One way of expressing love towards yourself is having a career that you truly love and are passionate about. For as Confucius once said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
But how do you start finding your true calling, your true vocation, your desired career? Most people would say that finding or landing a job is the same as finding a career. I beg to disagree.
A JOB is a task or piece of work, especially one that is paid. A CAREER, on the other hand, is an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for PROGRESS. In short, your job is but a fraction of a greater picture that is your career. Hence, to be a success in your career, you need to make sure that it is not merely job-driven.
But how do you shift your gear from the job to the career you desire?
In my first blog for HRHouR, I shared the concepts of IKIGAI or your your reason for being or the convergence of your passion, vocation, profession and mission. They define your PURPOSE, the thing that ignites YOUR engine and keeps it running. How important is your purpose in finding a job that would eventually lead you to your desired career? Purpose is driven not only by NEED but also by WANT. Meaning, you may be looking for a job that will SUSTAIN your needs but the truth is, your higher purpose should be to look for one that will eventually FEED your PASSION.
What tool can you use to land that dream job, that most coveted career?
There is only one tool you can use to grab the opportunity you desire and that is none other than YOU. So how does that work? How do you become your very own tool of SUCCESS? First off. you need to ask yourself "What are my capabilities? Who am I and what can I offer?" Finding your dream job is no different from putting out a business advertisement - you need to market yourself. The first step, then, is to create your portfolio - your RESUME.
Why do you need a RESUME?
Your resume is your ticket to the vast world of career opportunities out there. Your resume is WHO YOU ARE, AND WHAT YOU CAN OFFER, AT A GLANCE. That glance must leave a positive and profound IMPACT for you to GET NOTICED - that should be your objective when you BUILD your resume.
What should you include in your resume?
Take my word for it. I was paid to read resumes for a long time and I always focus my attention ONLY on the KEY POINTS of the resume. Your targeted employer is no different. They will not spend hours reading through your 4-page resume. That is THE absolute waste of your effort and their time.
Do your best to stick to these key points:
Contact Information:
Your resume should at least state your address, email address and the best contact number the employer can reach you.
Opening Statement:
This is your summary or objective, a general statement that summarizes your profile.
If you are an experienced leader or manager in your field of expertise your summary could look like this: Dynamic leader with 5 years’ experience developing and managing successful teams
If you are a novice with minimal or no work experience, your summary could look like this: Enthusiastic and passionately-driven marketing student with creative capabilities, who is eager to create opportunities and face diverse challenges.
TIP: Your summary should have impact. Keep it short and CATCHY.
Accomplishments:
This part should include your work experiences and your Key Result Areas (KRAs) or Key Performance Areas (KPAs). Just as the terms imply, this section should include your outputs, outcomes and contributions.
Below is a good example of a KRA for a Human Resources Manager:
Human Resources Manager
AAA Online Services Inc.
May 2016 - October 2019
Reported to: The Regional Assistant General Manager based in Canada
Key Result Areas:
Revised the existing Employee Health Care Plan that resulted to 75% hospitalization coverage upon hiring and and 100% upon regularization, which created an annual savings of $20,000 in employee benefits administration and a 25% reduction in employee turnover and transition for Fiscal Year 2017.
In the example above, the employer can clearly see the POSITION (Human Resources Manager), INSTITUTION (AAA Online Services) REPORTING RELATIONSHIP (RAGM based in Canada), REFERENCE DATE (May 2016 - October 2019), and the ACCOMPLISHMENT (the Key Result Areas).
If you are a newbie or a fresh graduate, you do not need to have a detailed KRA like the one above. You may, for instance, indicate that you were a member of a group of volunteers for a shelter that cared for 150 cats or a non-profit environmentalist group that helped raised funds for the protection of wildlife in 2010. Something to that effect.
Tip: Include only SUCCESSFUL RESULTS that are worth mentioning in a CLEAR and CONCISE manner.
Education:
You should state your educational credentials (i.e. Bachelors Degree in Math, Veterinary Associate Degree, etc.).
Tip: Your education must be VERIFIABLE by physical proof such as a certificate, a diploma or a transcript of records.
