
Job Search Tips
Make Your Resume Stand Out with this Helpful Tip from Google
July 1, 2015

You’ve heard of the not-so-good examples of resumes out there. You’ve also learned why it is important to craft a resume that stands out. But have you heard about Google's resume formula?
Google’s senior vice president of people operations, Laszlo Bock, shares his best advice to prospective applicants on writing a stand-out resume:
“The key,” [Bock] said, “is to frame your strengths as: ‘I accomplished X, relative to Y, by doing Z.’ Most people would write a resume like this: ‘Wrote editorials for The New York Times.’ Better would be to say: ‘Had 50 op-eds published compared to average of 6 by most op-ed [writers] as a result of providing deep insight into the following area for three years.’ Most people don’t put the right content on their resumes.”Got it? Let’s break this down into a formula: Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]. By following this formula, you can highlight your accomplishments in numbers, and not only through words. Make your resume stand out by making it “results-oriented." Imagine that you are applying for a job as a writer. Note the big difference below:
- Previous: Wrote articles on job searching and career advice.
- Revised: Wrote 10 articles a month on job searching and career advice, exceeding the required total of 5 articles per month, which generated a combined total of 100,000 page views, 7,000 likes, and 550 tweets.
- Previous: Managed a team in charge of developing computer-based training modules.
- Revised: Managed a team of eight members in developing 10 computer-based training modules on HR-related benefits from 2013-2014.
- Previous: Reduced the department’s printing costs through a cost-cutting initiative.
- Revised: Reduced the department’s printing by Php15,000 per year by collaborating closely with purchasing department in acquiring lower-priced ink cartridges.
- Previous: Produced new sales by working with the marketing team.
- Revised: Produced Php3M in new sales from 2012-2014, with Php500,000 as the initial goal over the same three-year period, by working with the marketing team and targeting companies in the Paranaque-Laguna-Muntinlupa areas.