Vitals of the Modern Resume
A resume, or CV, has function and life outside of your digital presence on LinkedIn — it tells the story of your professional life.
Now, the modern day resume is obviously meant to give further insight into where you’ve been and what you’ve achieved or accomplished throughout your career. This will obviously vary depending on your professional years, but this begs a very rudimentary question: What should be on your resume in the first place?
As we work with multiple candidates and clients, the content of one’s resume will need a specific focus. However, there are a few things we ALL need to focus on when it comes to how a resume is structured. Here are a few items and sections to keep in mind:
Keywords and Key Competencies
Think of the things that stand out and make the most sense from your previous experience. What are you known for? What sets you apart? Now, think about this from the perspective of a recruiter or the hiring manager for your next position. What do you want them to see first?
The right keywords and hard skills can hone your resume to showcase yourself as an asset.
Accomplishments & Highlights
Oftentimes, the MO is to list out what you were responsible for in your previous role. What your day today was and what you were hired to do? This may seem like the proper route, but take an even better approach to standing out.
Instead of your role/responsibilities, tell a story of something you are proud of, how you made a difference, achieved a goal, impacted sales, etc
Dates. Give specific timeframes/months for when you achieved these items. Context will completely eliminate the nebulous.
Goals
Did you set any goals going into your last position(s)? If so, what were they? How did you achieve those goals? The narrative of how you did so or had to pivot your goals can bring further strength to your resume.
Write For The Job You Want
Write your resume for the position you’re working towards. These days, there are rare situations where your resume won’t require a few tweaks.
Showcasing your skills and competencies for your next role specifically will set you apart.
Taking all of this into account, keeping your LinkedIn profile up to date becomes critical as you further your career. If you’re looking to make a move in your professional life, having the right keywords, summaries, recommendations, connections, and detailed experience will give you the tool(s) needed.