Parts of "The Resume"

We are days away from the start of a new year. You know what that means...

New Year's Resolutions.

Yeah. We know. You'll be in the gym, you'll cut off all those fairweather friends, you'll commit to learning something profound or going to an extravagant place... nothing wrong with that. Do what you're supposed to do and I'll celebrate you later.

Calvin knows how to go about it.

Everyone wants to change, get better, etc. Hell, even I have a resolution or two. One of mine, you ask? Well, of course: to better update "The Resume"! You had to see that coming.

If you remember from the post "What IS a Resume?", there are many reasons why they can be used, different skill sets they can portray and prime objectives sought after - but one thing always remains the same: what is IN a Resume. We at "The Resume" are no different. Check the checklist. Note: not ALL of the following is necessary for a solid resume:

• Objective
• Qualification summary
• Education / Training
• Experience
• Awards / Honors
• Skills
• Memberships / Affiliations

Certainly, parts of this list exist in your resumes currently - I would assume Education, Experience & Skills, at least. Some may have no awards or honors relevant to the position they apply for. Others may find no need to have a summary of qualifications because - let's be frank - you don't have any. Memberships and affiliations? Uh... no?

Good news: so long as you have what the employer is looking for, they will at least give you a glance! Bad news: if you go throwing around, aimlessly, a resume... be prepared for rejection notices.

Starting in 2013, we at "The Resume" will go over every piece of that resume that you need to polish up on, tweak a word or revise over. With a little help from you, we'll be sure to know exactly what you need to work on, get rid of, add to, etc.

You can hold us to ours, though. Happy New Year and may all your resolutions be bright. Wrong song. May all your resolutions be forgot. No, that doesn't sound good, either. May all your resolutions... be resolved. Let's go with that.