9 Documents You need to Start a Resume.

You have decided you need a new job, or your company has decided  that you must get a different job. Now you have selected a job target, created a list of target companies, began networking with industry colleagues, and started to identify potential job leads. What’s next?

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t is time to develop a resume! A resume is like any other business project. You must start by gathering the relevant materials, documents, and data.

Let’s begin by identifying some of the documents you need. They include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Current resume,
2. LinkedIn profile,
3. Previous cover letters,
4. Letters of Recommendation,
5. Job description,
6. Performance evaluations,
7. Award citations,
8. Validated career assessments, and
9. Diplomas, degrees, and certificates,

Your industry or profession may have its own special documentation requirements so make sure you have all these documents too.

Current Resume

 Locate your current or most recent resume before you get started. In fact, I get calls, emails, and LinkedIn messages from prospective clients who feel that all they need to do when starting their job search is to add their current job description to their most recent resume. This won’t work but locating your current resume is still a good starting point. The old resume will remind you of key basic information such as your employer names, dates of employment, job titles, and what you did at each job. It’s easy to forget details over time so it’s useful to have these reminders.

LinkedIn Profile

Make sure you have a PDF or hard copy of your LinkedIn profile. Your online profile can disappear, or you may accidentally delete it so it’s good to have a copy. Your current or most recent LinkedIn profile may also have information that is not in other documents or inflammation that you have forgotten about

Previous Cover Letters

Another potentially valuable source of information is covering letters that you have written to prospective employers in the past. These letters may highlight accomplishments that were important to you at the time you wrote them. Additionally, they can provide you with contact information for people you have previously worked for who may be able to help you find your next job.

Letters of Recommendation

Jobseekers have sometimes provided me with letters of recommendation that they have received from past employers or past coworkers. These letters, just like performance appraisals and award letters, often provide valuable information about accomplishments that other people considered important, and the best language to use when describing these accomplishments in a resume. As a result, we recommend you locate past recommendation letters if possible.

Job Descriptions

Job descriptions offer essential basic information about what you were expected to do at work. Although job descriptions do not necessarily demonstrate that you did everything they describe, they will often provide the right industry language and other useful information.

Keep in mind though that employers either know your job description well or can look it up. They don’t know the unique value that you brought to the job. That’s why you need to supplement the job description with information from your performance appraisals, award citations, and career assessments.

Performance Evaluations

Performance evaluations, if available, are essential to writing a great resume. The most successful resumes that I have prepared for clients have included information from their performance appraisals. That is because these documents often include your  quantified accomplishments on the job. You may need to edit these accomplishments to avoid disclosing confidential information, but these accomplishments will impress prospective employers a lot more than simply stating your job description.

Award Citations

The letters or memos that accompany internal or industry awards can also be a valuable source of accomplishment information. Your prospective employer may not care how many times you win employee of the month, but they will care about what you did that improved customer service or what resulted in other benefits for the company. So, find these letters and memos if you can because they will provide useful quotes for your new resume.

Validated Career Assessments

The results of scientifically valid career assessments that you have taken during your career can add valuable information for your resume. It’s one thing, for example, to say on your resume that you have great communication skills. It is a lot more impactful to tell employers in a resume or letter that a scientifically valid assessment such as DISC or MBTI shows that you have certain strong communications or other soft skills. Your school career office, company HR department, or a career management coach may be able to offer you one of these assessments if you have not already taken one. You will then have evidence of soft skills that other job candidates simply assert.

Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates.

Documents proving formal education and industry credentials are essential to have. They provide the precise terminology for the credentials you have received so you can include this information on your resume. Of course, some industries and employers will also require you to present the actual certificates, degrees, or diplomas at your onboarding meeting or during the interview process. In other words, these could be the most important documents that you gather at this stage.

Concluding Comments.

Once you have  these documents in one place, you will have made a great start toward developing an interview-winning resume. You will need the documents whether you write the resume yourself, ask an AI or coach to write it for you, or edit a past resume. Don’t bypass this step.