Write Your Resume For Who You Want To Be, Not Who You Were

Your resume is a marketing document that you get to write however you want to.

And no I am not telling you to lie.

What I am telling you is to write about where you want to go, not where you’ve been.

If your resume outlines how talented and well suited you are for work that you don’t particularly like (btw - 4.5 million people have voluntarily left their jobs in Nov. 2021), guess what you’re going to get using that resume? More of the same kind of roles you don’t like.

What’s Einstein’s definition of insanity? Oh yeah…doing something the same and expecting different results.

Same goes for marketing yourself!

You were likely taught that your resume is a written report of your work history. While sharing your background is the main goal, it is up to you to synthesize and speak to the kind of context you want more of. 

To update your resume for where you want to take your career, I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the strengths and skills I am happiest using on a daily basis?

• What are the strengths and skills I want MORE of in my next opportunity?

• How do I want to spend the majority of my time in my next role?

• What kind of cultures do I thrive in? Or want to try?

• What do I want the reader of my resume to absolutely know about me?

• What is my work style and what are the main strengths I’ve brought to a team and why?

• How does my knowledge and expertise translate to the context I want to use them in?

• How have I changed since the last time I wrote my resume? What do I want more of? Less of?

For example, if you are someone who has had a very team-oriented career but find you are happier working independently because you’re disciplined and productive… don’t spend a bunch of time writing about how much you enjoyed working on teams!  Write about how awesome you are working solo and why.

Think of your resume as a vision board. Write it for the person you want to grow into. To become. 

If you find you still need help with your resume, get in touch so we can start the process.