Resumes

Thinking About Changing Careers?

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Changing careers is a major undertaking; it takes time and effort. You’ll need to assess yourself and your skills and think about how your existing skills might transition to a new career. You’ll also need to spend time researching your new career; this includes traditional research to learn about your new field, as well as networking with people who are already in it. You may also need to go back to school to learn new skills. And finally, you need to recognize that you may not be able to shift to a new career and retain your current salary (especially if you’ve been working in your industry for a long time).

If you’re still game, here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Do you want to pursue a new job, or a new career?
  • Why do you want to make a change?
  • What do you LIKE about your current job/career?
  • What do you DO NOT LIKE about your current job/career?
  • What do you want your next job to do for you that your current job doesn’t. In other words, what will be different about your next job.
  • What is your dream job. What are the kinds of things you’d be doing each day if you were working in your dream job?
  • What are you most proud of in your past work experience? How does that translate into a new career?
  • How much do you need to make in your next job/career (each year)? How much do you want to make in your next job/career?
  • What tools do you need to move forward? More training / education? Updated resume? Updated LinkedIn profile?
  • Who can you work with to support you during your job search? Champions? People who might have ideas about your desired new role?
  • What 10 organizations would you like to work for, whether or not they have current openings?

These questions, of course, are just a start. Be prepared for the transition to take time and expect setbacks along the way. Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you; yes, you CAN change careers as long as you’re willing to be realistic, put the in the hard work, and get started. Assessing yourself and where you want to go is the first step. Good luck!

Did YOU Know September is a Great Time to Update Your Resume?

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This is a September like none other. Despite the stress of the past several months with changes to our routines, work location, and, for many of us, home schooling, we should not neglect our careers.

September is International Update Your Resume Month and a great time to think about yourself and your accomplishments over the past 12 months. For those of you who are federal employees, International Update Your Resume Month coincides with the end of the fiscal year—a perfect time for reflection and setting yourself up for future possibilities.

Even if you are not currently in the job market, you should always have an updated resume. And, for my federal readers, with the potential change of leadership at the federal level, regardless of who wins the upcoming election, you are likely to be asked for your resume.

Here are some easy ways to ensure you’re ready—regardless of what comes to pass!

  • Be sure your accomplishments are up to date. For those of you whose performance evaluation is coming due (or recently completed), use that process to reflect on your accomplishments in the past year—and add them to your resume.
  • Check for action verbs. Make sure your resume is full of action verbs. What is an action verb? Lead, create, oversee, analyze, communicate, etc. Action verbs do NOT have an “s” on the end.
  • Banish “responsible for.” Just because you’re responsible for something doesn’t mean you actually did it—it just means you should have done it!
  • Add numbers to your resume. Numbers give your work context so that readers of your resume understand the full scope of your work. If you just say that you “track a budget,” readers don’t know how large that budget is, from how many funding sources, or anything else.
  • Remove old content. Does your resume still mention MultiMate? Y2K? Hurricane Rita? Or something equally dated? The standard for resumes these days is 10 years or so. Employers want to know what you have done recently—not what you accomplished 15, 20 or even more years ago.
  • Update your professional certifications, speaking engagements, awards, and professional development. This information shows that you are active in your field and a continuous learner.

These are just some of the easy ways to update your resume, be prepared for the future, and honor International Update Your Resume Month!

Let’s Talk Cover Letters

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In the old days when resumes were mailed using the US Postal Service, the cover letter was ubiquitous and almost always started with some variation of, “enclosed please find my resume for…” Since that time, cover letters have evolved; here’s how:

