Ideas to help you update your resume. Ask yourself these questions and start developing relevant bullet points.
Responsibilities / Activities:
- Did you supervise anyone? How many? Did you orient? Hire? Train?
- How large a budget were and are you responsible for?
- To whom did you report?
- What was the highest level in the company that you reported to or communicated with directly? Any dotted line reporting structure?
- Did you coordinate anything within the organization?
- Serve as liaison between groups or key individuals or departments?
- Resolve any conflicts? Mediate between groups or individuals? Serve as mentor to anyone?
- Did you do, or participate in, strategic planning?
- Did you communicate with customers? In what capacity
- Did you make any proposals in the company, in-house or with a customer or subcontractor? Did the proposal succeed?
- What was your function on the team, or your contribution to success?
- Did you communicate with suppliers or subcontractors? How?
- Did you purchase services or supplies for the office, unit, and department?
- Ever serve as a troubleshooter? In what area?
- Did you back up someone? Who? In what capacity?
- Did you do any surveys or other research or studies? Determine requirements?
- Prepare recommendations?
- Design or manage any business processes, systems, or projects?
- Did you organize any events, conferences, meetings?
- Did you administer anything for the organization?
- Consult for anyone, inside or outside the organization?
- Did you gain experience in any special software?
Achievements / Accomplishments:
- How much reduction in costs or increase in profits did you contribute to?
- What did you do?
- Did you add any value, quality, or economy of scale that noticeably improved productivity or output after you assumed responsibility? What were they, and what was the result?
- Any concrete or specific signs of the gain you achieved?
- Did you propose, suggest, or initiate any programs, changes, or improvements that were implemented at least partly because of your initiative? What results occurred?
- What did you do above and beyond the regular duties of your position?
- Whether you were paid for it or not, what were you particularly good at that made a difference in how the office (job, project, assignment) progressed from day to day?
- Were you involved in or responsible for any computer systems conversions? If so what were they and what was the result of your efforts?
Computer literacy and related skills:
- What platforms can you use (PC, Apple, Unix, etc.)? Which ones
are you most comfortable with? What operating systems are you familiar with (DOS; Windows; Unix; Apple; other)? - If you program, which languages do you know, and what is your
level of ability or experience? - What programs, or kinds of programs, have you designed or
helped design or debug? - What programs are you familiar with (word processors; spread
sheets; data bases; groupware or PIM’s, such as Lotus Notes, Groupwise, Ecco; graphics, desk-top publishing, etc.); office suites (Suite; Microsoft Office; Word Perfect Office); LAN or WAN system software? (If you know the latest version, mention it, as in “Photoshop CS” If you’re not familiar with the latest version, give only program’s name.) Specialty software or ERP systems.
Awards / Recognition:
- We’re you praised, recognized, or given a pat on the back for
anything a particular assignment, a method of working, a trait of character? How? By whom? - Were you promoted ahead of schedule?
- Selected for any special responsibilities or programs?