There is a common rule known as the 80-20 Rule that espouses 80% of outcomes result from 20% of the causes or input variables. Formally, this is known as the Pareto Principle, inspired by the writings of Vilfredo Pareto in the late 1800s/early 1900s, who astutely observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Interestingly, Pareto surveyed other countries and discovered the same phenomenon in other parts of the world.

Since then, numerous management consultants and business-types have applied this principle to maximize optimal performance and improvement. Without getting into the minutae of how and why this phenomenon manifests in business and Life (because math), suffice it to say that in general, the majority of observed outcomes are derived from a minority of causes, circumstances, and variables.

If you subscribe to the Pareto Principle, then you can ideally apply it to affect more efficiency and positive outcomes into your personal and business life. For example, if 80% of your revenue is derived from 20% of your customers, then it is logical to apply the majority of your resources and time to those few customers.

There are ways to apply the Pareto Principle when it comes to job search and your career as well. The majority (at least 80%) of a recruiter or hiring manager’s initial assessment and judgement of a prospective candidate will derive from 1) reviewing the top third of a resume and 2) first 5 minutes of your first interview. A good first impression is difficult to execute but easily squandered.

In general, the majority of candidates amazingly put little effort into their resume and making a good first impression in an interview. In fact, I suspect the majority of job seekers will invest 80% (or more) of their time into scanning job sites, online listings, completing applications, and submitting the same version of their resume for said jobs rather than into crafting a well-written and compelling resume.

Your resume does the majority of the heavy lifting when it comes to capturing a hiring manager’s initial attention, but only if it is crafted properly. In order to appear as a compelling candidate, focus on the formatting and content in the upper real estate on the first page. If you have not captured the attention of the reader within the first 10-15 seconds, you are destined for the proverbial trash bin.

To make the biggest impact, focus and establish your expertise in the following areas and dimensions of your experience:

  • functional role (area of the business you specialize in).
  • title/level (individual contributor to executive leadership).
  • domain expertise (industry, type of consumer/customer, enterprise, etc).
  • summary of qualifications (your core responsibilities, qualifications, and impact you’ve made).

I read dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes and profiles daily and the majority fall short in summarizing a candidate’s subject-matter expertise and telling a compelling story. Add in spelling and grammatical errors and the number of standout candidates dwindles even more.

Finally, practice how to introduce yourself and have a compelling answer when an interviewer asks the inevitable question about summarizing your experience, background, interests, and career objectives (i.e., the “tell me about yourself” question) within the first 5 minutes of an interview. This is your elevator pitch and every candidate needs a compelling 30-second to 2-minute version rehearsed and memorized.

If you find yourself applying for numerous jobs and not getting a ticket to the Dance (interview stage), make an honest assessment of your resume and in-person/virtual interview pitch. Get professional help from a resume writer, career coach, and your peers to better position yourself for optimal success.

Identify and apply your time and resources wisely to the handful of inputs that yield the greatest results.

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