What Do I Do? How Do I Say That?
The Resume
I don't need to begin with statistics or facts about unemployment's alarming growth. We all know about it and chances are you're online reading this now, because you are looking for a job, or freelance project, perhaps you're in preparation of the layoff your company is about to announce. Yeah, we're all feeling it.
So, here we all are, blowing dust off our resumes, breaking out the thesaurus to find power words, figuring out ways to derive our skills from our accomplishments…this is not an easy task to undertake in itself, much less face the entire concept, of looking for a new job or making a career change. Watching our dwindling savings accounts, increasing household budgets, and rising stress factors in the home; all make staying positive and upbeat at the new "opportunity" presented before us – difficult at best.
First things first, take a deep breath and start with the basics. What do you do? What was the title of the last job you held? Not all job titles spell out exactly what their duties are, like Territory Operations Administrator. That can be a job that has wide berth of duties from company to company. Many companies will not have the title in their organizational chart at all. If you're not the Head Payroll Accountant, define your roll. List your natural talents and the ideal job that would highlight your best attributes. In which industry are your skill set and that position best suited?
If you are making a career change or returning to the workforce you'll need to survey what is available to you. Evaluate your talents as above and write down what you believe is the best industry to find the position you want…really look at it and ask yourself. Are you up to date on the latest trends and newest developments in that industry? Do you subscribe to the trade magazines (online or print) and journals related to the field? If not, you need to research everything about it – quickly! Be honest with yourself, start from where your left off and be thorough. Keep in mind a hiring manager who has been inside the industry will be asking you questions, and generating conversation; in an attempt to test your knowledge.
A resume should have an objective or summary statement. Depending on your situation, a paragraph may even be acceptable. The objective gives the interviewer an instant feel of the tone of you, your resume, your intellect, and your skill set. That's a tall order from one statement, isn't it? You have to get it right. Some hiring managers admit, if they don't like the objective statement, the resume goes into the dead file. Your objective or summary also helps you to focus on exactly what you are looking for as you search for a job. Plus, it's a great ten second sales pitch of yourself during the quick handshake and business card swap moment at a networking event.
Now, the meat of the resume is your skills – what you bring to the table. What are your skills? Write them down. One of my skills would be, "Compose comprehensive reading materials." Simple, concise and it can be broad enough that I will elaborate in the body of my resume with my experience through projects such as: Sr. Copywriter and Editor for nationwide company newsletter; Ghostwriter for medical text book, copywriter for email marketing campaign, and so on. Sometimes pulling out what your skill set is can be difficult. You're already feeling down as it is and then you sit there and think, "what am I good at?" Think about an award you've won, or some proud moment when the boss singled you out for moment of kudos. What did you do in those circumstances? Write it down! Did you fix a system or a create savings for the company? Have you ever initiated a sales incentive program, rewards system, or other benefit to employee morale that worked out well?
Next, start listing all of the good things you accomplished at one job, that you will be bringing to the next. For instance, were you the go-to person that helped rookie employees understand the job and did you bring them up to speed? You were good at "training people." That translates to: developing, counseling, coaching, team building, motivating, and much more. Use a thesaurus or the "look up" feature in Microsoft Word. It'll become your best friend.
This same technique applies to your job responsibilities. The level of leadership you held in your last position will determine how well you'll fit into the organization at which you are interviewing. Employers find value in employees that are held accountable for various processes or duties. Responsibility and reliability are two of the most desirable qualities executives say they want in their assistants.
If your education is a greater asset than your work experience, then highlight your degrees. Include any case studies you participated in that had real life impact. In a Campaign Management Class, I spearheaded a Public Relations campaign for our local Area Transit system. The objective was to reeducate the public about public transportation. As I began to see my ideas implemented over the years (local government takes years for a plan to come to fruition), I moved that particular case study to the top of my scholastic experiences.
Frequently, a position that is difficult to fill can be negotiated into your favor. Work backwards with me here: A fellow student and I wrote a grant proposal for a local charity organization that delivers meals to the elderly. Their need was for a $40,000 refrigerated truck, which would enable them to expand their delivery territory and increase the efficiency of the food preparation process. We had a huge success with our proposal, out of the whole class in fact, ours was the only one. A couple of years later, as I was looking for a job, I saw an ad that had been running for a long time, needing an editor for requests for proposals at a particular company. Their experience requirements were way beyond what I had, so I didn't bother to apply. When a friend told me they had a project that had to be completed soon or funds could be lost, I saw an opportunity. My only experience in that particular field was the single grant proposal, nevertheless, I proposed to the hiring manager that judging by how long the ad had been running, if he didn't find someone soon, he was going to be in a bind. He needed a particular job done quickly and I knew how to do the job. I was willing to work on the single project with the looming deadline, on a freelance basis. He would have my quote up front, so he'd know how much he was going to spend, plus I wouldn't cost him the expense associated hiring an employee. The best part would be that he could stop wasting his time interviewing completely unqualified applicants and get to work on the project. I convinced him, the job went smoothly, I earned some money during my job search and I gained some more experience. The supervisor finally had the time available to him to travel and recruit the proper candidate from Boston. The lesson here is do not rule out freelance work while you're job hunting.
Back to your resume, by all means include networking organizations (especially if you've held post as an officer), charity committees, and all career development training. However, make sure the continuing education is pertinent to the profession. If you are applying for a Public Relations position, the fact that you are certified to service the fire extinguisher in the hallway will not be impressive.
Now, at the end of a resume, some folks will put their outside interests to prove they know how to balance work and home life…as if this is some real evidence of a sane and well adjusted individual. Personally, I don't like to put anything personal on my resume. My opinion is that the two should be kept separate. If some parts of our personal lives are illegal to ask, why should we throw in any at all? Isn't that a double standard of sorts? Also, you never know if an organization you belong to may create a bias opinion against you. The gun club member might be offensive to the vegan hiring manager, yet the gun club member could be vegan, too. After you've proven yourself on the job and developed friendships in the department, then revealing who you are outside of work, is a good idea.
I'll take a look at your resume and polish it for you, at no charge. Just subscribe to my blog and send it to me. If you don't have an objective or summary statement, follow the format I've laid out here and let's see what I can do for you! No strings attached! Really.
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