In today’s job market, human resources professionals and hiring managers are often swamped with stacks of résumés for a single position. With that kind of competition it is extremely important that you make a good first impression to ensure that the employer will continue to pursue you as a candidate. That first impression, in most cases, is in the form of a résumé. Therefore, it is essential that you submit a quality résumé to every employer.
A résumé is a summary of qualifications for a specific type of work as well as a marketing tool to land an interview. The résumé should reflect your qualifications and what you have to offer an employer. It should be honest, positive, concise and easy to read. Because employers may have limited time to look over a large number of résumés, it is important that you present your information quickly, clearly and in a way that makes your experience relevant to the position to which you are applying. Most résumés are one page, and many employers prefer one page résumés. However, if you are an experienced job seeker with more than seven years of relevant work experience, you may need more than one page.
The best resumes include experiences that emphasize skills required for a specific field, industry or position. For example, if the position requires strong interpersonal skills, which of your duties or experiences can be highlighted to demonstrate such skills? It is imperative that you research industries prior to applying to jobs so that you know what skills are most important to emphasize on your résumé. An effective résumé will:
• Focus on the employer’s needs;
• Communicate abilities for the kind of work you want;
• Stress contributions and accomplishments;
• Quantify results;
• Indicate your career direction and interests;
• Be appealing to the eye, concise, easy to read and professional looking;
• Communicate that you are responsible and focused;
• Be completely error free.
Effectiveness in generating job interviews and offers will depend on your ability to communicate your skills and competencies to employers. Identifying skills can be a challenge, and it is a good idea to take an inventory of your experiences, skills and abilities before writing your résumé. Some steps to identifying the skills used in a job are:
• Take an inventory of ALL of your duties – make a laundry list of all of your accomplishments;
• Carefully review job listings for skills that employers seek in a desired field;
• Quantify, when possible (for example, “Supervised a staff of 20” or “Increased sales by 15%”);
• Refer to a thesaurus to find action verbs and adjectives that best describe your experience.
Another tool that can help you create a resume from scratch is WinWay
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Some more tips
12 Step Resume Guide
Before you can begin to design your resume on paper, you need to have the words. Use the following twelve-step writing process to help you clarify your experience, accomplishments, skills, education, and other background information, which will make the job of condensing your life onto a sheet of paper a little easier.
Step One: Focus
Decide what type of job you will be applying for and then write it at the top of a piece of paper. This can become your objective statement, should you decide to use one, or be used in the first line of the profile section of your resume to give your reader a general idea of your area of expertise.
Objectives are not required on a resume, and often the cover letter is the best place to personalize your objective for each job opening. There is nothing wrong with using an objective statement on a resume, however, provided it doesn't limit your job choices. As an alternative, you can alter individual resumes with personalized objectives that reflect the actual job title for which you are applying. Just make sure that the rest of your information is still relevant to the new objective, though.
Never write an objective statement that is not precise. You should name the position you want so specifically that, if a janitor came by and knocked over all the stacks of sorted resumes on a hiring manager's desk, he could put yours back in its right stack without even thinking about it. That means saying, "A marketing management position with an aggressive international consumer goods manufacturer" instead of "A position which utilizes my education and experience to mutual benefit."
Step Two: Education
Under the objective on the first piece of paper, list any education or training that might relate. If you are a recent college graduate and have little relevant experience, then your education section will be placed at the top of your resume. As you gain more experience, your education almost always gravitates to the bottom.
If you participated in college activities or received any honors or completed any notable projects that relate directly to your target job, this is the place to list them.
Showing high school education and activities on a resume is only appropriate when you are under 20 and have no education or training beyond high school. Once you have completed either college courses or specialized technical training, drop your high school information altogether.
Continuing education shows that you care about life-long learning and self-development, so think about any relevant training since your formal education was completed. Relevant is the key word here. Always look at your resume from the perspective of a potential employer. Don't waste space by listing training that is not directly or indirectly related to your target job.
