On The Job: Furthering Your Career Starts with Your Resume

Finding the next step in your career path can be the hardest job you ever tackle. If you are not currently working in a firm with a large marketing function and staff, the chances are you can only advance by leaving.If you are going to look outside for your next position, the place to begin is your resume. Bring it up to date with your latest experience. While you are updating it, analyze whether it is telling and selling. Telling your career story is just one part of constructing an effective resume. Selling your experience and its value to your next employer is just as important. Your resume should begin with your current contact information and a brief, bulleted summary of your experience and education. Each time you apply for a position, review your resume and rewrite it to highlight the specific attributes that you think would be most applicable to the position. I also list the position title in the first section information as “Position Objective,” so the hiring authority knows that I have reviewed my data in light of the firm's needs.