A lot of the advice our mothers share with us throughout our childhood holds true value for resumes. Here are examples of Mother’s Day advice that any job seeker should follow:
If you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all. As resume advice, this adage is particularly important when you are writing or speaking about your current or previous employers. Badmouthing your boss, fellow employees, vendors, or customers is a sure way to make future employers nervous. It is fine to explain how you solved problems (“turned around” a company or “developed procedures” or “up-leveled staff”) but not to complain and vilify. The line is clear—if you do not know how to draw it, call on Robin’s Resumes® for help.
Don’t hide your light under a bushel. This mantra encourages you to clearly state on your resume what you offer to a company. Check advertisements and job postings for the education, hard and soft skills, and accomplishments that employers are looking for in the position you want and make sure that you (honestly) include them on your resume. Employers want to know what you have achieved.
Choose your words wisely. Certain business words go through cycles of popularity: core competency, empower, talent, proactive, operationalize. But they quickly become overused and even dated. This resume advice urges you to make sure you know what business jargon means and decide whether it helps you to truly communicate your value or merely show off your vocabulary.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Embarking on a job search is never easy, whether the decision is your own or forced upon you. Updating your resume is an essential first step. You need a current resume to respond to job postings, advertisements, or requests from your network. You also need it to refresh your own memory about how much you value you have to offer to a new company. In the throes of looking for a new job, you can easily forget that your talents, skills, accomplishments, and education have worth.
Contact Robin’s Resumes® on this Mother’s Day, and we will gladly help you take that first step to a resume that is positive, powerful, and clearly written.
