Posted

Happy Middle of the Year! Not only are January and February a popular time to job hunt, but May and June are, too. This is the prime time for graduates to start their job search and no better way than to tackle the basics of resume writing. Whether you’re a first-time job seeker, returning to the workforce, or just thinking about making a change, consider these tips as you write or polish up your resume.

1-Consider the position you want. What types of skills and experience does it take to be successful in it? If the job description is available, read it carefully to understand what a potential employer is looking for in a candidate.

2-Review your own skills and experience. What are your strongest skills? What skills do you most enjoy using? Relate these skills to the job requirements; recruiters look for transferable skills. Try to quantify, where it makes sense, and think of examples of how you’ve used your skills. If you can relate your experience to goals your target employer wants to achieve, all the better.

3- Another way to think about your strongest skills is to remember what you’ve been complimented for. Have you been recognized on the job or when volunteering? Received compliments from employers, customers, co-workers? These are skills and behaviors that could relate to your prospective position.

4-Think about your accomplishments. Your resume tells a better story if you can include the results you’ve achieved rather than just a list of tasks you performed. Accomplishments tell not only what you did but how you did it. Find examples and relate them to the job you want.

5-If you’re a bit light on experience that’s OK. You’ll just need to be creative in finding transferable skills and experiences. If you haven’t had much paid job experience, use any relevant volunteer work you’ve done. Perhaps you worked on (or led) the annual fundraiser for your church or PTA, which required marketing, organizational/problem-solving, and event planning skills, just to name a few. Maybe you donated your time to the local animal shelter helping them set up their website, where you used your communication, creative, and tech skills.

6-Organize your job history information briefly, yet clearly. In reverse chronological order, list your current job first, then go backwards. Indicate the name of the company, dates of employment (month and year), and your job title. Then, list your most relevant responsibilities and accomplishments. The hiring team should be able to easily understand where you worked, how long you were there, and what you did.

Get started now and we’ll have more tips for you next week. If the idea of writing or updating your resume seems daunting, just work on one of these tips today. Pick one that interests you and start taking a few notes. Then, do another one tomorrow. You’ll be surprised how much you accomplish.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)