• Home
  • Services
    • Resume Writing & Coaching
    • Courses and E-Books
    • Corporate & Group Services
    • Free Resources
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog
Hollywood Resumes
  • Home
  • Services
    • Resume Writing & Coaching
    • Courses and E-Books
    • Corporate & Group Services
    • Free Resources
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog

Is your resume limiting your career development?

7/8/2022

 
Picture
It's really important to have a focused and targeted resume that will get you a particular job, but it’s also important to realize when your resume is too specific and potentially limiting your growth. This is especially relevant if you’re trying to jump from one side of the industry to another, like the transition from production to development. Once you’ve set yourself on a track, it can be hard to make a switch, especially if you’ve worked several jobs within that track. To make a career transition, you'll need your resume and cover letter to show that you're truly interested in a career switch and that your skills are transferable. Otherwise, you run the risk of hiring managers thinking your resume was submitted accidentally or carelessly, and they'll assume you're not really a viable candidate. Here are a few resume tips that can help expand your career potential:

1. Consider a professional summary. In many cases, you may want to add a professional summary that can showcase your desire for a transition and highlight the key skills and unique perspective you'd bring to the work. This is different from an objective statement; instead of "Objective: Secure role as a development executive," you'd frame it as, "Producer with 10+ years' experience crafting top-rated unscripted series seeking transition to development. Proven track record of conceptualizing storylines, identifying unique characters, and shepherding projects through all phases of content lifecycle. Able to manage teams and assess production viability due to extensive background overseeing logistics for large-scale domestic and international productions." By including this info at the top of your resume, you've primed the reader to approach the rest of your resume with the knowledge that you a) desire a career transition and b) have gained transferable skills through previous experiences, so they'll be more likely to read further.

2. Highlight specific keywords. Another option is to lead with an areas of expertise or core skills section, where you list relevant keywords that indicate your transferable skills. This section is especially helpful if you need to use specific language that's relevant to your potential new role but differs from the jargon used in your previous line of work. Maybe you don't have the title "project manager" on your resume, but if you've been a line producer for a while, you definitely have project management skills, and it's certainly okay to list "project management" here! 

3. Write strategic bullet points. As you craft the bullet points in your experience section, take care to focus only on the most transferable, relevant skills. If you were an assistant to an agent, but you're looking to move to the production side of the industry, don't include too much about answering heavy phones. Instead, focus on covering several projects simultaneously, tracking information, and managing complex schedules -- all skills that will be useful on set. 

4. Showcase interests and passions. You can also indicate interest in the type of work you're hoping to transition to by listing professional development courses you've taken, citing side projects you've completed, or naming the type of content you're transitioning to in your professional summary or skills & interests section. This will help solidify your desire to broaden your work.

There’s always a way to spin your experience to align with what hiring managers are looking for. And if you find yourself in a position or track you don’t enjoy, try to switch over as soon as possible -- it only gets harder the longer you wait. Plus, you deserve to be happy with your work!

-- Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan


Comments are closed.

    Hollywood Resumes

    ​Welcome to our career tips blog!  To receive our updates via email, sign up for our weekly newsletter.  You'll also get access to exclusive discounts, offers, and resources! 

    Sign up now!

    Categories

    All
    ASK HR
    Assistant Life
    Bios
    Career Coaching
    Cover Letters
    Industry Spotlight
    Internships
    Job Applications
    Job Interviews
    Job Search Tips
    LinkedIn
    Networking
    Personal Statement
    Professional Development
    References
    Resume Help
    Salary
    Script Coverage
    Social Media
    Thank You Notes
    Work Life

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    RSS Feed

Sign up for our FREE weekly newsletter to receive career tips, discounts, and access to our resource library!
SUBSCRIBE
Photos used under Creative Commons from Jimmy Benson, 401(K) 2013, christiaan_008, televisione, Dai Lygad, MarkMoz12, Krists Luhaers, Nguyen Vu Hung (vuhung), Hollywood_PR, State Farm, Joe The Goat Farmer, HandsLive, Glyn Lowe Photoworks., thedailyenglishshow, dno1967b, flazingo_photos, jmrodri, cliff1066™, Joe The Goat Farmer, flazingo_photos, starmanseries, anitakhart, jimmiehomeschoolmom, Glyn Lowe Photoworks., hfb, gminguzzi, thedailyenglishshow, Visual Content, mkhmarketing, Peat Bakke, Visual Content, vlauria, flazingo_photos, flazingo_photos, cafecredit, StockMonkeys.com
  • Home
  • Services
    • Resume Writing & Coaching
    • Courses and E-Books
    • Corporate & Group Services
    • Free Resources
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog