About 95% of the resumes that I review have the same "fatal flaw". This fatal flaw can also impact the ability for an employee to earn an outstanding performance rating or be promoted. By adding 3 words to your resume or review, you can change how a company views your performance and potential and will transform you from average to extraordinary in no time.

Why Should I Care?
Early in my career, an executive recruiter shared some advice with me that I still use in my own career and the coaching that I provide to thousands of people around the world.  If you want to stand out from the multitude of voices that are screaming “Pick Me!” in today’s war for talent, you have to prove you understand how you create value for an organization.  Nowadays it is important, scratch that… it’s an irrefutable fact, that you are able to prove you are more than just a cog in a corporate wheel that can show up and do the same thing, the same way, every day.  To be a rock star in today’s war for talent, you must be able to tell people:

1.)  Who You Are?: (Hi, my name is Greg Duckworth)

2.)  What You Do?: (I am a HR professional with over 2 decades of experience working with global, fortune 50 companies)

3.)  Why They Should Care?: (Mind-blowing silence normally occurs here)

The last question probably sounds harsh but it is the most important question that most people are not prepared to answer.  You will never get the attention you deserve if you cannot tell people what you do AND why it makes a difference.  The great thing is that this “fatal flaw” is relatively easy to fix with a little thoughtful preparation. 

Which Resulted In
Three simple words can transform any resume or your next performance review into a powerful, personal sales tool that will make you stand out from the crowd. By adding the words which resulted in, to the list of job duties you perform, you are forced to articulate the value of what you do. 

As an example, let's assume you are a customer service representative for a company.  Your resume or performance review probably has a line that says something like “I answered the telephone”. Congratulations, you have proven that you can perform a task that everyone else in the world can do. 

Now, let’s fix the fatal flaw by adding “which resulted in” and provide the reader with an understanding of how you make a difference. “I answered the telephone for XYZ company and provided first contact resolution to customer questions which resulted in a 100% customer satisfaction score on my call quality scores every month.” Now you have my attention because you demonstrate that you understand how you impact the customer and business profitability. 

Distinct Or Extinct
Factors like globalization, industrialization and technology are influencing what companies demand from their employees.  Like it or not, you are in a competition to make the world pay attention to you.  It’s up to you to develop and sell the heck out of what makes you awesome and unique.  More often than not, the difference between being distinct or extinct in today’s workforce is determined by your unwavering commitment to understanding and demonstrating how you add value.