Boring Résumé and Cover Letter Keeping You from Landing That Training Gig?

Any hiring manager will tell you that sifting through cookie-cutter résumés and cover letters can be dry and monotonous work at best. We, in the training profession, should know about dry, monotonous work; a major component of our profession is bringing boring, complicated, and sometimes monotonous topics to life. When creating a résumé and cover letter, it’s important that you bring the concept of “you” to life. How are you making yourself stand out from other candidates? Do your résumé and cover letter paint a picture of your talents in a creative way? Pro tips below to prevent your résumé from hitting the bin before you have a chance to shine.

4 Tips on Résumés and Cover Letters for Training Roles

1. Flex Your Skills and Create an Interactive Digital Résumé 

Keep it professional, of course, but don’t be afraid to let your personality shine in your cover letter and résumé creation. Think of your resume and cover letter as templates that need to be customized. According to Time magazine, your résumé “should be eye-catching without being an eyesore.” Ensure that your application’s most important points are concise and easy for the reader to absorb, as you would do when designing learning content.

Use a tool like Prezi to create an interactive digital résumé to set yourself apart. Prezi provides free resume and cover-letter templates in an editable format. Show employers that you can make something come alive! This is your chance to illustrate your ability to explain a complex topic in a fun, engaging way. Keep your one-page résumé attachment, but build links to something more fun and interesting to prove that you’re capable of creating strong content.

2. Map Out What They Care About 

If your résumé isn’t using the key terms from a company’s job listing, you’re doing it wrong. What a job listing provides is a description of the specific skills that the employer cares about the most, your secret weapon. Think about it: Someone took the time to write those bullet points for a reason! Use this to your advantage. As to your cover letter, weave in those key terms from the job listing as well. Then navigate the company’s website, review its mission and core values, and relate this to your personal and professional values and goals. Making this connection will show that you’ll be a great fit at the organization.

While many argue that the cover letter is dead, it’s still a good idea to send one, as it will set you apart during the vetting process. Some companies use the cover letter as a quick way to sift through candidates who are seriously job searching as opposed to passively perusing. The key here is to refrain from spending too much time crafting the document. Luckily, Monster has nailed the cover-letter equation, explaining how to quickly write a strong cover letter, including bits on “what you like about them” and “what they’ll like about you.” Check it out and tailor it for your needs.

3. Keep It Simple

From the fonts you select to the words you use, don’t overcomplicate things. Explain what you’ve accomplished and how you can help their business and don’t use fluff to tell your story.

Put yourself in the shoes of the person who’ll be reading the résumé: What does the company need from this role? How can this role make their business, team, or department stronger? Focus less on your former job descriptions and more on the impact you made on the business. Make that abundantly clear, selling yourself and your accomplishments in a way that communicates how you will do the same on their team and for their company.

4. Pack a Punch with Your Words and Data Points 

Use words that accurately describe your talents and accomplishments and make them action oriented. The Muse shared 185 powerful words that you should leverage to create your next résumé and cover letter. Start every bullet point with one of those words.

In addition to word choice, businesses always want to understand the impact learning has had on specific business goals. Famous statistician W. Edwards Deming said, “Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.” Using data to demonstrate the value of a training department, and your role there, in the organization’s overall success is key to doing so. Calculate and list your previous training-survey results, business-impact data, uptick in behavioral changes, and so on, as a result of the learning programs you have been involved in. For example, rather than simply saying that you “launched a sales development program,” try including a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) on the backend. Augment that bullet with, “resulting in reps doubling revenue from $65K per month to $130K.” In your cover letter, offer to share more work samples with the employer, if he or she would be interested in seeing them. Have those ready as a follow-up to send to them. This will serve as an easy call to action for them to get in touch with you.

Looking for an example of how to create digital resume and cover letter? We’ve got you covered below:

• A Sample Digital Resume
• Sample Cover Letter Templates from the Muse

In summary, you want to make sure you find an organization that matches your values and be yourself. Using these tips above, you will quickly be able to put your best digital-foot forward to land that interview. Now go get ’em!