement firms. Before any conversation begins guess what they want to review? That’s right! They all want an updated copy of your resume’.

I typed resume writing services into Google.com and the ads show prices ranging from a low of $40 to $99 for these services.  While they certainly have their place, I think with a little bit of effort you can have a product of comparable quality. 

The first thing is to understand what you have been doing.  If at all possible for every job you have had in the past 10 years, you should get an accurate job description for where you have worked.  Below is a sample job description for a Front Desk Coordinator, at HerKare.

The Front Desk Coordinator contributes to the growth and success of the center by ensuring each patient is made to feel like a priority from the time they enter a center to the time they leave. They are responsible for establishing a positive relationship with each patient as well as holding their center accountable to the HerKare's goal of bringing balance back to each patients life! http://www.indeed.com/cmp/HerKare/jobs/Front-Desk-Coordinator-1ba2b02fb866be3d

Even if you cannot find the job description for where you have worked you can find another job with a similar title and the description will be close. All you will have to do is change a few words to fit what you need. In the paragraph above if you simply change the name in the last sentence you have a generic job description of the duties of a front desk coordinator. 

So what makes you different?  For each place of employment you have worked, you need to evaluate how you have done.  Usually below the job description there is a list of skills, tasks or in the case of this job function, “essential functions. “  How well have you performed according to the list you have?

•  Follow up on all new patient inquiries within 24 hours and oversee the new patient   experience; make a positive first impression with patients both by phone and in person

• Handle and/or direct patient questions and complaints; know when to escalate and forward to operations team

For the list provided I would evaluate how well each of these tasks is done. If I started with the first bullet of following up with new patient inquires within 24 hours.  This is something that I would imagine your place of employment could track.  If you were the best at follow-up this is something I would list underneath as an accomplishment.  With the Second bullet point handling patient questions and complaints; while this is not something that I would think is tracked, I would look at this statement and think of how I was able to make sure I understood  if I were able to answer questions appropriately. While I would usually skip over situations that are not measurable, the opportunity in this statement is being able to help others understand when to escalate questions, by training others or helping others with accomplishing this task. As an example underneath the job description as an accomplishment I would list:

•  I successfully followed up on new patient inquires and lead the front desk coordinators in the follow up-rate.

• I was recognized 2 months in a row for having the best follow up rate

• Trained new employees on handling direct patient questions

• I was the go to person for forwarding questions to the operations team

At a minimum I have a generic resume with my job description along with my accomplishments the way that I have described above.  This will give your prospective employer a brief view of where you have worked and what you have contributed as a worker.

Package

Basic Resume $51.38 USD Basic Resume + Cover Letter $77.06 USD Basic Resume + Cover Letter + LinkedIn Profile $154.13 USD