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How to Renovate Your Resume in 3 Steps

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Until I started really job searching, I had no idea you could renovate your current resume to fit the needs of multiple jobs. I thought you had to pick and choose what you shared to make it fit each job you applied to. While this is true to some degree, you also don't want to downplay your work experience because it all matters. But maybe not every descriptive bullet point does....

Include every professional job

Just because you're applying for a creative director job, but have a teaching background doesn't mean you'll be ruled out. Especially in today's world, employers want to hire someone who is well versed and multi-passionate. Maybe the company is looking for a creative director who can teach training classes, in which case your teaching background comes into play nicely. It's more likely now that hiring managers emphasize whether or not a person will mesh with the team and company culture. Whereas in the past, getting a job was strictly based on experience and education. In fact, during my interview at 24 Seven I connected with my hiring manager because we had both taught at some point in our professional careers. Despite the fact I was interviewing for a marketing position, I still included my teaching experience which allowed me to highlight seemingly unrelated skills that would, in turn, benefit me for the position. Being a teacher requires patience, quick thinking, adaptation skills, and ability to multi-task, which are all things that can be applied to marketing.

Modify the bullet points

The section of your resume that will need the most renovation is in your job descriptions. As I mentioned above, through teaching I was able to adapt quickly to changes in the environment so as a bullet point I said something like, "implemented lesson plans which strengthened my ability to adapt quickly to students' receptiveness". What this means is I was able to quickly figure out what was working and what was not, which is easily applicable to marketing since you are constantly testing new strategies. You can take just about any professional experience and relate it to the position you're applying for. Resume bonus tip: incorporate the verbiage and skills that are found in the job description on the bullet points of your resume.

Prioritize community involvement/extra-curricular activities

Hiring managers want to see you're involved in other things outside of work. A volunteer program, personal blog, YouTube channel, etc. are examples that should be permanent members of your resume regardless of what job you're applying for. This shows you're dedicated and go above and beyond what is expected of you. Think about it, would you want to hire someone who only shows the bare minimum of what he/she does? Companies want to see it all. They want to know they're investing in good talent. So, show them what you got! Having a plethora of experience ranging from professional to personal provides you the opportunity to show off your soft skills. Hiring managers love someone who takes the initiative to better oneself or the community.