That’s right. It’s November already. (Don’t shoot me. It’s not my fault time goes by so quickly.)

Are you happy with your job? If so, good. If not, think about what you are unhappy about and change what you don’t like. And if what you are unhappy about is unchangeable (the owner of the company is intolerable, you can’t make the salary you want to make, you are bored or burnt out), maybe it’s time to make a plan.

Just a thought.

Just a brief bit of resume advice. If you take away nothing else in terms of guidance in this area, take this: Don’t be boring- or undersell yourself- in your resume.

This is your place to really express who you are in your career. Yes, you can (should) use colorful words (if you are a colorful person). Be bold on paper if you are bold in real life. There is even room for a little gentle humor (if that is who you are). Be creative. Be proud.

In short: Let yourself shine.

Being a professional resume writer, I’m all for people hiring professional resume writers to do this chore for them. Hire one, compliment the finished product, and then pay them promptly. 1 – 2 – 3 – DONE!

But sometimes you need to try to do it yourself first. I get that. So here is my best practical advice for the actual process of writing the resume.

1. Take advantage of the free consultation. I mean it. It’s free. As a veteran hiring professional, I have spent many years of my life looking at the bad (or just not as good as they could be) resumes of job candidates and not being able to give feedback because of the situation. I am happy to be able to now. Email me your current resume and then we’ll have a short conversation wherein you will most likely get either three to five usable tidbits or high praise for an already-perfect resume (it could happen).

2. Get samples off the web. Google “marketing resumes” or whatever your field is. Hopefully, you’ll get some good examples of resumes for people at your level in your field which you can use for formatting guidance.

3. Pretend you are writing about someone else. If you have a hard time confidently conveying your own talents and accomplishments, try to remove yourself from the process. Otherwise, you are likely to undersell yourself or disregard information that should be included.

4. Use an actual job desciption for a position you would want. Your target job is out there and your resume should be geared toward getting you that job. Go on the web again and find an example of a job you would want and write your resume as an ad for you in that specific job.

5. Break it down. If the idea of actually writing the whole resume is too daunting, take it, as Anne Lamott would say, Bird by Bird. Commit yourself to writing the description of your current job, for instance, or setting up the format. Hopefully, that will trick you into starting the process and you will find yourself feeling more at ease once you have begun.

6. See Resume Rules #1, #2, and #3. Read the resume advice I have provided on this blog, keep it in mind when writing, and then reread it when you are done and make necessary revisions.

7. Show and tell. When you have finished writing your resume, send it to your five smartest, most career-savvy friends along with an explanation of what job you’re looking for. Ask them, “Would you call me in for an interview?” If the answer from more than one of them is anything other than a confident, “YES,” get detailed feedback and do a rewrite.

And then, of course, when all else fails, there is surrender…

8. Know when to get help. Lots of perfectly lovely, talented, and intelligent people lack either the aptitude or the inclination to write a really good resume. If what is keeping you from getting a more satisfying new job is the lack of a good resume, admit it and reach out. A half-written resume or a resume that gets you no replies when submitted for jobs you know you are qualified is not going to get you where you want to go.

Hopefully, you find all of this advice helpful. Regardless of how you get it, an expertly-written resume is the key to getting you that job you’d wake up in the morning happy to go to. Even in this wobbly economy, good jobs are out there. Give yourself the best chance to get one.

This is the difference between ending up in the YES (contact them now for an interview) or MAYBE (read later) pile. We don’t worry about the NO pile. If you followed Rule #1 and Rule #2, you should be able to stay out of the NO pile for any job for which you are reasonably qualified. The MAYBE pile is a killer at this point.

The MAYBE pile is for resumes that are comprised of huge blocks of text, that have over five bullet points for each job, that use the same nine words over and over again, that have no headlines at the top briefly describing key qualifications so the reader knows something about the candidate as they skim through the professional experience section.

“I’ll read that later,” the hiring professional will say when faced with having to decode a resume with these characteristics. Too much time, too much work. But here’s the thing…

Most hiring professionals NEVER get to the MAYBE pile.

This is where I lose more people, even those who thought they “got” me on the marketing tool point.