Step Three: Job Descriptions
Get your hands on a written description of the job you wish to obtain and for any jobs you have held in the past. If you are presently employed, your human resource department is the first place to look. If not, then go to your local library and ask for a copy of The Dictionary of Occupational Titles or the Occupational Outlook Handbook available online at http://stats.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm. These industry standard reference guides offer volumes of occupational titles and job descriptions for everything from Abalone Divers to Zoo Veterinarians (and thousands in between).
Another resource available at your local library or college career center is Job Scribe, a computer software program with more than 3,000 job descriptions. Other places to look for job descriptions include your local government job service agencies, professional and technical organizations, headhunters (i.e., recruiters), associates who work in the same field, newspaper advertisements for similar jobs, or online job postings (which tend to have longer job descriptions than print ads).
Simply do a keyword search for relevant job titles on the google.
Now, make a copy of the applicable descriptions and then highlight the sentences that describe anything you have done in your past or present jobs. These job descriptions are important sources of keywords, so pay particular attention to nouns and phrases that you can incorporate into your own resume.
Step Four: Keywords
In today's world of e-mailed and scannable resumes, make sure you know the buzzwords of your industry and incorporate them into the sentences you are about to write. Keywords are the nouns or short phrases that describe your experience and education that might be used to find your resume in a keyword search of a resume database. They are the essential knowledge, abilities, and skills required to do your job. They are concrete descriptions like: C++, UNIX, fiber optic cable, network, project management, etc. Even well-known company names (AT&T, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, MCI) and universities (Harvard, Yale, SMU, SUNY, USC, Stanford, Tulane, Thunderbird) are sometimes used as keywords, especially when it is necessary to narrow down an initial search that calls up hundreds of resumes from a resume database.
Acronyms and abbreviations here can either hurt you or help you, depending on how you use them. One example given to me by an engineer at Resumix was the abbreviation "IN." Think about it. "IN" could stand for intelligent networks, Indiana, or the word in. It is better to spell out the abbreviation if there could be any possible confusion. However, if a series of initials is so well known that it would be recognized by nearly everyone in your industry and would not likely be confused with a real word, then the keyword search will probably use those initials (i.e., IBM, CPA, UNIX). When in doubt, always spell it out at least one time on your resume. A computer only needs to see the combination one time for it to be considered a "hit" in a keyword search.
Soft skills are often not included in search criteria, especially for very technical positions, although I have interviewed some companies that use them extensively for the initial selection of resumes for management positions. For instance, "communicate effectively," "self-motivated," "team player," and so on, are great for describing your abilities and are fine to include in your profile, but concentrate more on your hard skills, especially if you are in a high-tech field.
At the end of the chapter, you will find more examples of keywords for specific industries, although there is no such thing as a comprehensive listing of keywords for any single job. The computerized applicant tracking programs used by most companies allow the recruiter or hiring manager to personalize his or her list for each job opening, so it is an evolving process. You will never know whether you have listed absolutely every keyword possible, so focus instead on getting on paper as many related skills as possible.
The job descriptions you found in step three are some of the most important sources for keywords. You can also be certain that nearly every noun and some adjectives in a job posting or advertisement will be keywords, so make sure you use those words somewhere in your resume, using synonyms wherever you can. Make a list of the keywords you have determined are important for your particular job search and then list synonyms for those words. As you incorporate these words into the sentences of your resume, check them off.
One caution. Always tell the truth. The minute a hiring manager speaks with you on the telephone or begins an interview, any exaggeration of the truth will become immediately apparent. It is a bad idea to say, "I don't have experience with MS Word computer software" just to get the words MS Word or computer software on paper so your resume will pop up in a keyword search. In a cover letter, it might be appropriate to say that you "don't have five years of experience in marketing but can add two years of university training in the subject to three years of in-depth experience as a marketing assistant with Hewlett-Packard." That is legitimate reasoning, but anything more manipulative can be hazardous to your job search.
Step Five: Your Jobs
Starting with your present position, list the title of every job you have held on a separate sheet of paper, along with the name of the company, the city and state, and the years you worked there. You don't need to list addresses and zip codes, although you will need to know that information when it comes time to fill out an application.
