Your Resume: affiliations

Here is the section for your list of formal memberships in organizations. Many of these can be an asset on the resume. If your profession has an official organization, this should be here.

Member, National Association of of Indoor Tennis Court Owners
Member, American Counseling Association
Member, State University Alumni Association
Member, Toy Manufacturers of America

These affiliations are read with interest. A good interviewer may pick up on one or two of them and ask you a question, so remember to be prepared to discuss your involvement. Keep it positive and specific!

Can this hurt you? Think twice about listing organizations that reveal your religious or political convictions and loyalties. This can be a real turn-off to some other people.

It could hurt if your list is so long it overshadows other accomplishments on your resume. If this is the case (hey! you’re a joiner!) you should carefully prune the list down to a length that supports, rather than trumps, your work and education. This is often the case with an older worker with a lifetime of affiliations and associations.

It can also hurt if you claim membership and you have not recently rejoined. You don’t know if the person you’re meeting with is also a member, has access to a directory, and has discovered you are not an active member. This embarrassing blunder can make someone wonder what else is not true on the resume. If you are not a current member, drop the listing.

If you hold a position of leadership, be sure to mention it.

• Chairperson, planning committee for annual trade show
• Treasurer, State Counseling Association
  
• Health and Safety Committee, Community Swim Club
• Fundraiser, Doctors without Borders

If you are navigating a career change, this is an important section of the resume for you. You have control over what you join; make sure it is forward-looking, rather than reflecting your past choices. It shows dedication and commitment.

If you would like to confer with a career counselor about the design of your resume and what organizational involvement might be helpful to you, please visit www.anneheadley.com to connect with a career counselor.

Your Resume: special skills and knowledge

This section comes near the end of your resume. In some ways, it parallels your summary of skills which appeared near the top, but may contain more specifics. This is a place to highlight special computer or language expertise, or knowledge that is specific to your occupation.

Examples:

• fluent in spoken and written Spanish
• experienced in the design and creation of spreadsheets for construction projects (using … software)
  
• experienced in CAD programs for multi-media use (name the programs)
  
• have held current CPR certification for 12 years

Caution: not everyone needs this section. If you feel that you have covered the use of your special skills in your position descriptions, it can look redundant to keep repeating them. But if you haven’t used these skills in your current job, particularly if they are skills you are developing as part of a career change or retirement planning, feel free to use this section to promote yourself. You are reminding the reader of your intelligence, knowledge and expertise.

To discuss the role that skills and knowledge can play in your job search, please visit www.anneheadley.com to be in touch with a certified career counselor who can coach you in their effective use.

Your Resume: work history

The work history is what comes to mind when people think of resumes. It really is the core of the document. The norm is a reverse chronological list of your jobs, stating where you worked, when you were there and what you did.
But it is not that simple.
What if:

• You have a gap in your paid history?
• You made a major directional change?
• It was a bad situation and you left as soon as possible?
• You don’t want to reveal your age through all that experience?

About that gap – how long was it? If it was a year or less, you can de-emphasize it by format. Never line up the years of employment on the left – it gives those years undue importance. Of course, you have to put the dates, but they can come at the end of the job title, not neatly aligned, not in bold or italics. Make them harder to notice. (Of course, the question may come up in the interview, but you will be ready with an answer, right?)
About the career change – this can be more challenging. If there is a natural division between your current career and earlier work, possibly you can lump the earlier, different jobs under a category called earlier work history. Of course, if the change is going on right now, that will not work. You can always emphasize through your accomplishments on the job the tasks that are the most related to where you are going.
About the bad situation – how long did you stay? If the job was very short-term (weeks or months), you can pretend it didn’t happen. Of course, it is hoped that you have learned from that experience and you spent your time preparing for something better.
About how far back to go in listing your jobs – this is sticky. True, readers are calculating your age. On the other hand, you are a seasoned, experienced worker, which makes you valuable. Again, de-emphasize the dates by your placement. A general rule is ten years of work, but it depends on what you are leaving off when you decide on a cut-off time.

Readers want to know where you work (or worked), its location, how long you worked there, and your job title. In general, they do not need to know your salary or your reason for leaving. After the identifying information, you should list three or four accomplishments on the job. Note: this is not the same thing as a position description. We don’t need to see phrases like responsibilities include. Do emphasize problem-solving ability.

If you would like to discuss your unique work history with a career counselor, please go to www.anneheadley.com for contact information.

Your Resume: education and training

Where does this section go?
If you are a new college graduate, it goes first, but only until your job experience catches up with your education in relevance
If you have been out of school for a while (a personal assessment!), this section comes up after your work history.
Order is usually reverse chronological order.

