Defining Your Career Through Your Resume
	Match Your Resume To Your Career Goals
	Securing A Career Change With Your Resume

Defining Your Career Through Your Resume

If you're uncertain about what career path you'd like to take, a resume can help you define it. Yes. That's right. The act of writing a resume can help you define your career path and can help you figure out where you want to go in your working future.

Think about it. A resume is a personal selling tool. Moreover, to sell yourself as effectively as possible, you're going to have to do some very close self-examination. You're going to have to take a long, objective look at your weaknesses and strengths.

When you determine your weaknesses and strengths, you'll be able to figure out what you're really good at and what you're really lousy at. Your strengths and weaknesses will help you define your career path. Naturally, you'll want a career that allows you to use your strengths to their maximum potential. And, of course, if you're like most people, you won't want to pursue a career where you're required to use skills that you really don't have.

One of the steps involved in writing a resume is looking at the level of education you have, and presenting that level of education in the most flattering way possible. Taking the time to closely examine your education can be another way to use your resume to define your career. If upon closer examination of your education level, you discover you're lacking skills, then you know it's time to upgrade.

Writing your resume can help you define your career goals by helping you focus on your career-related skills like values, personality, temperament, interests, talents and fascinations. That's the benefit of self-marketing! You really have to take a close look at yourself.

So, to summarize. If you're not entirely sure what your career objectives are, take the time to write a resume. Write a resume even if you're not looking for a specific (or any) job. Resume writing forces you to take a look at your skills from a self-selling perspective. It forces you to see your strengths and weakness. Moreover, once you're better aware of your strengths and weakness, you'll be able to more effectively define your career goals.

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Match Your Resume To Your Career Goals

One of the biggest challenges job seekers face is deciding on their personal career goals. When you are not working and feel the financial pressure to find a job, it can be hard to focus on your goals if it means a job search may continue for a longer period of time. In the end, though, you will be better served by pursuing jobs that fit with your career goals because you are more likely to be satisfied and fulfilled with that kind of role.

So how can you create a resume that expresses and matches your career goals? The first step is to gain a better understanding of what your goals really are.

Self-assessment

You probably have a lot of experience assessing your skills and talents, but have you ever looked at those attributes in terms of how they fit with your life goals, your likes, and your dislikes? Chances are the answer is no. Here are some questions to ask yourself that will help you better understand your interests and passions:

What parts of your previous jobs did you find most satisfying?

What parts of your previous jobs did you find least satisfying?

What tasks or activities do you like to do?

What tasks or activities do you not like to do?

What is it that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?

Think about a time when you were praised or received recognition for something - what did you do to earn the praise? Moreover, how did you feel about it?

The next part of your self-assessment is to determine what type of work culture you find most comfortable and enjoyable. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you prefer a formal or casual business environment?

Do you like a fast-paced workday or one that is slower and steadier?

Do you need a lot of rules and structure or do you prefer more latitude?

Do you want each day to follow a set pattern of activity or do you want more variation?

Do you want to travel for business purposes?

Do you want to work as part of a team or as an individual contributor?

Do you like working for a large organization or smaller organization?

Use your answers to these two sets of questions to create a profile of your main interests and the type of business culture in which you want to work as you pursue those interests. These are your career goals.

Make your resume reflect your career goals

Now that you have identified your career goals, put them into your resume. Highlight the skills and attributes that fit with the type of job you want to pursue and build your resume in a way that will appeal to a potential employer who offers that kind of a position.

Use your network of personal and professional contacts to research potential employers and find those that match your preferences. Talk with people about the kind of position you are seeking, and ask them to keep you in mind if they see anything that might be of interest to you. Follow up occasionally, just to keep your name at the front of their mind.

Summary

When you clearly identify your personal career goals, it is easy to put them into your resume. Moreover, when your resume reflects your career goals, you are much more likely to find a job that fits your needs perfectly.

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Securing A Career Change With Your Resume

Can your resume help you change careers? The answer is yes, if you create a resume that emphasizes the skills and attributes you possess that are transferable to the career path you want to pursue.

Use a functional or combination format

Most resume writing experts recommend a functional or combination format resume for people who want to change careers. This is because a functional or combination resume helps you showcase your qualifications in terms of skills and attributes rather than in terms of job you have already held.

A potential employer screens resumes by looking for the qualifications that are required for a particular job. In most cases, if they read a resume that lists job experience in different career field or industry they will screen that resume out. They do not stop to consider if any of the skills from the non-related industry are transferable to the position they have open. Your job is to create a resume that draws out those transferable skills and communicates them to a potential employer so that you increase your chances of getting into the interview phase of hiring.

Think about skills and attributes

The first step is to think about the skills and attributes needed in the new career that you want. Make a list of what potential employers look for in that field, and then turn to your own qualifications. Look at your accomplishment statements and pick out the ones that illustrate the skills and attributes needed for the new career.

For example, let's say you have a great deal of experience as a salesperson and now you are interested in becoming a corporate trainer. Start with a list of the skills and attributes necessary to be a successful corporate trainer. The list might look something like this:

Organization and preparation prior to class

Presentation skills for teaching class materials

Interactive and discussion skills for engaging students in learning

Research and development of new class topics

Writing skills for developing class materials

Interpersonal skills for working with students individually or in small groups

Now start to think about what skills you have developed as a salesperson that are transferable to the job of corporate trainer, and make a list of them. It might look something like this:

Organization and preparation prior to meeting with clients

Presentation skills for communicating with clients

Interactive and discussion skills for gaining trust and moving clients toward a buying decision

Research into client needs and development of strategies for how your products or services can fulfill those needs

Writing skills for developing sales materials and client proposals

Interpersonal skills for building and maintaining client relationships

Can you see how the skills of a salesperson could be transferable to the requirements of being a corporate trainer? Now you are ready to build accomplishment statements and group them into categories that match the skills and attributes a potential employer requires for a corporate trainer.

The interview phase

The goal of a resume written for a career change is to get you into the interview phases of the hiring process. Once you are there, it is up to you to answer the interviewer's questions in a manner that is open, honest, and emphasizes the ways in which your skills and attributes can effectively transfer to a new career.

It is often helpful to do some practice interviews in advance, using a trusted friend or a career counselor to role-play with you. Work through the kinds of questions you can expect and develop answers that will help you sell yourself as a good candidate for the job. Remember that your resume can get you in the door, but it is up to you to demonstrate clearly to a potential employer why they should hire you.

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