You can list years only (1996-present) or months and years (May 1996- present), depending on your personality. People who are detail oriented are usually more comfortable with a full accounting of their time. Listing years alone covers some gaps if you have worked in a position for less than a full year while the time period spans more than one calendar year. For instance, if you worked from September 1996 through May 1997, saying 1996-1997 certainly looks better.
From the perspective of recruiters and hiring managers, most don't care whether you list the months and years or list the years only. However, regardless of which method you choose, be consistent throughout your resume, especially within sections. For instance, don't use months some of the time and years alone within the same section. Consistency of style is important on a resume, since it is that consistency that makes your resume neat, clean, and easy to read.
Step Six: Duties
Under each job, make a list of your duties, incorporating phrases from the job descriptions wherever they apply. You don't have to worry about making great sentences yet or narrowing down your list.
Step Seven: Accomplishments
When you are finished, go back to each job and think about what you might have done above and beyond the call of duty. What did you contribute to each of your jobs?
Did you exceed sales quotas by 150 percent each month?
Did you save the company $100,000 by developing a new procedure?
Did you generate new product publicity in trade press?
Did you control expenses or make work easier?
Did you expand business or attract/retain customers?
Did you improve the company's image or build new relationships?
Did you improve the quality of a product?
Did you solve a problem?
Did you do something that made the company more competitive?
Write down any accomplishments that show potential employers what you have done in the past, which translates into what you might be able to do for them. Quantify whenever possible. Numbers are always impressive. Remember, you are trying to motivate the potential employer to buy . . . you! Convince your reader that you will be able to generate a significant return on their investment in you.
Step Eight: Delete
Now that you have the words on paper, go back to each list and think about which items are relevant to your target job. Cross out those things that don't relate, including entire jobs (like flipping hamburgers back in high school if you are now an electrical engineer with ten years of experience). Remember, your resume is just an enticer, a way to get your foot in the door. It isn't intended to be all-inclusive. You can choose to go back only as far as your jobs relate to your present objective. Be careful not to delete sentences that contain the keywords you identified in Step Four.
Step Nine: Sentences
Make sentences of the duties you have listed under each job, combining related items to avoid short, choppy phrases. Never use personal pronouns in your resume (I, my, me). Instead of saying, "I planned, organized, and directed the timely and accurate production of code products with estimated annual revenues of $1 million," say, "Planned, organized, and directed. . . ." Writing in the third person makes your sentences more powerful and attention grabbing.
Make your sentences positive, brief, and accurate. Since your ultimate goal is to get a human being to read your resume, remember to structure the sentences so they are interesting to read. Use verbs at the beginning of each sentence (designed, supervised, managed, developed, formulated, and so on) to make them more powerful (see the power verb list in the Resume Center).
Make certain each word means something and contributes to the quality of the sentence. If you find it difficult to write clear, concise sentences .
Step Ten: Rearrange
You are almost done! Now, go back to the sentences you have written and think about their order of presentation. Put a number 1 by the most important description of what you did for each job. Then place a number 2 by the next most important duty or accomplishment, and so on until you have numbered each sentence. Again, think logically and from the perspective of a potential employer. Keep related items together so the reader doesn't jump from one concept to another. Make the thoughts flow smoothly.
Step Eleven: Related Qualifications
At the bottom of your resume, think about anything else that might qualify you for your job objective. This includes licenses, certifications, affiliations, and sometimes even interests if they truly relate. For instance, if you want a job in sports marketing, stating on your resume that you play tennis or are a triathlete would be an asset.
Step Twelve: Profile
Last but not least, write four or five sentences that give an overview of your qualifications. This profile, or qualifications summary, should be placed at the beginning of your resume. You can include some of your personal traits or special skills that might have been difficult to get across in your job descriptions. Here is a sample profile section for a computer systems technician:
Experienced systems/network technician with significant communications and technical control experience. Focused and hard working; willing to go the extra mile for the customer. Skilled in troubleshooting complex problems by thinking outside the box. Possesses a high degree of professionalism and dedication to exceptional quality. Effective team player with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. Current Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information security clearance.
