Finding your focus – the key to a successful resume

This past week I led a resume workshop for a group of reading tutors with AmeriCorps. They’re wrapping up their year with the organization, and are prepping for next career steps.

Writing a resume can feel like an intimidating experience: what to include? How long should it be? Which format is best? But I let them all in on a secret for simplifying the task: before you begin, have a career focus in mind.

One of my favorite analogies related to this is that we all have a career-closet full of experiences: where we’ve worked, education we’ve received, and successes we’ve accomplished. But a mistake that many job seekers make is thinking that their resume should be an inventory of their career closet—a comprehensive listing of facts from their pasts. But ask yourself: who likes to read an inventory, and what does that really tell a hiring manager about the applicant, anyway?

A more effective approach is to carefully select and present details—work responsibilities, training courses, and achievements–that build a case for your expertise related to the aim you’ve chosen. That way, in just seconds, a screener can understand your goal, and what you have to offer toward it.

Not sure of your career objective? You’re in the majority: 70% of job hunters have trouble articulating their next-step aim. But it can help to break it into two key pieces: the role you want to play, and in which industries you want to contribute.

The role can often be tied to a skill you enjoy using. For example, an aptitude for organization can be translated into a role as a coordinator. And your interests and passions can help you to nail down industries. If you love the outdoors, for instance, something connected to recreation or natural resources might fit. Then voila! You’ve got a focus.

From there, deciding which details to include and format to use easily fall into place: simply rifle through your career closet to find items related to your goal, and then create an outfit that best presents you toward it.