Copier Careers^® is the only recruiting firm exclusively dedicated to the Copier and Office Solutions Channel^℠. With over 30 years of experience, Copier Careers connects employers and job seekers, providing valuable insights, career opportunities, and unmatched support in the industry. Whether you’re an employer, employee or job seeker, Copier Careers is here for you!

Your Resume Is Not a Job Description

Applying for jobs and not getting results? It might be time to rework your resume

Your resume makes your first impression to employers. It’s literally the foot-in-the-door to your next big gig. So why do most candidates dust off the same old resume from 10 years ago and just add their most recent experience? We get it – job searches can be difficult and stressful. But your resume should never, never, never be an afterthought!

Your resume should clearly and concisely tell the story of your career, bringing up examples that demonstrate how good you would be at the job you want. Your resume should not be a mishmash of job descriptions from your previous roles. Or worse, the same duties copied and pasted across multiple jobs!

A resume is specific to you and what you bring to the role, team and company as a whole. A job description is general and describes what an employer wants from that position. It lists duties that many people could do. Your resume should tell the employer what you alone can achieve if given a chance. It’s how you stand out from the crowd of other applicants.

A job description is a question, your resume should be the answer

The top level question is: Why should I hire you? The specific questions: “Can you do this task? How much will I need to train you? Will you be good to my customers? Can you take correction? Can I trust you?” A successful candidate can spot the questions and put the answers in their resume.

If you were in an interview and the hiring manager said, “Tell me about a time you worked well on team.” It would be nonsensical for you to reply with a generic list of duties you performed with no mention of teamwork at all. That is not a productive conversation and is unlikely to get you a call back.

Similarly, if a job post says they are looking for a candidate with extensive teamwork skills, your resume is expected to describe the times you successfully worked on a team. And – no – adding “teamwork” to your list of skills is not sufficient. Don’t limit yourself to just what you did but how you did it – what challenges did you overcome, what opportunities did you capitalize on, what were the results of your achievements?

If you apply to another job that has a greater emphasis on working independently and time management, you might replace your examples of teamwork to demonstrate these different skills.

The more your resume aligns with the questions in the job description, the stronger you look as a candidate.

Need help? Download our Sample Resume Template to get started!