It is also acceptable to use a keyword summary like the one below to give a "quick and dirty" look at your qualifications:
Hardware: IBM 360/370, S/390, 303X, 308X, ES-9000, Amdahl V6-II, V7, V8, 3705/3725, Honeywell 6000, PDP II, NOVA, Eclipse, Interdata 8/32, Wang OIS 115, 140, VS-80, VS-100, HP 3000, 9000, Vectra, IBM PC-AT, XT, and numerous other computers and mainframes. Languages: FORTRAN, PL/1, COBOL, BASIC, BAL (ALC), JCL, APL, DL/1, SQL, DS-2, HP-UX, and various PC-oriented software and support packages. Systems: DOS, OS, CICS, VSI/II, MVS, SVS, VM/CMS, IMS, MVT-II, MFT, POWER, TOTAL, DATANET-30, JES-2, JES-3, BTAM, QTAM, TCAM, VTAM, TSO, ACF, NCP, SNA, SAA, ESCON, SDLC, X-25, TCP/IP, UNIX, and TELNET.
This type of "laundry list" isn't very interesting for a human being to read, but a few recruiters in high-tech industries like this list of terms because it gives them a quick overview of an applicant's skills. You can use whichever style you prefer.
Busy recruiters spend as little as ten seconds deciding whether to read a resume from top to bottom. You will be lucky if the first third of your resume gets read, so make sure the information at the top entices the reader to read it all.
This profile section must be relevant to the type of job for which you are applying. It might be true that you are "compassionate," but will it help you get a job as a high-pressure salesperson? Write this profile from the perspective of a potential employer. What will convince this person to call you instead of someone else?
Before you can begin to design your resume on paper, you need to have the words. Use the following twelve-step writing process to help you clarify your experience, accomplishments, skills, education, and other background information, which will make the job of condensing your life onto a sheet of paper a little easier.
Step One: Focus
Decide what type of job you will be applying for and then write it at the top of a piece of paper. This can become your objective statement, should you decide to use one, or be used in the first line of the profile section of your resume to give your reader a general idea of your area of expertise.
Objectives are not required on a resume, and often the cover letter is the best place to personalize your objective for each job opening. There is nothing wrong with using an objective statement on a resume, however, provided it doesn't limit your job choices. As an alternative, you can alter individual resumes with personalized objectives that reflect the actual job title for which you are applying. Just make sure that the rest of your information is still relevant to the new objective, though.
Never write an objective statement that is not precise. You should name the position you want so specifically that, if a janitor came by and knocked over all the stacks of sorted resumes on a hiring manager's desk, he could put yours back in its right stack without even thinking about it. That means saying, "A marketing management position with an aggressive international consumer goods manufacturer" instead of "A position which utilizes my education and experience to mutual benefit."
Step Two: Education
Under the objective on the first piece of paper, list any education or training that might relate. If you are a recent college graduate and have little relevant experience, then your education section will be placed at the top of your resume. As you gain more experience, your education almost always gravitates to the bottom.
If you participated in college activities or received any honors or completed any notable projects that relate directly to your target job, this is the place to list them.
Showing high school education and activities on a resume is only appropriate when you are under 20 and have no education or training beyond high school. Once you have completed either college courses or specialized technical training, drop your high school information altogether.
Continuing education shows that you care about life-long learning and self-development, so think about any relevant training since your formal education was completed. Relevant is the key word here. Always look at your resume from the perspective of a potential employer. Don't waste space by listing training that is not directly or indirectly related to your target job.
Step Three: Job Descriptions
Get your hands on a written description of the job you wish to obtain and for any jobs you have held in the past. If you are presently employed, your human resource department is the first place to look. If not, then go to your local library and ask for a copy of The Dictionary of Occupational Titles or the Occupational Outlook Handbook available online at http://stats.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm. These industry standard reference guides offer volumes of occupational titles and job descriptions for everything from Abalone Divers to Zoo Veterinarians (and thousands in between).
Another resource available at your local library or college career center is Job Scribe, a computer software program with more than 3,000 job descriptions. Other places to look for job descriptions include your local government job service agencies, professional and technical organizations, headhunters (i.e., recruiters), associates who work in the same field, newspaper advertisements for similar jobs, or online job postings (which tend to have longer job descriptions than print ads).
