Written by Lauren Smith, VYP Board Chair, and Director of Community Engagement at SAARC
September is quickly approaching, and it’s National Update Your Resume Month! If your resume hasn’t been updated since your last job search, consider this your sign to give it a refresh.
Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to sit on both sides: as someone building my own career and now, as Director of Community Engagement at Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), where I support a team, review resumes, and interview candidates as part of my role.
As a mom of two children with autism, I’ve learned something that applies to both parenting and leadership: strengths aren’t always obvious at first glance. Sometimes, you need to look a little deeper to see someone’s potential.
That perspective has shaped how I think about resumes, hiring and professional growth.
Here are three resume tips I’d encourage every young professional to consider:
- Turn responsibilities into results.
Your resume shouldn’t read like a job description. Instead of only telling someone what you were responsible for, show them what you accomplished.
What changed because you were there?
Did you increase participation or engagement, build a partnership, lead a project, improve a process, or help your organization reach a goal? Whenever possible, include numbers and measurable results.
Your role and responsibilities tell what you did. Your accomplishments tell what you bring to the table.
- Highlight what matters most.
Your resume doesn’t need to include everything you’ve ever done. It needs to showcase what matters for where you’re going.
Think highlight reel, not your entire career history.
Tailor your resume to the opportunity and make your most relevant skills and accomplishments easy to find. And don’t underestimate experiences outside of your job title. Volunteer leadership, community involvement, internships, and other opportunities can demonstrate initiative, leadership, and a willingness to step up.
- Don’t underestimate your story.
This one is especially personal for me. Raising two children with autism, I’ve learned firsthand that progress doesn’t always look the way you expect it to, and that strengths aren’t always immediately apparent.
The same can be true professionally.
Your career may not follow a straight path or look exactly as you imagined, and that’s okay. Career changes, unexpected opportunities, volunteer experiences and even jobs that taught you what you don’t want to do can all help you develop skills, shape your perspective and influence where you’re headed next.
That’s why your resume should be more than a list of positions and responsibilities. It should reflect your growth, the experiences that have shaped you and the value you can bring to your next role or opportunity. When you update your resume, don’t just think about what you’ve done, think about the story those experiences tell.
So, this September, don’t just update the dates on your resume. Take a moment to recognize how far you’ve come, what you’ve learned and what you have to offer, and let your resume tell that story.