Some further hints:

• Dates should be included, but they don’t have to be emphasized by lining them up along the left margin.
• Don’t forget to emphasize relevant coursework and research.
• Didn’t graduate? You can put in (x credit hours completed toward degree).
• Currently enrolled? Include a graduation date (pending).

Training courses are also listed in this section. They can include professional training, internships, and other individual efforts. Here is an opportunity to keep your resume fresh and appealing. No matter how long ago your degree was given, no matter what the major, or even if you have no higher education in the formal sense, this is the section to highlight computer courses, professional writing seminars, environmental and safety training, and legal compliance briefings you have attended.

If you have a unique situation you would like to share, feel free to post a question below. Or visit www.anneheadley.com to contact a career counselor for coaching on your resume.

Your Resume: the summary of skills

The summary of skills is a cluster of skills you have acquired on and off the jobs you have had, arranged in a way that is useful and relevant to the position you’re applying for. Don’t put something in this section that you don’t want to do. Do highlight a special skill that won’t be readily apparent from your current or recent job. This can be thought of as a snapshot of what you would like to do on your next job. These skills can include language and communication, unusual computer skills, and attributes of job success, such as timeliness or creative problem-solving.
Here are some examples:

* Spanish speaker (excellent conversation, basic written)
* word processing and CAD
* experienced presenter
* jazz choreographer
* hold current CPR license
* creative solver of tough problems

Which part of speech should you use, nouns or verbs? I think you will know when you start compiling your list of skills for this section. Many people use nouns. The most important thing is to be consistent.
• Does everyone need this section? No, everyone does not. If your current position includes the tasks that are most important to you, and if you know you are going to be having an interview, it probably isn’t necessary. But the summary of skills is another opportunity to highlight your strengths in a way that is easy to read and hard to ignore.
• If you would like to discuss your resume with a professional career counselor, please leave a comment below or go to www.anneheadley.com for contact information. Career coaches and counselors are prepared to critique your current resume, help you write a new one, or refer you to an experienced specialist. As always, questions and concerns about resumes are welcome.

Your Resume: the job objective

After your contact information at the top, what is the first thing on your resume? It is usually a job objective, and there are several kinds of them described below.

The first one, and the easiest, is targeted. You know what you are applying for, you know what it is called, you may even have a coded number for the opening. In that case, your job objective is the Research analyst, GG7/9. Play it straight, look like you know what you are doing!

A somewhat targeted approach is when you know what you want to do and believe the organization may have such a position and even an opening. In this case, you won’t have the specific job title and number, but you can be specific in your use of the language. You may state that you wish to be a technical writer in the Defense Department, specializing in report writing, using your fast turn-around time in researching, writing and editing.

Many people have an untargeted resume. I suspect it may be a waste of your time to develop this document, because it reads like it is addressed to whom it may concern. However, it may be useful to have such a general resume because it keeps your work history handy and up-to-date, ready to tailor to your next opportunity.
The untargeted job objective can be challenging to write without descending into vast generalization. Here’s the worst kind of writing:
Looking for a position with upward mobility, in an enlightened company where I can use my management skills.
Everyone wants that job! It screams unfocused. You can do much better. If you must write an untargeted resume, at least lead with your skills:
Searching for a research position in an environmental field, where I can draw on my 10+ years of writing for the web and newsletters (samples available for examination)
A final thought on the job objective: make it about the job with no apologies. This is not the place to reveal that you are making a career shift. It is a real turn-off to employers. You have to feel that you can learn to do the job you’re seeking, and this must come across in the objective. Remember that this line is used to screen resumes, to forward the paperwork eligible candidates to the right place. Don’t be too personal here. And don’t limit yourself.
If you have questions or comments about the job objective or this resume series, please let me know. You can post a comment here or you can go to my website at www.anneheadley.com for contact information.

Your Resume: let’s start at the top

It should be obvious. The purpose for the header on your resume is a simple one; it’s the major way an employer knows how to get in touch with you. You are probably spending your total effort on the content of the resume – work experience, education, special skills, etc. These sections are important, but let’s start at the beginning.

Your name. That is, your real name. I have seen resumes with your nickname in either italics or quote marks, and I find it appalling. Please look like a mature adult.

Your address. Keep this very simple. I don’t think it is effective to have two or three addresses (until March 1st I’m at… during the summer I’m at…). Give the place where you are now and leave a forwarding address at that location, not on your resume.

Your telephone. A landline followed by (h) is the traditional way. You probably don’t want to leave a work number. You can also leave your cell phone followed by (c). By the way, please, please make sure that your voice mail recording is dignified. Does the message really have to begin with Yo? Messages need to be checked at least once a day.

E-mail. Careful here. Your teen-aged handle is possibly not appropriate here. Please – nothing off-color or suggestive. Interviews do not often go to party animals, so please have a professional email address.