Key Skills:
These include soft and technical skills that you have gained in your lifetime.
Examples of key skills:
1. MS Office
2. Project Management
3. Training Facilitation
4. Certificate in Events Management
5. Completed 120 of TESOL
6. JAVA Programming
Tip: Try to learn and acquire new skills. Research on online ACCREDITED learning academies that provide cost effective key skills certification. The more skills you can master, the better. It shows your eagerness and initiative to acquire key skills that go beyond your highest academic accomplishments.
Interests:
This part is very INTERESTING because it highlights your personal interests. This gives an IDEA of what you are into when you are not at work.
Examples:
1. Traveling
2. Cooking
3. Gospel Music
4. Blogging (https://hrhour.blogspot.com/)
Tip: Make sure that you really are into these points of interests because if you are asked to elaborate you should be able to do it SPONTANEOUSLY.
What should you NEVER include in your resume?
Below is a list of common pitfalls or things you should NEVER include in your resume:
The Word "Resume"
Never ever write 'THE RESUME OF (YOUR NAME)" as your header. PLEASE. That is just so wrong. Simply LABEL your resume with your NAME.
Too much Personal Information:
Your address, email, and phone number should SUFFICE. DO NOT SHARE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION on your resume beyond that.
Pictures or Photographs:
If you are within the United States, there is no need to attach your picture. This is due in part by The Equal Employment Opportunity legislation that restricts US companies from making hiring decisions based on discriminatory reasons. Unless you are applying for a modelling career, PICTURES ARE OUT OF THE PICTURE.
Physical Characteristics:
Refrain from stating your height, weight, etc. This information should not be part of your resume because it still suggests discriminatory basis.
Irrelevant Work or Professional Experience:
Relevant work or professional experience includes positions you have held in the past 10 to 15 years, unless a previous occupation strongly indicates your qualifications.
You MAY, but not necessarily, include unrelated positions as long as they prepared you for a job in your new field. For example, if you are applying for an executive assistant post, and you were previously an office clerk, then you may include that to provide relevant experience in doing administrative work.
Names and Contact Information for Former Supervisors or Professors:
This information should be disclosed on a separate list of references and should not be part of your resume. I find it a good and ethical practice to ASK FIRST my character references before disclosing their information out of respect and courtesy.
Salary History:
If you are already working, any information about your salary is generally considered PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL. You can discuss this with your prospective employer during the interview or job offer but do not, under any circumstance, include the details in your resume.
Criminal Record:
Even if honesty is the best policy, you do not need to be that transparent on your resume. All companies conduct background checks upon confirmation of employment, hence, they will still be able to verify if you have any criminal record.
Helpful tips you should keep in mind about building your resume
CONSOLIDATE everything in a one to two page resume. Always remember, you are giving a glance, not a movie, of who you are - so avoid over-complicating things. Keep it short and simple. Read and proofread your resume over and over again until you are fully satisfied that your resume is correct, accurate, and free from any typographical error.
Be very SPECIFIC and stick to the facts, especially in giving a BRIEF account of your accomplishments. The goal is to create IMPACT and LASTING GOOD IMPRESSION.
AVOID using online resume templates or tables. There are tons of online sites that claim to give you the edge and will even entice you to pay a certain amount for them to review and revise your resume. Do not fall for these false promises. Every resume is UNIQUE to the person it depicts so no online template can give anybody any more advantage than the others.
Besides, those templates even encourage you to give a lesser than the truthful version of yourself. Constantly remind yourself that YOU ARE NOT A LIE. So keep it REAL.
IN A NUTSHELL:
DOING WHAT YOU LOVE AND LOVING WHAT YOU DO begins with how you present yourself AT A GLANCE, TRUTHFULLY.
Your resume is an OVERVIEW of WHO YOU ARE, NOT WHO or WHAT YOU WANT TO BE.
Be FAIR and HONEST to yourself. You have what it takes so JUST DO IT - BELIEVE that you deserve NOT JUST A PAID JOB, BUT A REWARDING CAREER.
#DoWhatYouLove
#LoveWhatYouDo
#HRHouR
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