Job Hunt: Little Success Stories Make A Big Impression

Going above and beyond for an employer is a great trait. Being able to communicate that to land a job is a separate skill all together.

Demonstrating that a candidate has gone the extra mile is something employers look for, according to Amy Kordonowy, owner of Amy K Photography in Shorewood. 

There are three opportunities to dazzle future employers with your success stories. The first is in the resume. The second happens if you are lucky enough to get an interview. Lastly, most people overlook the opportunities of the cover letter.

Before we discuss the "how" of putting your best foot forward. We need to determine the "what."

Most people ignore so many wonderful accomplishments. They think that if they do not receive a formal acknowledgement or award, it doesn't count. That is far from true.

In fact, most employers look for the unsung heroes. Everybody wants to hire their competitor's best employee. Few companies have formal award systems in place.

Therefore, it is important for each job hunter to make a list of all the big and little tasks they have done. Sometimes that means to think about all the times you didn't get in trouble.

Start by making a list. Use three columns. Label them "problem/challenge," "what I did," and "how it saved time/money." 

Remember, all employers directly or indirectly have the same question. Can the job candidate save the business time or money?

Once job hunters see this process through that lens, they have the answer to every question.

Here are some questions to prompt your answers.

Have you passed safety inspections? Do you have monthly goals in any way? Do you have a time clock? Do you solve problems for customers? Have you ever made a project easier, faster, simpler? How have you saved time? Did you fix a problem that saved money?

With list in hand, turn your column answers into questions. Use active verbs, such as accomplished, achieved, exceeded, earned, and saved. If you are in a management position, include supervised, oversaw, managed, created, proposed, organized and trained.

Here are some examples of how to frame your answers in a cover letter or resume. 

"Regularly passed all safety inspections, saving downtime and fines."

"Frequently came in early to get my work organized before I punched in."

"Created a more efficient communication process, minimizing errors and customer complaints."

"Solved fax problem, recovering lost sales."

"Proposed solution to office team that resulted in a $200/day savings."

Keep in mind, you do not have to tell the whole story in the cover letter or the resume. That's where you give quick hits. If they can see problem solving skills, loyalty and dedication in your quick hits, employers are more likely to call for an interview.

Keep your three-column list with you during the interview. When they ask you about one of your quick hits, your list will help you give a smooth answer. 

"The fax machine had a glitch that nobody knew about. We kept getting customer complaints about lost orders, and we couldn't figure out why. So I took it upon myself to research and hunt down the problem. Turned out, we just needed a new fax machine. Then I went back and called all those customers, and explained what happened. I recovered thousands of dollars in sales and made a lot of unhappy customers happy again."

Something simple can make a home-run impression on a future boss. That is the above-and-beyond that Amy K is talking about.

Don't discount the little victories that get accomplished every day. That's the good stuff. That is exactly what employers are looking for.

Job hunting is all about preparation and explanation. Doing exercises like the one described here can be very time consuming. Some professions, like teaching, cannot be boiled down so easily. However, most of them can. 

A little bit of advance work just like this will make you a superstar in your next interview.