Guest post by Deborah A. Bailey
Whether or not you’re planning to look for a new job, you should always keep your resume updated. Get into the habit of updating your accomplishments and skills so that your resume is always ready.
Here are some tips:
• Group your top skill sets into a summary.
• Create a professional email address (using your name – no nicknames) to include with your contact information.
• Use past tense – even when describing your current job.
• If you’re posting your resume online, don’t encourage identity theft by including too much personal information.
• Gear you resume towards the job you want, not the one you have now.
• List your most recent job first.
• Check spelling and grammar – don’t depend on your spelling errors being caught by spell check.
Your resume should not include every task you’ve performed in every position; instead it should only include your strongest accomplishments. Though it’s tempting to add all the details about every job you’ve had, your resume is only a starting point. Use it to get your foot in the door so that you can get an interview. Once you have an opportunity to speak with the hiring manager, then you can go into more detail.
If you are a freelancer or temp worker, you’ll probably work for various companies and hold different positions. Even if you had different titles, the skills and accomplishments will show your versatility in different industries and company cultures.
Keep track of the projects you’ve worked on, articles and documentation you’ve written, etc. Set aside samples of your work so that you can include them with your resume, if requested.
When you’re changing careers playing up your skills is very important. You may not have direct experience in the area you’re changing to, but you can show how the skills you’ve acquired in the old career can be carried over to the new one. Pick accomplishments that show that you are versatile and can think out of the box. Play up training and learning experiences to show that you can adapt to new environments. The person reading your resume is focused on finding the right person for the job. They won’t have the time to think about how to fit your skills into their requirements.
Not sure how to show that your skills can be transferred to a new profession? For instance, if you’re a project manager and you want to become an event planner, you could play up your organization skills or your communications skills. You could also play up your ability to simultaneously manage different tasks. Look at the work you’ve done, then find ways to highlight your strongest accomplishments. The person reading your resume should see right away that you can perform the duties the position requires.
Of course if you know what type of job you want, it’ll be easier to create your resume. However, if you’re not sure what you want to do next – or how to update your resume to reflect your varied skills – consider hiring a professional to help.
A coach can help by supporting you as you pursue your new job, including keeping you on track with accountability and motivation.
These days you can’t take a chance that your resume will be overlooked. If you present yourself to your best advantage, you’ll have a better chance of being hired for the job you want.
Copyright © 2008 Deborah A. Bailey
About the Author
Transition Coach and writer Deborah A. Bailey successfully transitioned to career consultant and coach by founding her company Deb Bailey Coaching. Her extensive personal experience in the employee to entrepreneur transition makes her the partner of choice for many successful entrepreneurs and career professionals. Deborah is the host of “Women Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Success,” a weekly Internet radio talk show where she provides candid discussions with today’s top entrepreneurs, authors and industry experts. She has been interviewed on radio stations around the country and has published in Baseline magazine and on Bankrate.com. Learn more and sign up for her Personal Power Connection newsletter at http://www.dbaileycoach.com.
