Revising Your Resume

“Dear Worker Bee,” a despondent correspondent (Hey! That rhymes!) writes in from Cape Coral, “It seems as though I’m about to be fired. I work for a small science fiction and fantasy publisher, and when forwarding some editorial notes, I accidentally typed in the name ‘Elvis’ rather than the intended word ‘elves’. As in, ‘Dear Famous Author, the forest scene in chapter three needs more Elvis.’” Well, it changed the whole feel of the book, you know? Anyway, the tech guys are loading my computer onto a cart, and I’ve been told to report to Human Resources. Do you have any advice on how to update an old resume?

Yes indeedy, Despondent Correspondent! (I love saying that! Rhymes are fun!)

It does sound as though they’re about to ‘turn you loose’ (wait, that was Fabian, not Elvis — never mind — though Fabian did sing “Honeycomb,” one of the Worker Bee’s personal favorites.) But I’m getting ahead of myself. You don’t even know for sure if you’ve been let go yet, so keep your chin up. Let’s quickly go over the main secrets to revising your resume, and I’m sure you’ll be able to make that Star Trek Convention at 3 p.m.

Stop Dragon Your Feet

Contrary to popular belief, the time for anyone to revise their resume is not after leaving their job, but before. Theoretically, you should always be revising your resume as you attain new work skills and responsibilities. So three months ago, when you were finally put in charge of the fan club for your company’s popular Space Vampire series (“In Space, No One Can Hear You Suck”), you should have gone in and made a note of it. It’s easy to take for granted, and even forget, all the impressive new tasks you acquire during the course of each job. (Though the hordes of female admirers following you around after you took over the fan club must help to remind you of that one.)

Re-Program the Androids

Updating your resume is a lot more than simply adding on your latest work experience. The spin you put on the latest version has everything to do with the type of job you’re looking for. For instance, when the Worker Bee was first applying for roles in upper management at the honey plant, he had to de-emphasize some of his previous drone-related experience, focusing instead on the ways in which he managed several different hives. (Luckily, he stopped getting hives once he was offered the position.) Tailor your past job descriptions so that they all seem to build up to the kind of job you want. And if there are several jobs you might be interested in, create several different resumes. (Think of them as androids you’re sending out to do your bidding, Space Boy.)

Jump in the Time Machine

If you need help finding a pattern between old jobs and new, give a former boss a call and have them forward you their standard job description for the role you left. Tell them what you have in mind now, and they may be able to offer you some suggestions on how to position yourself. Now would also be a good time to ask for a reference. Or, um, your old job back. (This is assuming you don’t have a history of elf-related mistakes.)

Bee In Touch

Send any questions or topics you’d like addressed to the Worker Bee, care of Managing Editor Jennifer Workman at Jennifer@ BusinessNewsNow.com. This and other Worker Bee articles can be found on our Web site, www.BusinessNewsNow.com.