Tips and practices to help you spring-clean your professional career and resume
1. Consult your friends and colleagues.
Whether you’re changing careers or simply looking for growth at your current position, it can be difficult to revamp your resume. That’s why we recommend speaking with former or current coworkers.
Do people compliment you about your graphic design skills? Do you easily build trust with others? Perhaps people have always come to you for advice – that might show that you are easily trusted and seen as level-headed and empathic.
Ask your friends a few words they would use to describe you. Then use all of their responses to create a new personal statement. Which brings us to tip number two …
2. Consider your personal brand.
As we know, hiring managers don’t consider the “Objective” statement on your resume like they used to. However, a well-crafted concise paragraph containing: your skills, your motivations and your accomplishments is always great to have. It’s not only great for your LinkedIn page but also something you can use
during a networking event or interview.
So do some research, do an audit of your career and your natural talents or take personality tests (if that’s your thing). Gather the intel you need to determine what differentiates you from other professionals. What is your special sauce? Then build your career and resume around that.
Read more about showcasing your personal brand during an interview here.
3. Commit to reading one book by an expert in your industry.
Whenever you’re having difficulty determining “what next?” it’s often helpful to look to others. If you have a mentor, that would be a great place to start. No mentor? No problem.
Find one in the pages of your favorite book. Non-fiction is great if you simply want to learn more technical and textbook skills. Autobiographies are great if your entire life needs a jolt of inspiration.
4. Don’t be afraid to share your weaknesses.
It’s not enough to write your accomplishments, quali]cations and future goals – you must get honest about your problem areas so that you can identify opportunities for professional growth. I recommend spending time with pen and paper and writing down areas where you need improvement. Now, can you improve in all these areas? Of course not. If you just aren’t a planner, don’t apply for positions that require A-type personality planning. It only dishonors you and minimizes your capabilities.
Instead, become an invaluable team member who knows what they are not capable of. When your boss asks you to ful]ll a task and you discover you cannot meet the goals…there is nothing more empowering than saying “that is out of the scope of my expertise/capabilities.”
What does that do? It releases you from unnecessary work stress and you put yourself in a position to give power to someone who is far more capable and passionate about the needed work. “This project sounds so exciting, but unfortunately what this project needs is out of the scope of my expertise. I know someone who would be perfect for this though!”
Now, you’ve removed yourself from imminent failure, saved company time and resources, and you’ve become a resource for your boss. Plus, true leaders know they cannot do it all.
5. Outsource to a Resume Writer or Career Consultant.
This is the last and ]nal tip because when we run out of personal resources, the next best thing is to enlist help. This is also the last tip because it’s the most costly.
Your resume might have irrelevant experience, a bland format or poorly written sections. Now is the time to revamp your accomplishments, but resume writing isn’t so simple. We also have to remember that hiring managers spend less than two minutes on your resume.
