Posts Tagged ‘Resume’

It’s September—and that means it’s “International Update Your Resume Month,” as proclaimed by one of the professional organizations I belong to, Career Directors International (CDI). The idea:  To prompt professionals to keep their resumes fresh.  Why?  Well, there are some obvious and not so obvious reasons.

First, what’s top-of-mind: The job market no doubt, and if you are a job seeker, I don’t have to mention what the competition is like, so the questions comes down to: Is your resume telling the most compelling story it can? Does it look like it did 5 or 10 years ago? And probably the most difficult question to answer: “Is your resume going to jump off the pile, and be the “most attention-grabbing document” it needs to me?  I’ll leave that for you to decide.

For those currently employed, let’s face it:  The harsh realities of company downsizing are still there.  You might also be growing disillusioned with your current position, and/or are seeking a career change. So, if a recruiter called you today with the perfect new position would your resume be updated and review-ready?  Are you prepared and ready for new opportunities?

In my opinion, as a resume writer and as a career counselor, “updating your resume” particularly now, is about much more than just that. The resume development-process lends itself to an opportunity for self-assessment. In fact, I see this as imperative for those in any kind of career transition. With the harsh competition out there, job seekers have no choice but to create the most compelling and coherent professional picture. Your resume needs to convey, in very clear terms what is your value proposition and what is truly unique about what you bring to the table?  Some people can articulate this fairly easy, but from my experience, most people cannot. And most resumes I see today do not do this!

The foundation for a great resume, and ultimately a successful job search is knowing yourself. When was the last time you gave any thought to your professional identity and what type of image you present?  Many of the newly unemployed have been thrust into a situation where they are forced to re-evaluate their career path. Is this you? This assessment self-exploration process is crucial to helping you position and market yourself.  When you go through the motions of re-assessing your professional (and personal) experiences, there’s often a deep self-analysis that happens—and not only can it transformed into a stronger and more compelling resume, but you will develop a greater facility at articulating who you are and what your value proposition is. It also helps to have an objective voice facilitate the process of recognizing and recording what are the most important elements that should be used to convey your value.

So, does your resume need a makeover, a “facelift” if you will? The 2009 job search is about standing out of the crowd. Maybe its time your resume got the attention it deserves, and you’ll be amazed at what you learn about yourself in the process.

In my work with clients to enhance, re-brand and re-position their resumes, most clients go through a comprehensive self-assessment process, to find out more, contact Donna@careerfolk.com

One of the areas I see current job seekers struggling with is the notion of Personal Branding. Yes, it’s probably becoming a little cliched at this point, but at the same time, it is also essential in today’s job market- How else can you stand out in the most overcrowded job market in decades?  So, in an attempt to help break this concept down into very concrete steps, I have come up with 10 steps to branding yourself? I start out with five today,  and will followup up with the next five. I want you to give these all a little (if not a lot) of thought! and let me know what you think, and where you realize there is room for improvement.

1. Assess yourself. Take the time to identify what’s unique to you—for example, your strengths, skills, values, passion and style.  It’s not as hard as you think, either—to know yourself is to brand yourself!  Assess what these things are.  What events have shaped or changed your life?  What’s your true passion?  What makes you special and interesting?  How have you overcome challenges?  What kind of effect have you had on others and your surroundings?   But most of all, how can you use your passion to make a difference, in whatever it is that you set out to do.

2. Brand your resume – Most resumes I see are generic laundry lists of duties that have been assigned. What does that say about you? Not much.  Throughout your resume, there should be words and phrases that tell the story of you doing what you love.  The best way to do this is to track your accomplishments, reached goals & challenges overcome —jot them down in a notepad or type them in a simple Word document.  When the time comes to update your resume, review your written accomplishments and add them to your resume in a concise, colorful way, and if you get stuck, reach out for help! (Seth Godin has an interesting, if not controversial view about resumes in an older blogpost called “Why Bother Having a Resume?” http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/03/why-bother-havi.html- Definitely good food for thought)

3. Brand your emails. Do you have a signature at the end of your email?  I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who waste valuable advertising real estate at the bottom of their emails!  Never mind the folly of having no contact information at the bottom of their email—but what about all that FREE advertising space to let people know what you do & what you can do for them?  If you have a LinkedIn profile (a rhetorical question at this stage, I hope), why isn’t your LinkedIn button–or at minimum, your URL–there so that someone can instantly access your profile and get to know everything about you?

4. Brand your volunteering.  A recent client of mine, Cheri, didn’t just go to her volunteering site and wait to be told what to do. She was a proactive diva— suggesting new projects, and regularly coming up with alternative ways to do things. Another client, Leslie, a docent at Carnegie Hall, had years of experience helping her company save money. In her volunteer capacity, she has kept her eyes open for various ways that Carnegie Hall’s decision makers could improve their bottom line.  Both of these women have made themselves known as insightful, proactive and creative professionals that have a lot more to offer than what meets the eye.

5. Brand your networking endeavors. What type of networker are you?  As intimidating as it may seem, you can’t afford to be a reluctant one any more, so here’s a way to embrace this daunting activity: Start out by asking questions and instead of focusing on yourself, focus on the other person. Become a giver first, not just a receiver.  Give some real thought to what you can do to help this person, or what resources you may be able to pass on.  That way, you forget about the oh-so-counterproductive (and ultimately disappointing) “what’s in for me” mentality.  Another reason focusing on others is so important: Not only will you start to develop a relationship with the person you’re helping, but you never know what might valuable piece of information that person may pass on to you.  So the next time you’re mustering up the motivation to attend a networking event, stride into the room with an updated attitude and goal: To help as many people that you meet as possible. Wouldn’t you like to be remembered as someone who is out there, giving?  Your turn to be on the receiving end won’t be far off!

Could you be making a few changes in the way that you present yourself to the world? Share your thoughts here. Also, if you tweet, Feel free to share this article on Twitter, and if you don’t tweet yet.. Then its time you gave it a second glance.. There is a lot going on there!..  follow me on twitter @careerfolk.

For the next 5 1/2 steps to Personal Branding click here