Be the Unicorn: Why the bullets on your resume matter

When applying for roles, your resume is a way to share your experience and demonstrate why you are the best candidate for the role. Your previous experiences will help make this clear for many roles.

When looking for a management role, highlighting roles where you managed before is key.

If you are looking to be a principal, emphasizing your previous teaching and instructional support roles will display your expertise.

Many roles have clear prerequisite roles or experiences that make a candidate more attractive. Having these roles on your resume is just part of communicating why you should be hired. People hold roles and positions every day, but this does not necessarily mean that they are effective.

Think about a previous supervisor or colleague you have had. They may have held great positions with great companies, but just holding this role does not make it clear what unique experiences you bring.

The goal in your job search is to be what the rest of them cannot find.

The truth is that for most roles, people are looking for their unicorn.

Hiring managers are looking for people who have experience in the industry. Next, they are looking for unique experiences and high impact in their industries. Focusing on your unique experiences in your role and where you have had a high impact will always set you apart from the rest.

When reviewing your resume to ensure it is communicating more about your impact, consider the following:

- Highlights from your assigned duties: In a world where we talk about giving the bare minimum to our jobs in the name of self-care, it is important to know that the bare minimum will not make you a unicorn. It will make you regular! Regular is okay, totally fine, but if you want to expedite your next opportunity and the ability to leverage your current role for your next role, you must consider where you have hit great milestones in your role.

- Where did you exceed expectations or goals in your role? Have you been recognized for any achievements? Even where you haven’t received specific highlights or praise in certain categories, look behind and consider if you are standing out in other ways. Not sure how to consider this? Ask your manager! In your next weekly meeting, consider asking, “Where do you find that I currently exceed expectations?”

 Experiences that “stretched” you in previous roles: Our job titles never tell the entire story. Most roles we hold or apply to have job descriptions that always list a section titled, “other duties as assigned.” This catchall statement notes the other surprises that may arise in a job that you hold. Were you the first hire in your department and sat through interviews as the rest of your team was hired? Were you the lead teacher who had the most experience teaching math so you led content meetings for your co-workers? Was there a process that was taking too long for your team that you innovated, and then it was replicated by the entire company? These are what many call “stretch” experiences, and these experiences can set you apart. You never know what unique needs your potential company has and the way that your unique stretch experiences may position you to stand out.

Your passions and what you want to do in your next role: When thinking about your highlights and how you rose to the occasion in unique ways in your previous roles, make sure you highlight things connected to your passions or what is most important for the role you are applying for. Highlighting your passions is important because your ideal employer sees your passions as an asset. Making your goals and passions clear in the things that you highlight is a way to begin to detail your values early on in the process. Again, if these values are in alignment with your company or the needs for the role, it will help you stand out.

Ensuring you select highlights that connect to the role or needs of the position is a way for someone to see how you have already excelled at the qualifications needed for the position. Think about it, most of your interview questions will connect to the highest needs for the role. How attractive would it be for them to see the exact questions they have for candidates, listed as your strengths?

Beginning this week, begin to take notes as you achieve milestones at work. Take note of what you are doing. This will also help you remember that you are doing more than you believe. You are thriving more than you believe you are. You are worthy and will find the next place for you.