Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









How to Explain your Accountabilities in your Resume

Written by: Tom Hannemann

Article Overview: It's not what you say, it's how you say it that matters. Many outstanding candidates fail to get interviews because they are unable to articulate their accountabilities clearly in a way that engages the reader. This article provides some guidelines and hints to help you express your accountabilities in the various jobs you have had in a way that grabs attention and convinces recruiters and hiring managers of the value you can add.

Free Download - When the Going Gets Tough .... By Tom Hannemann
Name: Email:

How to Explain your Accountabilities in your Resume

Hiring managers and recruitment consultants are interested in finding out the purpose or value or contribution of what you did, not just the tasks you undertook or the duties of your jobs. They often already know the types of duties and tasks that comprise the jobs you have done because they are relatively standard between organisations. In addition, most hiring managers will have undertaken that type of job earlier in their careers or they have managed people doing that job for many years. Recruitment consultants will have recruited to similar positions on numerous occasions and will be familiar with the main duties of the job. Therefore, spelling out your duties can be a waste of space.

The reader is more interested in the level of your accountability and the purpose of what you were or are doing. They want to know what you were or are accountable for ensuring or achieving in undertaking the tasks or duties comprising your job. This means you need to delve into the purpose and the value each role has been designed supposed to add to the business of the organisation.
It is important to indicate the core or underlying purpose of each role: what, at the end of the day, the role was designed to contribute to the organisation. The question to answer are: why does this role exist, what value is the role supposed to add to the business of the organisation?
This level of information helps potential employers and recruitment consultants understand, in a nutshell, what you are or were required or asked to achieve in the job and helps them understand the level at which you were or are working. This in turn helps them determine whether you are capable of operating at the level of the positions for which you are applying.
Providing the reader with information at this level, will also help differentiate you from the competition because most people don't go to this depth. It will provide employers with greater insight about your abilities and the level of responsibility you have had. It will help convince employers that you know what you are talking about and have thought through your value to the organisations with which you have worked.

Related Articles
  Does Your Resume Have That Extra Zing?
  Should You Hire A Professional Resume Writer?
  Understanding Resume Styles
  The Creative Resume
  Does Your Resume Get Attention?

Home > Human-Resources > Tom Hannemann > How to Explain your Accountabilities in your Resume
Article Tags: accountability, hiring managers, insight, job, jobs, nutshell, occasions, organisations, recruitment consultants, waste of space
Referred by: http://www.kyliehammond.com.au

About the Author: Tom Hannemann
RSS for Tom's articles - Visit Tom's website

Tom Hannemann is Principal of Advance Yourself Career Services - http://www.advance-yourself.com.au - a firm dedicated to helping executives, managers and professionals advance their career by developing their resumes, helping them respond to selection criteria and helping them prepare for interviews. He has been Seek's resident resume writing expert since October 2000 and is the preferred resume writing service of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Recruitment firms, executive coaches and migration consultants refer their clients to him to ensure that they obtain the competitive advantage they need to become contenders for the best career opportunities. With an MBA from the University of Melbourne and an undergraduate degree majoring in Psychology, 10 years experience as an HR practitioner and manager and a further 10 years as a management consultant specialising in HR management, recruitment, organisational change and leadership development, Tom has the credentials needed to ensure that your resume is sufficiently persuasive to convince recruiters and employers to include you amongst the chosen few from the multitude.

Click here to visit Tom's website
Dashed Line

More from Tom Hannemann
Why an Outstanding Resume is Not Enough to Get an Interview Reason 3
When the Going Gets Tough
The Resume Checklist
Should I include Personal Interests and Hobbies in my Resume
Why an Outstanding Resume is Not Enough to Get an Interview Reason 6


