Make Your Variety Serve Your Job Search

Know when to show your hat collection, use your resume wisely!

The job market is blazing hot right now. Long term employees are switching roles after many years of being shy. One thing we come across often with candidates who have been with the same employer is the problem of addressing variety. Let’s look at this and see if we can give you a solution.

Too much says too little!

Would you read this article to the end if it didn’t provide information that was relevant to you? Probably not!

In the same way, you want to make sure the person reading your resume has information that keeps them going. Think of your resume as a comforter not a quilt. You want it to feel cohesive not made of so many parts it only has a 50% chance of translating to the reader.

Let’s do some mindset work for a minute.

You may have worked at your company for many years and worn many hats but you face the challenge of a resume. It has a job to do for you in this dizzy job market. Your resume needs to set you apart.

Telling a potential employer every single thing you’ve done is like being in an unsolicited one sided conversation. Remember that feeling of asking one question and being steam rolled for 10 minutes non-stop? Don’t be that job seeker!

The job description is the question, your resume is the answer. Keep your audience front of mind. The reality is the people reading your resume initially have to read several others. Use your words wisely so you can elevate your resume.

If you’ve already got your resume locked in to a specific audience you can stop here. If you want guidance on preparing yourself for the daunting task of putting your experience in a resume keep reading.

Now think about this question as a first step — What do you want to do in your next role?

I give my candidates with longevity a bit of homework to help them clarify this answer.

1. Write the resume out with all the hats/positions and responsibilities

2. Wait a few days and return to it

3. Before you pick it up again, consider what potential new role(s) would be of interest to you in your job search. Meaning, what do you want to accomplish with this job search? Answer this question first then pick up the resume you’ve written above.

4. With your goal in mind, highlight the sentences in your resume that support your goal.

5. Can you extrapolate on the highlighted portions and further give insight into how these responsibilities impacted your team making you an outstanding candidate?

6. Think about the highlighted areas in terms of — the parts you enjoy the most to the least.

7. Now you’ve begun the process of getting your resume in decent shape for the job you actually want to land.

These 7 steps should start helping you recognize the parts of your job you like and the parts you put up with for money. Getting prepared for the job market can feel like a whole process but it’s worth it. The value is returned in time and quality of your job search experience.

All things considered, nothing could be more satisfying than designing a role that suits you. You may or may not get everything on your wishlist but that’s fine. Your preparation and criteria will help you:

1. Apply for positions most aligned to your desires

2. Keep you sharp in qualifying roles in and out of consideration

3. Save you time

4. Help you see how realistic your wishlist is for the job market

5. Fine tune your job hunt

If you want further assistance please book one of our Candidate Services today!