ATS Proof- Part 4

In part four of the podcast, the host discusses section organization in resumes. She emphasizes the importance of having a professional summary at the beginning, replacing objective statements. Key skills and qualifications should be highlighted, but they should be original and relevant to the job. The work experience section should include relevant accomplishments. Education sections should list degrees and certifications, but relevant coursework should only be included if there is no degree. Part four, y'all, part four of six. We are still working on how to ATS proof our resumes. We're gonna fix our resumes up so they can make it through any applicant tracking system. So part four today, it's all about section organization. How do we organize those sections on our document? Today we're gonna dive in, it's a little bit lengthier today. Instead of four points, I've got five points that I'm gonna make in today's episode. But again, we are talking all about section organization of our resume today. So let's go. Hey there, you professional, ambitious, working mama. Welcome to the Christian Career Coach Podcast. Do you wanna achieve remarkable success and experience unwavering faith in your professional journey? Do you find yourself up late at night searching for answers on how to make more money, maintain a positive work-life balance and achieve exponential career growth? Do you wake up with big ambitious goals only to feel overwhelmed and uncertain when faced with setbacks, frustrations and unexpected challenges? Well, you're in the right place. I'm Susan Edwards. And on this podcast, we tackle those exact concerns head on. We dive deep into strategies to propel your income, accelerate your career growth and help you align your work with your faith. So if you're tired of feeling stuck and you're ready to embrace extraordinary success, unwavering faith and a purposeful life, then join me on the Christian Career Coach Podcast. Together, we'll navigate the obstacles, find clarity amidst chaos and unlock your true potential. Get ready for inspiration, actionable advice and powerful insights that will empower you to conquer your fears and create the fulfilling career you've always dreamed of. Let's walk this transformative journey together. Welcome to the Christian Career Coach Podcast where ambition meets faith and your dreams find their wings. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Hey, amazing listeners. I want to share an exciting opportunity that can help you thrive in your career while aligning with your Christian values. As a devoted Christian Career Coach, I offer personalized one-on-one coaching sessions designed to empower you to achieve remarkable career growth, maintain a healthy work-life balance and increase your salary. 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I can't wait to connect with you and guide you towards the abundant career you deserve. Visit www.ForwardsCareerServices.com today and take the leap towards a fulfilling and prosperous professional life. Welcome back, part four. We're improving our resume each day. While we're making all of these changes, by the time we're done with all six parts of this series, our resume is gonna make it through any ATS system. Any of those applicant tracking systems are not gonna hold us back from getting those interviews once we get all of these ideas and everything implemented in our resume. So today, we are talking all about the different sections of the resume and how to organize them. So it's titled Section Organization, but today, I've got five different points that I want to bring up and kind of talk you through in terms of the different sections. So the first point that we're gonna dive into is about that professional summary. So you definitely wanna have a professional summary at the beginning. So what used to be the objective statement, objective statements now in 2023 are obsolete. So if you have an objective statement on your resume, it is time to update your resume and replace it with a professional summary. So basically, a professional summary should be no more than four or five sentences and it should basically highlight your achievements and what you're looking for in your next position. So that's what your professional summary is. That's that introductory piece at the very beginning that when the reader reviews everything, they have a good understanding of your background and what it is that you're looking for. So they can easily take a look at the rest of your resume and it should match your professional summary. So whatever you do, don't copy and paste this from Google because you need it and it needs to be in your words too. My second point is to highlight your key skills and qualifications. So that particular section is gonna be, I honestly like the column style resumes. So as long as you've got your key skills, your key qualifications in their own section, then you'll be fine. Just be sure that you can highlight what those key skills are. Again, don't just go Google searching for the best key skills and qualifications that you can find for that job title. It needs to actually match with your background and your experience. And don't use the generic ones, the detail-oriented or communication skills or anything generic like that, okay? Try to be original with your key skills. If you wanna use your Google search or your DuckDuckGo search and try to find some of these top, what the top skills and qualifications are, go through the list and be original. Find the ones that actually are you and that you have a story that you can share about that specific skill or qualification. If you don't have something that immediately comes to your mind that you can actually share a real-life example of what makes you, let's say it is, let me think of a good key skill. Let's do our own little Google search real fast. Skills and qualifications is what we'll do for human resources manager. Let's try that. Skills and qualifications. You can see things like communication, which I just said, generic, not using that one. Leadership, also pretty generic. Management. Now, time management is a great one. Writing. Writing is a great one. Creativity. That's another really good one. Decision-making. That's awesome. Critical thinking. Analytical skills. These are all great ones that you can use. Empathy, of course, empathy. Those are all really great skills that could be listed if you were going for a human resources manager role and you actually had a story to tell, something that would back that up for you that shows that that really is you, that really is who you are. Okay, we're gonna move on now to the third point that I wanna make about your section organization, and that is to make sure that you provide a detailed work