I’ve been there. You studied hard in high school, worked your butt off in college, and paid your dues. You did everything on the proverbial Career Success Checklist and are still being forced to change jobs or even careers. Even though each one of us has heard the saying: “life happens”; we’re as surprised as the next person when drastic changes head our way. It may not seem like it at the moment, but here are tips on how facing your fears and making a career change might just be the best thing you could do for yourself.

Acknowledge your fear and what’s behind it

            If psychology tells us anything, it’s that our perception of reality is always biased. We tend to think the worst so that we can force us into our comfort zones and have peace of mind. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the natural tendency to stay in our comfort zones does more harm than good.

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We’ve reached the final installment of the Resume Your Way to a New Career series. You can go back and read the first two installments on the Career Summary and Key Skills sections of the resume. 

Ahhhhhh! The Achievements section! I love this section! If you've ever wanted to flat-out brag about yourself and your achievements with impunity but without people giving you serious side eyes, this will be your favorite section too. This is also the section for which  I have the hardest time getting clients to give me information. I so often hear “But I don't have any real accomplishments” or “I haven't achieved anything specific that's worth putting on my resume.” Nonsense! You didn't get where you are by doing nothing well and living la vida sans achievements. Yeah, saying you have no specific achievements is as nutty and nonsensical as me mixing 3 languages in that last sentence! You've done stuff. You've even done specific and...

I’m back for the second installment of my Resume Your Way to a New Career series! You can check out the first installment of the Career Summary section here.

It's time to talk about the Key Skills section (KSS) of your resume. This section is where you match your skills against those sought after by your prospective employer. You can't get more straightforward than this section. Your bullet points should be short and clear.

How do you know what to use as bullet points? You get that bullet points from 2 sources, your experience and the description in the posting for the job. Highlight the keywords and phrases in the job description. How do you know which words and phrases are keywords and phrases? Simply look at the words and phrases used to describe the position’s duties and requirements. Then compare those words and phrases to your skills and include the matched skills in your KSS.

Below is an example of a KSS that I used for a legislative analyst...

Hey guys! I'm so excited about this three-part series on resume sections that often aren’t discussed in depth: the Career Summary, Key Skills, and Achievements sections. These sections should serve as highlighters of your career experience and skills. Consider them “career captions” in that they each describe your career and jobs in short snippets.

Let’s be real. A resume is essentially a sales document. It’s your opportunity to unabashedly sell your knowledge, skills, and expertise. This is NOT the time to be shy or humble. Show our prospective employer what you’ve done and how you can be an asset to their company. It’s time to werk it, dahling!

First things first. Your resume should be tailored to the position to which you’re applying. You should have a resume template (or templates, if you’re applying to different types of jobs) and tailor it to each specific position. There’s absolutely no acceptable...