What do you do if your resume needs a boost?

- Quantify achievements - Tailor to job specifics - Highlight relevant skills - Obtain certifications or further education - Network for referrals - Volunteer or freelance for experience - Regularly update and refine

If you work in public relations, your image should align with the fundamental principle of PR: ‘Do well and make it known.’ When you excel at PR, your resume should consistently highlight your efforts, activities, and successes. There are two facets to your resume: the technical resume, which includes essential details like education, work history, courses, volunteer work, and endorsements from those who know you; and then there’s your personal story. In the former, you describe who you are and what you’ve done; in the latter, you reveal who you’ve become and where you stand today. Ultimately, you are your own resume, and day by day, you play the role of its booster through your actions and how you tell your tale as a storyteller would do.

- Quantify achievements - Tailor to job - Highlight relevant skills - Add certifications/courses - Use action verbs, concise language - Seek feedback from mentors or services

Never cease learning, embracing the journey of perpetual growth and discovery. Reflect on the combination of 'hard skills' and 'soft skills' necessary for your professional trajectory alongside supplementary skills and cometencies. Grasp the dynamics preceding and succeeding your responsibilities, enhancing your contextual understanding. Master organizational tools to illuminate your path and aspirations. Dare to venture into unfamiliar territories, fostering a wealth of dialogue and adaptability. Follow the footsteps of your mentors, immersing yourself in their wisdom and communities. Never tire of reading, watching, and observing the world around you, thus nurturing the curiosity of your inner child—the spark that fuels lifelong learning.

Craft your narrative as an adventure, showcasing your journey of progress and personal evolution. Let your story unfold seamlessly, avoid dates, allowing the narrative to flow organically. Highlight how each opportunity seized has propelled you toward becoming the professional you are today, serving as the guiding motif throughout your tale. Integrate anecdotes where they illuminate the choices that have shaped your path. Be humble, sincere, kind, humorous, and respectful. Above all, convey to your audience that your story, though extensive, is just beginning, brimming with a fervent desire for continuous improvement and a commitment to evolving into an even more accomplished professional you are thriving to be

At the top of your resume, just below your contact info (and before you list your Skills/Competencies), include your Career Highlights : it’s a bullet point list [each bullet point is preferably 1 line but maximum 2] that summarizes the key tangible and quantitative impacts you’ve made at organizations ; it’s the specific ways that your skills, passions and knowledge contributed to organizational goals. Be sure to include leadership roles you’ve had at non-profit organizations and entrepreneurial ventures you’ve created or pursued. Capturing the key components of your Career Highlights (as they connect directly to the job description) is your ‘verbal narrative’ /your elevator speech. Present it with joy, pride and with a smile.

You must consider that each job vacancy is unique; therefore, you must adapt your resume to each application. This way, you increase the likelihood of it being a better fit for each position you apply for.