Career Recycle Your Resume
“Use your past to create your future with purpose and intent” – Michelle Raz
Take Action
Go search for your resume on your computer, or grab the most recent copy sitting on your desk.
Now, sit down, and take a close look at it. You’re not looking at it to revise or update it. You’re examining it closely to see if the jobs you’ve done in the past are really what you’re most interested in doing and what kind of work you’re best suited for.
When you’re looking for a job, knowing what has gone well and what hasn’t in a job from the past will help you make the best decision about which job to apply to next. It gives insight into what types of work you would enjoy the most and which you would perform the best at.
Now, settle back with your resume and maybe a notepad and pen to make some notes. This activity can help you avoid being one of the 51 percent of the 100 million full-time workers in the US who don’t feel like they are really connected to their jobs or one of the 16 percent who resent their jobs and complain to colleagues all the time.
Read Each Job Title.
Ask yourself whether you liked each particular position you’ve held. Were there aspects of it that got you excited about doing the work? What parts of it didn’t you like?
Also, ask yourself if each job matched your personality. Did it mesh well with how you like to work?
Consider the Job Environment and the Position Itself.
Did the working environment work for you?
What factors about the job or the working environment led you to quit or leave?
What job duties did you particularly excel at? Which ones were more challenging to you?
Now, Dig a Little Deeper.
Consider whether each position matched the values that you hold now. Embrace the fact that you may have changed over the years in what you think is important for your life.
If a job didn’t match your values, how did it go against them?
Think about what made you excited to get to work at each job. Those are the parts of the job that you want to look for in a new position.
Analyze what you most definitely did not get excited about at work. Did you get bored? Those are the aspects of a job you want to avoid in a job search.
With the information you can garner from looking more closely at your resume, you’ll be empowered to search for a job that matches your particular needs and desires for your work. When you get a job you’re excited about doing, you’re more likely to be successful and enjoy yourself while on the clock.
Take your notes with the new insights and work your resume around what did work for you and what you want to have more of in your next job. Highlight the areas that are important to you in your newly up-cycled resume and the right employer match will pick up on your assets. It just may help you create the work environment you truly desire for yourself.
No more dead-end jobs that you are just doing to get by until the “right one” comes along.
Raz Coaching specializes in helping people with executive function challenges associated with ADHD, PTSD, Stress, TBI’s and ASD find careers they will love and land them. Read more at www.razcoaching.com/about Or sign up for the weekly blog and learn about my new book Happiness+Passion+Purpose.
