It's that time again -the advent of a new year. With that also comes New Year's Resolutions (will we keep them this year?) and the obligatory New Year-themed blog post.
Its time for people to think about how they want to improve their lives either personally or professionally. This time-honored tradition of making a declaration of intent and then attempting to follow though with it in practice can be a source of inspiration and direction...or usually in my case, disappointment.
While we all accept that we may likely forget our resolutions by February, I'm going to give you a few that are achievable, and that you'll WANT to keep.
Let's talk about resolving to improve your resume.That super important 'billboard' of your professional career.
First, let's think about a primary method for how people are recruited these days -LinkedIn. A robust LinkedIn profile is crucial for most professionals and that is another entire discussion, but lets leave with the takeaway that by the time you speak with a recruiter or hiring manager, they will know the basics of your work history: companies, job titles, tenure, education, location and some of your basic responsibilities. These should not be the focus of the content in your resume, however.
I'm going to save some of the more straightforward resume tips like not including an objective statement, using bullet points, elimination of grammatical errors, keep it to around 2 pages and focus on a few more impactful recommendations. (But I still mentioned them, didn't I?)
Hopefully you will see the value in investing some time to polish up that resume in the coming year .And even if you are not looking for a new work opportunity, it can be helpful to leverage these tips to take stock in your current role. Good luck with your New Year's resolutions while I try for the third year in a row to stop adding money to the swear jar.
Want to join Cisco in the new year? Start by visiting our Careers page.