Why You Should Give Your Resume a Makeover in 2020

If you watch The Office (and let's face it, who doesn't?), you might remember a story line where Darryl Philbin goes to apply for the branch manager position, only to realize he's not quite sure how exactly to put together a proper resume.

He tries to find the little paper clip in Microsoft Word that used to walk you through letter writing and resume building, but it no longer exists (sad face!)

Maybe you're like Darryl.

Or maybe you've been sitting at home a lot during this pandemic, reflecting on your life, your job, your career, your future, your goals - and you've realized it's time to update your resume.

Enter me.

I recently launched a new section of my website that details some of the services I've been able to provide friends and family over the years. I've been so successful helping people in my circle land their jobs and refresh their resumes, I wanted to start opening it up to the rest of the world.

You may be asking, why do I need to update my resume? I thought just maintaining the one I made years ago was good enough.

The Old Model is Outdated

The old way of thinking about resumes just isn't as relevant anymore. Hiring managers post jobs online and receive hundreds, or even thousands of resumes within a few days. If you're busy and looking to hire quickly, you don't have time to go through every single resume.

Some organizations use tools that scan resumes for keywords, leaving a smaller sample size to sort through. It's important that your resume is optimized for the jobs you're applying to, so that you can make it through this first round.

Once you've made it on the desk of the hiring manager, you'll need to make yourself stand out. Personally, I have assisted in the hiring process for a few positions. It's always amazing to me how many resumes come through that look exactly the same. Having a resume that stands out visually, even in small ways, can cause the person reviewing it to pause for a little bit longer, which may be the difference needed to get you that interview.

You Might Not See Yourself Clearly

This may not be a bad thing!

Often, when a friend sends me their resume to review, I feel like they're selling themselves short. They may not realize the skills they developed in their last job, or they may not be able to word it in a way that truly explains the work they did and the things they accomplished.

When you send your resume to an outsider (ahem, like me), they're often able to put into words your skills and experience better than you can, because they're able to be more objective. This is a problem especially if you're someone who doesn't brag on yourself very easily. The resume is a place where you have to do that, you're literally selling yourself to a potential company. You may just need some extra assistance to do this in the best possible way.

On the flip side, sometimes people include things in their resume that aren't relevant or may even detract from their positive experience. They may include lingo or vernacular specific to a particular job or field that doesn't translate well to outsiders. There are so many reasons to have an outsider review your resume, even if it's just getting a friend to look over it, to make sure you're painting yourself in the best light possible.

A Chance to Express Yourself

When customizing a resume, the opportunities to express your individual personality expand exponentially. Each resume I create is unique and different, tailored to the specific person and their field. Some resumes need to be more serious and highly professional, while others (for example, in more creative or artistic fields) may be a chance to express personality in a big way.

You can click here to see examples of resumes I've designed for others. As you'll see on that page, no two resumes look alike. And that's because no two people are alike.

Ideally, someone should be able to get a tiny mental picture of who you are from your resume. And who you are goes beyond the skills you've picked up or where you went to college, but there's not really a section on your resume for "personality traits". You can add to that tiny mental picture, even slightly, just by putting some extra time and care into personalization of your resume.

So, now you're convinced it's time to give your resume some tender love and care, what now?

Well, I'm shamelessly plugging my own skills and talents in this post, so if you're interested in working with me to create your very own, spruced up, one of a kind resume - click here for more information.

But! That's not your only option.

If you have your own graphic design skills, browse through Pinterest for some ideas on where to start. You can also use a free design service like Canva, which has some great templates and resources for creating your own piece of work. For rewrites, you can have a friend or colleague look over your resume and offer you some pointers.

There's no time like this stay-at-home present to work on yourself, your goals, your dreams and your career. Why not start with your resume, and see where else you can go from there?

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