31 Days to your Career Portfolio: Day 2

A Resume Refresh.

Okay Peeps, get ready. Pull up your old resume. Print out a copy. See that was easy enough. 

If you haven't figured out already, I like things in print. It has a different feel and requires a different kind of focus. Our eyes are used to flying over words on a screen and it makes it more difficult to edit and dissect. Set the phone timer for 15 minutes. 

Now...

Mark it up.

Use that 15 minutes on the timer and really write in words. Check for silly mistakes and write in some updates. Rewrite anything that seems awkward to you. 

Here is something to think about. According to businessinsider.com these are the most overused words on LinkedIn (Don't worry, Linkedin lessons are in the works). 

1.    Creative 
2.    Organizational
3.    Effective
4.    Extensive experience
5.    Track record
6.    Motivated
7.    Innovative
8.    Problem solving
9.    Communication skills
10.  Dynamic

Oh, you used all of these in your resume - me too! Maybe take some of the 15 minutes and bring in some fresh verbiage. 

I feel like the whole job search process has become so void of emotion and real personality that people are just using those common words to fit in. Dare to stand out, one way is using more expressive language, but consider what you can do to stand out from the millions of resumes that are also applying. Look at your resume and use the So What method. Make sure you get across what makes you unique, amazing or invaluable to the company.  

Don't worry, I am not leaving any dream job seekers out. 

If you do not have a resume: Today is the day to start writing down your experience. It would be helpful to put this in chronological order from most recent on.

If you have nothing to write on your resume, no relevant experience – BULL! Add anything and everything that someone would/could/should consider useful. For Example: Volunteer work, PTA Projects, clubs you have chaired/coordinated, children you have raised, blog posts you have written (Careful here – we will be discussing that later in the month!) You have done valuable things with your time, it is a matter of believing that and articulating that skill.

See that wasn't so bad, I didn't even make you type the changes. That is for another day, Day 8.