Boost Your Resume
Enhancing one's professional credentials is an essential task for anyone in today's competitive job market. The following are some suggestions to help you boost your career and remain a leading candidate.
Contents
Steps
- Review your existing resume. Look for any gaps or weak areas that you see right away. Check to see if you have at least one item listed in all of the following key areas: Experience, Education, Skills, Volunteer work. If you are lacking in any of these areas then target that area and commit to doing good work to enhance it. If you are unsure of what area needs improvement then ask someone you trust for advice. Alternatively, just select one of the above key areas and go with it. You don't have to do it all at the same time. In fact, it is better if you don't.
- Consider all of your past experiences. Be sure that your resume reflects all of the relevant things that you have done over the course of your career. If you have been a volunteer, have special skills or have been the captain of your local adult sports team then don't forget to list it. Hobbies like sports can enhance your resume if you can demonstrate that you were a team player during your experience. It is even better if you have some sort of leadership role on the team.
- Find a mentor. A mentor can either be informal or formal. Formal mentors are people that you seek out for advice that have already been successful in the field you are pursuing. Informal mentors are people that you encounter or are in your life only briefly but can still offer you valuable advice and perspectives. Remember that the more people that you have in your personal network, the more opportunities that will come your way. So never discount anyone as a potential ally.
- Become an apprentice. Ask one of your formal mentors if you can shadow them in their line of work to learn from them. This will require a serious time commitment so you should only do this if you have the time resources.
- Become a volunteer. Volunteer work always looks good on your resume. Don't worry if the work does not relate directly to your field. It will look good on any resume because it shows that you care about your community and positions you as being a well-rounded individual.
- Learn new skills. The more skills that you possess, the more generally employable you will become. You can engage in a self-study program by using library books or buying books from your local book store. You can also consider buying course materials over the internet at various e-learning institutions. Mastery of foreign languages like Spanish, Chinese, German, French, Italian and Japanese can really enhance your marketability.
- Enhance your education. Consider getting you Master's degree or PhD. If you do not have a Bachelor's degree, then you should consider if that is the right path for you to take. Alternatively, you could get a Technical education in a vocational field from your local community college. If there are no degree programs in your local community then you can consider getting an online education from a University program.
- Engage in extra-curricular activities. Employers like to see if an individual has a capacity for leadership. You could consider becoming captain of a sports team, a coach of a junior team, organize a neighborhood watch program or become the head of the PTA.
- After you have done an activity that will look good on your resume, be sure to add it under the appropriate section on it. You can get a career coach to help you do this. Unless you know how to write a resume, then it would be a good idea to hire a coach or a career services counselor to help you. The more professional your resume looks, the more likely it will get a potential employer's attention.
Tips
- Be confident. A genuine smile and good posture will go a long way in convincing other people to take you seriously. Present yourself professionally to others and treat everyone around you with respect.
- Have good character. Good character is one of the most desirable characteristics of a future employee. So always be honest with everyone you deal with. Follow the golden rule by treating others as you would like to be treated.
- Have fun. Be sure that any activities that you engage in will complement your natural talents and abilities. You don't want to pursue a career field that will leave you fundamentally unhappy.
- Define your vision for your life. Take some time right now to sit down with yourself and figure out what exactly you want to do with your life. Remember that this is your life and you have every right in the world to pursue your dreams. Be sure that you are aligning your career objectives with your overall vision of your life. You will find true happiness and career satisfaction by doing this.
- Look online for professional connections. You can find them at LinkedIn.com
- For each organization or activity that you list on your resume try to list at least one or two accomplishments in that activity. Merely listing a long list of organizations you belong to may not be helpful. For example:
Warnings
- Don't forget to keep your performance at your current job high. Getting fired while trying to enhance your resume is a really bad idea.
- If you feel too stressed while trying to enhance yourself, then cut back. Don't lose sleep over not being able to learn Chinese.
- Don't try too much at a time. You don't want to strain yourself. Instead start out slowly and build your experience from a firm foundation.
- Don't forget your health. Be sure that you get plenty of rest and are well-nourished while you are engaging in any of these activities.
- Don't set yourself up for failure. Remember trying too much and too hard does no one any good. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to do things that are unrealistic.
