by Eleanora Kukuy
Updating our resumes may seem like a chore, but it is ever more important to maintain a fresh resume in light of the unsteady work environment caused by the pandemic. There are many components that go into making an effective resume: drafting your summary and job history, editing, proofreading, and most importantly, making sure that your resume stands out in a sea of others. On Thursday August 13th, MHI participants had an opportunity to engage in Susan Trammell's workshop "Creating a Results-Driven Resume." Susan shared useful insights about the art of creating a resume that matches your unique skills and experience to the advertised job description.
Susan began the session by asking us to analyze a flashy NYC beer hall advertisement. The advertisement illustrated the importance of appealing to what the onlooker wants (e.g. a fun time), rather than merely listing out what the beer hall provides (e.g. food, beer). For our purposes, the onlooker represents the hiring manager. Susan asked us to consider how our skills can help to solve problems for the company. You could answer that by sharing about what you've already accomplished in your work experience. "Be benefit-driven. Link the action with the result," she recommends. A good way to tackle your industry's needs starts with research; look up multiple job postings within the industry you are applying for. Most likely, they have similar keywords, or "pain points," that indicate what the hiring managers are really looking for. Group these words into categories. For example, under project management you might group words such as project leader, set agendas, follow-up, budgeting. Select from these and adapt the wording to fit your experience. In that way, you are tailoring your resume to demonstrate that are a candidate that can really benefit the company. Susan summarized her message by quoting, "It's not all about what you've done. It's what you can deliver to the new job."
Moreover, every little detail matters in a resume. Susan discussed tips for "putting it all together:" the wording, the font, the layout, type size, and more. She even shared her own resume to walk through the examples. Once your resume is ready, your method of sending it may require thought as well. Susan's tip: Although LinkedIn is an excellent source of information, avoid applying on LinkedIn and opt to reach out directly through your chosen company's website. In this way you will avoid applying for out-of-date jobs and will also demonstrate more interest in the company. Participants in the workshop received answers to a wide range of questions: Do you put your college degree at the top or bottom of the resume? Do you send it in PDF or Word format? What if your dream company doesn't have available positions, but you still want to send in your resume? Do you update the resume for every job application?
Whether we are actively job hunting or stable in our current positions, it never hurts to update our resumes or skim through them to make sure they are up-to-date and as effective as they could be. Susan's workshop provided helpful, up-to-date, and tactical advice that can be applied to any profession and level of experience.