Do you ever look at your life and think: “I didn’t think it would be this way”?

Sometimes that realization hurts.

It can feel like letting go of hope or desire. It can feel like you’ve disappointed yourself.

It can even feel like failure.

But it’s not.

Maybe part of your problem is that happiness always seems like something ahead.

“Once I live there….”

“Once I work that job….”

“Once I make that income…”

But here’s the truth. Happiness isn’t found in making a certain amount of money, living in a certain location, or working a specific job.

All of these can be good and wonderful, but if your whole life is spent chasing what is ahead of you…

…then you will never be happy where you are right now.

Maybe you should stop chasing happiness, and start creating ...

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...