Your Resume Is About Your Future, Not Your Past

When I say, “Your resume’s about your future, not your past,” you’re probably thinking, “Hey, what do you mean? It talks about my work history... Doesn’t that mean it’s about my past?”

That’s exactly what most people think. But, the secret to getting the job you want is to write your resume so that it paints a picture of you at your next job — that’s your future, not your past.

When you sit down to write your resume, imagine that you’re an artist. And you’re about to paint a picture of you at your next job. Now the tools you have for painting your picture are:
• Your experience
• Your skills
• Your personality
• Your passions — things like resolving homelessness, or promoting the arts.

So the idea is to pick and choose from these four aspects of your life to come up a word-picture of you at your next job! That’s why I say, “Your resume’s about your FUTURE, not your past.”

If you use this “future” approach to writing your resume, here’s what will happen: At first glance the employer will assume he’s reading about your past, because most people think a resume is a historical document.

But as he gets drawn into yours, he’ll start picturing YOU working for HIM. And that’s what’ll make him want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview.

You can find more good points on this concept on JobStar.org’s What is a Resume?