  • Not every application requires a cover letter. If a job posting asks for a cover letter, then you certainly need one. Most federal applications do not require cover letters; they are typically optional. Unless required, I do not generally recommend adding a cover letter to a federal application. Cover letters are much more standard in the private sector.
  • If you do decide to prepare a cover letter, make sure the formatting, including font, margins, and any design elements, match your resume. Your documents should look like one cohesive package. This helps reinforce your brand.
  • Your cover letter should be more than just forwarding your resume. Make your opening paragraph attention getting—and use the key words of the job posting to the extent possible. Share you can add value to the organization—rather than what you want / need.
  • Include real relevant achievements. What have you done that makes you a good fit for the job? Be specific and include measurable accomplishments that relate to what the job is asking for.
  • Address your cover letter to a real person—no “To Whom it may Concern.” With all the online tools available, there is no excuse for not using an individual’s name—and be sure to spell it correctly! Don’t forget to change the name and company for different positions.
  • Keep your cover letter to one page, use personal pronouns, and include a “call to action.” Tell the reader what you want them to do—invite you for an interview? Something else? Here are 1 ideas, “I appreciate your time and consideration; please contact me at 123-456-7890 or name@mail.com to discuss what I can do for your organization.” OR “I look forward to an opportunity to meet with you to discuss…”
  • Ask a third party to review your letter before sending; you do not want your letter to include typos or other mistakes.

Again, while not all job applications require the use of a cover letter, if you do prepare one, make it worth the reader’s time!

10 Fast Tips for Improving Your Resume

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  1. Watch your capitalization. Some organizations capitalize words as a style. For people not in those organizations, the capitalization looks awkward. A great example of this is the word “soldiers.” Although I recognize that the US Army capitalizes this word internally, if you are writing for an external audience, please don/t.
  2. Keep your punctuation consistent. If you are using bullets, be consistent in using periods—one way or the other! Inconsistency looks sloppy.
  3. Make sure your font size is readable and your margin sizes allow for printing. No font should be smaller than 10 (and depending on the font itself, sometimes that’s too small) and no margin should be smaller than .5.
  4. Combine jobs to prevent redundancy. If your jobs have basically been the same in the same organization, you can combine positions to save space, focus on the position you’re targeting, and reduce repetition. For example, if you held the positions of: Deputy Chief, Chief, and Division Director, for the same organizations, you can show those jobs as one: Deputy Chief / Chief / Division Director, Contracting Division, Organization, dates. This approach allows you to use the maximum budget, people supervised, etc. and just include one write up for duties. And you can include achievements from all 3 positions.
  5. Use numerals and symbols where appropriate to stand out in the text. You do not have to write out dollars or percent; instead use the symbols $, %. In addition, in resume writing it is acceptable to use numerals—even when talking about numbers under 10. This makes it easier for the reader to find the metrics they are looking for.
  6. Employ only one space after sentences. The modern approach to all writing is one space after a period. The two spaces (which most of us learned) goes back to typewriter days and is now considered old fashioned. This takes practice!
  7. Don’t be afraid of what is called “telegraphic style” writing. Telegraphic writing is a clipped form of composing a message that allows you to say as much as possible with the fewest possible number of words. In the resume world, being concise and to the point is essential. This means eliminating many articles that are traditionally used in more formal writing. For example, instead of saying, “Key role in the daily operations of the ABC Office…” say “Key role in daily operations of office…” This approach makes for punchier reading.
  8. Change up your words. Try not to use the same word to start each sentence. There are many ways to say “managed;” not every sentence needs to start with that word. And please banish “responsible for;” just because you’re responsible for something, doesn’t mean you do / did it; it just means you should do it. Start the sentence with a verb.
  9. Pay attention to your verb tenses. Former work and all achievements should be in past tense; only current duties should be in present tense. Use parallel structure too; this means using the pattern of words. For example, a sentence that states: Engaged in overseeing the purchase card program, maintaining the budget on an Excel spreadsheet, and wrote correspondence, is NOT parallel; it should read: Engaged in overseeing the purchase card program, maintaining the budget on an Excel spreadsheet, and writing
  10. Proof, proof, and proof again. And ask someone else to proof for you. It is hard to proof your own writing.

The above tips are easy ways to improve your resume!

