5 powerful advantages to resume success stories
A client who landed his new role last November sent me a note that he would like to send me his new job description and have me “Julie-ize it”. Loved that term!
He wanted to use the new information on his LinkedIn profile but wanted it to reflect a different voice than the job description. I emailed back that I would like him to think about his resume success stories for his new job.
His reply was that with only four months on the job, he didn’t think he had any. This reminded me of how critical it is to track the resume success stories as we call it in the professional resume writing world.
Tracking system for resume success stories
This may seem strange to you. Many people who call me about getting a resume seem to think a resume is singular item needed only when you go after a new job. I see the resume as a tool to helps you throughout your life and should be continually renewed with fresh content.
If you are still thinking about a resume and the resume writing process as putting only your work history down on a piece of paper, we have some educating to do.
- The resume process is the gathering of your past wins that help you recognize not only your resume success stories but give you the opportunity to evaluate if you are going in the direction you intend.
- Many people fall into a career path and stay on that path until something bumps them off — a layoff, downsizing, termination, or company shut down.
- Then they scramble to find a new job without seriously contemplating if they are in the best place for their talents or even if they love what they do.
The serious careerist sees the resume as a tool to capture stories as well as an active document.
They add to the stories regularly so they define their career path and have easy recall of successes. The resume becomes the foundation, a master document to use as a tool to define your career strategy.
Why capture your resume stories throughout your career?
- When it is time for a performance review, the person who notes their resume success stories has the data right at their fingertips to explain what they contributed to the company.
- If you are considering board membership, non-profit organizations want to know your background and your contributions. The person who continually updates their information will be ready to share.
- Social media profiles use resume stories. While your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t be a direct match to your resume, you want to use that information and make it available to write your LinkedIn profile.
- When you need to submit a bio for a speaking engagement or organization, you can use the information from your resume stories to bolster your bio.
- No career is forever today. By constantly capturing your resume succe stories, you will be ready to prepare for the next transition without scrambling to remember the data.
When someone thinks that all they need is the place, title, and job description, rather than the stories, they miss the depth of the resume. A surface resume doesn’t get into the meat of your contributions and it doesn’t capture your value for the next company.
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Julie Walraven
Professional Resume Writer
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