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Too many people think the term "career path" only refers to the different companies they worked for and positions they held, but it goes beyond that. It's crucial for retail managers to show their true career path on their resume and LinkedIn profile so recruiters can see their accountability and upward trajectory.
This is what I often see on resumes: CANDIDATE 1 OLD NAVY Store Manager, 20XX-20XX Responsible for..... AMERICAN EAGLE Store Manager, 20XX-20XX Responsible for..... GAMESTOP Assistant Store Manager, 20XX-20XX Responsible for..... When I dig a little deeper, more often than not I learn that there's more to the story. Here is what I often find out, and how this person's career path should be presented: CANDIDATE 2 OLD NAVY Store Manager, Chicago IL Dec 20XX to Oct 20XX Story.... Store Manager, Springfield IL Dec 20XX to Dec 20XX Story.... Assistant Store Manager, Urbana IL Sep 20XX to Dec 20XX Story.... AMERICAN EAGLE Store Manager, Urbana IL Jul 20XX - Sep 20XX Story..... Assistant Store Manager, Urbana IL Jan 20XX - Jul 20XX Story..... GAMESTOP Assistant Store Manager, Rockford IL Mar 20XX - Jan 20XX Story..... Team Leader & Key Holder, Rockford IL Oct 20XX - Mar 20XX Story..... Why is Candidate 2's presentation better? Well, for starters, Candidate 1 looks like they haven't been promoted with any of those companies. By combining their positions and locations together, they are presenting a stagnant career path under the umbrella of each employer. Candidate 2, on the other hand, is showing that they have been promoted by every employer, 4 times in total. That's huge value that they bring. Candidate 2 is also presenting their background much more accurately. One of the main purposes of a resume is to generate trust with the reader. By showing each position and location separately, the reader is more likely to believe that they are being fully transparent. Seasoned recruiters will look at Candidate 1 and wonder whether their resume is telling the whole story. Doesn't this just make the resume longer? The resumes I design usually aren't any longer than what the client had originally, and that's because I cut out all the information that doesn't need to be there. So if you have chunky profile paragraphs, long skill lists, and lengthy descriptions of duties and responsibilities, your resume will probably end up longer than it was. But hopefully some of my other blog posts will cure you of that! Your resume's job is to present you in the best light and gain the trust of the reader. Showing your true career path, as long as it's heading in the right direction, can accomplish both of those. Cheers! ---- Mike Howard, Professional Resume Writer If you enjoyed this post, follow me on LinkedIn for more.  Comments are closed.
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