Mar 13, 2015

Last week I wrote about my Master Résumé and how well that worked for me the last time I had to apply for a job. Today I’m going to take a look at a few more things that are working well in my own personal résumé and also get to some potential improvements.

One of the things I talk about with my résumé clients just about every time I review or re-write a résumé is the font and the general look and feel. It’s true that there are some great templates out there as part of Microsoft Word or even on the internet. But to really get noticed, you have to have a résumé that is your own.

I am pleased with my current résumé in that it uses a relatively new font (Calibri) and isn’t stuck in the old Times New Roman or Ariel fonts from MS Word past. That being said, Calibri is a new default in Word, so I am actually putting this under things to improve going forward.

There is also plenty of detail in my résumé, especially from my most recent jobs. This is a good thing, IF I was planning on continuing with those types of jobs in my career going forward. Unfortunately, I’m not. Again, something that may have seemed like a positive ends up in the “to be improved” column.

I have plenty of things to add to my résumé for my current “day job” and will be adding those things as part of my next steps. I also have some work to add in my job of running this website, blog and service. You might ask yourself if you should include a personal venture or entrepreneurial idea like this in your résumé and I highly encourage you to do so. It will show initiative and drive as well as being able to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.

Another deficiency I found in reviewing my own résumé was the lack of specific accomplishments. Correction, there are accomplishments in the résumé, but they don’t pop out like they should. I need to separate out a new section to list some of the key accomplishments and achievements I have had over my career. While I’m thinking about it, I should also set aside a “Skills” section to immediately point out those areas I am really good at right off the bat!

I do have a career summary at the top, but it’s not really labeled as such. That will be another addition that I make as I go through the process of making revisions.

So what am I forgetting? Let me know if you think I’m missing anything major in my résumé. Even I can learn from you and we can all learn together!

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