Resume Writing for the Job You Want

An Introduction

I am a strong believer in bringing your full self to work. Every year you've spent on this earth is a year of experience and leaning unique to only you.

Recently, I helped my mom apply for a new job. Despite her 40+ years in the medical field, she still second guesses whether she's got the "right" qualifications. Our ensuing conversation is one I have often.

Don't Sell Yourself Short

Jobs are a great source of income, but they can also be a great source of fulfillment too. With views of employment shifting everyday, now is a fantastic to take stock of your goals, your interests and your disinterests.

I recommend this quick exercise as a starting point for anyone have trouble figuring out their next steps. This can be especially helpful if you are re-entering the workforce or if you're considering switching industries.

Start with a list

Give yourself 5-10 minutes to jot down everything you're good at. In addition to the your professional life, don't forget to include skills things from your person life! Tip: Are you really good at multitasking? Maybe you keep a chaotic household in order. Perhaps you have the uncanny ability to quote every movies from 1995 - 2010. Write it all down.

Refine it

There are some things that we're good at that we don't actually want to do for a living. For me, I realized I loved the fast paced environment of hospitality but I didn't love the industry. After exploring that realization, I found myself on the path to business operations. Take a look at all of the things you list; any item that falls into the 'like but don't love' bucket, cross it out.

Craft your personal statement

Now that you have a list of skills, you can begin to do the following:

• Evaluate your past work experience and find examples from your work experience that best illustrate the skills you want to highlight.

• Write a 2-3 sentence statement that describes you as a professional. This part will take a few drafts. I also recommend sharing it with a close friend or family member and ask for honest feedback.

Changes or, Making Moves

Can you believe it? You're ready to rewrite your resume! In completing the exercise, you've crafted your north star or focal point. Your resume should reflect what you highlighted in your statement. Anything on your resume that doesn't directly demonstrate the skills you want to be know for, I recommend removing it completely or move it to LinkedIn*.

Pay attention to language. Us active terms to convey the work that you did. Consider replacing "duties included" and "responsible for" with clear language that shows areas where you took ownership of a task or role.

Ex. As a shift lead in retail, you may have found yourself being the one to put together handbooks and train all of the new hires.

• Passive voice: Duties included training new hires and making sure they know how to close the store

• Active voice: Created and implemented training materials used to train all new hires; train new hires to be compliant with company best practices and industry rules.

While the passive voice isn't incorrect, it doesn't really tell an employer anything meaningful. The active voice gives credit for the work that you put in and indicates the outcomes. This allows employers to get an idea of how you'll approach work (being invested in it instead of going through the motions).

Continue to update your resume to keep it fresh and relevant! We're constantly growing and learning. As you job hunt, continue to look for ways to further refine your resume. Seek feedback from friends, family and colleague, and consider finding a mentor in the space.

Finally, remember to give yourself credit for where you are today.

*If you plan to move some work experience to Linkedin, I highly recommend going through the same exercise. I still have all of my hospitality experience on there in case former colleagues want to connect!