One aspect of your personal leadership is developing or revising your resume to show potential employers how you can be a solution to their problems.
Part of career counseling is helping people know themselves well and then creating inspiring, forward-thinking, professional resumes.
Employers often spend less than 30 seconds looking at a resume before they decide to keep or toss.
As you are writing your resume, think about what an employer needs and remember, this is your first opportunity to show them who you are:
- Start with a succinct Profile or Executive Summary
- Show them who you are
- 3 – 5 bullet points of information summarizing your key gifts and talents
- Focus on the skills you want to use – don’t sell skills you don’t like doing
- Next summarize your Work Experience
- Begin with your most recent job and working backwards describe
- results you’ve gotten
- accomplishments you’ve achieved
- efforts you have contributed to
- *Hint: Be sure to look at your Profile to make sure that you have included work experience that demonstrates what you have described there
- Begin with your most recent job and working backwards describe
- Now, add your formal Education
- Again, starting with your most recent degree and working backwards
- Follow that with Other Educational Experiences
- Include things that support your application
- Finally, add anything else that supports your application
- Volunteer or pro bono experiences
- Awards and recognition
- Publications and presentations
Resumes should be two pages at the most, easy to scan, with language that is industry specific and brief (and with NO typos).
Let your unique self shine through but be sure to use professional language.
And . . . be sure your resume includes how a potential employer can reach you during business hours.
Career Counseling Quick Tip:
Take the lead in your life and career, create a powerful, effective resume and show them who you are!