The only time most people think about their resume is when they’re looking for a new opportunity with a different employer.
That’s a mistake.
A winning resume can increase your odds of success when applying for an internal promotion, particularly, if you’re competing with external candidates.
If you’re already there, the biggest thing you have going for you is that they know you.
Hopefully, you also know some, if not all, of the players that might include the hiring manager, the HR team, and anyone else with influence.
That said, you still need to sell yourself to get the job.
Don’s assume that because you’ve been there X number of years that people in hiring positions know the contributions you’ve made. They don’t.
You need a resume geared toward your target role.
In this episode, you’ll learn 6 things you need to consider when putting together a resume that will get you the promotion you want.
#1 If you’re applying for a higher-level position, say manager to director or even VP, you need to demonstrate your leadership abilities.
#2 Take a critical look at your current position and identify any challenges you faced and overcame. Think of this in terms of Challenge, Action, and Result.
#3 Identify any additional responsibilities you assumed that set you apart from other staff in similar roles, like stepping up to help your boss manage a project.
#4 Think about any recognition you’ve been given over the years. Have you received industry awards or letters from a happy clients?
#5 When it comes to team projects, of course you want to credit the team, but you also need to include whatever you did. The part you played in the team’s success.
#6 Think about the times you developed relationships or worked across functions or departments. Maybe you were part of a cross-company team?
Not only will an achievement-based resume help you get an interview, it will make it easy for you to talk about your accomplishments during the interview process.
Begin keeping track of your accomplishments today. Create a “brag book” with letters from clients, notes from colleagues, and performance reviews. Update your resume every six months so you’ll be ready when the next opportunity arises.
When vying for a promotion, you’ll be competing with colleagues and, probably, external candidates as well. If you want to move forward in your career you need a resume that clearly demonstrates your value.
To learn more about creating achievement statements listen to Episode 8, How to Create Resume Content That Gets Results, Developing Achievement Statements.
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Annette (00:07):
Hi, welcome to the Smarter Career Moves podcast. I'm an Annette Richmond executive resume writer and principal of career intelligence resume writing and career services.
Annette (00:31):
Hi, thanks for joining me today. Our topic is creating a resume for an internal promotion. The only time most people think about their resume is when they're looking for a new opportunity with a different employer. That is a mistake. A winning resume can increase your odds of getting the job when you’re applying for an internal promotion, particularly if you're competing with external candidates. If you're already there, the biggest thing you have going for you is that they know you. You already have a history with them. They already know you fit with the company culture. Hopefully you also know some, if not all of the players that might include the hiring manager, the HR team, and anyone else with influence. Having said that, you still need to sell yourself in order to get the job. Many people assume that if they've been with an employer for several years, their reputation proceeds them.
Annette (01:28):
They think people will know if they've streamlined processes to save time and money or generated a lot of sales or revenue or cut down on employee turnover. But the truth is they probably won't know unless you tell them. The bottom line is that if you're applying for an internal promotion, you need to sell yourself with an eye-catching results-driven resume just as you would if you were applying for an external role. You need a resume geared towards your target position. Here are six things that you really should think about when you're putting together your resume. Number one, if you're applying for higher level position, say manager to director, or even VP, you need to demonstrate your leadership abilities, activities like training, supervising, and mentoring staff, particularly if they're promoted, demonstrates leadership. Participating in a company leadership or management development program can be important as well.
Annette (02:28):
Also, any external professional development or certifications that you've done. Number two, take a critical look at your current position and identify any challenges you faced and overcame. Maybe you had to deal with low morale or outdated technology or declining customer satisfaction. Think of this in terms of Challenge (What was the problem?) Action (What did you do?) and Result (What was the outcome?) Did you save time? Save money, generate money, always try to quantify your results in terms of numbers, percentages or dollars. Always try to quantify your results in terms of numbers, percentages, or dollars. To learn more about creating these achievements statements listen to episode eight, how to create resume content that gets results, developing achievement statements. Number three identify any additional responsibilities you assumed that set you apart from other staff in similar roles. For example, maybe you managed the program for your current boss
Annette (03:39):
So he or she could focus on over things like developing a new campaign, or maybe you volunteerd to step in and help another department manage a large project. Number four. Think about any recognition you've been given over the years. Have you received any company or industry awards? Maybe you have letters from happy clients. Does anything stand out from an employment review, maybe comments from your boss? Number five, when it comes to team projects, of course you want to credit the team, but you also need to think about what part you played in the team success. If the team was tasked with replacing outdated technology, for example, maybe you were instrumental in the vetting process, or maybe you negotiated the contract. Maybe you were the person who got buy in from the boss or even the board of directors to move a project forward. Number six, think about the times you've developed relationships or worked across functions or departments.
Annette (04:37):
Maybe you were part of a cross company team. Perhaps you built relationships with external stakeholders or key clients or long-standing vendors. Maybe there was a time that you collaborated with the head of another department to solve a company wide problem. Not only will an achievement-based resume, help you get an interview, it will help you during the interview process. It will be easier to talk about the impact you've made on your employer. Begin keeping track of your accomplishments today. Create a kind of a brag book with letters from clients, notes, from colleagues and your performance reviews, update your resume every six months. So you'll be ready when the next opportunity arises. You may think that since you've been there for years, they will know what you do, that your work will speak for itself. Unless you're the company Rockstar it won’t. An attention-grabbing, results-
Annette (05:32):
Driven resume is essential if you want to stand out from the competition, particularly if you are in an executive position or a targeting and executive role. People think about climbing the career ladder, but it's really a career pyramid. Early in your career it’s easier to get jobs, even promotions with a simple resume that lists your employment history, because there were a lot of entry level jobs. There are fewer jobs once you get to the management level and fewer still at the executive level. When vying for a promotion, you'll be competing with colleagues and probably external candidates as well. If you want to move forward in your career, you need a resume that clearly demonstrates your value. Thanks again for joining me today. Good luck with your job search.
Annette (06:29):
Thanks again for joining us for the smarter career news podcast. We hope you enjoyed today's episode. If you did, please subscribe. Thank you. [inaudible].