Categories

Content Type

Sources

Resume resolution; Keeping a key tool in your career kit sharp for a new decade

By Kristi Elliott, Source: Tribune Media Services

Whether you were on the job hunt for the last six months of 2009 or have enjoyed job security for the last five years, setting a goal to update your resume in the coming weeks can only enhance your career success.

If you’re looking for a new position, enlivening your resume by taking a fresh look at your accomplishments in your current position or since your layoff will give hiring managers new material to consider.

If you’re happy in your current company, updating your resume can give you perspective on the direction you’d like to take your career in the coming year, and also will provide an extra sense of security should an unforeseen circumstance leave you struggling to find a new job in 2010.

“Update your resume every six months for the rest of your career,” advises author and career consultant Wendy Enelow, “Whether you’re actively engaged in a job search or not, you never know when someone might ask for a copy of your resume, so you must always be prepared. If you take a few hours to update twice a year, you won’t find yourself in a situation where you’re caught off guard and rushed to prepare a less-than-acceptable resume document.”

The basics

Starting from the top, look at your resume’s information line: Your name and contact information. Have you moved since you’ve last updated your resume? Switched phone numbers? Started using a different e-mail address more often? (Hopefully a professional-sounding e-mail address related to your name, rather than parteedood@xyz.com).

“Check spelling, grammar, and pertinent information such as telephone number and address,” reminds Diane Gottsman, etiquette expert and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas. “Yes, people send out cover letters with the wrong information on it!”

The next obvious thing to check for is outdated professional certificates, references or other such information. If you list being a member of a professional organization but aren’t or haven’t attended a function in months, it’s time to delete that content and put more relevant information in its place.

Do your homework

Job seekers who checked CareerBuilder.com faithfully every day of the last three months may think they have a leg up on this tip, but workers at all levels of employment can benefit by taking a look at some job ads to decipher the current key words in their industry.

“Take the time, on occasion, to review job postings and advertisements for positions that may be of interest to you,” Enelow says. “Look closely at the core skills and competencies — also known as keywords — required in those positions, and then be certain that those same skills and keywords are highlighted in your resume so it’s obvious to someone reading your resume that you have the ‘right stuff’ for the position.

“In addition, your resume will pass the resume scanning process if the correct keywords are identified.”

Gottsman says some words everyone should include on their resume include “problem solver,” “team player,” “flexible,” “communicator,” and “willing to try a new skill.”

“Competition is stiff, and you want the employer to know you will do what it takes to get and keep the job,” she says.

Enelow says you can include information on your resume that you have some experience with, but don’t outright lie if you don’t have a skill that you notice is key in several job postings if you don’t have it.

“You do not have to be an expert. However, you MUST have those skills in order to include them.”

Get specific

Once you’ve peppered your resume with big industry buzzwords, it’s time to focus on the nitty-gritty. What have you been up to for the last six months that will show employers your growth and dedication to your job or field?

“Find time to acquire new training and skills, join a professional association, assume a leadership role, or attend a conference,” suggests Nancy DeCrescenzo, director of the Office of Career Services at Eastern Connecticut State University. “Adding content with ‘2010’ on a professional resume instantly updates it and gives an employee or job seeker something fresh to discuss in cover letters and interviews.”

Make sure to update additional duties you’ve taken on in your current job, projects completed, raises, promotions and praise.

“Be clear about your past and proven accomplishments,” says Gottsman. “Mention achievements that were a benefit to your previous employer. Use hard statistics when possible: ‘Increased revenue by 80 percent.’ ”

The trick to this part of updating your resume is making yourself sound different while using the key words from job listings you’ve identified.

“What differentiates one accountant from another is how well he/she does the job, what contributions they’ve made to the organization, what key projects they’ve led, what financial successes they’ve had and much more,” says Enelow. “It is not enough to tell your reader what you do; rather, you must tell your reader how well you do it.”

© 2009, Tribune Media Services