Ace your career change with a relevant Resume

Ace your career change with a relevant Resume

Introduction

This Newsletter is your guide to creating a resume that supports your career change because there is no dearth of advice available on the internet but who can be sure of whether it comes from a valid source or not?

I thought of bringing the latest to you so that you are well aware of what is needed on a resume (especially transitioning military), hence I will be bringing regular resume writing and LinkedIn profile optimizations tips to game up your job search.

This is my first Newsletter and if it interests you, please click 'Subscribe' so that you don't miss reading comprehensive resume writing and LinkedIn quick fixes that you can work on when your schedule permits!

Need for a Resume

Why do we need a resume at all?

I am sure this has crossed your mind several times – Why can’t I appear for the interview right away?

Your resume is a mirror image (as you prefer it to be reflected) of your professional career and is needed for reference infinite times during the entire hiring process starting from applying to online job portals or when you reach out to a friend for referral amongst their respective network.

I've had requests for preparing urgent resumes because even though the clients were called for interview by the hiring manager (credits to Networking) however were asked to submit their resumes before appearing for the interview. Usually, corporate professionals do have an existing resume and so it is relatively easier for them to shape it to fit the requirements however for those who’ve never written a resume, it can be a challenging affair.

(Raise your hand if you have this listed anywhere in your resume - 'seeking an opportunity....')

I predominantly work with military veterans and am aware of the limitations hence trying to build the awareness bridge to help you stay abreast with the latest trends in resume writing and transforming your LinkedIn presence.

Well, coming back to career change resumes and job portals –

Every time you apply to a job application, you will be asked to submit a resume, that said, it is essential to own a resume that highlights your accomplishments and briefly explains your expertise to the reader. At the same time be cautious of not listing your entire career history!

Hiring teams are hard-pressed on time, they won’t have the time to scroll through several pages or read your resume word by word. Think about it this way – if you are given 10 documents that are heavily texted with 6 to 8 pages each, will you be interested in deep diving into each, not scrolling but reading in-depth?

It is unquestionably easier to scan through bulleted text with skimmed information and ~2 pages of relevant information.

Best Practices

So, here is a glimpse of the finest handpicked resume writing best practices that I have shared all through this year (2021) that will help you write a globally accepted resume that will benefit your career change and bring value to your distinguished (military) experience.

Objective Statement

The objective statement in your resume is obsolete so replace it with a meaningful summary that talks about your professional expertise and what do YOU bring to the table for the employer to hire you. The former will only tell the reader that you are interested in the job which is evident with your application. Use a unique PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY to give a brief on your career achievements, your expertise and spotlight what value do you bring with you that will benefit the hiring employer.

My recommendation: Avoid overused phrases such as seasoned professional or motivated individual but start with a meaningful sentence where you can mention your relevant years of experience, target domain, how large were your teams, what was the approximate budget size and what efficiencies did you stir that makes you the best fit for the applied role. Yes, all this in a brief paragraph to represent your expertise earned through the years in service.

Career History

Don't list your entire career history (it’ not everything-on-it kind of pizza), instead write only relevant appointments in the resume. Remember to avoid military jargons that are not understood by corporate professionals. E.g., if you are looking for a position in Logistics then your dominant appointments will be those where you dealt (primarily) with logistics and supply chain deliverables.

My recommendation: List only those appointments/roles that match the job requirements. So, if you are applying for administrative roles, supply chain management most likely won’t be applicable to it. In this case, it is wise to add those appointments that talk primarily of administrative deliverables and remember to add quantification wherever applicable. There is no need to specify year-on-year deployments/roles but it’s important to highlight those that match the job description to say that you have accomplished it; been there, done that.

Action Verbs

It's time to fire up and upgrade your resume to the latest standards. Skip using the overused terms such as supervised or managed and replace with action verbs such as chaired, orchestrated, or headed to add a breeze of freshness to your resume. These action verbs not only look different but also highlight your accomplishment. E.g., responsible for a team of x members Vs headed a team of x members.

