Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd, Membership Co-Chair, Board of Directors WWPR
Whether you’re a graduating college senior preparing to enter the job market soon or a mid-career professional, almost everyone has had the experience of finding the “perfect” job and not having a resume at-the-ready to apply. When it comes to your livelihood, it’s always best to update your resume continuously, so you don’t have to spend weeks pulling one together.
Veteran resume writer and WWPR Membership Co-Chair Stacy Fitzgerald-Redd presented her “Five Tips to Resume Readiness” webinar last month and shared the following advice on being prepared with an updated resume at all times:
- Decide on your career goal – Assess your hard and soft skills being sure to document your numbers (these are metrics that demonstrate your results).
- Start with your basic resume – Start with your latest resume, updating it with any new accomplishments, trainings, certifications and skills and focusing on value delivered
- Write a profile statement – A profile statement isn’t an “objective” statement, but a summary of your unique expertise and the value you can offer a potential employer.
- Focus on achievements, not duties – While it’s important to document what your responsibilities were, it’s equally important to convey what you accomplished. Did you reach your media goals? Book a record number of podcast guests? Secure a major sponsorship for big dollars? Highlight those results.
- Banish antiquated items – Here’s a short list of items to lose and why:
– Objective Statement – This tells employers what you want and it’s all about you. They want to know who you are and what you can bring to the table. Replace the objective statement with a profile statement.
– Dated Work Experience – It’s important to focus on your most relevant skills, which have likely occurred with your most recent work history. Ten to 12 years’ work history will suffice for work experience.
– Dates for Educational Achievements – Avoid giving any clues regarding your age by removing the year you graduated from college (ageism in a real concern).
– Expired certifications – If your certification has expired, don’t include it on the resume.
– Volunteerism – Unless your volunteer work is directly relevant to the position you’re applying for, don’t include it on your resume.
These quick tips will help you get organized and focus on the most relevant, impactful details to include on your resume.