Is Your Resume Magically Fit For the New Year?
I generally give as much attention to the tradition of New Year’s resolution making as I do to those one-day calendar holidays for which I still must attend work. I feel all warm and fuzzy when I see the event on my daily calendar, “Oh, look! It’s Flag Day,” and then my life proceeds on its normal path, special event forgotten until the next 365th-day mark on my super-professional Hello Kitty desk calendar.
Ho hum.
Perhaps it was the fear of doom in the face of the impending Mayan Apocalypse, or more than likely, it was the collective out-of-control feeling of teetering on the edge of The Fiscal Cliff that got me seriously thinking about New Year’s resolutions. I mean, I couldn’t control the calendar, and I sure couldn’t control Congress, but perhaps I could assert control over my professional future. Could I actually grab that tiger by the tail and steer it in a positive direction?
I was willing to give it a try.
My New Year’s resolution for professional success began with resume fitness. After locating my resume in a miscellaneous file marked, “Miscellaneous,” I realized that my resume was horribly out of date and a bit obscure. For instance, what did I mean when I wrote, “Ensured continuous delivery of outstanding customer service?”
As a Staffing Specialist, I’ve learned that The Resume is much like Harry Potter’s magic wand. Without the wand, one is powerless. Without understanding how to use the power of the wand nothing good ever happens. However, having a wand and knowing how to use it makes the user targeted and successful. The same goes for a resume. Hey, I want to be successful, don’t you?
The most important thing to know about your resume is that it is your face in written form—your calling card. The words on your resume tell strangers who you are. What is your resume saying about you? Is your resume boring a potential employer to tears?
Recently, I had an über-qualified candidate submit a resume for a tax preparation position. The reaction from my client was that this candidate did not have tax experience on the resume, hence, “No thank you.” Here’s the irony, the candidate did have a tremendous amount of tax experience, however, the experience was so buried within the wordiness of the resume the client was not willing to read all those words!
Next, make sure your resume is easy to read and to the point.
Great resumes are focused, written to target specific opportunities. Most of my professional history has been in education, but not too long ago, I transitioned into business. My resume, however, was full of education-speak. My prospective employers didn’t get it. They interpreted my resume as, “Coloring. Children. Day care.” Next!
I didn’t get the jobs.
I did a quick Google search for transitional skills from education to business. Did you know that teachers have awesome project management skills, deal well with diverse groups of people, and are masters of managing budgets? I do now. Do some Internet research to learn how to slant the words in your resume towards the jobs you are targeting. Focus, focus, focus!
The third thing to know is that easy-to-read formatting, good grammar, and proper spelling all fuel effective resumes. If the words are not spelled correctly, the magic of your resume will be short-circuited. Now, I realize that not everyone possesses the wizardly skill of resume writing, and that is okay—as long as you’re willing to get help.
Check your local agencies for assistance in crafting your resume, and then get a second opinion. Watch this short video from Linda Spencer, assistant director of the Office of Career Services at Harvard University for excellent tips on how to perfect your resume, http://www.extension.harvard.edu/hub/blog/extension-blog/how-write-great-resume-cover-letter.
Last, keep your resume handy and current. Update your resume every time you learn and perform a new skill and hold a new position.
I cannot control a calendar or Congress, but I can control my professional path by making sure that my resume is the best, most honest representation of me. By making sure that my resume is written with great grammar skills and keeping it current, I can wield my resume as successfully as Harry Potter learned to wield his magic wand.
Happy New Year!
