Figuring Out Your Next Big Thing

“I need to change careers. What should I do?”

I can’t answer that question. That is heavy lifting that you have to do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help.

In a recent post on the value of the resume writing process, I wrote about the clarity that a new resume can provide and how that clarity can help you determine your next big thing. However, the frequency with which I get that question made me think that I should probably provide another tip on how to figure out what your next big thing might be.

Believe it or not, your resume may contain clues that can serve as guideposts and help you start answering the “what's next?” questions.

Start by ignoring your titles.

When you love what you do, you tend to do it well. And when you do something well, you tend to excel. So obscure your titles and responsibilities and just look at your achievements. Now ask yourself “why did I do it so well?” That answer is a guidepost as to what energizes you. And whatever you do next should require that you do a lot more of what energizes you. Period. Keep in mind, though, that just because you're good at something, it may not energize you. Be aware of that distinction.

When it comes right down to it, you can’t figure out your next big thing until you figure out you. If you need help, reach out. Sometimes the process of creating a new resume is just the boost you need. And sometimes you need to dig deeper. Either way, I can help.

The Resume Length Cycle

I say it often, but it is always worth repeating: regardless of your level of experience, the goal of a resume is to establish qualifications, pique interest and create some curiosity gaps – those questions that make readers want to learn more via an interview. In almost every case, a page or two is enough to accomplish that goal. That leaves the question of when is one page appropriate and when should you expand your resume to two pages. The answer to that question might surprise you.

While these are just guidelines, the general premises can be applied to almost everyone.

In the beginning – When you are just starting out, a one-page resume is probably in order. You’ve got little relevant experience, possibly some education and hopefully a lot of promise. At this point in the game, one page is almost always enough to outline your limited experience and communicate how you plan to make a positive impact.

Climbing the ranks – After you have some solid, relevant experience under your belt, a two-page resume starts to make good sense. You’ve likely got several years of experience and multiple relevant positions. You also likely have quite a few bona fide accomplishments. Two pages provide ample room to list your multiple roles and your wealth of accomplishments. This is the time in your career to lay it all out on the table.

At the top of your career – Many of the executives I work with are shocked to hear me suggest a one-page resume despite their extensive experience. At this level though, it is more likely that the foundational and formational experiences can be omitted. Also, it is less likely that you will need to “sell” your position and instead can let your title and scope of influence imply previous experience.

People and careers are dynamic, so these suggestions may not apply to you. However, consider the underlying themes here and help them guide your decision about how long your resume should be.

A Powerful Question For Change

Change is difficult. As people, employees, family members – you name it – we're conditioned to settle into a role and to stay put.

Of course, this can be a recipe for disaster. If a particular role is not authentic, months and months of dissatisfaction can quickly turn into years and years of unhappiness. Then, before you know it, you feel stuck in a role that doesn't fit. Worse yet, it's easy to feel as though it's "too late" to change.

It's never too late.

Your happiness and your life are too important to do something that's not a good fit. Putting you on the back burner is never a good idea. Don't save change for "later" – act now. One step at a time.

Many of the people I work with are not happy in their jobs. Jobs (and careers and companies) that they are often deeply embedded in. In many cases, it seems too overwhelming for them to break away.

I regularly ask these people to ponder one question as they sort out the details and weigh their options:

What are you becoming?

This is an especially powerful question to ask yourself because it shifts your perspective from the here-and-now to the future. It provides the frame for you to put your current situation aside in order for you to assess whether or not you are on the right path. This is crucial because, so often, people will let a current work reality skew their perspective. "My boss needs me right now." "I'm in the middle of a project." "My team is down one person." "I get my pay raise next month."

Ask that question as it relates to all areas of your life. If you find an area where you don't like your response, build a plan for change. You don't have to do it overnight – you simply need to start.

Wishing you satisfaction in all areas of your life. You deserve it.

The Value of the Process

I write a lot about the power of an outstanding resume. What I don’t frequently write about is the power of the entire resume development process. I strongly believe that the process can be as valuable – and possibly more valuable than – the resume itself. So why don’t I go on and on about it? For one, it can sound a bit sales-y. For another, and probably the greatest reason I don’t broach the subject more often, is that I forget that not everybody knows how valuable the process can be.

A new set of job search documents – and my entire process – are an investment.

I was reminded that some of the most important aspects of working with a credible resume writer are not immediately obvious when I read a recent client email. This client shared that they entered into the project simply hoping for a great set of job search documents. They left feeling like they had gotten so much more out of the process.

That email sparked me to share three of the most valuable aspects of the resume writing process:

Confidence – Much of the resume writing process is focused on uncovering accomplishments and speaking to your impact. That allows me to create a resume that is rich with quantifiable achievements. Beyond that, it can reshape how clients see – and speak to – their professional history. Having a clear idea of your impact and the ability to quickly provide examples can improve your confidence in a very profound way.

