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Has Your Resume Grown Up?
Using the same style resume that got you your first job?
It's time put aside childish things, like that old resume, - and move forward with your career.
The Problem
I see them all the time, those resumes with dates in the left column and tabbed over text arranged in sections. They usually lead off with Objective, follow with Summary, Education and Experience. Sometimes they include Memberships, Interests or Personal sections, too.
Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with this format and style, -that is, as long as the subject is a student, recent graduate, or in the first few years of building his or her career. I heave a heavy sigh only when I see the subject has more than five years of experience and identifies himself / herself as a full-blown professional. A professional should know better.
The Fix
If you are a savvy professional, you to need to push yourself, not only to keep up with current developments in your employment field, but to learn what resume styles suit each stage in your career. So how do you do that? There are a number of ways to find a design and format appropriate for your situation.
- Ask colleagues if you may see their resumes.
- Read current books on resume writing and design.
- Do a Web search to look at online resumes of individuals in your field.
- Consult a career services firm.
- Engage a professional resume writer.
If you need a quick design fix, simply get rid of the left column dates and tabbed-over text. Your presentation will immediately look better, - that is, presuming that you already know to use business appropriate fonts (Times New Roman and Arial, for example), proper margins, and have chosen outstanding highlights and appropriate supporting information.
The order of the information also changes as you advance in your career. Once upon a time, your college degree was your most important credential. Though it will remain an important marker on your career development path, now that you have years of practice in your field, Experience (and related accomplishments) trumps Education. Shift this section toward the end of the resume.
Other items that seemed important at the launch of your working life, such as school projects and associations, for example, may need to be dropped from the resume, or, at least, de-emphasized in favor of recent contributions to real-world employers.
Conclusion
Fond of the old resume? Keep a copy of it (and subsequent resume versions) to remind yourself of the way you were. Now that you've grown professionally, embrace your new experience, confidence and accomplishments and present yourself to prospective employers with a polished, adult-rated resume.
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