Simply do a keyword search for relevant job titles on the google.
Now, make a copy of the applicable descriptions and then highlight the sentences that describe anything you have done in your past or present jobs. These job descriptions are important sources of keywords, so pay particular attention to nouns and phrases that you can incorporate into your own resume.
Step Four: Keywords
In today's world of e-mailed and scannable resumes, make sure you know the buzzwords of your industry and incorporate them into the sentences you are about to write. Keywords are the nouns or short phrases that describe your experience and education that might be used to find your resume in a keyword search of a resume database. They are the essential knowledge, abilities, and skills required to do your job. They are concrete descriptions like: C++, UNIX, fiber optic cable, network, project management, etc. Even well-known company names (AT&T, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, MCI) and universities (Harvard, Yale, SMU, SUNY, USC, Stanford, Tulane, Thunderbird) are sometimes used as keywords, especially when it is necessary to narrow down an initial search that calls up hundreds of resumes from a resume database.
Acronyms and abbreviations here can either hurt you or help you, depending on how you use them. One example given to me by an engineer at Resumix was the abbreviation "IN." Think about it. "IN" could stand for intelligent networks, Indiana, or the word in. It is better to spell out the abbreviation if there could be any possible confusion. However, if a series of initials is so well known that it would be recognized by nearly everyone in your industry and would not likely be confused with a real word, then the keyword search will probably use those initials (i.e., IBM, CPA, UNIX). When in doubt, always spell it out at least one time on your resume. A computer only needs to see the combination one time for it to be considered a "hit" in a keyword search.
Soft skills are often not included in search criteria, especially for very technical positions, although I have interviewed some companies that use them extensively for the initial selection of resumes for management positions. For instance, "communicate effectively," "self-motivated," "team player," and so on, are great for describing your abilities and are fine to include in your profile, but concentrate more on your hard skills, especially if you are in a high-tech field.
At the end of the chapter, you will find more examples of keywords for specific industries, although there is no such thing as a comprehensive listing of keywords for any single job. The computerized applicant tracking programs used by most companies allow the recruiter or hiring manager to personalize his or her list for each job opening, so it is an evolving process. You will never know whether you have listed absolutely every keyword possible, so focus instead on getting on paper as many related skills as possible.
The job descriptions you found in step three are some of the most important sources for keywords. You can also be certain that nearly every noun and some adjectives in a job posting or advertisement will be keywords, so make sure you use those words somewhere in your resume, using synonyms wherever you can. Make a list of the keywords you have determined are important for your particular job search and then list synonyms for those words. As you incorporate these words into the sentences of your resume, check them off.
One caution. Always tell the truth. The minute a hiring manager speaks with you on the telephone or begins an interview, any exaggeration of the truth will become immediately apparent. It is a bad idea to say, "I don't have experience with MS Word computer software" just to get the words MS Word or computer software on paper so your resume will pop up in a keyword search. In a cover letter, it might be appropriate to say that you "don't have five years of experience in marketing but can add two years of university training in the subject to three years of in-depth experience as a marketing assistant with Hewlett-Packard." That is legitimate reasoning, but anything more manipulative can be hazardous to your job search.
Step Five: Your Jobs
Starting with your present position, list the title of every job you have held on a separate sheet of paper, along with the name of the company, the city and state, and the years you worked there. You don't need to list addresses and zip codes, although you will need to know that information when it comes time to fill out an application.
You can list years only (1996-present) or months and years (May 1996- present), depending on your personality. People who are detail oriented are usually more comfortable with a full accounting of their time. Listing years alone covers some gaps if you have worked in a position for less than a full year while the time period spans more than one calendar year. For instance, if you worked from September 1996 through May 1997, saying 1996-1997 certainly looks better.
From the perspective of recruiters and hiring managers, most don't care whether you list the months and years or list the years only. However, regardless of which method you choose, be consistent throughout your resume, especially within sections. For instance, don't use months some of the time and years alone within the same section. Consistency of style is important on a resume, since it is that consistency that makes your resume neat, clean, and easy to read.
