Katie Roberts Career Consulting

The information in your Resume should be short, sharp and compelling to effectively sell you and your unique skill set as a viable candidate for the roles you are applying for. If you don’t keep up to date records, it can be a major chore to update it. So where is the best place to start?

We often get asked this question, especially by people who’ve never had to officially ‘apply’ for a role before, by people who’ve been in the same role for many years, or by those who’ve been out of the workforce for some time. While each situation requires a slightly different approach – the basics remain the same. A Resume is like a sales proposal on YOU! It’s essential that you highlight your key skills, qualifications and experience in a way that demonstrates value to a potential employer. It should be packed full of easy to read facts about you – but they should focus on achievements and be written in a way that demonstrates how they helped your previous employer.

So where should you start with outdated content?

1.  Get clear on what you want: your first step should always be researching the types of roles you’d like to achieve. Having a clear idea of the type of role you’d like to secure will provide you with a great starting point for the types of skills and experience you need to demonstrate. You can then focus your new Resume content on those parts of your past that are most important.

2.  Understand your value: recognise the accomplishments you have made and the value you have added, then learn how to articulate that in a way that appeals to potential recruiters. Spending time on Step 1 will help you to do this. If you have a good understanding of the areas you need to excel in to achieve the type of role you’re looking for, this process will be easier. Once you understand your value, develop a career summary that provides the recruiter with a quick overview of you – an elevator pitch if you like. It’s a preview of your resume written to entice them further. It should be the first thing they see, no longer than two paragraphs – and include a mixture of your professional success, academic/industry training, together with any relevant personal attributes.

3.  Focus on achievements: Brainstorm where you have achieved success previously. It’s a good idea to include at least two or three achievements for each of your previous roles – more if you can. Tangible achievements are first priority, but if you honestly can’t think of anything you can quantify then think about projects you’ve contributed to, collaboration with colleagues, extra responsibilities taken on, new processes you initiated, customer accolades received or major targets exceeded. Think about things you did in previous roles that made you proud or situations where you went above and beyond – chances are, recruiters will consider these achievements.

4.  Plug gaps – recruiters don’t like mysteries so if you have been out of the workforce it is preferable to explain the gap rather than leave it blank. Think about your work gaps and what you did during that time. Volunteer work, charity work, education, training and professional development should all be included to show you weren’t idle during that time.

A well written Resume will help you secure the all-important interview. But you need to understand your value and what’s important to your potential employer before you can do that. For more ideas on the specific content to include or how to write a Resume, visit the Resume section of our Career Advice Blog.

Are you interested in getting assistance from a Professional Resume Writer to prepare a winning Resume for your next job application? If so, please see our Resume Writing Services and Job Search Coaching Services.