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Archives for July 2016

July 22, 2016 by Carrie Pinsky

Resumé Advice You Never Hear: Stop the Endless Targeting!

Imagine you are at a barbeque and a friend says, “We are hiring. Shoot me your résumé and I will pass it along to my manager.” Elation suddenly turns to panic. You spend the rest of the weekend pulling your hair out in order to get a résumé together by Monday.

Whether you are in active job search mode or more passively open to new opportunities, it is prudent to have a sparkly résumé ready to send off in a moment’s notice.

Job seekers are generally advised to target their résumés to each specific position. This sounds good in theory but it is not always possible. The aforementioned barbecue scenario is one case in point.

Another issue is that position descriptions vary widely. Some are overly detailed while others are short and skimpy. Rather than expressing any amount of passion and truth, job seekers parrot back what they think employers want to hear. The end result is a résumé that reads like the back of a can of paint.

There are certainly times when we should tailor a résumé to a specific position. However, there is a lot to be said for creating a personalized marketing piece that can be used more broadly. This allows us to be nimble and effective in responding to opportunities and it ensures we don’t lose ourselves in the job search process.

For the next few minutes forget everything you have heard about the importance of targeting your résumé. Rather than focusing on employer needs, look into your heart to identify what you want in your next position. Here are three steps to creating a powerful, all-purpose résumé:

Be Future Facing

Let this version of your résumé describe the job of your dreams. Rather than simply regurgitating what you have done in the past, highlight what you want to do more of going forward. Don’t list anything that you find draining.

Think beyond recent work experience and also emphasize skills gained through volunteering and personal interests or from positions held long ago. A résumé is a ticket to your happy future and it needs to be written with a clear vision in mind.

Be Compelling

Beyond listing skills and qualifications, develop a “career highlights” section in which you provide brief accomplishment statements to communicate the real value you can provide.

These accomplishment statements are like pencil drawings that support your goals and ambitions. When you land an interview, you can turn these pencil drawings into vivid word pictures and stories. For now, let your resume offer captivating snippets of who you are becoming professionally.

Be Yourself

When it comes to landing a good fit opportunity, your best bet is to present yourself honestly. Most résumés are sterile and lack personality. It seems the goal of so many job seekers is to avoid offending anyone – ever.

Speak your truth. Use conversational language and let your natural voice flow on to the page. Being forthright and creative in your presentation will cost you some jobs but staying true to yourself increases the likelihood of finding a position in which you can thrive and grow.

A future facing, compelling and personalized résumé allows you to be ready when random opportunities present themselves. When you do need to target your résumé for a specific position, you can modify this version while maintaining your personal brand. Putting more heart into your résumé is a good first step to attracting the attention you desire.

 

Filed Under: Career Counseling, Job Search Support Tagged With: candidate, career counseling, employer, job search, job seekers, resumé, value, workplace

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Pink Sky Career Counseling

417 South Howes Street
Fort Collins, CO 80521

Phone: 970-225-0772
Email: carrie@pink-sky.net

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“I enjoyed working with Carrie. I felt comfortable with her from the very beginning; she’s very warm, supportive, and easy to talk to. She helped me retool my resume and linkedin profile after taking care to learn about my experience, skills and desires. I highly recommend working with her if you have the chance.”

S.L.
Recreation Private Club Industry

Going in for meetings with Carrie was the best thing I could have possibly done for my education and career. With her tremendous help I was able to figure out what I wanted to do and how I needed to go about my career. I can’t possibly thank her enough for her crucial role in jumpstarting my career and getting me headed in the right direction.

G.W.
Student, International Affairs

Carrie was an informative, supportive and thoughtful guide during a time of career refinement. She served as a sounding board in assessing benefits and challenges of positions, reviewed application materials, prepared me for interviews and debriefed and supported decision-making. The mock interview coaching sessions were incredibly valuable to me.

J.S.
Professor, Higher Education

As a recent graduate with my master's degree in biomedical sciences, Carrie and Pink Sky Career Counseling were immensely helpful in the process of landing my first "real" job. I was at a loss for how to apply for a position to start my career in such a specialized field. With little to no work experience, Carrie was able to help formulate my resume, cover letter and references, and manage my LinkedIn page as well as provide general career counseling. Thanks to Carrie's help and guidance I recently accepted an intraoperative neurophysiologist position for NuVasive in Minneapolis, MN. I could not have done it without Carrie's help. Long story short - I highly recommend Pink Sky Career Counseling for any career counseling you may need.

A.M.
Biotech Industry

Not a day goes by that I don't thank Carrie in my mind on the way to my new job. Calling her was one of the best things I ever did for myself. Carrie is very intuitive, connected in the community, genuinely caring, and a master of her craft. Of course if you sign on for this, you have to dig deep and do things that are outside your comfort zone to get to where you want to be in life. But she held my hand all the way till the end and beyond. I cannot thank or recommend her enough.

J.D.
Non Profit Industry

I highly recommend Carrie. She did an amazing job helping me with my resume and providing valuable guidance in my job search process. I ended up being offered a great new job and wouldn't have gotten there without Carrie's assistance and support.

P.P.
Human Resources

Carrie is amazing, I had a position open that I didn't know about until 4 days before it closed, just before the weekend. She went above and beyond to get it accomplished for me. I highly recommend working with her.

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Security

Carrie was fantastic to work with. She listened to what I was wanting and she produced a excellent product, responses to my resume increased and just recently landed a great job!

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Accounting and Finance

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