No series on self-improvement would be complete without a discussion on the
perfect resume. Stop right there, Skippy! There’s no such thing. There
are some tips to consider, however. Suppose you have your sights set on another
career, how can you use this position to leverage a better job in two to four
years?
First of all, don’t waste your money on professional resume writers. Let your resume
speak for yourself and be the commodity a future employer wants. Look at the
skills you have gained from working full or part time as a merchandising rep:
- Timeliness—You can do a job on time without
reminders. - Ability to work independently—You don’t need a
lot of hand holding. - Communication skills—You deal with management,
brands, store employees and customers. - Loyalty—In representing a brand, you care about
the way the company projects itself to others.
It isn’t as much about the way you look as the way you are that counts. Yes, you’ll want to look
spiffy on paper and you may want to sharpen some of your wording, but an
employer can spot a canned resume from ten feet away. Smart ones are looking
for substance over glitz. Work It Daily
offered these six tips for building a jaw-dropping resume.
- Proof read your work. Eliminate the errors.
- Be sure your experience and resume line up with
the job opening. - Make it readable. Use a lot of white space and a
large font. - Find better adjectives and verbs. Instead of responsible
for, use managed… - Describe what you did. Experience matters.
- Look at the keywords used in advertising for an
opening, and use those in your resume.
Some folks love the flexibility and ease of being a
merchandising rep, while others do this as they work their way through
college—but all of you can be building a better version of yourself by
sharpening your resume.
As a rep, you know that marketing and experience is everything in representing your
brand. Think of your resume as your best personal marketing tool. You aren’t
selling yourself, you are showcasing skill sets others need. Strike a balance
between bravado and assurance. Among the 14 tips Glass Door
suggests is eliminating the objective statement, listing experience before
education, and brevity. If you can’t say it in a single page, you need to start
using your backspace key.
Our biggest word of advice: set aside one day a month to work on your resume.
Sharpen the wording. Keep it up to date. List new accomplishments. Keep it
ready for use. Starting a resume three years from now will feel like an
insurmountable hurdle, but having one stored on your hard drive makes it easy.
Realize, we value each of you and never want to see you go…but we also realize
our responsibility to help you on your life journey, wherever that may take
you. We just hope it keeps you close to home and here with us!