My recommendation: Replace commonly (over) used verbs with ‘action’ verbs to stir an impact and add value to your responsibility, for example:

'Managed' a team – Headed, Oversaw, Administered

'Completed' a project – Delivered, Yielded, Introduced

'Supervised' the process – Orchestrated, Spearheaded, Oversaw

'Implemented' the concept - Conceptualized, Pioneered, Augmented

Resume Standards

Avoid adding a photograph to your resume and utilize that space for relevant information. In case the recruiter wants to have a look at your picture, keep your LinkedIn profile updated with a headshot and other relevant details for a quick review. Remember to keep your resume simple yet impactful with details in context with the job description. A recruiter will match the role requirements before diving into any further conversation with the applicant.

My recommendation: It is an over-rated misconception that to stand out your resume needs to be flashy (photograph, infographics & colors) however, what it requires is valuable content. You might have the best of infographics built in your resume but if it doesn't have relevant content, it still is fluff. A recruiter is interested in knowing what efficiencies can you stir rather than infographics or a photograph hence it's best to avoid uncalled for discrimination. The best bet is to utilize the available space for vital details as:

City, Country | Contact Number | Email Address | LinkedIn URL

STAR Approach

Add details to your resume basis the STAR approach. Think of the S – Situation (what was the situation you were in?), T – Task (what was the task assigned to you?), A – Action (what action did you take?), and R – Result (what was the result of your actions?). When you apply STAR to mundane deliverables, it enables you to think constructively and add quantification to bring out the impact you stirred.

My recommendation: Create a master resume with your free-flowing thoughts and thereafter apply STAR to deliverables for each appointment to replace routine deliverables with significant achievements in that role. Always remember, whatever efficiency you claim in the resume it needs to be backed with numbers, for example when you say you completed high-end projects; this information is incomplete thus expanding the scope to highlight what was your team size or the budget, will be helpful to the reader. Trust me, it’s much easier to apply STAR on a master resume than to think about it without trying your hands on it.

Summary

Your resume reaches a recruiter much before you do, make sure it is impressive enough and influences the hiring team to call you for an interview!

Here's a quick summary of actionable items for your reference:

• Start with a brief professional summary that highlights your expertise.
• Stay relevant to role requirements and list your appointments to suit your target domain.
• Use action verbs to show impact and sound fresh.
• Avoid a photograph and utilize that space for significant information.
• Take the STAR approach to add quantification and highlight your achievements.

This is my first Newsletter and I hope you make the most of it! To stay current with Resume Writing and LinkedIn best practices particularly focused on transitioning military veterans, please click on my profile and follow me ?? www.dhirubhai.net/in/varshaart

In case you are still thinking of whether to 'subscribe' or not so here's the big picture: Subscribing to a LinkedIn Newsletter does not mean that you are giving away your Email address. All it means is that you want to receive a notification and/or Email message the next time the author publishes a Newsletter. Please understand that I will never see your Email address and there is no chance that you will receive any SPAM when you subscribe!

Who am I?

Assuming that you may not know me (beyond my LinkedIn Profile Picture, Banner and Headline) so here’s a quick introduction to why I do what I do!

I am a Resume Writer based in India and being a military spouse, I have lived the uncertainties that are part and parcel of a career change; there are similar challenges faced by transitioning veterans while trying their luck in the corporate-civvy streets. Given this lack of awareness, I’m all game to ring bells on the essence of presenting a relevant military-to-corporate resume and a fully optimized LinkedIn profile.

Of course, you would first need to identify what interests you and then TAKE CHARGE of your career change with a resume that speaks the corporate language and is relevant to the role requirements in order to reach the much sort after ‘interview stage’.

To view more of my content, search for?#VarshaaRT?and follow me for frequent updates on Resume Writing, Transitioning Military Resume & LinkedIn profile tips.