Use your resume as a goal setting tool
This may seem silly, however, have you ever thought about updating your resume as soon as you start a new job?
A good resume is supposed to portray your most noteworthy accomplishments. The resume shows your contribution to your employer, your personal growth and should succinctly let the reader know why they should be interesting in you.
Have you ever sat down to update your resume and are then unable to come up with meaningful accomplishments? Start now and think about your resume as a goal setting tool. Even if you are very satisfied with your current position and circumstances, think about your accomplishments and what you are proud of. Think about what you would put on a resume that shows your contribution to the company. How have you stood out among your colleagues? Where have you excelled?
So now sit down and think about the resume you would write for you current job. Look out a year or two and set some goals on how you can positively impact your company. Think about what you want to say you have accomplished. Replace this sentence with one of your own; “Improved invoice to cash cycle by 20%, thus decrease the days outstanding by 2 days”. Or maybe, “Developed new method for responding to customer questions which resulted in a 5 point improvement in customer satisfaction”.
The above examples may seem irrelevant to you, however, the point is, think about what kind of accomplishments you want to put on your resume that you will send out in two years, or the one you will use for your next promotion at your current job. What makes you stand out?
This way your resume becomes a great goal setting tool.
Hank Edwards
The Value of Experience 