Are you ready and motivated to succeed in your career? If your answer is yes, you already possess two wonderful qualities. Confidence and motivation. You have a positive attitude and the energy to succeed. The “how-to-do-it” comes when you believe in yourself.

How do I know this? I’ve helped hundreds of job seekers secure their first professional role. I’ve learnt confidence, self-awareness, unwavering motivation, and a positive mindset fuels your job search and gives you the best chance of achieving the position you desire.

If you want to enhance these qualities and develop your resume writing skills, then the four tips outlined below will help you out. You’ll develop the “how-to” and create a resume that will attract your dream employer. 

So, here we go! Grab a notebook and pen and let’s get started:

1. BECOME SELF-AWARE

Your resume matters. What’s equally important is knowing yourself and being able to communicate your strengths, passion and skills to a potential employer. How do you do this? By becoming self-aware. 

What does it mean to be self-aware? The dictionary definition of self-awareness says, “Conscious knowledge of one’s character and feelings.” 

One aspect of self-awareness is knowing your strengths. This will not only help you to write an effective resume, but it will also allow you to answer the toughest questions during an interview. 

Can you confidently answer the two most common interview questions?

• Tell me about yourself?

• What are your strengths? 

Think about your responses for 10 minutes. Are you stuck? That’s okay. Before you begin writing your resume, you need to become more self-aware.

Try this exercise:

1. List the skills and knowledge you have developed through participating in hobbies, school life, university and employment.

2. Using the list above, circle some skills you are passionate about. Why are you passionate about these skills?

3. What skills or attributes have others praised you on, and what do they say about you?

You’re now on the way to becoming more self-aware! By reflecting and looking deep into who you are, what you do and how you make others feel will not provide you with valuable content to use in your resume, but it will build your confidence from within.