experience section and, again, emphasize the relevant accomplishments. This is another key to tailoring your resume for that position. So if you keep the same company and job title in all of your resumes that you're submitting, take a look at what you have listed underneath that experience section. Are you emphasizing accomplishments that are relevant to the position you are applying to? This one is really important because this is the meat of your resume. This is what really highlights what you did, what you accomplished in your previous roles that speaks to your new potential employer that tells them what you are capable of. And not only can they see that you've got it listed, you have it listed for a reason. The reason is because you've actually done it, and if you've done it before, you can do it again. So certainly if it's something that really speaks to the position that you're applying for, you definitely wanna make sure you include that. So, again, just provide a detailed work experience section and make sure that you're emphasizing those relevant accomplishments. Point number four, you want to include an education section, and within the education section, you need to make sure that you have your degrees listed, your certifications listed, and any relevant coursework. Now, here's a caveat to this. If you don't have a degree, that's when you would list out relevant coursework. If you have your bachelor's degree or an associate's degree or beyond, associate's, bachelor's, master's, or anything beyond, you do not need to list any relevant coursework. Certifications are great if they are relevant to the position. So if you're applying for an administrative role but you have your CPR certification, yeah, I don't really know how that's gonna benefit you in this role. So while you could leave that on there, my recommendation would be to not include it because it's not relevant for the role that you're applying for. So just have an education section and then make sure that you've got your degrees, certifications, and if needed, relevant coursework listed. When it comes to a high school diploma, if you don't have a degree, such as an associate's, a bachelor's, or beyond, and you are within 10 years of graduating high school, then sure, leave your high school diploma on there. If you've been out of high school for more than 10 years, you do not need to list your high school diploma on your resume. You should have something beyond a high school diploma after 10 years of experience, whether that's college experience or actual work experience. You should have gained something, whether it's a certification or something that you can highlight there that's relevant in terms of your education, again, relevant for the role that you're applying. All right, and the fifth and final point that I have about the sections within your resume is you want to consider adding additional sections, such as volunteer experience, maybe projects, or your professional affiliations. I love that professional affiliations one. I think that it speaks to not only volunteering but volunteering within your expertise, and it shows a passion for what it is that you do. I mentioned SHRM before, which is the Society for Human Resource Management. It's a national organization. There are paid positions, but there are chapters all over the United States that we're all just volunteer positions. Everything that we're doing, it's a volunteer role, but it definitely keeps us up to speed with anything relating to our industry. So I love the professional affiliations. Consider adding a section for your professional affiliations. I really do like that one. If you're not affiliated with any professional organizations, that's okay. Maybe you will be in the future. Maybe you've done it in the past, but you're not anymore. That is perfectly okay. You could actually list your professional affiliations that you were a part of previously and just put the years beside it that you were associated with them. If you like to volunteer at certain organizations, let's say Habitat for Humanity or your local animal shelter or something like that, then absolutely put that on there. That is all of these things, even projects that you've worked on, maybe a team project or even an individual project that had held some useful value either for yourself or an organization previously or currently. I would actually highly recommend have this additional section and label it as volunteer experience, label it as professional affiliations, label it as projects, whatever makes the most sense for you. But definitely, if you have something that you can list out, then definitely put it on there. I definitely recommend that. All right, so this is wrapping up part four. Again, I just want to summarize again the five points that I discussed today that are all about organizing the various sections of your resume. The first one being include a professional summary at the beginning of your resume. The second point that we discussed today is to highlight your key skills and qualifications. The third point that we discussed was to provide a detailed work experience section and make sure you're emphasizing the relevant accomplishments within that section. The fourth point that we discussed was to include an education section with your degrees, certifications, and any relevant coursework if you don't have those degrees. And then the fifth and final point from today is to consider adding additional sections such as volunteer experience, projects, or professional affiliations. So we are getting one step closer to really having a solid resume that is going to be able to clear any ATS system. So four parts down and two parts to go. Hey there, Ambitious Mama. I hope you enjoyed today's episode of the Christian Career Coach Podcast. If it resonated with you and provided valuable insights, I'd love for you to take just 30 seconds and share this episode with a fellow Christian professional who may benefit from the career advice and inspiration. Together, we can uplift and empower more women on their professional journeys. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Oh, and one more thing that would mean the world to me. Could you leave a review? Your feedback and support light me up and let me know that this podcast is making a positive impact in your life. As we continue this journey together, remember that you're not alone. I understand the joys and challenges of being an Ambitious Mama, and I'm here to cheer you on every step of the way. So march your calendar, because I'll meet you back here next Tuesday for another episode filled with valuable insights and practical tips. Until then, keep chasing your dreams, balancing your roles with grace, and shining brightly in your career and family life. ♪