By Catherine Palmiere
Careers are a funny thing. For some of us it’s a straight road: one company or one job path for our whole lives. For the majority of women, however, our background is more likely to look like a patchwork quilt. We set out in one direction and before we know it, we find ourselves turned around and pointed down another path. Your willingness to reinvent yourself will often dictate the longevity of your path, especially during a recession like the one we’ve been in.
The number one question that comes up for me, as a career coach, is how to incorporate a varied career history into a resume and still have it be effective. Here’s a list of three things you’ll definitely need to do when renovating your resume.
#1. Take the time to tailor your resume for EACH job you want. You’re probably asking yourself, “Does Ms. Palmiere really mean to write a new resume for EVERY job application?”  Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Why don’t most people get a call back when they send a resume? Because on paper they’re not the right fit. Taking the time to BE the right fit is the best investment you can make when job hunting. How do you do this? You READ the job ad, and then you read it again. Then, you literally use as many of their words and phrases as possible within the body of your resume (and your cover letter). *Extra Resume Tip: Be sure to save each version of your resume in a special folder on your computer with the company’s name – or simply email yourself a copy as you go along. This way, when a potential employer does reach out for an interview, you are sure to bring the correct version with you.
#2. Research the industry where you hope to work. Yes, again this means an investment of your time, but stop and ask yourself, “How much luck have I had sending out fifty resumes a week?”  The answer is probably none. Even if it’s an industry you’ve been in for years, it’s sometimes hard to know the latest news when you’ve been inside a company for a while. Next, be sure to feature the most current assets you bring with you – for instance, perhaps you’ve helped you’re your department switch to a new software to keep track of core competencies. Having a few talking points on the recent news of your industry will also give you something other than yourself to discuss at the interview, and it also shows initiative and enthusiasm.
#3. Prioritize your skills and background for each job and each company. No, this doesn’t necessarily mean re-writing your resume from beginning to end for each job. What it does mean is having a list of core competencies toward the top of the first page of your resume. Your core competencies consist of your top five to ten assets as an employee and a person. These can then be shifted around depending upon what job and industry you’re applying to. So if you have a strong background in accounting, but the job you’re hoping to get is in retail management, you might want to feature your team building skills at the top of that list.
Finally, it’s absolutely VITAL to have a GREAT core resume to start with, and getting the help of a career coach to create this is easy, it’s often more affordable than you think, and it’s one of the best investments you can make in yourself – whether you’re out of work or not.
To your continued success!
Catherine Palmiere, Career Coach, CEIC, CPBA, CPCC, CPC, CTS, CSS
Owner of Palmiere Career Services
PS:  For resume consultations and renovations, contact Catherine at cp@palmierecareerservices.com or (212) 557-9162