Updating Your Resume

Added June 1, 2005 by Liz Handlin, CEO, Ultimate Resumes

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Summary: Looking for resume writing tips? A resume isn't simply a list of your background and accomplishments. It's a marketing tool. Here's some great resume advice from one of the nation's leading resume consultants.

If your resume isn't current, now is a great time to think about updating it in anticipation of new opportunities that may present themselves.

Even if you aren't actively looking for a new job it is always good to have an updated resume on hand. You just never know what opportunities may be just around the corner. If the perfect job comes your way, it's a relief to have a fresh resume ready to go.

The key to writing a good resume is to focus on your accomplishments rather your basic job responsibilities. This seems so simple, but it can be difficult to write about your career in terms of achievements.

Many people tend to transcribe their job descriptions onto their resumes. This is any easy trap to fall into because when you start to draft a resume you have to think about how you spend your time at work.

Your job description can be a helpful tool in explaining what you do, but if you start with that document make sure you don't stop there. Think about results you have achieved. Big or small, results are what count and are what will catapult you to the next level in your career.

A resume that just lists things like, "responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable, and month-end reporting," is less impressive than one that describes the results you obtained. A list of responsibilities is simply a job description. What you want to describe is how you stepped into a job and achieved great results. Potential employers will be wowed by results, not by task lists.

Did you save your company $10,000 by streamlining a process? Have you implemented an accounting system that saved your department time and money? Has the new performance management system been implemented because of your efforts?

Those are the kinds of results that recruiters and potential employers look for in a resume. So, if you want to improve your chances of getting an interview with a great company, focus your resume on accomplishments and quantifiable results. That kind of focus will help you to land the job of your dreams!

Another thing to remember is that not everyone who reads your resume will be familiar with your current employer. So, when you describe the results you have achieved, it may be necessary to describe the context in which you achieved them. Job candidates with a military background often fall into this category.

Don't assume that the person who reviews your resume will understand the relative importance of the jobs you performed unless they also have a military background. I recently worked with a client who had served as a marine guard at several US Embassies around the world. We worked together to describe the selection process for the job as well as the enormous responsibilities that come with the job in a way that anyone can comprehend.

Focusing your resume on results will help potential employers to focus their energies on recruiting you!

This article was written by Liz Handlin, CEO, Ultimate Resumes. Get more information and useful resources at Ultimate-Resumes.com. (Article reprinted with permission).

July 29, 2005

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