Take inventory by writing resume

The beginning of a new year is a time when many people take inventory of their skills and consider making changes to best use these skills. One outcome may be looking for employment or perhaps changing jobs.

Writing a resume is a good way to begin this process. The new year and a new decade might be an appropriate time for everyone to examine themselves by listing experiences and skills.

Writing a resume is good practice in summarizing what you do best, what you have accomplished and what you want to be. Writing a resume is good practice for anyone wanting to analyze their status and set new goals.

Most employers think everyone should have an updated resume ready at all times. It is the entry into a request for an interview, preceding the application for any position these days. But please note the word updated. As a person matures, learns new skills, experiences new situations and problems, his resume should be revised to reflect these changes.

Even if you aren’t job hunting, resumes are wonderful tools for self-analysis. They can help you find who you are, what you might like to be, and thus help you establish goals for the coming decade.

What is a resume?

Usually it is a one-page summary of your vital statistics – name, age, marital status, education, skills, work experience (paid and non-paid) and your career of life goal.

If you want to analysis yourself and make an objective self-discovery, follow along as we begin a resume.

State your name, age, marital status, address.

Make a brief statement describing the kind of job you are seeking. (Remember it doesn’t have to be a paid position. It can be a volunteer job or you may want to be a full-time homemaker.)

List your education. Begin with the highest level of education and degree obtained. Students just completing high school or college should include school accomplishments and specific courses taken that would show knowledge of the position applied for.

Work experience and skills should include most recent employment and all other experience including volunteer work that would be applicable to the position applied for.

Under awards and hobbies list specific skills or interests that would relate to your job goal.

Resume writers should use action verbs like organized, created, coordinated designed. Emphasize leadership qualities. A homemaker might list qualities of organization, perseverance or dedication to a school or church project.

Many people who write a resume sell themselves short by failing to list all their skills. They feel they will be bragging or exaggerating. Others, however, find that resume writing builds confidence and provides them with an inner strength they didn’t know they possessed. By listing all their work experience and their strengths, they find they possess capabilities they had not realized and this gives them greater self-assurance and determination to strive for higher goals.

Writing or updating a resume is a good exercise. By forcing yourself to examine your past, you can capitalize on your strengths; work on your limitation and set realistic goals for the future.

Copyright c 1990 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.