Last week, Google announced plans to hire thousands of employees throughout the US by expanding or opening offices across nine states, including Colorado and Michigan. According to CNN, “There’s been increased attention on tech company hiring in the United States, and political pressure to invest and create jobs locally.” #Googlehiring

If you are going to apply for a position with Google or one of the other tech giants like Apple or Microsoft, your resume will need to go beyond boring job descriptions and convey your career story with power and authenticity.

The burden of proof is on you, the job seeker.

Copying and pasting your job description onto your resume isn’t going to help you communicate your value but focusing on your accomplishments will.

Most job seekers who write their own resumes only include their responsibilities. For each position, they write something like this: “Responsible for managing a team of product specialists that addressed client needs and supported brand specific business strategies.” Any number of candidates could say the same thing.

Make your resume work for you by providing the reader with a brief description of the situation, the action you took, and the results you delivered. The statement above could be revised into something like this: “Transformed underperforming team of 12 product specialists into high-achievers with 100% of the team achieving quota targets.” Few candidates could say this exact same thing.

For every entry, your strengths need to be framed with measurable data.

Here are a few other things you need to think about …

> Craft Your Resume for Your Target. Be clear on the position you are applying. Hone in on what really matters and remove overused words and phrases. (Team player, Go-getter, Hard worker, Strategic.)

> Watch for Errors. Don’t rely on spellcheck to catch your typos. Many people write Manger for Manager or Principal for Principle. Spellcheck won’t flag the incorrect word.

> Use a Clean Format. Steer clear of text-dense paragraphs, bullet point after bullet point of information, fancy fonts, and table style formats. Make it easy for readers to find your pertinent information and weigh every entry. Start from scratch (rather than adding to your original resume) so you don’t end up with multiple pages of meaningless information.

> Be honest. Always be “above board” in your job search. Honesty, integrity, and truthfulness are critical to success. People have lost outstanding opportunities by falsifying information on their resumes.

> Make Your Document ATS Friendly. Approximately 90% of Fortune 500 companies screen job applicant submissions via an applicant tracking system (ATS). This happens before an actual person reads through the applications. To make it through the initial scan, you need to integrate appropriate keywords and concrete skills throughout your document.

Employers Use Social Media to Validate Their Decision to Hire.

> Social Media. Hiring managers and recruiters are looking so make sure you are presenting a professional image. The pictures and content you post helps employers get a bead on your personality and interests. Audit your social media platforms and remove anything you don’t want potential employers to see such as inflammatory comments and unprofessional photos.

“Observe the masses and do the opposite.” Walt Disney

Rather than simply adding to your original, start from scratch and create your resume with the reader in mind. Most of the documents I review are filled with generic words and phrases, or job descriptions copied from HR paperwork.

Great resumes tell a story by having a start, middle, and end told through achievements. Resumes that focus on responsibilities only regurgitate what the reader already knows – day-to-day responsibilities assigned to the position; however, achievements showcase your ability to go above and beyond what is expected. These nuggets supercharge your document, help you stand out from the masses, and give the reader a reason to sit up and take notice.

Be bold and set yourself apart. Don’t duplicate.

According to a Business Insider report, Google sometimes receives as many as 50,000 resumes in a single week. Make sure yours stands out from the other 49,999 by using captivating titles and strong keywords to draw the reader in and create a standout impression of you as a viable candidate.

My mission is to help YOU build your authentic brand –one that will put you ahead of your competition and help you gain clarity, confidence, and control of your job search.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]Tammy Shoup is a Certified Master Resume Writer and career storyteller who helps career professionals, thought leaders, rising stars, and high-level executives create branded resumes that demonstrate their unique value, engage their target audience, and give them a competitive edge in their field. She is multi-certified and has 20 years’ experience writing words that change lives.[/author_info] [/author]