“A skill is something you can learn. A talent is something you have.”
Some of the skills most needed in the job market are customer service, organizational management, data analysis, project management, project planning, and leadership. You may want to focus your resume on one or more of these skills.
However, you do not want to choose all five, as that would make you “not a true leader.” What about your resume?
Build your resume
A resume is a document you create to show what you can offer a company. You should include your skills and talents in the resume, but you want to be careful and not include them all in your resume.
Use a resume builder to put together a resume appropriate for the type of position you are seeking. Check out sites such as ResumeGuru.com, MindBodyGreen.com, or SmartGurlz.com for resume builders or use Excel or Word or any other writing tool to create your resume.
I suggest giving yourself about 1.5 pages to make a resume as clear and concise as possible. While you can include your knowledge and skillsets in your resume, you will probably want to focus on your accomplishments, skills, and strengths, as shown in your resume.
You should also show your ability to apply these skill sets in a work setting. So the next time you are filling out a job application, use the following tips and follow my 7 Steps to Finding a Job for the best results.
Check out the following tool that can be used to rate your skills: http://joineranger.com/tool/kawaii-skill-evaluation.html. Take note of your strengths and the gaps.
Measure your skills
The first part of the measurement is your skills. This is important to identify because we often focus on weaknesses and skills we wish we had.
The next step is to identify the gaps that you have. It can be that you are not a trained data analyst or have not gained enough experience in project management, or you need some more sales experience.
Then you will want to look for jobs that match your skills. If you are a manager, take note of which of your skills you used.
For example, if you are a project manager, you could identify what tasks you handled were time-critical. The more you identify these skills, the more specific you can make your resume.
Learn from experience
Take notes from your experience and bring them to the next stage. This is a good time to ask yourself some questions.
- How did you get the job?
- Were you an internal hire?
- Were you brought in as a project manager?
- How did you interview with the company?
- How did you handle the initial job interview?
- Did you do your best to express your passion and strengths?
This is your opportunity to tell the company who you are and what you have to offer. Finally, you will want to show your growth.
If you started as a lead developer and became a team lead, you should be able to show this in your resume.
Promotions matter
If you were promoted, do you have a professional picture on your resume? If not, you can add a picture that shows your new role in the company.
Remember, this is your time to show off your skills and your strengths and highlight your value to the company. How long will it take to find a job?
It may take a few weeks or even a few months before you have a job offer. At that point, it may take you a few more days to get everything in order and accepted in the organization.
I suggest that you get the first paycheck in the mail as soon as you have a job. You need to know what you are spending money on to determine what you need to save or spend.
Go over your budget, see what you can cut out or work overtime, or volunteer to have money left over. One month after you start, start the saving to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Finding a job
There is a strong likelihood that you will not want to quit that job. Although you may not think it will take long to find a job, I suggest you have a minimum of 2 years of experience to get a full-time job in any industry.
For example, if you are in the information technology field, you would need 2 years to get a full-time job. However, if you were working in sales, you would probably need more experience before getting a full-time job in sales.
Remember that just because you are laid off does not mean you will not be successful in your career. Look at your goals, work to achieve them, and continue to follow my 7 Steps to Finding a Job for the best results. Jason Feifer Jason Feifer is the author of the best-selling books about finding a job, being fired, and getting rehired.
He is a career coach for millennials and new hires and the author of a popular career-consulting blog. His new book is “It’s Not Over: How to be Persuasive and Negotiate Your Way to a New Job or a Better Career.”
Jason Feifer’s latest book is “It’s Not Over: How to be Persuasive and Negotiate Your Way to a New Job or a Better Career.”
