Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.
If I asked for everyone reading this article to email me a resume, I imagine I would be fairly impressed with many of them. So why do we need to have a pow-wow about resumes you ask? Because therein lies the problem! With so many good ones out there, how does yours stand out from the pack and get you that interview?
Good question.
Now for those of you who are running your own business or considering it, you probably think you’re off the hook when it comes to resumes. The truth is that in some instances people do go without using them, but I can tell you for certain that most everyone has one, even if it’s on their backup hard drive in the garage. Why? Because simply the act of making one makes you think, truly think, about YOU Inc. and what you bring to any business situation and, if one is ever requested, even by investors, you cannot just whip one up in an hour.
Let’s go over some of the basics. Resumes can have many components but let’s start with the core four:
1) Contact Information – Your name, address, phone numbers and email address belong at the top. Make sure spelling is accurate and of course use a professional email! (See my previous story).
2) A Summary of Objective – Depending on the industry, this section is your first chance to actually SPEAK, so choose every word carefully. Write this and then re-write it and then re-write it again. Show it to someone you trust without your resume attached and see how it reads. It should get a point across without sounding arrogant.
3) Work Experience – So much info, so little time! Again every word counts. We will talk about keywords and positive active verbs in a bit, but for now, just make sure you have a list of all experiences, dates, and supervisors.
4) Education & Training – Always necessary, and yet another chance to shine. Not necessarily proud of your academic life? No problem! You can make up for it in other ways – just don’t lie!
There are obviously more parts to a great resume. With every industry demanding different requisites it would be impossible to detail them all here but a little research can help you find out. First off, try perusing www.indeed.com under the “Find Resumes” section. It’s a great site and we will use it again later in your search. Another place to see some sample resumes is a site by Susan Ireland at www.susanireland.com. I don’t know Susan but she is a one-woman resume machine and she has some good resources on her site.
A lot of people ask me about lying on their resumes. I know this needs to be addressed but I don’t want to sound like it’s coming from a moral point of view because this is, after all, your business. I tell my clients who ask me if they should fudge that faux-promotion at their old firm to bump up their credentials, that it just isn’t worth it. If your company grossed $499M under your supervision and you want to round it up to $500M that’s not going to send off any alarms, but if you willingly deceive people you will probably eventually get caught, and if you were in the running for a job and get caught, you won’t be in the running for long. With resumes being sent around in emails people do check on what you say. So my advice is—stick to the truth.
On the other hand you should choose your words carefully and strategically so that you communicate yourself in the best way possible and make even your most ordinary experiences sound like amazing adventures. If you do that, even without a ton of experience or an Ivy League diploma, you too can get ahead.
Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.
Another step on your journey brings you to a deeper understanding of how to choose between what you want, what you think you want and what you should have wanted if you had known you could want it. (If you missed this step, see my story on finding your compass). OK maybe I ought to explain that.
Whenever I ask clients or friends what they want in their careers, many answer in general terms, repeating what they have always said, or explaining what they think will make them successful. What’s missing are the details.
Did you ever spend a day at work with one of your parents? If so, you may have spent the time in the corner drawing pictures and consuming mountains of free doughnuts. What if I could create a time machine that would send you back to that office to see just how that job is really performed? Well, good news! There are tools out there that you can use that are even better than that old time machine idea. It’s called Vault.com and the site is an online career media center. The really helpful feature, called “Day in the Life,” is an hour-by-hour report of the average day for almost any profession you can think of under the sun.
Have you ever wondered what an assistant wind developer for a power company actually does? Or how many hours an entry-level scientist works? Maybe you were interested in learning about a typical day for a magazine ad sales rep? At Vault.com, you can choose from an ever-growing bank of professions and their hourly breakdown.
This type of information, placed alongside your lifestyle choices, can be half of the map to career happiness. We tend to think of things like status, industry growth, and that little thing called money, when we start to formulate ideas about a direction in our career. Yet the happiest people love what they do on an hour-to hour basis. Day in the Life can also allow spotlight certain aspects of a career that you thought you liked. Not a fan of meetings? Then maybe being a marketing director isn’t for you. Or maybe you are a bit weary of working within large teams? Then aiming to be a corporate interior designer isn’t a good choice.
The site is more than just this one feature. Snoop around a bit. You can read advice on everything from career changes to typical interview questions for a specific job. It’s a great resource for those still wondering what they want at this stage of the journey.
Of course there are other great career orientated websites out there, such as smartbrief.com where you can sign up for industry related newsletters. Make sure you investigate your possible choices now, rather than a month into your new position as human resources manager at a manufacturing plant. The more you know, the better your chances for success, however you define it.
Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.
Now that you have dared to dream and STOPPED before starting, it’s time to find your compass, in other words, a new direction. Figuring out which way is up can definitely be helpful in your decision-making process. Wondering if that management job at Pfizer you were offered is a lateral move or a leap forward is a common dilemma and the answer depends on many factors.
Take a few minutes to answer the following questions, a mini career choice quiz. The answers may help you determine what you are looking for in your dream job.
You prefer working:
A) Standard business hours with weekends off
B) A more flexible schedule with some weekends or nights
You prefer working:
A) In a large prestigious company with plenty of room to advance
B) Smaller companies with more hands on opportunities
You prefer working:
A) In large teams or as part of teams that do national or prominent work
B) In smaller teams or alone
You prefer working:
A) For a determined salary with possible increases based on performance
B) For a bit less money in exchange for more freedom, flexibility or possible payoff at a later date
You prefer working:
A) Around similar people who understand and enjoy the same things as yourself
B) Around all sorts of people who may not always be like you
You prefer working:
A) Working in a job where you stay close to home
B) Working in a job where you travel as much as 20% of the time or more
You prefer working:
A) In a job where mainly use the skills you have
B) In a job where you may have to be re-trained
You prefer working:
A) In classic business attire or in a professional manner
B) In shorts and flip-flops if at all possible
You prefer working:
A) In a highly driven environment where people work until a job is finished
B) In a place where there is an understanding that family needs come first
You prefer working:
A) On long term projects that may take a year or more
B) On shorter-term projects where you see results quickly
You prefer working:
A) For a company that is highly successful
B) For a company that is successful and socially conscious
Now don’t worry, there is no score to this test. It just gets you thinking about what is important to you. This test shouldn’t decide the fate of your career, but it should tell you something about your direction.
Once you have all of these answers there’s one more important question you need to ask yourself: Would you like to work for someone else and be able to focus on your job description or would you prefer to work for yourself, wearing more hats but also being in total control of your own career destiny? Sound like an easy question? Think again. These days there are fewer opportunities to stay with the same company and move up in the hierarchy. That cushy life-long job that used to exist is about as common as a half-price sale at Tiffany’s. On the other hand nothing can prepare you for owning your own business. Think you work a lot now? So you see, like any journey, setting your compass in advance is a critical first step.
Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.