Resume Puffery

Submitted by rgbiv99
in
General Questions and Comments
I'm working on updating my resume and I'm having difficulty listing accomplishments without engaging in what M&M call "puffery." For example, one thing that I'm really proud of is pitching new business and ultimately bringing on our second largest account. In reality, I pitched the business while my boss was out of town, which got us through the first round of interviews, then my boss closed it when she came back. Saying that I brought in that business feels dishonest. On a resume, does everyone just know that your accomplishments are part of a larger team effort? Is some puffery expected?
Submitted by Tom Waltz on Wednesday November 12th, 2008 2:08 pm

if it's part of a team, then say something like "led a team that...." or "contributed X to a team working on X1"

Submitted by Jeff Lazerus on Friday November 14th, 2008 12:03 pm

Just say that:
Initiated sales effort for Client X, a 10billion company, which led to X result.

The beauty of the MT resume is that you don't NEED to resort to puffery. Show YOUR accomplishments and make sure the accomplishments are measurable.

I understand Wendii is providing MT resume critique service and it's really valuable (haven't done this myself). Have you thought about that?

Submitted by rgbiv99 on Friday November 14th, 2008 4:11 pm

I have thought about it and will do it when I have my resume as good as I can get it on my own. Don't tell M&M, but I haven't updated my resume since I took my current job 4 years ago. :wink: I know I'm way behind on that and am trying to catch up.

Submitted by John Hack on Saturday November 15th, 2008 8:18 am

The Wall Street Journal profiled earlier this week executives who engaged in resume puffery:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122652836844922165.html

As a result, some folks are losing their jobs:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122661583489225999.html

So remember that a claim made when you're a low profile manager can become a problem when you become a big dog. (yes, these are only examples of academic credentials, but you should never put anything on your resume you know isn't true)

John

Submitted by Kimberly Hoffman on Wednesday November 19th, 2008 10:59 am

Please consider highlighting your successes on the resume in a way that you will feel comfortable discussing them in an interview.

We had a candidate in this week whose resume was very "puffy". In discussing his successes he had listed on his resume, it was obvious that although he had technically performed the tasks listed, he was nowhere near as senior as the language on the CV led me to believe. This was at the top of my list when I provided feedback to the hiring manager.