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How to Walk a Recruiter Through Your Resume
By SHAWN
GRAHAM, CollegeJournal.com
"Walk me through your resume." Sounds simple enough. After all, it is
your experience. You'll spend two to three minutes reciting and, if you
get nervous, sometimes reading everything on your resume, starting with
your undergraduate education. Right? Wrong!
As a career counselor at a major university, I've seen undergraduate
and graduate students alike get tripped up by this common interview
technique, which some company recruiters call the "Resume Walk." Most
interviewees spend their time regurgitating every minor detail verbatim
from their resumes, instead of focusing on the high points and
explaining the reasons they made different decisions. Based on dozens of
conversations I've had over the years, recruiters are much more
interested in your thought process than they are specific details about
each job.
If there's one part of an interview you should ace, it should be the
Resume Walk. After all, it's about you and your resume. You know this
stuff, right? When you respond, you want to tell the interviewer a
story. Part of that story will be the reasons you made certain
career-related decisions. Here are three you'll want to cover and tips
for discussing them:
- Why you chose your college or university. During mock
interviews, students have told me they selected their college or
university because it was close to home or because their boyfriend
or girlfriend went there. That might be the truth, but it isn't
going to persuade the interviewer that the student was thoughtful in
his or her decision. Instead, you should focus on what was different
about the school and how that fit with your career plans. If you
wanted to be an engineer, for example, part of your answer could be
that it's one of the top engineering schools in the country.
- Why you took a job. Hopefully, the reason isn't because
you fell into an opportunity without giving it much thought or
because it was the shortest commute. A thoughtful answer would
address job content, opportunities for advancement or a related
issue. Students I know who have been the most effective at
explaining their reasons for taking jobs focus on such topics as how
the position aligns with their career goals or what they felt was
different about the job, the company, or another aspect of the
position. The interviewer wants to know that you had a plan, even if
that plan has since changed.
- Why you left one job to take another. Was it a promotion?
Did the move fit with your career plan? Do you have a career plan?
If so, talk about it. I've seen students make the false assumption
that interviewers would know their long-term goals just by looking
at their resume. Don't assume. Explain why you moved from job to
job.
Before your interview, think about your responses to the questions
above. Practice your Resume Walk until you have it down cold. You should
sound polished but not rehearsed. Time yourself -- your Resume Walk
should be three minutes max. Believe it or not, I've witnessed some that
were more than 10 minutes. Use these four tips for mastering the Resume
Walk:
- Bring extra copies of your resume. Even though
interviewers should have a copy, it may not be on hand for easy
reference. You also may find yourself meeting with other company
employees who may not have a copy.
- Don't focus on every detail. I've seen even students with
limited experience take more than five minutes on the Resume Walk.
That's much too long for one question during a 30- or 45-minute
interview. Hit a few highlights for each position and move on.
- Add a few details not included on your resume. The
interviewer probably has read most of your resume. By talking about
a few things that aren't on it, you're more likely to develop a
rapport. For example, you could start by briefly describing your
hometown. I grew up near Sharon, Pa., which claims to be the home of
the world's largest shoe store and candy store. When I've mentioned
that tidbit to interviewers, it's helped break the ice.
- Maintain eye contact. Doing so may make it easier to
avoid the temptation of reading from your resume. It keeps the
interviewer's attention focused on you and your answer, not the
ivory resume paper you purchased at FedEx Kinko's.
-- Shawn Graham is an
associate director of the M.B.A. Career Management Center at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business
School.
--September 29, 2006 |