This is the first blog item on writing or editing an effective resume. I will be following this with sections on job objectives, summaries of skills, work history, education and training, affiliations, hobbies/special skills, and attachments. If you have special concerns on this topic that you would like to me address, please be in touch. You can go to www.anneheadley.com for contact information with a certified career counselor.

Interview coaching for young people

The great American entrepreneur Henry Ford once said,
You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.

I wish every young person, whether newly sprung from high school, college, or the military, would be taught this wisdom.
New workers tend to show up at interviews prepared to talk about why they want to work there. They may be in touch with their goals, particularly financial ones. They want money to establish their independence, buy cars, perhaps settle down with a special someone, finance further education, and just be adults. These are fine goals, not to be disputed.
But do they work? Does anyone get hired because of financial desire? I don’t think so. It is absolutely necessary to go into an interview prepared to discuss their experience – the past as well as the present.

• Have you driven a relative to regular medical treatment? You have assumed responsibility.
• Have you tutored neighborhood kids in math? Then you have kept records, motivated people to learn, earned glowing feedback from parents, and developed creative teaching techniques.
• Have you earned badges in scouting? Then you have met requirements, overcome difficulties, persuaded others to help you, and used muscles/artistic talent/arranged music/networked/used social skills.
• Have you participated in a political campaign? Then you have learned the issues that face the new school board, you have read environmental impact studies, helped facilitate a community hearing, written a letter to the newspaper.
• Have you performed your community service work in an un usual or impressive area? Be prepared to tell the interviewer about it.

Please help the young people in your life review their activities. Remember their activities in school, religious institutions, summer camp, clubs, family reunions, and the neighborhood. There are gems of experiences to be unearthed and polished up for interviews.
If you know a young person who would benefit from some interview coaching, feel free to send them to my website (www.anneheadley.com) for more information on career counseling.

Career Coaching/Counseling around ADD

You know who you are – creative, easily stimulated, gifted, possessing a vision of the possibilities. Also restless, disorganized, losing things, often frustrated. In school, you were considered a discipline problem except by a few insightful teachers who found you wonderful, even gifted.
Did you know there are special resources for you? One is Kim Collins, working out of Germantown, MD. You might check out her blog (www.coachkim.blogspot.com) and her website: www.organizedkaos.com. She brings her readers articles, strategies, and resources to maintain effectiveness in the workforce as well as in life. Kim is available to her clients for phone coaching.
Although media focus on ADD tends to involve children, it is astonishing how many adults are out there, undiagnosed and frustrated. If focus is hard for you to maintain, if you are told you would be a better employee if you stuck to the tasks you start, if you are physically restless and bored with routine earlier than your colleagues, you might think about it.

If you are an adult who is emerging from this challenging childhood and youth, you can benefit from coaching. Consider the following:

• your resume should be focused specifically on the job you’re applying for,
• interview preparation involves a disciplined selection of material you choose to discuss without extraneous anecdotes that “just occur to you”,
• your correspondence (cover letter, thank-you letter) should be carefully written, formatted, and checked for errors.

Need help? Feel free to contact me at www.anneheadley.com.

Brief coaching is available for you.

Portfolios: for more than artists and models

Remember those huge binders that some students carried in college? They must have been studying architecture or engineering, or so we thought. Those folders were really impressive, but unless you were an artist or a designer of some kind, why would you need one? Well, times have changed.
• I advise many or even most of my clients to develop a portfolio as a homework assignment between sessions. What is one? Who needs it?
• A portfolio is a notebook/binder/album of your professional accomplishments. There isn’t any hard and fast rule about what to use, so you should use something appropriate for you, your image, and your field. Start with a plain three-ringed binder with plastic sleeves if you can’t get further inspired.
• Contents may include:

• A copy of your resume
• A page of references
• An application for the current position (if you need one)
• The most recent performance appraisal
• Any publication that mentions you or your team
• Publicity (including photos) of you on the job
• Thank-you letters you’ve received for your work
• Writing samples
• Design samples
• Print copy of web entries for your company’s site
• Certificates from courses or training you’ve completed

Not all of these will be appropriate for you, of course. If your writing is confidential, then you don’t include it. But you will be amazed at what you can find instead.
How will you use the portfolio? You carry it with you to the interview. (You look very organized, as indeed you are.) When someone asks you for another copy of a resume, a certain reference, or work samples, voila! You have the answer right there.
You can offer someone the opportunity to examine your portfolio if you are comfortable doing so.
Whether or not you ever use one at an interview, it is a wonderful exercise in pulling together some valuable scraps of paper that reflect well on you.
How have you used a portfolio?

If you need help developing your portfolio, please feel free to visit me at www.anneheadley.com for contact information. An experienced career coach or counselor can help you develop this important job-search tool.