One of the keys to advancing your career is to take advantage of internal opportunities. You never know when an internal position will become vacant, and you can be one of the first to apply for a position when it’s available. But you need to make sure your resume is convincing and suitable. Here are a few tips for getting your resume prepared for an internal promotion.
Update Your Resume Frequently
Every three to four months, take a close look at your resume. Are there any achievements you can add to the document? Have you taken on any duties that you can incorporate into your resume? Additionally, pay attention to your contact information. If your email or phone number has changed, update it with accurate details.
Although this might seem like something you can do when a promotion arises, it’s important to be proactive. When there’s an opening, you need to be one of the first people to send in your resume. And if you don’t have an updated resume, it could take you days to get it ready. Even worse, you could have outdated information that makes the hiring manager overlook your application. Always have your resume ready for submission.
Identify Leadership Skills
A resume for an internal promotion should be slightly different than one for another role. When you’re seeking a promotion, you want to showcase your leadership skills. You can do this by highlighting activities that involve training, supervision, and mentoring.
If you’ve taken any external professional development programs, include those in your resume. Outside certifications can also prove your leadership role. Remember, your boss may not be aware of your outside activities. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your employer knows you’re a good leader.
Consider Your Challenges
As you work on your resume, think about any challenges you’ve encountered with your current employer. Those challenges are an opportunity to show your employer just how capable you are. For instance, you may have discovered that a process was outdated. You could explain that you took measures to update the process, and then use statistics to show how much more effective your new process is.
When you convey your challenges, include details about the action you took and the result you obtained. If you have a history of thriving in adversity, your employer won’t hesitate to give you more responsibility. They want to know that you can overcome challenges.
Highlight What Sets You Apart from Others
In your organization, there could be several other individuals in similar roles. Spend some time thinking about what makes you different from those employees. Doing so makes it easier for your employer to see why they should promote you and not someone else. Furthermore, it shows that you are willing to go above and beyond to achieve success.
What sets you apart? If you volunteered for projects, helped a coworker, or did anything outside of your normal job duties, add it to your resume. All of these details will make you rise above the competition.
Make a List of Awards and Recognition
It’s also important to include industry awards and other forms of recognition in your resume. Have you ever had a coworker or client write you a thank you letter? Or perhaps you had an excellent performance review. If you compile a list of all your awards and recognition, you can show your employer your value.
It’s not enough to simply say that you performed well or met your goals. By being specific about your accolades, you prove your worth. Anyone can say that they performed well, but only someone truly talented will have awards or letters to back up their accomplishments.
Discuss Team Projects
With a promotion comes more teamwork. If you want to show your employer that you’re ready for more collaboration, you should show them examples of times when you were a team player. Perhaps you became the unofficial leader of a project, or you were the one to get approval from your boss. Talk about specific scenarios when you worked as a team and excelled.
Use an Achievement-Based Resume
When it comes to resume formats, you have a variety of options. For internal promotions, you should stick with an achievement-based resume. Talk about the ways in which you’ve positively affected your company. While every type of resume has its own merits, achievement-based resumes tend to work best for internal candidates.
Use the Standard Resume Rules
Some employees make the mistake of ignoring common resume practices when they apply for internal positions. Because the employer already knows them, the applicant doesn’t take the process as seriously as they should. They assume the employer is aware of their worth and don’t submit a resume that gets the job done.
To avoid this, spend extra time on your resume. Make sure you grab the reader’s attention and focus on providing specific examples of your skills and achievements.
Why It Matters
You might think that being a current employee gives you a major advantage. However, employers don’t always hire from within. Sometimes, they even favor external applicants. You need to go to great lengths to make it obvious that you’re a better fit for the job than anyone else.
Because of the difficulties of receiving internal promotions, some candidates see no other option than finding a new job. However, you might not want to leave your company. Quitting and taking a better job at another company could make you look like a flight risk. If you want to avoid having too many short stints on your resume, you should seek out internal promotions.
There’s also the benefit of comfort. If you’ve been with the same company for three years, you probably have a high level of comfort. You know what to expect from management and your coworkers. As a result, you’re set up for success. With a new employer, you would need to figure out the workplace dynamics as well as settle into a new role.
In the end, an internal promotion could be exactly what you need to fuel your career. So, get your resume ready and apply for openings as soon as they become available.