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Now that you're in the right frame of mind, it's time to take stock
in who you are, what experience and training you have, and what your career objectives are.
Continue on by following the steps on this page to gather information about you.
Remember, once you've completed your resume, be sure to send it The
Choice along with your completed Statement of Interest so we can assist you in your job search.
Click Here to submit your resume to The Choice.
- Step 6. Create an Inventory of Your Skills.
You want to
begin by inventorying your skill set, and this should include everything that you
can do. Remember, prospective employers don't know you or what you are capable of. You have
to tell them. So compile a list of the stuff you are good at, and don't be afraid to include
anything and everything. Here is a brief list of attributes you may have that would appeal to
a prospective employer:
- Are you organized?
- Are you a self starter?
- Are you good working on a computer?
- Are you multi-lingual?
- Are you a participant in extra curricular activities?
- Are you good at speaking to groups?
- Are you detail oriented?
- Are you good on the phone?
- Are you reliable, punctual and trusworthy?
- The list can go on and on.
The point here is to know who you are and what you can do. And nothing should be excluded
from your personal skill set inventory. Something might not seem important to you, but it might
just be the difference between you getting an interview over someone else. And don't assume you
can cover something in an interview because you might not get that far. If you can do it, put it
in your skill set inventory.
- Step 7. Create a List of Your Interests.
Like your skills, your
interests are unique to you. You need to compile a list of things that are of interest to you.
Again, don't leave anything off this list because it could be important in landing you an extremely
satisfying job that is closely aligned with your particular interests. This list should be both
work-related and non-work-related, and it should focus on your interests, not your skills.
Don't cheat yourself when compiling your list of interests. If, for example, you are passionate
about photography, wouldn't it be great to land a job that is related to photography? Landing your
dream job will never happen if you don't incorporate your interests into your resume.
- Step 8. Create Your Employment History.
Your employment history
should start with your most recent job and go back in time to include every job you've ever had.
This history should include start and end dates and chronicle your personal employment history.
For each job create a comprehensive list of responsibilities, accomplishments, and promotions you
had while working at that job. This is no time to be modest or humble - if you had certain
responsibilities you need emphasize them. And if you've worked part time jobs while working a full
time job, be sure to list those as well. A prospective employer might view you as the hard working
person they're looking for.
- Step 9. Create Your Education and Training History.
This list
should begin with your highest level of formal education and go back in time. In addition, if you've
been in the workforce for an extended period of time, it is likely you've taken additional classes,
earned training certificates, certifications of accomplishment, etc. Be sure to list it all because
one seemingly unimportant thing might be the difference between you and someone else getting a job.
And don't forget to include any awards you've obtained such as making the dean's list, qualifying
for the National Honor Society, graduation ranking, your grade point average, etc. Don't assume a
prospective employer will learn about it at the interview or after they've reviewed your transcripts -
you might not get that far. Do not be modest or humble when writing your resume.
- Step 10. Begin to Organize and Associate.
Now that you've compiled
your skill set, your interests, your employment history, and your education and training, it's time
to start fusing all this information together. If, for example, your most recent employer complimented
you for being extremely organized then you take organizational skills from your skill set and associate
it with that job. If you used something from your educational background in a particular job you will
link those two together. If you used your passionate interest in theater to land a job as an usher at
The Kennedy Center you would put those things together. You won't be able to include every association
on your final resume, but you certainly aren't going to include them if you don't have them organized
in such a way that it can be incorporated in your resume. Don't worry about crafting final verbiage at
this point. You simply want to associate things from the lists you've created at this point.
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