Let me explain. When someone is reading your resume, they are telling themselves a story about who you are. “This is a woman who gets bored easily and bounces around a lot,” they will think when they see a page with six different jobs on it that all last about 18 months. That might not be the truth, but unless something on the page (or at least in the attached cover letter) says otherwise, that’s the conclusion. Maybe three of those jobs were in the same company, just different divisions. Maybe one exit was a due to a non-profit shuttering it’s doors. You’d better make sure these parts of the story are conveyed in your resume.

What story does your resume tell about you?

When I say this, it resonates with some people, gives a eureka moment to some, and confuses others.

Don’t tell me everything, just tell me the things I need to know that will convince me that you are the right person for the position you are seeking. And I’m not talking just about the words- although of course they are key. There is also font, the layout, how the jobs are positioned, what is bold and what is not… everything adds up. If you are looking for a creative position, don’t use a resume that looks like you are seeking a job in a bank. Everything counts.

As far as your career history, highlight the skills and the most valuable experience you have for the job you want. You take out or push to the background anything that isn’t relevant. It can be done. I do it all the time for people wanting to redirect their careers or even just jump to the next level.

I have turned a graphic designer resume into an event planner resume for someone who used it to make a complete career change. I have made different versions of a resume for a school director with a big-time business background who wasn’t sure which path he wanted to follow next. I have taken several administrative or junior executive resumes to the next level, positioning them for a move up the ladder.

Everything on that page will either rule you in or rule you out as a candidate for the job. Give yourself the best advantage with a resume that sells you properly.

On one of my on-line “mommy boards,” a woman wrote in for advice from the group because she was interviewing for jobs and she had a gaping hole on her resume during which time she was a stay-at-home mom. She didn’t know whether she should tell the interviewer that she had been home with her little one or whether she should be more vague- “exploring other options,” “dealing with a personal issue,” etc.

Regardless of what a candidate said in an interview, I could smell ambivalence from a mile away. From anyone, not just moms returning to the work force. The seasoned executive assistant who was over the job, for instance. Or the recent grad who thought he was too good for clerical work (though he wasn’t qualified to do anything else- but that’s another story). Or the woman who looked like she might burst into tears at the thought of showing up at the office. Whether she told me she had a baby at home or not, I could see it wasn’t a job she wanted. And I was no more likely to give her a job than the kid with the ‘tude or the been-there-done-that assistant. No HR person wants to set themselves up for that kind of headache.

On my mommy board, I said I felt that this mom should go ahead and mention her baby if not mentioning it was going to make her uncomfortable or appear shifty, but, more importantly, that she should make sure to convey that she was ready to work and would happily show up every day and get the job done.

Ideally, rather than trying to fake it, that meant that she would “process” any ambivalence and find a way to be happy about getting a job- some family-oriented upside, like having less stress about money or more outside stimulation. I know, easier said than done, but there has to be a reason why working outside the home will benefit her little one and, even if her first choice is spending all day with them, if she keeps in mind that motivation, she will feel like a good mom for going out and getting a job. And she may just ace the interview.

I’ve had a couple of conversations this week that have gotten me thinking about the way we undervalue ourselves and how that gets us stuck in positions that aren’t utilizing or rewarding us properly.

This is not new thinking for me, of course. A lot of what I do when advising clients is convincing them of their worth in the marketplace and the variety of their marketable skills. And when I do a resume rewrite or create a bio, even for an accomplished and seemingly-confident professional, they often marvel at the way I present them, as if to say, “Is this really me?”

“Yes. That’s you,” I insist. I’m not making things up here.

So yesterday a former client called to update me on herself and a couple of people she referred to me. One referral was a recent college grad whose resume I’d rewrtten. He was getting all kinds of calls for interviews now and was very happy. That was very gratifying, but not surprising. He’d had great paying jobs and prestigious internships during college. He’d clearly been thinking about his career path when he sought them out. All he’d needed from me was to present him and his experience in the best light possible for the specific position he was seeking. 

But my former client went on to tell me both she and a frustrated co-worker she’d referred to me had both gotten promotions and raises, from different branches of their company, after my consulting/coaching sessions with them. 

Now these are both intelligent, confident, capable professional women and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t stand for comparable treatment in other areas of their lives. And yet they were underpaid, overworked and sorely undervalued in their positions and each felt trapped, not sure they could do better. That’s where I came in. I helped them see their worth. 