Related Forum Posts
Take the money! Take the money! - Or rather - accept the investment! [quote:3iervw6d] but I'd prefer to only "take the plunge" and potentially lose my own money rather than his as well. [/quote:3iervw6d] Seems to me that this is what angel investors are needed for. If you have a good business plan, and if you think your shop willl work, why not let your friend invest in it? If there's a chance of it failing...[i:3iervw6d]you [/i:3iervw6d]shouldn't be starting it to begin with. As I'm sure you know, most businesses fail because of a lack of cash flow in the early years. Explain to your friend about this, show him all the books, and if he still wants to go ahead...let him!
Re: Communicate your expectations from the start Re: Communicate your expectations from the start - [quote="WendyHearn":kp9ar7yd] Let them know that these are your expectations up front and ask if they're willing to meet them. I've found most freelancers are good at communicating progress. Wendy[/quote:kp9ar7yd] This is very important. Explain up front to your Elance provider exactly what time frame you want and that you want regular reports on progress - if you [i:kp9ar7yd]do [/i:kp9ar7yd]want regular reports, of course.
Google landing page tips Google landing page tips - Google AdSense expert, Joel Comm says "Edit the landing page, and you can tell the advertisers what they should write to get the most clicks with an ad on your site. You can even include your email address and contact information and invite them to contact you directly" ("The AdSense Code" 65 & 66). This way, advertisers will know to contact you via email if they can't find an option they like. In "The AdSense Code", Comm also suggests the following landing page tips (67 & 68 ): • Make your page look like it's a part of your site by adding a logo and using the same color scheme • Define what your website does • Outline the demographic and lifestyle information of your target market • Provide a list of the content and keywords that are likely to attract the most clicks and conversions • Explain to advertisers that a targeted campaign is likely to yield the best results for them
Securing Financing Securing Financing - This is a short article that a friend of mine put together. He's a business banker and it seems that he would be the right person to put the info together. He compiled it for inclusion in a book about opening a pizza shop. There could be some useful info here - In order for a bank to even consider financing for a business loan such as a pizza restaurant, the first step is to have good personal credit. If you have previous credit issues that have lowered your credit scores, make sure you are prepared to either hear, “No”, or “Please explain this (these) credit marks.” If you have not demonstrated the ability to manage your own personal finances then most likely you will not have the opportunity to manage the financing from a bank for a business. When you make the initial contact with a bank, ask to speak to a commercial loan officer. Other types of loan officers include consumer (think car loans) and mortgage (think home purchases and home equity loans). The commercial loan officer will be able to provide a list of things you will need to give him/her in order to consider the restaurant financing. Information required for a new business most likely will include the following: Personal financial statement (Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth) Personal tax returns (two years) Business Plan If leasing property, copy of the lease agreement If purchasing property, copy of the sales contract Personal History / Resume (may not be required but is very helpful) If an existing business, add the following to the list above: Business tax returns (two years) Copy of State Corporation Commission Certificate Copy of Federal Tax Identification Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) Copy of Articles of Incorporation (if corporation) Copy of Operating Agreement (if partnership) One common mistake a new business owner often makes with regard to financing is that one loan will cover all the financing needs. This is typically not the case and can lead to cash flow problems that could result in default on the loan, which is not what the lender or borrower want. In most cases, either two or sometimes three separate loans would be appropriate. For instance, if one is purchasing real estate then a long-term mortgage loan would be appropriate to finance that purchase. However, the pizza restaurant may need to purchase equipment and have cash available monthly to meet payroll and purchase rolling inventory. An equipment loan could take the form of a five or seven year loan with a fixed monthly payment much like a car loan. A line of credit, on which one would pay interest monthly on the outstanding balance, may be prudent for short-term cash flow purposes. All three should be addressed in the business plan and discussed with the commercial loan officer. Chris
Re: What Franchisors Want From Franchisees Re: What Franchisors Want From Franchisees - [quote="RussellWebb":ciz2u7mt]Here's a short list of what franchisers expect to see from prospective franchisees. [i:ciz2u7mt]- Is Your credit in good standing? - Do you have good people skills? - Do you have adequate financing for fees and start up costs? - How ready are you to get started? - Do you have the motivation to succeed? - Are you willing to subscribe to their system? - Do you understand basic business skills?[/i:ciz2u7mt] If there is heavy competition for your territory then everything you do will count. It's like going to a job interview and presenting yourself in the best possible light. Be prepared by studying the needs of the community, researching the industry that you are about to enter into, and of course do your Due Diligence when studying the franchisers offerings. Does anyone have anything to add to this list? Please contribute! ..[/quote:ciz2u7mt] Hi Russell, Would there ever be a time when people could simply bid more money for a franchise? And would you have more detail surrounding the items on your list? - Is Your credit in good standing? [color=#0000FF:ciz2u7mt]- What is the lowest score you can have?[/color:ciz2u7mt] - Do you have good people skills? [color=#0000FF:ciz2u7mt]- Explain in more detail. Does a person simply need good conversation skills? People are so good at "faking" and lying at job interviews... so would a franchisor really be able to measure this quality?[/color:ciz2u7mt] - Do you have adequate financing for fees and start up costs?[color=#0000FF:ciz2u7mt] - What's a good % amount above the required minimum to have in order to impress franchisors?[/color:ciz2u7mt] - How ready are you to get started? - Do you have the motivation to succeed? [color=#0000FF:ciz2u7mt]- How can you demonstrate this attribute aside from speaking with more energy in your voice and communicating through body language?[/color:ciz2u7mt] - Are you willing to subscribe to their system? [color=#0000FF:ciz2u7mt]- Are they just looking for "yes" men and women?[/color:ciz2u7mt] - Do you understand basic business skills? [color=#0000FF:ciz2u7mt]- Will the franchisor evaluate you based on how you answer their questions or will they weigh their decision more based on your professional/educational background? [/color:ciz2u7mt]


Recommended Article for You close

  Does Your Resume Have That Extra Zing?

Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

What Is The Foundation for Your Vision?

Online Business Ideas: A Look At Various Options

Building a Business From 30,000 Feet

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.