Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
When it's time to write a resume – indeed when it's time to do a job search – you want to tell the story of your career to potential employers, in a way that gets you the job.
This is the "arty" part of resume writing and though it's a way to make resume writing far more interesting, it can be as difficult as any artistic effort. You may have trouble starting – or stopping. You may get writer's block, or not be sure what to include.
Either way, work on telling your story.
In general people don't like to do resumes. I'm sure for a good 90% of my audience this is not a revelation, but a confirmation. People just don't enjoy the whole resume thing – something I encounter all the time.
Part of this is because of the stress of the job search, I'm sure. However, another factor is that I think people haven't really found a way to "get into" doing a resume. The resume is a barrier, the resume is an annoyance, the resume is a chore.
I think that resumes can actually be fun. If you enjoy them, you'll do better at them.
"Once I get it together, I'll launch my career!"
If you think this way, you're never going have a career.
The truth about careers (and life in general) is you'll never truly have it together. There will always be something not quite right. There will always be something a bit off. Even if you get to your supposed perfect point, you'll re-evaluate it and discover it's not as perfect as you thought.
So you might as well start your career now. Take that class. Read that book. Do that research. Practice Flash animation or whatever. You're never going to have it together enough to start, so wade on it.
"Once I get these things together, my career will be perfect."
If you think this way, you'll be waiting forever.
Careers are evolving, unpredictable beasts. You can set a direction into the future, but you can expect quite a few twists and turns as you head towards where you want to go. Along the way you may decide where you want to go is something differently entirely.
Want to be happy in your career? Start as soon as possible, throw yourself into it, and enjoy the ride. Accept the crazy, chaotic nature of what you'll face. Enjoy the experience of the changes.
There's never a time it'll be all together.
But it can be pretty exciting!
– Steven Savage