Show Me Don’t Tell Me!
Show (show) don’t tell (don’t tell)
Show me don’t tell me
You’ve figured out the score
Show me don’t tell me
I’ve heard it all before
Show me don’t tell me
I don’t care what you say
Show me don’t tell me
Rush Song: “Show Don’t Tell” from the album Presto, 1989
Nothing pains me more than to see your resume with general expressions that don’t show skills.
Or… You forget to give rich examples of your work experience during interviews.
Please, please, please: Get High on Yourself!
You have a light within you so strong that it can even blind the sun
Be authentic, sexy, vibrant, incredible, wow, sexy.
This is your time to shine!
Resume
- Boring: Worked with senior management to implement program which satisfied company goals
- Sexy: Increased sales revenue by $150k by managing a team of 5 on and offshore professionals in implementing an innovative CRM solution
- Boring: Managed a stock portfolio that beat the S&P 500
- Sexy: Managed a long/short portfolio of 150 value stocks using technical and fundamental analysis to achieve 5% alpha
Interviewing
- Boring: I solicited a target company for over a 1 year before bringing in my first sales order
- Sexy: Through a targeted campaign of email, phone calls, in person visits and even buying the target buyer’s son a present on his 16th birthday, I showed so much tenacity and product knowledge that my first sales earned my company over $100k
- Boring: My greatest strength is my ability to manage a team to success
- Sexy: I really love managing teams of 4-8 professionals through one on one coaching, demonstrating my unique sales skills, and rewarding top performance with a night at a Broadway show which I paid for out of my own pocket
Follow up to Interview
- Boring: Send an email thank you note
- Sexy: Hand write a thank you note to each person on the interviewing team
- They are concerned you are a flight risk since you have had 3 jobs in 5 years? Send a heavy potted plant to the hiring manger with the words, “I’m ready to put down roots with you”
Show Me Don’t Tell Me!