Resume Writing Workshop 🔴 Day 2: Career Profile

Resume Writing Workshop 2025 - Day 2 Summary

Key Concepts:

• Career Profile: An executive summary of your skills and experience, designed to create a positive first impression and control the narrative.
• Highlights Section: Select achievements that showcase your value and align with the target role.
• Professional Experience Section: Detailed description of your work history, emphasizing accomplishments and quantifiable results.
• Core Competencies: Specific business functions you excel at, not general traits.
• The Great Eight: Key areas of accomplishment (e.g., sales, building organizations, serving customers).
• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Software used by employers to screen resumes.
• Boss Hunting: Proactive networking and outreach to potential employers.
• Feeding the Funnel: Initial outreaches to find receptive individuals.
• Criteria Matrix: A tool to evaluate employers and ensure alignment with your values.

1. Introduction and Announcements

• Welcome to day two of the Resume Writing Workshop 2025.
• Reminder to register for the workshop to receive the resume content builder.
• Announcement: Case study swapped to focus on a career changer's success story.
• Becky's success story: A career changer over 55 with a decade-long employment gap landed a manager role in cybersecurity.
• Becky used Andy AI and the salary negotiation grid and criteria matrix.
• Emphasis on imagining yourself in a great job to stay motivated.

2. Workshop Blueprint

• Day 1: Covered resume writing insights, recruiter perspectives, and value creation.
• Day 2: Focus on the career profile.
• Day 3: Bullet writing and choosing the right highlights.
• Day 4: Structuring the professional experience section and using AI.
• Question: What was your favorite part of yesterday's session?

3. Career Profile: The Billboard of Your Resume

• Layout of the Resume:
  • Name and contact info
  • Career profile
  • Highlights section
  • Professional experience
  • Education
  • Extracurriculars (certifications, skills, volunteer work)
• Career Profile Purpose: To give the reviewer the most impactful information about you in alignment with their needs.
• Length: Less than 100 words.
• Goal: To control what the reviewer thinks about you and create a memorable picture.
• Analogy: The story of hiring a personal assistant from 504 resumes, emphasizing the importance of a positive first impression.
• Key Takeaway: "You shape the way they think about who you are because they're excited."
• Objective Statement: Not needed.

4. The Andy Formula for Career Profile

• Two paragraphs with pertinent information.
• Aggregate total years of experience or relevant years of experience.
• Types of organizations, market sector, industries.
• Major accomplishments or activities.
• Core competencies (business functions).
• Relevant notables (certifications, returning to the workforce).
• Goal: Get them excited, provide a summary, and neutralize any questions.

5. Career Profile Template

• Two to three-word descriptor + number of years of experience + type of companies.
• Major accomplishment.
• Supplemental major accomplishment.
• List of core functions.

6. Career Profile Examples

• Senior International Marketing Leader: 25 years in life science, Fortune 500 healthcare companies, brand development, marketing strategy, team management, content marketing, product marketing, brand management, multilingual.
• Senior Project Manager: 10 years implementing IT solutions for Fortune 500 companies in financial services and healthcare, customer service projects, PMP certification.
• Key Takeaway: "What markets you better?"

7. Addressing Concerns

• Repetition: Not a concern, as the career profile provides an aggregated view not found elsewhere.
• Time: A summary saves time by quickly assembling the story about you.
• White Space: Dead space; prioritize information.
• Applicant Tracking Systems: Can digest career profiles without issue.

8. Career Profile and Interviewing

• The career profile tees up a great introduction for interviews.
• Use a verbal view of your career profile when asked to introduce yourself.
• Seven-step introductory process:
  • I am a [career coach] who helps [white collar professionals].
  • I have spent [the last eight years] as a [career coach].
  • During that time, I have helped [more than 600 people].
  • My primary area of expertise is [helping women over 40 in the US].
  • As you can see from my resume...
  • I also have...
  • Noteworthy mention.
• Consistency between resume and interview is crucial.

9. Action Items

• Grab the resume content builder.
• Determine your verb-noun combo or descriptor.
• Identify the organizations or entities you've worked for.
• List your bragable accomplishments, aligned with the target role's goals.
• Identify your core functions, skills, and noteworthy attributes.
• Consider purchasing "Interview Intervention."
• Access additional career profile reviews and introductory examples in the paid program.

10. Case Study: Tracy's Career Change

• Tracy's background: From dancer/fitness trainer to finance.
• Challenges: Told she couldn't get into finance, lack of specificity in desired roles.
• Overcoming challenges:
  • Thinking of her ideal employer.
  • Speaking to supportive people.
  • Getting specific about her desired role.
  • Focusing on what she wanted to happen.
• Steps taken:
  • Spent time on her resume, evolving it over time.
  • Boss hunting instead of relying on job descriptions.
  • Supplementing with certifications (ESG).
• Friend's referral: Specificity in her resume led to a referral to her friend's company.
• Interview process:
  • No job description or title.
  • Asked what she wanted immediately.
  • Created her own job description.
  • Educated herself on financial modeling.
• Outcome:
  • Got the job in two months.
  • Negotiated a higher salary than before.
• Key takeaways:
  • Don't waste time on ineffective activities.
  • Find people who believe in you.
  • Be open-minded and adaptable.
  • Focus on the art of the possible.
  • Don't be afraid to take a pay cut for the right experience (but she didn't have to).

11. Additional Resources and Program Information

• Check out job search success stories on the website.
• Jane and Jana's case studies are recommended for those transitioning from entrepreneurship.
• The job search coaching program includes:
  • Job search boot camp (executive digest version).
  • Resume writing workshop.
  • LinkedIn workshop.
  • Job search challenge.
  • Interview program.
  • Salary workshop.
  • Lifetime access and online support.
  • Group coaching sessions.
  • Andy AI (digital clone).
• Special offer: $300 off the interactive service package or VIP package.
• Extra career accelerator program (5-module training) included with the interactive service plan if you join by Friday.

12. Q&A Highlights

• Susan: Advice on including volunteer jobs in the career profile and addressing ageism.
• Amanda: Whether to include repeat specific accomplishments in the first profile line.
• Elena: Whether the career profile on your resume should be the same as your LinkedIn profile.
• Dana: How to avoid commingling too much information into one bullet point.
• LR: What to specify if you worked for a company that has now been dissolved.
• Misty Barnes: Advice for someone who is moving from owning their own business back into a full-time job.
• Andrea: How to show the time gap if leaving out irrelevant jobs.
• Allison Francis: Whether to list the variety of agencies you've worked with.
• May Lim: Whether to put in your career profile related to career officer.
• Hugo: What's the ideal resume length and how should I present it in this context?
• Kimberly Rosen: Should we in include a core competency section?
• Joyce: I have a heavy events marketing background and really want to move away from that into partnership B2B customer service.

13. Conclusion

• The career profile is a crucial element of your resume, designed to make a strong first impression and control the narrative.
• By following the Andy formula and tailoring your resume to the target role, you can increase your chances of landing an interview.
• Don't be afraid to think outside the box and highlight your unique skills and experiences.
• The job search coaching program offers a comprehensive system to help you achieve your career goals.
• Remember to stay motivated, network effectively, and never give up on your dreams.