Is That Résumé Ready to be Updated?

You’ve worked hard to support your clients. And it’s a wonderful sign when they come back and ask for your help in updating the document you wrote.

But how easy it is to fall into the routine: Adding a new job or new credential is straightforward. But it is the context that really adds the power.

Go beyond just the new information. Find ways to enhance the power of the material in the original document. Let’s start with the job history.

Was your client hired away by another firm? What level sought your client out? How many other eligibles might have been considered? Here’s what such an entry may look like

• Hired away by the CEO over six more experienced competitors to be District Sales Manager, then promoted faster than three others to serve as EVP of Sales, a position designed for me, ABC Corporation, Central City, Utah                             Jan 25  ̶  Present

Of course, you folded in success stories. You used the challenge, the actions, and the results. But let’s not overlook the context. Consider this example with the context words in green:

  Optimizing Financial Data    

Payoffs: Designed and delivered new financial forecast reporting tool in only one week. What once took days, now done in about four hours. Near perfect accuracy right from the start. Done without spending one extra dime. Saved $1K in manpower costs.

Add even more power by showing the context of the credentials your clients have earned. When your client earned a degree, were they working? Were they carrying a full academic load? Who paid for the degree? Did they attend under a full or a partial scholarship? Did they graduate with honors? Be sure to show how competitive these achievements were. Here’s an example:

BS, Marketing, Central University, Central City, Iowa 

In the top one percent to graduate magna cum laude. Earned this degree while working 50+ hours a week and carrying a full academic load. One of very few to attend under a partial scholarship. Paid the remainder myself. 

You can get similar power as you document recent continuing professional development. If the name of the course isn’t specific, show what your client was able to do at the end of the course that they couldn’t do at the beginning. Did the employer pay for this training? How competitive was it to attend under those conditions?

Most employers recognize the top performers are members of professional organizations, just like you. Get all the impact you can. Was membership by nomination only? Did your client serve as an officer at a local chapter? How long have they been a member of the organization?

Compliments can add a great deal of weight, but only if they meet these conditions. The most impactful come from customers, not supervisors. After all, customers determine the brand. The best compliments are recent and specific. Here’s an example:

“Americans were better served thanks to your environmental protection policies.” Barack Obama, Rose Garden Ceremony, April 2019

How easy it is to assume IT literacy. Yet this is another area where you can get even more impact. If your client is an executive you can assume they have basic proficiency in the most common office software. If they have experience with proprietary software be sure to mention what the software does rather than what it is called. Pay particular attention to AI-related software. In every case it’s helpful to show a comfort level. Consider these three: working knowledge, comfortable, expert.

In today’s interconnected world, language proficiency counts. Let’s expand the heading to show the full impact. Consider subheadings like this: “Cultural Literacy.” You’ll get even more impact when you describe your client’s abilities measured by two factors. The first considers all the elements of communication. Can your client read a foreign language? Can they write it? Can they speak it? And most importantly, can they think in that language? The second element reflects efficiency using these three levels: working knowledge, generally capable, and can speak with near native fluency. Here’s an example:

Cultural Literacy:

• French: can read, write, speak, and think comfortably in this language.

Most people see reminders to update their résumés. Especially since this month, September, is officially recognized as International Update Your Résumé Month.

Now you can add even more value for your clients. It’s nice that others update their résumés. You can do more. You update their career potential for the rest of their work lives.