If you have been in the same job for a long time, you might think about what your next career move will be. Will you start applying for jobs at a higher level, will you change your career path entirely with a new position, or will you continue on in a similar role? An easy way to help yourself make this decision is to craft what we’ll call “a resume in advance.” Crafting a resume in advance means creating a future (imaginary) position for yourself and listing it on your resume. While this isn’t a resume you’d send to any potential employers, it can help you decide what you are looking for in your next role.
First step would be to decide on a start date for your next position. This will help you set a goal for when you would like to move on from your current role. For example, “I hope to have a new position or promotion lined up by March 2015,” so this would be the date you’d put on your resume in advance.
Second, you should come up with a job title. It doesn’t have to be an actual job title you would search for when applying for a new job, but simply a way to label what you want your new position to encompass. For example, if you are looking to move into a management position, make sure to include the word “manager” somewhere in your title.
Next, you need to come up with a list of responsibilities for your new role. These can be completely new tasks you have never had before but believe you could handle, or responsibilities you currently have that you would like to hold on to. Once you’ve finished listing all of your new responsibilities, you will have a much better idea of what you are looking for in your next job. You might find that you enjoy certain aspects of your current responsibilities, so a complete career change isn’t necessary. You might also discover the opposite. Maybe you are looking to gain more responsibilities in a completely new area, which could mean a more serious career change.
Finally, after completing your “resume in advance,” you should have a pretty good idea of what you want in your next position. This will help you decide what kind of jobs you should search for when applying for new positions, or what added responsibilities you should ask for when speaking with your boss about a potential promotion.
