Updating your Resume? Here are 4 Tips!
Well, it’s that time. You need to get your resume updated. YIKES! I’ll start by recommending that we should review our resume at minimum around twice a year to maintain accurate reflections of our work and growth. I generally schedule my resume updates around goal creation and review periods at my current organization. This way, I’m thinking about the problems I’m going to solve in the upcoming year and some new opportunities for me to stretch my boundaries. Then when I update towards the end of the year it helps me remember all the things I “thought” I was going to accomplish and then all the things that I accomplished. Most times it is not far off, but I absolutely know if I was not paying attention, I would miss the opportunity to outline some of my biggest accomplishments when I’m in a rush, umm…like you may be right now.
Put this nice tip in your back pocket for future reference and let’s get to the 4 tips you can use to update your resume today!
Value
Take a minute to reflect on this. As you review your wonderful list of tasks that you have spent time agonizing on, think about what value each one brought. Let’s break this down:
Implemented Financial System- Wow sounds impressive…well actually in my world no one cares. We’ve all done that. So now the questions are: What problem did this system solve? Who did it impact? How much money was spent on this system? Answering those questions this now becomes:
Lead a technical team of 14 and implemented a $10M Financial System which supported our Global Finance team of over 40,000 individuals across multiple locations to reduce complexity and risks of a multi-software landscape, reduce maintenance cost and improve scalability for future growth. How does that sound? Much clearer and you should now be able to create a visual in your mind of what was done.
To clarify, you do not need to re-write each of your items but choose at least one within each of your past jobs that you really want to highlight for your new employer. Remember, they are hoping you can solve a problem. Choose the items you highlight wisely as they should demonstrate what problem you can solve for your new boss today!
Outcomes
As mentioned above it is important to think about the outcome. This can relate to your new employers’ existing challenge and why you will be successful in landing that job! Let’s put the hiring manager hat on for a minute. They are sitting around thinking, “how can I create more efficiency in this department…I need a new leader to support this team…We are growing so fast, I need help and have to hire a manager that can help us scale”. They post the job and see your resume.
Which one of the following do you thing will stand out to them? “Supported start-up growth from 2M to 20M by increasing appropriate resources, improving business processes and implementing scalable integrate technologies to support future growth.” Or, “ability to build and support high performing teams through servant leadership and collaboration as well as driving towards excellence”.
In summary, everything on your resume should reflect your ability to solve their problem.
Accomplishments
A long list of accomplishments is probably a bit much for anyone to read. Show one highlight per role or summarize specific accomplishments through your career. This is a great way for someone to skim what you value as anaccomplishment and how it can relate to their needs.
For example, some accomplishments you can list are: promotions, recognitions, awards, reduce costs, improved processes, went above and beyond, where you’ve trained others, where you’ve thought outside the box etc.
Another note, when listing your accomplishments, think about the job you want not the job you have. It’s important to demonstrate skillsets that apply to your future job as that’s what your hiring manager will be drawn to. If you have technical skills but are applying for a managerial role, focus on items you’ve lead, teams you’ve influence and opportunities where you have strategized to improve success.
Metrics
It is so important to demonstrate metrics. Think about % increase in sales or % decrease in risks. Many employers like to see your outcomes and accomplishments quantified. This helps them understand scale, real impact to what you’ve done and value. If you implemented a new process which decreased risk but you fail to state how much risk you have decreased it is difficult to understand the impact of your process. Versus, stating that you implemented a new intake process to review all incoming requests across multiple departments to reduce redundant work by 75% saving over $2M in IT costs.
This is a very grand statement one that you should have your facts to back up! The impact, however, is clear and will excite a hiring manager looking for someone to help reduce cost by improving efficiency in their department. They will want to know more about what challenges you faced and how you were able to overcome to create a successful outcome.
Boom…you have an interview!
Now Trending…
If you are keeping up with the trends, here’s a quick list of items that you no longer need on your resume:
- Photo and other graphics
- Full Address
- Ability to use Microsoft Office Software
- Unnecessary information such as GPA, soft-skills, salary history or desired salary or references
- Do not use an unprofessional email address or other social media links
- Career Objectives are turning into Career Highlights
In conclusion, I know that it can be tough when updating your own resume. That is because we undersell or don’t pay attention to the things we do that no-one else does. However, if you can follow these tips, you should feel impressed with your resume when you’ve revised it. Remember, it is an extension of you, it’s part of your personal brand. So yes, you need to sell! You need to demonstrate how you can provide value! You need to show them that you can solve their problems right now and they would be crazy to pass up the opportunity to not hire you!
If you are still stuck and want a second pair of eyes, Dr. Gurley is always willing to help provide more specific tips to help you get that next job! Sign up now at: https://www.isolifecoaching.com/contact/
Dr. Gurley has a few other blogs that you may find interesting, check them out here: Blog