Prepping for Your Best Resume

You’ve probably read plenty about how to write the perfect resume, but you don’t find as much about the ways that you can prep before actually putting fingers to keyboard. There are several steps that you can take to help you make sure that you gather the right information.

As you know, preliminary work is just as important, if not more so, than the work itself. So let’s look at some ways that prepping can help you create one of the best resumes you’ve ever sent off.

Start with a Wish List

It’s pretty common to start a job search by hopping online and venturing to a job search site where you enter a keyword search for the type of industry or position you’d like to find. While this definitely is not a bad way to find the job of your dreams, it’s not the only way. In fact, one tactic that experts suggest you consider in order to align yourself more closely with the job you want is to make a wish list of the companies you’d like to work for.

By creating a wish list, you already know what the companies offer their employees, and have determined that in some way you’re a good match. With already having some insight into the workings of the company, you can create a resume tailored to the position you would like to acquire, as well as the specific needs of the company. While making a wish list isn’t mandatory, it is a recommended way of fine-tuning your job search and resumes.

Prepare the Story You Want to Tell

Right off the bat, you’re probably wondering how in the heck you’re going to fit a story into a 1-2 page resume. That’s not exactly the idea behind preparing the story you want to tell. You’re still going to construct the same bullet-point styled resume with plenty of white space that you’re used to. However, within those bullet points will be a carefully-crafted explanation of how much you’ve accomplished in the past – and thus, how you will be great in a position with their company.

Here’s how you can get this done. Think of numerous work-related circumstances/obstacles that required you to take action to resolve an issue for each position you’ve held. Carefully note the actions you took in detail and also jot down the results of your actions. Make note of dollar amounts if profits were involved, the number of people on the teams you led, and so on. After you’ve thought of these circumstances then you can chip away at them until they make bullet-point descriptions.

Think of Personal Touches You Can Add

If you know some quotes from the CEO of a company, or have kept up with quarterly figures, it doesn’t hurt to keep them in your arsenal of prep material. You might even include some of these notes or facts in a handwritten note that would accompany your resume. Not bad for adding your own personal touch.

Writing a resume can be a tough job, but someone has to do it. Since that someone is you, it’s good to make sure you gather as much background information as you can to create a series of top-notch resumes for your job search.