6 min read ⌚ 

Almost Everyone Gets It Wrong. This Is How You Can Get It Right.

Experiencing problems while looking for a job?

Even more when trying to find the job?

Gary Burnison says:

“Lose the Résumé, Land the Job.”

Who Should Read “Lose the Resume, Land the Job”? And Why?

The way you know them, resumes are a thing of the past – not because they are not important, but because they have transformed into something better: the story of you.

As “The New York Times Book Review” writes in its review” “Lose the Résumé, Find the Job” breaks down every aspect of job hunting, explaining what matters and what doesn’t.

As such, it should help everybody who has problems finding a job. And even those who do have one, but it is not really the one of their dreams.

This book has strategies for that as well! 

About Gary Burnison

Gary Burnison is the CEO of Korn Ferry International, with 2,500 employees across 40 countries, the world’s largest executive recruiting company.

After joining Korn Ferry in 2002 as CFO, Burnison served as COO for four years, before becoming the company’s CEO in 2007.

In 2011, he published “No Fear of Failure,” the first of his five books, which also include “The Twelve Absolutes of Leadership,” “Lead,” and “The Leadership Journey.”

“Lose the Resume, Land the Job PDF Summary”

You wonder why you got an automatic reply to your application or, even worse, that nobody called you even though you have such a great résumé?

Well, do you know that 98% of the candidates for a job position are eliminated basically before the employing process even beings, their CVs not given a second look, their résumés thrown in the trash can barely few minutes after they arrive?

Why, you ask?

Simply put, because nobody wants to lose his time and money.

And it’s not like there are five applications for a job!

Also:

The cost of replacing a manager six to 12 months after he or she is hired is equal to 2.3 times that person’s annual salary.

In other words, companies can’t afford to risk.

So, the process of choosing the right applicant is actually a fairly serious process (monitoring, background checks, testing, etc.) on the part of those who choose.

Consequently, it should be a serious process on your part as well!

And what do you think a company is most interested in when hiring you?

Turns out: it’s your passion.

Use Burnison’s ACT strategy to find out how much of it you have for the position you want to apply for – and save yourself the trouble of applying if it turns out that you have none.

ACT stands for:

Being authentic – which means that lying isn’t going to get you far! After all, you’re certainly present in the online world, so you can be sure that if there is some discrepancy between the information you give about yourself to a company and the ones you share with your closest friends – it will be used against you!

Making a connection. If things go well, you are going to stay at the company where you’re applying for a job for at least a couple of years. The painful truth is that nobody wants to work with someone who doesn’t make a good first impression. This works both ways!

Giving people a taste of who you are, what you can do best, and how much of a contribution you can make.

Speaking of which:

Your résumé should concisely and compellingly illustrate one major message point: This is how I made things better for my employer while I was there.

Résumés are not as important as you think; in fact, as we hinted above, they are merely a small part of a large package which includes your online presence and even – if it gets to an interview – your body language.

Since hiring managers rarely have time to cast more than a look or two on your CV, if you want to make it effective, then you need to follow certain résumé-writing rules:

#1. Don’t lie!
#2. Avoid buzzwords and clichés: when everybody is a “team player” and “innovative,” nobody is.
#3. Don’t leave any unexplained time gaps in your experience!
#4. Tell your story: it matters more than the layout.
#5. May your objective be discernible from your story: don’t state one instead.
#6. List your experience and accomplishments in the middle – and in reverse chronological order.
#7. Use most of this space (three-fourths of it) to describe your current job.
#8. Tell three relevant stories from your current job in the format challenge-action-outcome; use bullet points.
#9. Ask for some feedback from a professional before sending the résumé.
#10. Always – always – be prepared to provide references.

Once you’re finished with the résumé, it’s time to clean up your online media presence. Which boils down to at least a few no-brainers:

#1. Polish your LinkedIn profile and embellish it with a relatively recent photo of the well-groomed smiling you.
#2. Delete all inappropriate photos and tweets you can find.
#3. Investigate how often you post: excessive posting means you’re not that busy; the opposite that you are too passive.

Since it abounds in practical advice, we’ve reserved our “Key Lessons” section for three more important messages from this book.

Key Lessons from “Lose the Resume, Land the Job”

1.      Assess Yourself with the KF4D Test
2.      Be a Connector to Be Connected
3.      Avoid the “Deadly Sins of Interviewing”

Assess Yourself with the KF4D Test

Korn Ferry’s Four Dimensions of Leadership test is a useful tool which assesses four areas of utmost importance:

#1. Traits. These are your personal qualities. In a nutshell, the ones which companies usually search for should be pretty obvious: engaging people with a vision who can act and influence others.
#2. Drivers. Ask yourself: what drives you in life? Don’t work for a company which doesn’t address this drive.
#3. Competencies. Everybody has his own strengths and weaknesses. Find yours.
#4. Experiences. What have you done in the past that proves you can do the job you apply for in the future?

Be a Connector to Be Connected

“The biggest misconception,” writes Gary Burnison, “is that networking is about you. It’s the opposite. It’s about the other person.

It’s as simple as the golden rule: help other people, and you’ll be helped too when the time comes.

Connect friends to other friends (not for your own, but for their benefit), and, soon enough, you’ll be part of a large circle of people.

When networking, don’t think about anything past this.

Do it because you want to see the people you like happy.

Avoid the “Deadly Sins of Interviewing”

Most of these are fairly obvious, but you’ll be surprised at how many people have lost a job opportunity because of simple mistakes.

So, without further ado:

#1. Don’t lie! (We can’t overemphasize this!)
#2. Dress appropriately.
#3. Don’t be late!
#4. Research the company beforehand.
#5. Don’t talk too much, but don’t talk too little either.
#6. When asked if you have any questions, be sure to have them. “Replying, ‘I’m good, thanks’ as if someone had offered to refill your iced tea, shows a lack of preparedness and engagement.”
#7. Reiterate your enthusiasm and passion for the job before leaving: the last impression counts almost as much as the first one.
#8. Treat every interview as if it is your first – even if it’s your fifth for the day.

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“Lose the Resume, Land the Job Quotes”

Be honest and transparent about who you are, your background, your current job and responsibilities, and your current compensation. Never lie or exaggerate. Click To Tweet

The best time to find a new job is when you have a job. Click To Tweet

The often-quoted statistic is that people form an impression about others within seven seconds. But it may be even shorter than that. Click To Tweet

To be skilled at anything requires some knowledge and know-how. But more than that, you must possess the ability to adjust, adapt and respond. Click To Tweet

The workplace world is always smaller than you think. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

“Lose the Résumé, Land the Job” has a somewhat misleading title; fortunately, the misleading part is the first half of it.

Because almost everything that Gary Burnison says is applicable in the real-world, so we seriously believe that heeding his tips may help you land the job you like.

Worst-case scenario: you’ll do your best.

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.