Amanda Clark — April 3, 2018 There are often many different paths you can take within a career field. For instance, someone with a background in math or accounting could be an accountant, financial analyst, compensation specialist, sales executive, or chief financial officer. In fact, you may dabble in multiple positions throughout your career trying to find the right fit. And if your interests do span several types of positions, it can be tough to make your resume reflect that.
One major mistake you want to stay away from is making your resume too generic. In an attempt to encompass all of your interests, you run the risk of coming across as someone who has no idea what they want to do, or who doesn’t have any honed area of expertise. This can work against you in a competitive job market where you’re trying to show why you’re the best fit. Being a “jack of all trades but master of none” is not the impression you want your resume to give.
But there are ways that you can incorporate your various interests without having to completely overhaul your resume.
Focus on the summary and competencies: Target the key skills, experience, and abilities that an employer is looking for in your summary, but also include some areas that set you apart. For instance, highlight your background as a teacher and why it makes you an even better fit as a corporate trainer than someone without experience in education. This way you are showing that you have what they want, but you also bring a myriad of other abilities to the table that can enhance your effectiveness and make you a stronger asset.
Diversify your experience: When bullet pointing your accomplishments and experience, showcase several different areas. Make sure you can tie them back to the position you are applying for, however. This is where demonstrating results and impact comes in useful because it enables you to show how whatever you did made a difference. Look at the bigger picture and how you can apply a multitude of skills.
Include professional development: You can demonstrate your interests and abilities through the various training courses you have taken. This is a subtler way to show that you are committed to learning new things and expanding your knowledge to different aspects of the field. It also lets employers see that you are open to furthering your education and taking courses to stay up-to-date in your industry.
One of the key points to remember when crafting your resume, however, is to make sure you’re tailoring it to each position you apply to. While it’s okay to show the scope your skills, you also want to make sure that hiring managers and recruiters can make a clear connection for why you are applying to a certain job and how you are a good fit.
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