My 8yo daughter just started 3rd grade and even in virtual schooling, “show & tell” (S&T) is still a thing. It struck me that S&T is the first practice any of us ever get in delivering a presentation to an audience. While there’s no pressure to convince anyone of anything, and there is little at stake except for potential “cool points” based on your item, one thing is universally true -- kids must have a physical item to show or the whole exercise is pointless. Kids must show evidence of the thing they tell their classmates about or they won’t be believed. If we learn this lesson so early on about the need for evidence to back up stories, why as adults do we forget about it when it comes to writing our resumes?

Stop me if you’ve seen any of the language below in a resume -- no judgments if it’s in your own ;-)  

• “Proven track record of increasing sales.”

• “Extensive experience delivering projects on time and under budget.”

• “Demonstrated success in program development.”

While these statements don’t sound so bad at first, upon further review, they offer nothing of substance. Though meant to sound impressive and allude to success/accomplishments, in their current form, they are nothing more than claims. Further, since there is no evidence that substantiates them, they’re essentially baseless claims → until proven otherwise.

Imagine an 8yo girl was into Formula 1 racing, and she had an authentic replica model of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car. Can you picture her in front of her class (in real life or virtually) trying to explain how cool, detailed, & realistic the car was without actually being able to show it to her classmates? She’d have a hell of a time convincing them, as we know how skeptical kids can be when they can’t engage with something through their 5 senses. She would likely receive a bunch of blank stares because to her peers, this amazing car she’s describing simply doesn’t exist. In this case, seeing is believing. 

Though as adults our abstract thinking and imagination are well established, we still require evidence to cement our belief. The principles of S&T remain ingrained, especially in business, because telling just isn’t enough. Whether it’s a proof of concept for a newly conceived idea or metrics that track and demonstrate the results of an initiative, the world of work relies heavily on results and evidence to inform decisions. If companies won’t allocate money without the confidence of prior results or evidence of potential ROI, how can job seekers expect an employer to even risk an interview without some proof of their ROI ahead of time? 

Just like an 8yo doing S&T, you need to provide tangible evidence about which you speak.

How Show & Tell Can Help Improve Your Resume

Revisiting the statements above such as “proven track record of increasing sales,” the most common place to find such language is within a resume’s executive summary. This resume feature is notoriously filled with generic business cliches and platitudes that neither communicate anything specific or unique about you as a job seeker nor provide proof.

‘Tell’ Executive Summary

“Dedicated and adaptable account executive with extensive experience in B2B sales. Accomplished team leader with proven track record of beating sales targets. Demonstrated ability to generate tremendous growth in existing business sales and turn around struggling regions. Consummate relationship builder able to cultivate strong client ties through trust and brand reputation.”

The words “proven” or “demonstrated” don’t actually prove or demonstrate anything said after them and adjectives don’t replace facts. The executive summary example above is all about telling. Where’s the evidence? What would it look like to eliminate those words altogether, reduce adjectives, and show your audience the value you can bring to the table?

‘Show & Tell’ Executive Summary

“Dedicated and adaptable account executive with 12+ years B2B sales success. Managed sales teams of 8-12 & surpassed sales targets of $65M. Able to catalyze sales in both healthy & challenging sales climates. Leveraged intrapreneurial mindset to generate 95% growth in existing business sales & transformed ~200% declining regional sales into 4 straight quarters of 30-40% growth, through context-specific sales strategies and opening new sectors. Responsive relationship builder leveraging strong EQ to connect with legitimately aggrieved clients to rebuild trust and brand reputation.”

The two executive summary versions here were modified from one I created for a recent client. If you compare the two, every claim made in the ‘tell’ version is now backed by evidence in the ‘show & tell’ version. Looking at the underlined elements, the contrast is night & day. This was achieved by strategically selecting metrics and the unique lived experience of my client to paint a compelling picture of the value she offers to potential employers. By creating a “show & tell” executive summary and overall resume, you will furnish employers with the initial evidence they need to determine the potential ROI of hiring you. 

A kid’s worst nightmare is arriving to school for show & tell with nothing in hand to show. We as professionals should recapture that same fear, in a healthy way, when it comes to writing our resumes. The goal of writing an S&T resume is to earn the opportunity to do the adult version of show & tell in the form an interview.

So, when you are in front of a hiring manager or interview panel, are you going to just tell them how great you are, or show them proof? 

Thankfully, we already learned what to do in 3rd grade. We just need to recall it.

Need help improving how you show & tell in your resume? I’d love to support you!
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