It’s that time again, when a new year brings
thoughts, doubts and changes to the workplace.
Is your New Year’s Resolution already fading?
Are you… Looking for a new job?
Want to make a change? Or
unexpectedly out of work? When
faced with these thoughts and decisions, what’s the first thing you
will want to do? Update your resume, of course!
Well, I’m here to tell you “Don’t Update Your Resume!” Well, not just yet!
Before you update your resume, consider these few
things first:
Begin by assessing your skills… I know,
you want to get busy looking for a job and get your resume brushed up
and out on the streets. You
figure, “eh, I’ll just throw something together and post it, then I
can make changes as I go along.”
Meanwhile, you’re wasting time not getting at the heart of your
job search and delaying your search unnecessarily… not to mention
postponing prospective employers finding you as a match.
Identify your core… What are 3-6 of your
personal characteristics that best describe you?
Creative? Energetic?
Compassionate? Customer oriented? Organized? Think about those
characteristics and what they are… what have others said about you and
the way you work? How do
you view yourself? Make a
list and if you have more than 6 that’s OK too.
Eventually, you’ll want to work with your top 3-6 personal
characteristics.
Know what’s important … What’s
important to you when it comes to working?
Making lots of money or working for a cause?
Ongoing learning? Or teaching others?
Working lots of OT or having time for family?
Think about what is most important to you and list in priority
order what you value most.
Think about work… How do you enjoy
spending your time at work? Working
independently or on team projects?
Making decisions or taking direction?
Analyzing or creating? Attending meetings or being the presenter
at the meeting? These
“likes and dislikes” will help you drill down and focus on the
skills and strengths needed for the next job.
Uncover your core competencies… do you
like: managing people or managing data?
Selling vs. marketing? Communicating
or researching? Each area
has it’s own set of core competencies that once you identify those
competencies, you can easily identify your strengths.
If you enjoy marketing vs. selling, you will enjoy the
relationship building of the sale vs. the hardcore “cold calling”
and door banging. Marketing
is educating your customer who eventually buys from you… selling is
about how many sales you close in a day, a week or a month.
Now review your answers … review your
responses from the above questions, and identify job titles that fit the
answers you outlined… maybe even search a little online or in
newsprint for wording or required skills in today’s marketplace.
Note…. don’t be tempted to apply for jobs just yet
especially when doing this research… Remember… you are still
gathering the words and phrases for updating your resume.
Once you have completed all of the above exercises,
now you can begin to revamp your resume highlighting your competencies
and strengths. Initially
you will have a lot of information, however, eventually you will “boil
it down” and condense it to one or two pages.
Use bullet points and keep the bullets to a maximum of 5-6 for
the most recent position. Use
action verbs and keep your bullet point statements to a maximum of 2
lines. Remember to pay
attention to your “Highlights”, and sell your sizzle… the resume
is NOT your opportunity to tell the “whole story.”
You can go into much more detail once you are in the interview.
And, remember to decrease the number of bullets as
you work “backward.” The
confusion in preparing an effective resume is the literal term of
chronological order. Resumes
are prepared in a reverse chronological order – meaning, listing your
most recent job and then the one before that, and the one before that,
etc.
Another important consideration when updating your
resume… include accomplishments, not just your “laundry list” of
responsibilities at a particular job.
Accomplishments set you apart from other candidates, telling the
prospective employer what you’ve done in the past – which indicates
your likely performance in the future.
Give your bullet points the “so what” test… listing your
responsibility along with the result of performing that duty… most
likely the result will be an accomplishment.
Hope this helps in bringing you … A New Year …
A New Job and especially A New You!!!!
Good Luck!
Rosemary Augustine