Thinking Through Your Resume
By
Karen Schaffer, author
of The Complete Book of Resumes, now available!
We
often think of the resume as an application tool - a
way for employers to assess our experience and decide
whether or not we should be interviewed for a role.
While this is the established function of a resume,
there are other salient reasons for writing a resume
that will improve your networking and interviewing skills,
your efficiency at applying for jobs and even your life
and career planning.
When
you write a resume properly, you do more than jot down
company names and a few key responsibilities. An exceptional
resume will take time and effort, as you think about
the following questions:
1.
What role am I targeting?
An
exceptional resume is clear from the start on the role
that is being applied for. Right at the top, just past
your name and contact information, you need to name
the role that you see yourself in: "B2B Product
Manager," "Marketing Coordinator," "Executive
Director specializing in not-for-profit," etc.
To be this explicit and write the role that you want
on your resume, you've had to think through what you
really want from your next job.
If
you're having trouble here, you probably need to spend
some time either deciding on a focus or getting some
career coaching. Without knowing where you're going,
you'll never get there. With a clearly and specifically
established targeted role, you will find networking
far, far easier.
2.
What are my unique benefits as an employee?
As
part of your profile, you want to highlight some of
the things that make you unique. There are lots of Creative
Directors out there - what's your special twist? Everyone
has a particular unique combination of experiences,
skill sets, passions and personality traits that differentiate
them from everyone else. Knowing your differences and
the benefits of having that blend of abilities is an
invaluable way to set yourself apart. Doing the in-depth
work to figure this out means that you'll be able to
market yourself much more effectively when your write
your resume. You need to stand out!
3.
What are my key qualifications for the role?
Defining
your key qualifications will help refine your application
process. By deciding what you think are the key pieces
of your experience, breaking them out into separate
skills and then defining them by the number of years
you've performed that skill, means that when you look
at a job posting you will be able to instantly match
your qualifications against their requirements.
4.
What are my accomplishments?
By
taking the time to think through what you've accomplished
at past jobs, you are preparing for better interviews.
It's too easy on a resume to say things like, "Successfully
launched new website..." without defining the measures
of success. An interviewer is going to want to know
more - how did you know it was a success? What was the
initial goal? What were the results? Also, by digging
more deeply into your work results, you end up remembering
more of what you did - you recall the stories that happened
so they are polished and ready to be told, and overall
you feel more confident about your abilities when you're
asked to talk about them.
5.
Who am I outside the job?
Towards
the end of the resume we tend to show more extracurricular
types of activities and interests. While some of these
demonstrate further qualifications for the job at hand,
some are there to show breadth and depths...and even
a little bit of personality. By spending time to write
up some more specific and therefore more appealing personal
interests, you get to put a little of who your are back
into the job search process. For instance, instead of
just "Enjoy travelling," you say "Travelling
to cities with great restaurants and art galleries,"
or "Hitting every white sand beach in the Caribbean."
And the funny thing is that employers and interviewers
tend to respond to your humour and humanity, often starting
the interview off with what you wrote as an interest
rather than tough questions. This puts you in a comfortable
position right off the bat.
There
is much to be gained from taking the time to write a
full-bodied, considered resume. Not only is it appreciated
by the reader, it leaves you in a position of feeling
confident and prepared.
-
Karen Schaffer is the Senior Career Consulting Associate
at IQ PARTNERS Inc. Her new book, "The Complete
Book of Resumes" is available at IQ PARTNERS front
desk or on Amazon.ca.
To
ask Karen about how she could help with your resume,
please e-mail kschaffer@iqpartners.com.
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IQ
Insight is published by IQ
PARTNERS Inc.
IQ
PARTNERS helps intelligent companies hire better,
hire less and retain more. Our services include
Executive Search & Recruitment, Qualification
& Assessment, Employee Retention, Career
Management and Contract HR Services. We specialize
in Marketing, Communications, Media, Technology,
Legal and Financial Services, and operate at
the mid-to-senior management level. IQ PARTNERS
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