As a recruiter, you sometimes may need to coach candidates on how to present themselves in the best possible light to a prospective employer. You know that this candidate is highly qualified for the position you are seeking to fill, but their resume and interviewing skills don’t show their full potential. Here’s a simple tool you can use to coach the candidate to shine.

In a recent post we discussed the difference between the old resume style and the new resume style.[link] The new resume style focuses on key, quantifiable accomplishments to show a prospective employer what the candidate is capable of and willing to do for them. The new resume focuses on the ROI (Return On Investment) that the new employer can expect when they hire the candidate.

One tool that we recommend our clients use to identify key accomplishments and show their ROI is the CARS (the Condition Activity Resolution Statement). Here’s how they work.

First the candidate identifies a specific condition (problem, situation, need) they worked on in a prior job or career position. What was the need? What was happening that needed the candidates attention? Whenever possible, have them use numbers to define the scope of the situation. Write two or three bullet points to identify the condition encountered.

Second the candidate describes the activity or action they took to address this condition. What did the candidate DO to address the problem? Again, have them describe it in a few bullet points.

Third the candidate describes the resolution that came about as a result of their actions. What happened? Be sure to have them use quantifiable results – how much money did the company make or save as a result? How many people were involved? How much time was saved? Did they reduce waste or increase efficiencies? One or two bullets ought to do it.

Finally, have your candidate write one to two sentences from the 5-9 bullet points in the first three steps. These two sentences should pull all of the points together in a concise statement. A simple format for this is: “did what”, “for whom”, “resulting in . . . “ Be sure to have them use numbers to show how the results were measured. This is important because managers use numbers to measure the success or failure of just about ANY business activity. When candidates quantify results they are speaking the manager’s language, and that is more likely to lead to an interview! Numbers make the accomplishment “pop” off the page. They allow your candidate to stand out among the competition.

We recommend each client come up with 3-4 CARS for each key accomplishment area in their career. Use different times, jobs, and situations to show a variety from throughout their work history.

The CARS can be used on a resume, in other marketing materials (i.e. blog, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, etc), and in interviews. CARS are a helpful and important way to let the prospective employer know that YOUR CANDIDATE is uniquely qualified to solve their business problems.

The new style of resume focuses on the results to prove to prospective employer that one is both capable of and willing to do something similar for them in the future. CARS will help them get that point across in a clear and concise fashion!