I've been helping people write and revise their resumes for at least 20 years. One thing that always amazes me, but you'd think I'd be over by now, is how much people undervalue their work and life experience. Usually people approach me to redo or create their resumes under duress, which usually means they're experiencing some dissatisfaction with their bosses, coworkers, budgets, or something else, or they're feeling anxiety about job security. So, their self-esteem at this point may already at a compromised state. I often tell my clients to revisit past evaluations, past projects, certificates--anything that would elicit an emotion of accomplishment and memories of how hard they worked. It's in these emotions that we find the best ways to express not only what we've done, but what we are capable of doing, i.e. what we can do for a 'new' boss in a 'new' job. I simply consider myself a conduit to bring what's already in people's hearts and heads about themselves onto paper in the brightest light. 

All of this goes double for volunteer and not-for-pay work. You would think that the time people spend doing things for others would automatically yield a long list of accomplishments and capabilities. I think sometimes when effort is not rewarded with pay, psychologically it becomes even more challenging to translate these efforts in writing and verbally into words that a prospective employer would say, "You're what we've been needing." We need to remember that effort equals work and work equals effort. The "stay-at-home" mother who now needs to back to work has budgeting, time management, accounting, conflict resolution, and a whole list of other 'transferable skills' that most employers should jump at the chance to harness. The same is usually true to those who find themselves spending a great deal of time helping others.

A good resume should not only showcase relevant 'paid' word experience, but should focus a good deal of attention on 'transferable skills' or 'soft skills', i.e. versatile skills and abilities from life experience that can be applied to a variety of positions or work scenarios. It's often these sets of skills, e.g. troubleshooting, event planning, research, and team coordination, combined with job-related technical know-how that make up the 'it factor'.  For some employers, they may even prefer candidates high in transferable skills versus technical know-how because, while the technical knowledge can be obtained with training, transferable skills reveal more character and are often value-driven. See this link for a list of transferable skills to add to your resume. http://www.roguecc.edu/emp/Resources/transferable_skills_checklist.htm

When I was growing up my mother posted this poem on the wall. I was 15 at the time. I didn't have a lot of life experience to relate it to, but I felt that it was profound nonetheless. Something would steer inside of me each time I'd read it at the kitchen table, and I even had to look up many of the words to get a better picture. As I became part of the working world and started having more personal and professional relationships, each line would make more and more sense to me. I've been drawing from its wisdom, using it to help me relate to others, to explain my observations about events around me and throughout the world, and, yes, even to help me at times from sinking into depression and self-pity. Each line is gold in itself. My favorite is "As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons." Isn't that what it's all about?
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