About Me

By way of brief introduction, my name is Katie and I'm a 27 (nearly 28!) year old living in Midtown, Atlanta, for the last 10 years. I manage internal HR processes for a major consulting firm, and I'm passionate about Twitter (@katiehamilton), proper spelling, taking pictures, and building relationships. I'm also in school part-time getting an MBA and training for my first (and probably only) half marathon. I'm so excited to be a part of the bSmart community and I look forward to interacting with all of you. 

New Year, New You

I’m sure many of us made New Year's resolutions, while others opted for a New Year's theme such as choosing a word you want to embody for 2014. However you decided to set intentions for yourself, the new year brings change and excitement. If you're like many of my friends, you may have even decided to start looking for a new job or finally secure that dream job.
 
Jacquelyn Smith suggests in a Forbes article that there’s never a perfect time of year to start the job hunt. But from my experience in HR, the New Year offers a great time to lay the foundation to find your dream job in 2014. Read more about my top 3 tips for making sure you have a new résumé for the New Year.
 
Tip # 1 - Update Your Résumé with 2013 Accomplishments
 
My first recommendation for anyone considering a job change is to start now! Update your résumé with all of your accomplishments from 2013. Ideally, you should be able to flip your résumé to a recruiter in under an hour. I imagine many of you are scoffing at me. I'm scoffing at myself. You might be thinking, “I can barely keep my inbox to less than 1,000 emails, and I'm supposed to keep my résumé updated all the time?” To that I say yes, which leads directly into my next piece of advice.
 
Tip # 2 – Schedule a Reminder to Update Your Résumé Every 8 Weeks
 
I have a reminder on my calendar to take a peek at my résumé every 8 weeks. Maybe I started a new project, maybe my role changed a little bit, or maybe I took on more responsibilities. Those are the critical experiences I should add to my résumé with a quick sentence, or by adding a few words to an existing description. The beauty of this work-in-process résumé is that you aren't spending multiple hours over multiple days trying to remember all of the incredible things you've done and ways you've contributed to the business.
 
Tip # 3 – Have a Friend in Your Desired Industry Proofread for Relevance
 
It can feel a little awkward to have someone else provide feedback on your résumé, considering it's all about the incredible things you have done. My advice to you is to throw your self-consciousness aside and ask a critical friend to proofread your résumé for typos or redundancy. Even better, if you have a friend or acquaintance working in your desired industry or company, ask them to do a once-over to make sure your responsibilities, achievements, and accomplishments are relevant. You might have incredible experiences, but if they aren’t relevant to the role for which you’re applying, the company might not realize how fabulous you are. I recommend you align your résumé descriptions to highlight why you’re the best person for this particular job.
 
Keeping your résumé current is the first tool for finding your dream job and having an advantage in a very competitive marketplace. This post is the first in a series about the full-time job of looking for a full-time job, how to pull together a great résumé, and other job hunting tips for our like-minded ladies. I am so passionate about this topic and excited to share my industry experience with you.
 
I'd love to hear from you with your job hunting and interview questions. Post your questions below or reach me on Twitter using #bsmartjobsuccess so I can help you find your dream job in 2014!
 

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