6 Steps to Writing a Great Cover Letter

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While cover letters are generally not needed for federal applications, they are still common for private sector applications and even some federal hiring managers like them. So, if you are applying for a position in the private sector, or if you are a traditionalist, and want to include a cover letter with your federal job application, here are 6 tips you should use to do it right:

  1. Although many people use a template cover letter, you should customize it each and every time. Make sure that your cover letter is addressed to the right person, the right company/organization, and the right job. It is amazing how many people miss this simple step. In this age of Google, LinkedIn, company websites, there is no excuse for “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.”
  2. Match your cover letter formatting to your resume formatting. To ensure that your two documents are compatible, use the same font and formatting—you want to make it obvious that your documents go together. That being said, your cover letter should not be an exact duplicate of what is in your resume.
  3. Make your cover letter employer-focused. Address the employer’s needs and interests to show you are a good fit. Be sure to highlight your relevant job-related achievements in your cover letter and show how those accomplishments can help the employer solve their problems. Do not discuss your needs—like telework, part-time schedules, etc.
  4. Be professional. This means using a professional personal email address (ideally with your name; remove birth year—some employers will not consider resumes from people who use their birth year in their email for fear of potential discrimination concerns. You should not use your work email address for seeking other employment; nor should you be using AOL for job applications. It goes without saying (I hope) that you should not use hotmama@gmail.com or hotrodguy@yahoo.com. You should also doublecheck to ensure that your contact information (and the rest of your letter) does not include typographical or other errors.
  5. Start your cover letter with a “bang.” Your opening sentence should not be along the lines of “Enclosed please find my resume in response to your posting for…” This is boring; instead, make your opening sentence pop; think about something along the lines of, “As someone who is committed to improving educational opportunities for all, I have followed ABC company since its inception. I was excited to see the posting for…”
  6. Close the deal. Your last paragraph should include a “call to action.” Invite the reader to take the next step. Tell them that you welcome the opportunity to share more information and provide your best contact info (email, cell phone).

No, I Will Not Guarantee You That Your New Resume Will Result in a Job Offer

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I am often asked whether I will guarantee a job offer if someone uses my services for resume writing. Not only will I not guarantee that you will get a job, I encourage you to question anyone who makes that claim. Why? There are lots of things that go into getting selected for a job—your resume is only a very small part.

What are some of the other factors that go into determining whether you will get a job?

  • Are you actually qualified for the position(s) you’ve applied for? For example, do have the specialized experienced required (and not just time in grade), if you’re applying for federal jobs. Did you answer the questionnaire properly? If you’re applying for private sector positions, do you meet all of the qualifications?
  • Is the hiring manager just going through the motions of posting because he or she has to because of internal policy or some notion of transparency? Does the hiring manager have someone in mind (that isn’t you) but is just posting out of habit or again, internal policy?
  • Did you blow the interview? Perhaps you received an interview or were referred to the hiring manager; was your interview strong? How did you compare to the other candidates referred / interviewed?
  • Was the hiring manager required to hire someone else due to internal politics?
  • How many positions have you actually applied for? While it is certainly possible that you will get the first position you apply for, it isn’t all that likely. In many ways, applying for a new position is a numbers game. And, while I do not endorse applying for “everything”—also known as the “spray and pray” method, I do believe you need to be realistic about your chances. Most job postings result in hundreds, if not thousands of applicants.
  • Was there an actual position to be filled? Or was the posting in anticipation of receiving funding / approval for the position / whatever? Was it one of those federal postings I often see that are open in dozens of locations for all grades? If you read the fine print on those, it clearly says, “There may or may not be actual vacancies at the time you submit your application.”
  • Are you networking? Have you used LinkedIn or another source to identify people on the “inside” who might be able to assist you in learning about the organization, the position, and the hiring manager? Networking is critical to all job searches, federal and private sector.

The above represents just some of factors that go into a hiring manager making a decision. So, no, I will not guarantee you a job offer. I will guarantee you a best practice, competitive resume that is targeted toward your position of choice.