​The XYZ Formula for Writing Resumes – A Recipe for Success Backed by Psychology

One of the simplest, but most effective methods for resume writing is one favoured by one of the world’s largest and most renowned companies, Google.  In fact, Google recruiters say that without employing this method, your resume is almost guaranteed to go into the ‘reject’ pile.  It’s the ‘XYZ’ formula, and it’s a formula you can start using in your own resume.

The XYZ formula is a way to frame your career achievements, and once you see it in action, you’ll be surprised at what a difference it can make.

It goes like this:

1. Describe what you achieved (X)
2. Describe how the achievement was measured (Y)
3. Describe what you did (Z)

For example, we recently helped write a resume for a worker in the automotive industry, who told us he ‘managed the warehouse and stock’.  We delved further, asking him to describe some of the things he had specifically achieved in this role.  He was able to come up with the following accomplishments:

“In my current role I have tried making spare part locations easier to find and identify, setting minimum stock levels to trigger automatic reordering.”

Through using the XYZ formula, we were able to develop this into two outstanding achievements:

• Significantly reduced time spent finding spare parts in the workshop (X) as measured by reducing customer wait times by 50% (Y), by reorganising systems in the workshop to allow for easier identification of stock (Z).
• Ensured consistently adequate stock levels and increased business profit (X), measured by a 100% reduction in customer referrals to alternate stockists and a 40% increase in monthly revenue (Y), through establishing a set level of minimum stock levels to trigger automatic reordering (Z).

Much better, hey?

Why does this process work? Social psychologists recognise that we judge others on their behaviour, rather than their words (i.e., “actions speak louder than words”).    Simply stating that you do a task is not enough in today’s competitive job market, you need to give specific examples.

So, spend some time reviewing your resume and consider ways to turn your duties into strategic accomplishments using the XYZ formula. Trust us, it will dramatically improve your chances of avoiding the dreaded ‘reject’ pile.