Dreamer

Hello Dreamers and Happy Monday!

The first week of the year has passed, New Year’s fun is really over, and we all are back to our daily lives. We go back (if we haven’t gone already) back to reality. 

And when we go back to reality, when we leap out of the comfort zone of the holidays, we start to:

1. lose interest in our goals;
2. get frustrated due to various reasons!

And main frustration pain points are:

• job/career;
• money;
• love.

Not necessarily in this order but, somehow it always hoovers around these 3 particular topics.

I’m not here to talk about love or money, not today at least. However, I’m here to talk about your career, more exactly about your Resume and maybe LinkedIn.

Nowadays, even if you are in search of a job as a maid, a McDonald’s waitress, an engineer, or a teacher you need a Resume. 

This little paper, which when you sit down, it’s actually pretty hard to fill, shows the world who you are and how interested you are in the job you might want.

But if you already have a job and don’t want to change it, why stay and read? Well, I recently ended up spending a day, recreating my CV, in order to participate in an ERASMUS + activity. I didn’t need my resume in a long time so it wasn’t updated. However, now, for a simple project, I did make use of it. So stay close. And let’s be honest. You don’t have to be looking in order to get an amazing opportunity.

We established that no matter what you need a resume. But how do we proceed with creating a good resume?

Well, firstly, you need to follow some guidelines and rules.

• The main rule and one I’ve seen ignored by many is to keep in mind when writing your jobs and education, that you need to go backward. The last job you had, your current one is on top, and the first is last.
• If you have a current education you must put your starting date, and present. (Ph.D: 2022-present)
• Even if it’s tempting, don’t separate your academic path, from the informal training. It’s important that recruiters see that you focus on developing yourself, and are open to more than traditional education.
• Use correct grammar and spelling. I don’t think I need to explain why. Proofread your resume. Ask someone to do it for you. Anything but make sure your writing is on point.
• Don’t overshare. When you talk about your previous or actual job, say what you do and make sure you don’t share any secrets or talk bad about your employer. It shows a lack of respect and a possible liability to the company.
• However, don’t be expensive with words either. Try to find the sweet point between oversharing and not sharing enough. Focus on describing your particular task without giving specific details. A single-page resume isn’t the best option.
• Consider the job you’re applying for. If you apply for a babysitting position, maybe skip the part where you have as a hobby lap dancing. Or for a community cop, that you love to see True Crime. Sometimes, if you want to be a babysitter, consider mentioning in your resume hobbies like Karate, and maybe the employee pay you more to teach their kid self-defense.
• Put in your resume everything that can be proven. 
• Try to be as honest as you can, however, do yourself a favor and let yourself shine. From my experience, I know, that adding things to my resume, that don’t actually meet my qualifications, feels like bragging. But, I know that it only shows multidisciplinarity and the fact that I am open to more.
• The picture you choose should be a professional, up-to-date one. No bright, bold colors. Not too much skin. No sunglasses, hats, or other crazy accessories. A simple plain white/black/nude/blue marine shirt and a blazer. No crazy postures.

When it comes to LinkedIn, think of it like the Facebook dating thing. People are out there searching for other people. You never know what could happen. In the end, it’s a social media platform created for recruiters in order to easily see who’s fit for the job.

It’s important to keep in mind that your profile should be more polished than Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

I don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, however, it’s on my to-do list this month. I’m not searching for another job, and this is why I stayed away, but, I’m thinking of seeing what’s out there, and maybe, just maybe finding some part-time opportunities.

Anyhow, I want you to keep in mind that you don’t need to wait until changing your job to update your resume with the latest news, it’s easier, more practical, and more useful to do it every once in a while.

Now it’s time for me to leave you and wish you all an amazing week and #adreamerlife!

Cristiana Apreutese