Step Number 1: Think about your target job / target audience (type of job or specific 1. I am looking for a job) 2. The specific industries (or companies) I'm most interested in are: 3. What specific experience or skills do these types of jobs / employers typically require or prefer? (Your answers here will help you choose Key Skills for your new resume) 4. Based on what I know about these types of jobs, what do I think makes me a good fit? What will I bring to these jobs that will be advantageous / beneficial? 5. Do I have any potential weak areas of skill / expertise / education compared to what this /these job description(s) call for? If so, what are they? (You will want to consider these then determine if you should deploy any specific strategies to help offset these. Step Number 2: Study the job description(s) If you have one specific job you're pursuing, great. Study that. If you are applying for multiple potential new jobs, once you have a ballpark idea of what you're gunning for, you should head over to one of your favorite job boards and snag some job descriptions that line up pretty well with your vision for what that ideal next job looks like. The purpose of this exercise - again, if you're not aligning your resume to just one specific opportunity - is to see the common terms, phrases and required skills that go along with the roles you're gravitating toward. 1. What are the required or preferred skills / terms / qualifications that are common to these positions? (Compare these to the things you listed in Question 3 above) Step Number 3: Consider Your Value Proposition or "So What?" What makes me a great candidate for this (these) role(s)? Why should the hiring manager or recruiter pay attention to me for this role I am pursuing? If you don't have a handle on this, don't expect your audience to. Let's spell your value proposition, or your "So What?" Complete these questions / statements with your specific job or target audience in mind: 1. I am really good at: 2. Something that I'm going to bring to this job that will make an immediate impact is: 3. If a recruiter or hiring manager spends just 20 seconds reviewing my resume, what do they need to see / know about me right away? What's my "must have" messaging? Step Number 4: Share the Stuff You're Proudest of Answer these questions for each role you've held. As you answer them, keep your target audience/target job in mind so that you highlight things that may directly appeal to the decision maker, for that role. 1. What am I most proud of? What do I consider my crowning moment(s)? 2. If you asked the people around me, "Hey, what's the best part about working with [YOUR NAME]? here's what they would probably say: Often, it's the answers to these very questions that will help you realize your true value and enable you to stand apart from the competition. Step Number 5: Summarize & Strategize Given the information outlined above, here are the key points I need to make sure come across in this new resume: 1. 2. 3. And I need to make sure and weave these key skills/key words into the resume and / or include in my Key Skills / Areas of Expertise section: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8