Tesar-Reynes

If you’re unemployed like me, you might find yourself wondering what the next step in your career should be. I sure am.

Sometimes, it helps to get your thoughts down on paper. Tony and I are huge advocates of journal writing, especially the type of writing where you just write with no purpose. Interesting thoughts come out when you let your subconscious mind roam freely.

The other night, I made a huge pot of coffee and started writing. My journal entry started with a simple question - Who Am I?

I wrote about how two years ago, I had one role. I was a student. That responsibility came with a simple goal: Get A’s in all my classes. I did well, scoring a decent GPA. I hit the books during the week. I had fun on the weekends. That was my life.

Now, I don’t know who I am. I graduated college in December. I just completed a 6-month internship. I’m looking for a job but am feeling apprehensive about the search because everyone tells me there’s nothing out there.

In a fit of urgency, from the writing perhaps, I closed my journal and opened my resume to revise it.

The Neglected Resume

Most of us only look at our resumes when we’re searching for a new job. For marketers, it presents a strange problem. We’re used to marketing other products, businesses and services. Marketing ourselves? Well, that can be a little weird for us.

I took a look at my resume and started at the beginning, rewording my summary:

“Public relations professional with a Web development background and technical HTML/CSS skills. Proven ability in media relations - both new and traditional outlets - as well as project management. Determined problem solver with an insatiable curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit.”

I also added accomplishments from my latest internship and quantified the results of my media relations campaigns.

I don’t share this with you to brag. I’m sure your resume impresses far better than mine. But I want to convey to you the sense of knowing I suddenly felt when I had a finished product in my hands.

My resume is a representation of who I think I am today and what I’ve accomplished in my short career. It’s a document I can send out to employers with the same tentative confidence as a model sending out headshots.

I feel infinitely better about my chances. The answer to “Who Am I?” is all there, on a clean sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper.

Tony reminds me that that is my best guess for today. Even in his 60’s, Tony still works on the same question. I’m sure our readers range between Tony and me in age. No matter how old you are, you continue evolving. Your resume should evolve with you.