How to capitalize on your experience to create a job-winning resume

People worry that they are too old to win a new job and struggle to know what a job-winning resume looks like. I say no. In a time when the top candidates in the last election were 70, I think you have more things to worry about than your age.

What is a job-winning resume?

Rethink the way you do resumes. Don’t get stuck in believing what you learned in school. Make sure that the information you read on job search is vetted and the writer of the article is experienced in writing successful job-winning resumes. I am.

While I was starting to write this article, one of my clients emailed to celebrate that she starts her new Director of Sales role for a spectacular, custom-made jewelry brand in New York on Monday. We started working together on March 17 and finished her resume on March 25.

Her job-winning resume featured stories about how she increased business exponentially, launched new revenue streams, improved assortment of margin drivers, secured core vendor positions, and more.

This client’s new branded resume talked about transforming struggling businesses in a time when retail businesses face challenging business environments. We demonstrated her ability to leverage online channels as new revenue streams and translate website content in Spanish to grow customer base.

Everyone has a resume story

Sometimes when I start with a new client, they tell me there are no resume stories. They push back in naming an accomplishment section with Strategic Achievements or Key Examples of Success. After we explore their stories, they ask me to upgrade their accomplishment section to Leadership Success Highlights. (Suddenly, they remembered more than enough successes to fill up their resume.)

You don’t always remember your success stories but I never met a person who doesn’t have them. Those success stories may be buried deep because their self-image is cracked and they don’t see their value. We find them together.

Another client said yesterday that she loved working with me because together the brainstorming creates a better resume and better strategy. It won’t be long before she has a success story to share.

Your opportunity for success is waiting. Are you ready to hire me to help you find it?