If your resume is only focused on the past, chances are your phone is not ringing off the hook for interview invitations. No one is interested in reading line after line of boring job assignments. Having said that, you still want to highlight your accomplishments from past positions but describe them in a way that positions you to take on your next challenge. Let me give you an example:
Let’s say you are an IT manager with 15 years of work experience who is ready to make your next career move to CTO. Maybe you haven’t held that title to date but you have managed multiple IT disciplines such as wireless communications, cloud computing, financial services networks and technology evaluation. In addition you have worked at several start-ups, taking each through IPO…accomplishments that would certainly impress an employer looking to hire a CTO.
Your resume must be ‘forward focused'. What I mean by ‘forward focused’ is, it should emphasize how your experience has prepared you for your next career step. Ask yourself the following questions before you begin writing:
1. Who are you now?
2. Who do you want to become?
You will want to position your resume in a way that markets you for your job target rather than focusing on those aspects of your experience that will just get you more of the same. In the case of our example, our IT Manager should present herself as ‘CTO ready’ otherwise she will just be targeting more IT Manager jobs.
The concept of developing a forward focused resume also applies to your LinkedIn profile or any other on-line bio you may choose to write. Taking this approach will prevent your marketing material from looking like a job graveyard. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Comments