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Fun fact: New Year's Day is the oldest recorded holiday, dating back some
2000 years.
That's right! 2000 years of broken New Year's Resolutions! 2000
years of people not losing weight. 2000 years of not quitting
smoking. And, of course, 2000 years of not finding the right job.
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You can do something about that last one by
making job search resolutions you can keep. That's why this week's
theme is RESOLUTIONS!
Here are a few simple resume resolutions to
make:
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"I will have a
resume." This is the
most basic resolution. After all, if you don't have a resume, you
can't make resume resolutions, right? You also most likely won't get
a job, either. If you haven't written your resume yet, write one
today - January 2, 2006
- when most companies are still closed for the day. Resumes get you
interviews for jobs.
"I will keep my resume
updated after I get a job." Don't wait until you're
unemployed again to write your resume. Keep your resume updated every
two months when you're working. Add the new skills and
responsibilities. Include new awards. You may forget important
information if you wait several years.
"I will not use the word 'I' or 'me' or 'we,' or the word 'the.' " Resume
writing is different than writing a note to Aunt Mary Lou. First
person pronouns and other words, like 'the,' make resumes sound too
conversational. Your résumé’s job is to provide concise information,
not catch up with a friend or relative. Besides, these words suck up
space you could use for far more muscular words.
"I will pay attention to betail."
That's right. "Betail." I
mentioned this on the first version of WildJobSafari. Many of my
clients (one is too many, really) have actually put that line on their
resume, complete with misspelling. A few editing tricks: 1) after you
run the spell checker, read your resume backwards (you'll catch other
mistakes); 2) hand it to a friend (a second set of eyes can catch grammar
and spelling mistakes); and 3) set it aside for a day (coming back with
fresh eyes allows a clearer mindset).
"I will not keep tweaking my resume until it's a pile of
garbage." I mentioned this a while back and I'll say
it again: when I was out of work, I took everybody's advice and
tweaked my resume, and tweaked it and tweaked it...and pretty soon it
wasn't fit to line a bird cage. Write your resume, be happy with it
and use it.
Pretty simple
resolutions, right? These are resolutions you can keep.
IN TODAY'S CARAVAN: Have a resume, update it while you're working,
don't use personal pronouns, pay attention to detail and don't keep
tweaking your resume after it's done.
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bSafari.c
The Lion’s Pride: Resumes
