Go Ahead! Tell Them Who You Are

by Cherlene Adewunmi

The Rewards of Establishing a Resume

Everybody needs a resumé — even the person reading this saying, “Not me!” No matter what you’ve dealt with in life, whether you think you have skills for a good job or very little work experience, you need a resumé. It’s not just for a chosen few.

Here are some tools to get you on your way.

First, let us establish the reason that everyone needs a resumé.

No one knows where they are going to be in the next five, ten years, or beyond that. What we do today has a great impact on our future. A resumé is a tool that helps you determine where you want to go instead of just flowing with whatever life throws your way.

A resumé is also a picture of your past that helps (if done right) guide your future. You can paint a pretty picture of your past with words, and use it to map out your future. So, let’s get started telling them about you!

As an example of our life story, we will use a grocery store bagger. Our bagger, “Darina,” started at a grocery store at the age of 20. She did not go to college and she didn’t finish high school. She is trying to get her GED during evening hours at the local high school and is a single mother of two children.

Darina became a bagger at the grocery store to meet the welfare requirement. She needed to work 20 hours a week to keep her food stamps and cash assistance. So, does this look like a bad picture?

Maybe to some people it does. But there is a beautiful future waiting for this bagger, and a beautiful future waiting for anyone who will apply the following tools to her own life.

Keep track of the work you do.

Darina can add skills such as these to her resumé:

• Customer Service
• Greeting
• Follow-up
• Team Player

If she shows up on time and performs her job duties as required, she can add to her qualifications:

• Great Time Management
• Attention to Detail

Keep track of the details of where you worked.

No matter how many jobs you had, keep track of the name of the company, the telephone number, the time period you worked there, the name of your immediate supervisor, and the duties you performed along with the skills you learned.

Keep on track for your future.

Don’t complain when given more duties with no additional pay. Take on the new duties and add these new skills to your resumé.

Because you are now a forward thinker, you are no longer concerned with how much you are paid. Instead you welcome the new duties because it puts you in a greater position for a successful future. No one can take away what you know. And the more you know, the better chances you have of securing a job you want.

Don’t job hop because this tells potential employers that you can’t be relied upon. If the job gets tough, hang in there and stay for a year or longer, if possible. Remember, your circumstances don’t determine your future – you do.

Volunteer.

Sometimes the job market can be tough, but this isn’t a reason to sit on the sidelines. If you are not working, volunteer!

When a job becomes available and potential employers look at your resumé, they will not see a huge gap of unemployment. They will see that you were actively involved in your community. Plus you can add the skills received when volunteering to your resumé.

Volunteering is a great way to show that you are a Team Player. Your local church is a good place to start volunteering. It’s possible that you can greet, serve in the daycare, help prepare food, clean, or just be available when needed.

Take a Class.

Your local library is a good place to take a small course. Get the experience — it’s free! The library sponsors several classes, including computer and business classes.

In our life story, Darina, our grocery store bagger, has been taking a course on Career Building. She is excited about her new outlook on life. While attending the class, her children go to a reading group that is also sponsored by the library. By taking just one action, our store bagger is changing the future mindsets of her entire family.

Take a visit to your local library this week and discover what is available for you there.

When writing your resumé, use the “Combination Resumé Format.” If you have internet, do a Google search for “Combination Resume Format” to see examples of how to put your resumé together. (Otherwise, a librarian can help you see an example.) This style of resumé focuses on your skills and experiences, which means you are not limited by your education.

A year after we looked in on Darina, she is working as a Customer Representative for a major company. She is no longer on welfare, and is excited about the next chapter of her life. She took the steps needed to more forward.

So go ahead. Tell them who you are. Begin your life story today by creating your resumé. Keep it updated. From time to time, research jobs online on websites such as www.hotjobs.com and www.monsterjobs.com where you can send your resume to future employers. Wherever you submit an application, include your resumé, and you will stand out from the crowd.

Your rewarding future awaits!