While the answer to this question can be considered subjective, and there are numerous good answers, we are going to pursue the answer that gives you the best chance to “seize the day.” For each person this decision is theirs, based on current circumstances, but there is a best time.
For instance, if you are a successful small business owner, the obvious answer seems to be, that you do not need a résumé. For most people in this situation, this is true. However, if your business is losing share regardless of the changes you have implemented, it may be time to find another niche to fill. This might be an opportunity to develop a second business as a sideline, or as a replacement that will slowly phase out your current business. Or, your niche might be to join a larger firm as an employee, with benefits that right now consume a large amount of your profitability.
If you are a small business owner, in almost any field, you know that if you are very successful, you will have an ever-increasing amount of competition. You are also responsible for all the benefits your company provides. As the costs for things like insurance and the omnipresent government regulations, continue to escalate, your share of the profits, can be eroded very quickly. At some point, you may be faced with the possibility that you have to find another line of income.
Obviously, if you are in a job that has lost its appeal, you want to have another job lined up before you leave your current situation. That is if you are willing to start over in another company or division. Sometimes the better solution is to stay within an organization and continue to improve your value, which was something we touched on last week.
In this age of competitiveness, and an employer’s market, so to speak, you may be competing for that promotion not only with peers but also outside candidates. This has become especially true, when employers feel they can get employees for lower cost, while only giving up some small amount of job related experience. The thinking is that company specific experience may not be so valuable if education and most skills are equal, especially if there is cost saving involved.
Of course, if you are currently out of work, you know how competitive the job market is, and how you need every advantage available. If you spend time on job boards like “Monster.com” or “CareerBuilder,” or any of the dozens of others, you will realize the demand for better educated, and more specific job related skills, has grown. Employers know that there are hundreds and even thousands of potential candidates, for just about every job out there, and they can demand a lot, for what they are willing to pay.
Now, let’s say you like your job and your employer seems to be happy with your performance, so you do not need a résumé, right? Well let’s look a little closer at your current situation. In my last post, I also alluded to the employer who seems to be “rocking along” with no plans for downsizing. Look at your raises, bonus, and other benefits. Are any of them stagnating or perhaps shrinking just a bit? These may be the first indications that all may not be going as well as you think.
Regardless of the scenario, you may fit into; the truth is that employment is no longer assumed a certainty, and that loyalty is no longer likely to guarantee you a job. So whether you are in a job you feel secure in, own your own small business struggling to stay afloat, or have lost your job, it is probably a good practice to get and keep an updated résumé. Even if you feel, you have nothing to worry about so far as job security, it is a recognized fact that the person interested in making leaps in earning power will have to make quantum leaps in value to their current employer. If that current employer is unwilling or unable to match that improvement in value, the alternative is to change employers.
Even though it is a chore, to give thought and effort to creating and maintaining a résumé, it is a necessity, if you wish to be prepared to change jobs. Even if you are only interested in a promotion within your current employer’s organization, a résumé puts your qualifications and credentials into a concise form and indicates your seriousness about the promotion. Internal job postings may require that you complete some specific form, but when you complete and submit it, include your résumé, unless precluded specifically by the job bid procedures.
While your employer may do an excellent job of keeping an accurate and current job skills inventory on each employee, don’t bet your chance of promotion on that assumption. A well thought out résumé, professionally presented may be just the little something extra that puts you ahead of all the other candidates.
If you are currently unemployed and in the midst of a job search for anything other than entry level work, you already know about needing a résumé. Entry-level jobs, requiring specialized education or certifications, usually require a résumé, in addition to a completed employer application. Even if you are not asked for a résumé, while applying for a job, it is an additional benefit to the prospective employer, and certainly will allow you to draw the hiring professional’s attention to value added skills, knowledge, and abilities you possess.
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned small business owners, who may feel that they have minimal need for a résumé. However, there were some situations where small business owners might have to look to outside employment to help get through a difficult time. Whether that other line of income is working for a larger business full time or taking on a part time job, you as the small business owner, will probably need a résumé.
The case can be made for, and I do recommend, getting a great résumé, and then keeping it current. The best time to get a résumé is when you don’t need one. There is less pressure to think of every detail, which can be so important later, and you are actually likely to think more clearly and objectively, than after you have lost your job, or in the rush to complete a résumé, for a recently posted opportunity.
Every week I get calls from people across all job categories, in a panic because they need a résumé yesterday. Sometimes, I can help them, but many times, I have to turn down the job or refer them to another writer. Even if I have resources available to help them, my feeling is that I am not being provided with the quality information required to create the best résumé they could get, if they had just been proactive.
A résumé is like an insurance policy, you hope you never have to use it, but it is nice to know that you are protected. While a résumé cannot guarantee you constant employment, no more than auto insurance can keep you from being involved in a wreck, both are ready for use if the need arises. So, even if you are in a job that seems secure, or you are happy with your current employment situation, now is the time to get a great résumé. Then when good things happen and you become more valuable as an employee, update that résumé. Some day you may be very happy you acted, preparing for the unexpected.
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