Dear Dana Workplace Advice: Looking for a job? Don’t Update Your Resume

by | Dec 28, 2016 | Coaching Advice, Dear Dana (Workplace Advice)

career resume

Welcome to “Dear Dana”, our weekly column to give you career and workplace advice/coaching. Please write in and tell me about a career challenge or frustration you’re facing at the office! – Dana Theus

Dear Dana, I didn’t think I’d be looking for a job so soon but my company is downsizing and I see the writing on the wall. I need to update my resume quickly. Where should I start? – Panicked in Peoria

Dear Panicked,

I know this is going to sound counter-intuitive but hear me out. Don’t’ update your resume—yet. Of course you’ll probably need a good resume to get a new job, but starting by updating your resume is like planning a long trip by deciding which suitcase to bring before you’ve decided where you’re going or how you’re getting there.

I don’t know how long you’ve been in the job market, but things have changed dramatically in the last ten years. Fewer than 5% of jobs are filled through online/resume applications. Most of the job offers come through networking and LinkedIn recruiting where your resume is not the most important tool in your toolbox. It’s the thing you provide when you’ve made a good connection for a job you’re interested in because it meets your personal life-work criteria and you want to take the next step towards an interview. Even in those cases where your resume gets you in the door, it works because you’ve so well-crafted it to position yourself for a great job.

So even though you feel like you should start at the end, I strongly advise you to go back to the beginning and spend some time focusing on what you want. What kind of job is perfect for you and will complement the rest of your life? Keep honing in on what you want by researching your dream job online. Filter all the not-perfect-fits and find the few that are great and then craft your networking plan and LinkedIn Profile to position you for those jobs. THEN you can write your resume and it will be a much easier and more effective use of your time and energy.

If you feel you just can’t start without having an updated resume in your back pocket, go ahead and update it quickly, but set a timer and don’t let yourself spend more than an hour bringing the facts up to date. Your resume simply isn’t the best tool to help you capture your aspirations and personal brand for your next career move. Take a more considered approach and don’t get your suitcase out until you have your trip planning well underway.

 

 

 

Dana Theus
Executive Coach

P.S. – Have a question you’d like anonymous support on? Write me!

Dana Theus

Dana Theus

Dana Theus is an executive coach specializing in helping you activate your highest potential to succeed and to shine. With her support emerging and established leaders, especially women, take powerful, high-road shortcuts to developing their authentic leadership style and discovering new levels of confidence and impact. Dana has worked for Fortune 50 companies, entrepreneurial tech startups, government and military agencies and non-profits and she has taught graduate-level courses for several Universities. learn more

Recent Posts

Can you get to the top without playing office politics?

Can you get to the top without playing office politics?

Office politics is as much a part of work as drawing a salary. And yet, I don’t know anyone who wants more of it. In fact, many clients come to me because they feel stymied in their career advancement goals because they perceive “office politics” to be getting in...

Career Coaching Tip: The Limits of Empathy

Career Coaching Tip: The Limits of Empathy

Early in my career, empathy was my ace-in-the-hole management technique. I was all business when it came to helping my team on technical, process and performance issues, but if they had an emotional reaction or issue, I reverted to empathy because it was the easy...

How To Get Through The Never Ending To-Do List

How To Get Through The Never Ending To-Do List

I’m a list maker. There’s something very gratifying for me to be able to cross things off my “list”. They’re done. Finished. It feels good and satisfying. I’m sure those of you who are list-makers can relate. But what about the task list that never ends? The one that...

Coaching Resources