Interview with Charlotte Weeks

On this week’s episode of the PNC podcast, Charlotte Weeks joins me to discuss the best way to become a remarkable resume writer, especially when seeking nonclinical careers.

Charlotte Weeks is an executive career coach, resume writer and an outplacement consultant. She is an expert in career transitions and has worked with many physicians. We first met at the Annual SEAK Conference, and I interviewed her on Epsiode 17. She is the founder and CEO of Weeks Career Services, her career coaching and writing services business.

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. And, unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. Recently, Economist Magazine ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization. As a result, University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills needed to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

CVs, Resumes and Cover Letters

Charlotte explains the difference between a CV and a resume. She also quickly gets into the reasons for employing a cover letter, and what they should contain.

CVs are used for clinical medicine, academia and some scientific and research positions. Most professionals have kept up their CVs over their careers with little difficulty – it is a list of former jobs with little information other than title and organization.

Resumes are used for all other types of jobs. They are different in that they offer more depth and context. They give you the space to explain the responsibilities and roles you took on for the positions you held.

Think about anything else you've done, even if it was one time, even if it was a few years ago, and make sure that you add that to the resume.

This means that resumes should also be career-focused. They should be tailored to the job you are applying for, describing past roles as a way to demonstrate how they prepared you for your next one.

And the cover letter is an essential way to demonstrate a personal connection to the organization to which you are applying. If someone referred you to the position, this is where you can mention it. It is also a way to tie your application to something newsworthy.

What does a Remarkable Resume Writer Do?

Charlotte covers all the necessary components of a resume and what should go in each.

  • Summary: Previously known as the place to state your objective, the top of your resume is where your summary belongs. This is the first glance at the type of professional you are. And it's an opportunity to highlight a skill or qualification that may otherwise be overlooked.
  • Professional Experience: This is where you list previous jobs and descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments within those roles.
  • Education: Next is typically the place to list medical, master’s and bachelor’s degrees. You can also list certifications here, if not in the final section.
  • Additional: This last section is an opportunity to customize your resume based on your background. You may want to categorize your volunteer service or any other kinds of experience you would like to highlight. The section heading should uniquely relate to the content. Listen to the episode for details.

Summary

On the episode, Charlotte also gives advice for navigating online job postings, knowing where to put your residencies and internships on your resume, and using LinkedIn as a resource for making connections.

Lastly, It’s important to note that there are no strict guidelines for writing your resume. It’s part art and part science to become a remarkable resume writer and to best highlight your skills and experiences.

If you want to learn more about resume writing, join the Nonclinical Career Academy. You will find an extended version of this interview, with much more detail, in the Academy next week.

Thanks for listening.

Links for Today's Episode

The Nonclinical Career Academy Membership Program is Now Live!

Join by April 1, 2020 and save $20.00 per month forever on the membership fee.

I've created 13 courses and placed them all in an exclusive, low cost membership program. The program provides an introduction to dozens of nontraditional careers, with in-depth lessons on several of them. It even includes my full MSL Course that normally sells for $397.00. And I'll add more content devoted to one of these topics each and every month:

  • Nontraditional Careers: Locum tenens, Telemedicine, Cash-only Practice
  • Hospital and Health System Jobs
  • Pharma Careers
  • Home-based jobs
  • Preparing for an interview, and writing a resume
  • And more…

Thanks to our sponsor…

Thanks to the UT Physician Executive MBA program for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It is just what you need to prepare for that fulfilling, well-paying career. You can find out more at nonclinicalphysicians.com/physicianmba.

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Podcast Editing & Production Services are provided by Oscar Hamilton

Disclaimers:

Many of the links that I refer you to, and that you’ll find in the show notes, are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. And I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you, that I have personally used or am very familiar with.

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career.