吃瓜头条

Most people don鈥檛 remember all they have done and achieved throughout their career. I鈥檝e seen this demonstrated time and time again in my 25 years of advising individuals from more than 40 different countries on job-search strategies, tactics, and application materials.

I鈥檝e interviewed people who couldn鈥檛 remember the details of something they listed on their r茅sum茅. While writing a cover letter in my own job search, I鈥檝e sometimes remembered relevant experience only after I reviewed a past r茅sum茅. For these reasons and more, I recommend that you maintain a comprehensive r茅sum茅 throughout your career.

Being Comprehensive Counts

A comprehensive r茅sum茅 can be similar to a curriculum vitae, also known as a CV. In some countries, the terms 鈥渞茅sum茅鈥� and 鈥渃urriculum vitae鈥� are used interchangeably. In places where the two are different, a r茅sum茅 is a more concise document鈥攖ypically one or two pages. A CV is as long as it needs to be and includes such items as research, teaching, presentations, and publications. CVs are often used in academic, medical, and scientific fields.

A comprehensive r茅sum茅鈥攐r comprehensive CV鈥攊s much more. It鈥檚 a document that lists all of your career-related experience鈥攑aid and unpaid鈥攊ncluding part-time, consulting, contractor, internship, and volunteer positions. Provide full details of your duties and accomplishments. Many people are reluctant to include unpaid opportunities; however, those experiences can be just as relevant to your career, maybe even more so if you鈥檙e making a career transition to another industry or applying for a position in which you have volunteer experience. (See the article sidebar for more details on preparing a comprehensive r茅sum茅.)

Here are three reasons why you should maintain one:

1. It helps you write targeted self-marketing materials.
   Self-marketing materials can be cover letters, r茅sum茅s, CVs, essays, and other job application items. Whatever you鈥檙e writing, it鈥檚 important to take the time to customize each item, always tailoring the material to the specific opportunity. This is why documenting lots of individual details about your experiences is so important鈥攜ou want to have as many options as possible.

   When I offer feedback on application materials, I assess the job description first. I note the top skills and experiences sought and the words that are used repeatedly. Then I review the person鈥檚 materials, noting if anything emphasized in the job description hasn鈥檛 been mentioned and needs to be added.

   You want to be sure that throughout your materials, you鈥檙e addressing the major skills and experiences the organization is seeking. If you can do so naturally, mimic some of the language used in the job description and organization鈥檚 materials to show your experience is aligned.

   You typically don鈥檛 have a lot of space to do this, so prioritizing is key. You can review your comprehensive r茅sum茅 and pick what is best to highlight, including the most relevant entries and details for each application. Having more details to choose from helps you stand out as a strong candidate.

2. It helps you prepare for an interview.
   When preparing for any interview, don鈥檛 just revisit the materials you submitted when applying for the job. Reviewing a comprehensive r茅sum茅 will help you reflect on all of your experience. Taking time to think about your overall background and achievements will serve you well if any unexpected questions arise or the interview delves more deeply into a particular experience than you expected.

   You also want to prepare anecdotes highlighting your relevant accomplishments. Have two or three examples of how you鈥檝e demonstrated each skill and experience noted in the job description. Use your comprehensive r茅sum茅 as a guide to develop different examples from your career so you鈥檙e not just depending on one job to make your point. The more experience you can show that aligns with the job opportunity, the stronger case you make about your candidacy.

   Reviewing your comprehensive r茅sum茅 can also help you think about the questions you have for the interviewer. Reflecting on your past experiences will remind you what you need to know to make the most informed decision when evaluating the job opportunity.

3. It helps you remember what you鈥檝e accomplished.
   A job search can be stressful. It鈥檚 already challenging if you鈥檙e unhappy at your current job or unemployed. It鈥檚 even more difficult if you鈥檙e not receiving any responses to applications, or you advance to the interview stage for a job you want, but you don鈥檛 receive an offer.

   Looking over your comprehensive r茅sum茅 during a job search, or even a tough day at work, can boost your confidence. I remember working with a graduate student who expressed concern about finding a job. He doubted himself. We worked on his r茅sum茅 together and developed a thorough inventory of his experiences and accomplishments. A wave of happiness and confidence washed across his face when he saw he had so much to offer an employer.

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