After our work together, one of them was offered a promotion and a (big) raise without seeking it out. She had been ready to leave. She’d had me rewrite her resume and had started putting feelers out. The other one didn’t want to leave. She liked what she was doing there so she made a last-ditch stand, sure that they wouldn’t give her what she wanted. But she got it.

The other conversation this week that got me on this topic was with a friend who is making a move out of a toxic work environment after enduring it for a long time. “It’s like you’re finally leaving a really bad boyfriend,” her sister told her, relieved. This friend is nervous, relieved, excited. But she is looking forward to something better. And I’m sure she’ll find it.

Are you ready for something better? What do you have to give up in order to get it?

Students, parents, guidance counselors, recent grads, mid-career professionals… READ THIS BOOK!

The world is changing. Law degrees and MBAs are no longer the sure-fire “safe bets.” Daniel Pink’s book will explain to you why Abundance, Asia, and Automation are catapulting us into a brand new age, an age where an undergrad degree in psychology or English coupled with an Masters in Fine Art or Graphic Design might just be a more reliable ticket to a successful career. Or why it would behoove those in Information Age fields to augment their law degrees and MBAs with high-concept and high-touch abilities.

This is exactly why my friend, Alexis Martin Neely’s Personal Family Law program is so perfectly timed. She recognized that people don’t just want a will or an old-fashioned estate plan, they want someone they can turn to on an ongoing basis for counsel and assurance that they are protecting their family properly at all stages of their lives and who can create a way for them to pass along more than just financial wealth. Information combined with high-concept and high-touch! Brilliant! If I was a lawyer, I’d be jumping in. (Which reminds me, I’ve got to get on top of creating my Kid’s Protection Plan. Have you done yours?)

Okay, back to A Whole New Mind… The basic concept is that any job that can be done either cheaper overseas or by a computer or other automated system (and let me tell you, it’s everything from designing software to diagnosing disease) is becoming less valuable and sometimes even obsolete and, in an age when even our not-so-basic needs are being met (have you seen how many varieties of mustard there are at your local grocery store?), those who can provide us with meaning, story, fun, and/or connection are the most in demand.

To me, that’s incredibly good news. How do you feel about it?

Have you read the book? When you do, please come back and let us know what you think.

For many years, I was involved with a fantastic Los Angeles-based organization called The Fulfillment Fund. The Fulfillment Fund matches students who are in 8th grade with area professionals for one-on-one mentoring throughout high school. They provide many means of support to help the students.

The College Couseling program is one of the stand-outs for me. It is run by an energetic firecracker of a woman, Sherry Banks, a veteran college counselor and educator who manages to make the process of choosing and getting into the right college both fun and serious business.

I met Sherry when I took my first student, Maria, to meet with her. Maria was in 10th grade at the time and from the beginning, Sherry presented the choice of colleges as a reflection of the personal preferences as well as the academic level and needs of the students. The "personal preferences" part was, I am sad to say, an epiphany for me. I had always known, though Boston University is a great school with top academic offerings, that I had attended the wrong college. But I hadn't thought about why or been able to imagine having gone a different way.

As I sat there with Sherry and Maria, talking about Maria's needs, I was surprised to find myself feeling a little jealous of Maria. The "why" of my mistake was clear: I had needed a Sherry Banks when I was Maria's age and I hadn't been lucky enough to have one. But then again, couldn't all high school students use that kind of help? How many are lucky enough to stumble into the right school on their own? I wasn't.

In the years that followed, helping Maria choose which colleges she would apply for and then "the one" she would attend, I pictured myself having a Sherry Banks, and mentally went down the road not taken. In that alternate universe, I attended a small liberal arts college with an intimate, creative vibe, a college by coincidence like the school Maria ended up attending.

As I drove away from dropping Maria off at school and getting her settled, I knew she was in the right place. I also knew there was no blame to lay for where I had ended up. I had gone to the school my brother had gone to. I felt I knew Boston well because my cousin had also gone there. I had made the best decision I could at the time.

And I was happy for Maria, that she had had Sherry. Sherry had not only helped her become clear about what type of school she wanted to attend, but also encouraged her to stretch for a college that her high school counselor had emphatically (and wrongly, of course) told her was out of her league.

When I am consulting with clients about their next career move, Sherry Banks is never far from my mind. I want to help them find a place that fits them and to stretch for a position they might not otherwise try for.

I want to be for them the guidance counselor I never had.