To a certain extent, a resume is a description of the things you’ve done. All the relevant jobs, volunteer positions, and even hobbies get summarized and bullet-pointed in order to prove your qualifications for a particular position.
Seen this way, a resume can be demoralizing. There are gaps. Not enough bullet points. Not enough evidence.
But there’s another way to see it.
Think strategically
Think about the job you’d really love to have. Think about what skills and qualifications you would need in order to land that job.
Leaving aside “going back to school and getting another degree,” what would your resume (not someone else’s, or your resume from a different, parallel life, but YOUR resume) need in order to demonstrate those skills and qualifications?
If you don’t already know how it would need to be different, an informational interview would be invaluable here. A knowledgeable insider would be able to describe all the ways people have come to this job, and thus all the ways you might do it.
And thus you have a plan.
Look for the shortest distance between two points
We academics generally default to “I need another degree” for any job we actually want. That’s because we came up in a system that was all about the right degree for the job.
But the rest of the world mostly doesn’t work that way. They want to see A degree, because it demonstrates things like persistence and the ability to finish tasks. But more than a degree, they want to see evidence that you can do what they need you to do.
That’s where sympathetic friends come in. Buy a bottle or two of wine, open a bag of something snacky, and invite your most inventive, positive, supportive friends over. Share with them what you have and what you need. Then ask for their help in brainstorming all the possible ways you could gain the skills and experience you need to get your foot in the door.
That’s it – your foot in the door. You don’t have to become an expert. You don’t have to experience every aspect of the job. You only need to get enough so that you can argue for your own ability to do this job successfully.
From all of the brainstorming you and your friends come up with, pick the one that takes the least amount of time and energy. For example, when I wanted to leave academia, I figured grant writing might be a good place for me. So I found a local non-profit that wanted to apply for a grant but didn’t have the time to do the work. I volunteered over spring break, write them a grant, and voila! One grant-writing reference and an example I could show prospective employers.
It may be that you’ll eventually need to also take on the next-least-amount of time and energy task. That’s okay. But always start with the shortest distance between you and your goal.
Don’t just describe — plan
As you’re thinking about things you can do, think about how they’ll translate to lines on your resume. Think about the lines you want on your resume. Then find a way to get them.
Your resume can be so much more than a summary. If you choose to use it as such, it’s a strategic document you can use to plan for that future you want to inhabit. And isn’t that more empowering?
Know you’re leaving but not sure how to actually make that happen? I offer two things that might help: a resume and cover letter writing service and a class designed to help you create a successful job search system.
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