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Thinking about ways to spruce up your stale resume? Consider assessing it from a new lens. Instead of focusing on showing off all the stuff that you’ve achieved, and all the tasks that you’ve nailed, think about what your resume says about your connections in your field.
As you grow into your career and into more senior positions, employers are looking not only for people who are seriously competent, but for people who are popular. Not popular in the high school sense of the term—it’s less about being cool and more about knowing as many people as possible. The relationships that you have with people in your field are assets that you bring with you to each job you accept. Demonstrating that you have this asset is a way to set you apart from other candidates. Further, if employers know that you are well connected, when you next go on the job market, you will have created a more even playing field. Instead of you seeking the best job, the opportunities will be finding their way to you too.
So how do you do this? How do you demonstrate in your resume that you have a strong network of professional contacts to which employers want access?
Your resume must include items outside of your job descriptions and education. Things like special projects, committees and speaking engagements are good areas to start.
If you’re feeling like you don’t have any of the items above to add to your resume, that’s okay! I would suggest that you start stepping outside of your comfort zone and saying yes to opportunities to diversify your experience. Beyond the actual experiences of serving on a committee or presenting at a conference, the whole of these achievements is greater than the sum of each experience. The whole—if demonstrated on your resume—can propel you into bigger and better opportunities.