A Mini Resume - Experience Summaries

We have looked at resumes small and large during this season.  However, it is worth our time to examine a mini resume.  This format gets to the point and is a focused sell for a position. We also can create one tightly focused document and use it as a template for others.

It helps to start with a definition and goal.  The purpose of this document is to provide the reader with a page (or maybe two at most) that highlights specific skills and experience.  It is intended more as a marketing tool than a standard resume.  Thus, you might find it useful to "pretty it up" with more formatting and color than you would typically use.  These additions can help make it more appealing and a quick way to convince a decision-maker of your suitability for the position.

We do not want to forget to list out the skills we have.  However, the goal with a mini resume is to highlight the experience you have gained.  Achieve this goal by providing project and role summaries.  It is easy for this information to become dry and dull, so liven it up.  Think of a flyer format rather than a standard resume.  Ideally, this is a PDF document you can link to or attach to all sorts of applications.  You can even throw it on your LinkedIn page or personal website.  This document should be a way to show off your value to an employer.

The essential outcome of this exercise is a document that "brags" about you in your voice.  We often find it hard to talk ourselves up specifically.  Thus, do it in written form.  You can even include quotes and references from others.  Check out a boutique consulting company web site or the back of a hardcover book to see the kinds of language and quotes often used.  Do not be afraid to emphasize how good you are at your job.  A hard sell is sometimes the only one that works.

Episode Challenge: Build a Mini Resume that would help you land your ideal job.

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