How To improve your Resume And Gain Relevant Skills

Having recruited for companies such as Amazon and Starbucks I can tell you that it is not all about your experience and it’s not all about your education. As strange as that may sound, I have hired people with little to no experience and I have hired people without a degree. What set those people apart was a certain skill set they possess and how proficient they were at it.

Learn new skills, especially those that are sought after in your industry

Really go through the job descriptions that you are applying for, find the commonality in them. Most roles today require you to be proficient at Excel. Consequently you assume that because you have used excel in school or have messed around with it that you know excel. But do you really?

Do you really know how to quickly query data, pull out strings and create pivot tables? Do you know how to automate the process, do you know how to incorporate Visual basic code into excel or how to import and export data. Do you know how to quickly identify trends, can you do forecasting analysis in excel.

These may seem like very complex subjects but they can be learned very easily. Pick up a book on excel and really go chapter by chapter, do all the exercises. Even better create elaborate tables with drop down menus, formulas, charts as a big final project, list that on your resume and keep a copy to show to your employers. Things like these will get you hired and also set you apart from the rest.

Learn SQL, structured query language. It is a skill that is invaluable and will get you jobs with big companies. Learning a programming language sounds very hard but there are books out there that will each you step by step and make it very simple to pick up the skill. You don’t have to take a course or pay for a boot-camp or enroll into school. You can do it on your own.

The way I thought myself SQL was through the book called Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL — A Learner’s Guide
, I learned it in two months and later on got an IT job with no previous experience in IT whatsoever. Learning should never stop, figure out what your industry is looking for and self-teach. Not only will this make you feel better but it will make you marketable and you will improve your resume.

Attend industry related conferences and speaking events

This is a great way to show your interest in an industry. I will give you a trade secret. We would sometimes invite famous guest speakers about certain subjects related to a position that we need to fill. We will post it on our website and market it via social media. We would make people sign up and then give that lists to our recruiters. They will filter who attended, check out their profiles and then try to recruit them into our company.

This is also a great way to network and meet people that could be beneficial later on. Listing what events you attended on a resume is also a great bonus; it sets yourself apart from the rest.

Not only will you learn something but you will put yourself in a position where only good things can come from.

Universities tend to have many guest speakers and conferences that you can attend for free, many big companies will have these conferences, also check out your city for certain events, and Google is your best friend here.

Create a LinkedIn profile

It surprises me that so many friends of mine or people in general I talk to that don’t have a LinkedIn profile. This is where recruiters hang out every single day. This is also the place where you can enhance your resume by adding additional information that you left out. You can upload a resume, you can join groups that are relevant to your industry and you can apply for jobs.

You can also add all your friends and eliminate the need for letters of recommendation because those can be posted directly to your profile. This is a great way to create social proof, add all your professors, coworkers and ask for recommendations. This will enhance your resume and make you stand out from the rest. A great place to network and get closer to your goal. Do it today!!

Join industry specific groups, affiliations, organizations and societies

If you are still in collage, please join your business fraternity, or your investment club or your startup and entrepreneurship club.  These don’t take much time, maybe once every weekend or so, this is a great way to make friends that could later on be a way into a company for you. It looks great on your resume and provides relevant experience because you are working on projects or up to something that could be beneficial.

If you are not in school or are done with school, research the organizations for your industry. There is one trust me, SHIRM for HR professions is a good example. Listing this on your resume is a big bonus.

They have monthly meetings and conferences that you get access to, sometimes free training classes, and there is usually a job board provided. Great place to network and be around people that could help you out. It makes your resume look good so please look into it.

Work for free then brag about it

If you are lacking experience I can promise you that there are tons of nonprofit organizations that would love to give it to you. If you want admin work, call any organization and offer to volunteer in their office. You are unemployed currently why not use that time. You watch TV on weekends, why not work instead.

If you are website designer ask if you can maintain their website for free, if you are computer tech offer to take a look and fix things. If you are …. Well you get my point. A great way to add volunteering hours, meet people and gain the experience that will get you your job. Sometimes you can even do work from home and still add that to your resume. Be proactive.

Would you do any of these? What are you waiting for, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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