Clarity – Many of my clients come to me looking for a resume to help them transition into something different. Unfortunately, many of them don’t know what that “something different” is. In order to create a resume that highlights your strengths and positions you for your next big thing, I have to help you identify your strengths. Understanding your natural strengths and transferable skills makes it much easier to determine what you should be doing and where you fit.

Career Trajectory – I am constantly reminding clients that a resume is just one piece of a career management strategy, albeit a very important piece. Not only will a new, achievement focused resume likely help you to more quickly secure interviews or build interest, it can also help you land a more favorable pay package. It is much easier to negotiate salary when you can clearly communicate why you are worth it.

An achievement-focused resume is a very valuable thing. But it’s important to keep in mind that the process of developing that resume is also incredibly valuable – a very wise investment.

The best investment you can make is in yourself. Get in touch if you think you might need help.

Career Booster

I am very happy to announce the arrival of my Career Booster package! The foundation of the package is my popular new guide: Beyond an Outstanding Resume. The guide provides clients with specific, actionable tools and steps for executing a multi-faceted career management approach that goes far beyond simply submitting resumes and crossing fingers. I provide support, ideas and coaching – via e-mail and calls – all along the way.

The twelve activities in the guide along with our partnership make a powerful combination. Most clients choose to focus on tackling one new activity each week for a total of twelve weeks. Naturally, though, you can progress at whatever speed you’d like.

Using Beyond an Outstanding Resume as our structure, the Career Booster package covers things such as:

1) Effectively targeting your job search documents (including a thorough critique of your progress).

2) Incorporating a powerful social media component into your career management plan (including my Maximizing LinkedIn guide).

3) Excelling at interviews (including a mock interview and my Acing Interviews guide).

Get in touch for details!

Listing MBA Next To Your Name On Your Resume

Q. Should I list my MBA next to my name on my resume? A. It depends. If doing so is common within your field or among your colleagues, yes. If not, leave it off.

There are some academic designations that are almost always listed – MD, PhD and JD fall it that category. Listing an MBA is not as common, but still perfectly defensible.

As with everything on your resume, consider how what you are listing will be perceived and whether or not including a specific piece of information adds value.

Tell Me What I Don’t Know

I ask my clients a lot of questions.

“How did the system you implemented impact the business?”

“Do you have metrics to back up the statement that you grew the business over two years?”

“Would you say the site redesign enhanced user experiences? Do you have analytics that support this?”

As a professional resume writer and career strategist, it is my job to ask questions that guide clients to uncover achievements and quantify their impact. It is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work because – through those questions – clients begin to see their experience in a new way.

Every once in a while, a client will ask me to “tell them what they don’t know” about their experience or may even respond to a question I ask with “go ahead and make something up, you know what readers will be impressed by.”

Here’s the deal. I don’t make stuff up and you should be very wary of a professional resume writer who would. Beyond being unethical, there is just no value in fabricating achievements. As a client, you don’t leave with a bolstered sense of confidence when the resume is not an authentic representation of your impact.

If you are having problems developing an accomplishment-focused resume, reach out. We can work together to uncover achievements and create a resume that is a genuine expression of your impact.

Big Brother Employer and LinkedIn

I used to tell clients that it was a good idea to be on LinkedIn. Now I consider LinkedIn to be a core component of a comprehensive career management strategy. Having said that, there is a dark side to using the professional networking site – it can be very easy for your current employer to learn that you are seeking other opportunities. I wish I could say that employers weren’t using sites like LinkedIn to monitor their employees. But I can’t. So here are a few tips for ways that you can use LinkedIn without making it obvious that you are actively searching (or just keeping your options open).

Maintain an active and consistent LI presence – This is just a good career management practice. Consistent networking and exploring your area of focus is one way to stay on the leading edge and a great step in making yourself indispensible. It also eliminates the chance that you will have visible “spikes” in LI activity that could tip your current employer off to your desire to fly the coop.

Get to know the privacy settings – LinkedIn’s default settings can make you an over-sharer. For example, by default everyone in your network is notified when you make any edits to your profile or make a new connection. The first thing you should do when you start using LI is to go in and customize those settings. Yes, making your profile and activity less visible could limit your ability to make new connections. I think that is a small price to pay for the piece of mind that comes with knowing that every move you make is not being broadcast to your network.

Keep your profile concise – Uploading your entire resume to LinkedIn screams “I’m looking for work.” Even if you are, it’s not a great use of the digital space (and it could mean you are disclosing details that could peeve your current employer). Instead, provide high-level overviews for each of your roles. Use the Summary to highlight a few major accomplishments so that your impact is clear.

Even if you work for a employer that is looking over your digital shoulder, you can still make effective use of tools like LinkedIn. It just means you need to be very mindful of what you share and with whom you share it. Actually, this is just a good idea regardless of how nosey your current employer is.

Listing Foundational Education On Your Resume

Q. I recently earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto. However, many of my credits were transferred from another school. Do I need to list all colleges on my resume? A. The standard is that you simply list the school from which you earned your degree. Easy!

It is also not necessary to include an Associate’s degree when you have a Bachelor's degree (although some people like to – especially if the field is different).