Step Six: Duties
Under each job, make a list of your duties, incorporating phrases from the job descriptions wherever they apply. You don't have to worry about making great sentences yet or narrowing down your list.
Step Seven: Accomplishments
When you are finished, go back to each job and think about what you might have done above and beyond the call of duty. What did you contribute to each of your jobs?
Did you exceed sales quotas by 150 percent each month?
Did you save the company $100,000 by developing a new procedure?
Did you generate new product publicity in trade press?
Did you control expenses or make work easier?
Did you expand business or attract/retain customers?
Did you improve the company's image or build new relationships?
Did you improve the quality of a product?
Did you solve a problem?
Did you do something that made the company more competitive?
Write down any accomplishments that show potential employers what you have done in the past, which translates into what you might be able to do for them. Quantify whenever possible. Numbers are always impressive. Remember, you are trying to motivate the potential employer to buy . . . you! Convince your reader that you will be able to generate a significant return on their investment in you.
Step Eight: Delete
Now that you have the words on paper, go back to each list and think about which items are relevant to your target job. Cross out those things that don't relate, including entire jobs (like flipping hamburgers back in high school if you are now an electrical engineer with ten years of experience). Remember, your resume is just an enticer, a way to get your foot in the door. It isn't intended to be all-inclusive. You can choose to go back only as far as your jobs relate to your present objective. Be careful not to delete sentences that contain the keywords you identified in Step Four.
Step Nine: Sentences
Make sentences of the duties you have listed under each job, combining related items to avoid short, choppy phrases. Never use personal pronouns in your resume (I, my, me). Instead of saying, "I planned, organized, and directed the timely and accurate production of code products with estimated annual revenues of $1 million," say, "Planned, organized, and directed. . . ." Writing in the third person makes your sentences more powerful and attention grabbing.
Make your sentences positive, brief, and accurate. Since your ultimate goal is to get a human being to read your resume, remember to structure the sentences so they are interesting to read. Use verbs at the beginning of each sentence (designed, supervised, managed, developed, formulated, and so on) to make them more powerful (see the power verb list in the Resume Center).
Make certain each word means something and contributes to the quality of the sentence. If you find it difficult to write clear, concise sentences .
Step Ten: Rearrange
You are almost done! Now, go back to the sentences you have written and think about their order of presentation. Put a number 1 by the most important description of what you did for each job. Then place a number 2 by the next most important duty or accomplishment, and so on until you have numbered each sentence. Again, think logically and from the perspective of a potential employer. Keep related items together so the reader doesn't jump from one concept to another. Make the thoughts flow smoothly.
Step Eleven: Related Qualifications
At the bottom of your resume, think about anything else that might qualify you for your job objective. This includes licenses, certifications, affiliations, and sometimes even interests if they truly relate. For instance, if you want a job in sports marketing, stating on your resume that you play tennis or are a triathlete would be an asset.
Step Twelve: Profile
Last but not least, write four or five sentences that give an overview of your qualifications. This profile, or qualifications summary, should be placed at the beginning of your resume. You can include some of your personal traits or special skills that might have been difficult to get across in your job descriptions. Here is a sample profile section for a computer systems technician:
Experienced systems/network technician with significant communications and technical control experience. Focused and hard working; willing to go the extra mile for the customer. Skilled in troubleshooting complex problems by thinking outside the box. Possesses a high degree of professionalism and dedication to exceptional quality. Effective team player with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. Current Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information security clearance.
It is also acceptable to use a keyword summary like the one below to give a "quick and dirty" look at your qualifications:
Hardware: IBM 360/370, S/390, 303X, 308X, ES-9000, Amdahl V6-II, V7, V8, 3705/3725, Honeywell 6000, PDP II, NOVA, Eclipse, Interdata 8/32, Wang OIS 115, 140, VS-80, VS-100, HP 3000, 9000, Vectra, IBM PC-AT, XT, and numerous other computers and mainframes. Languages: FORTRAN, PL/1, COBOL, BASIC, BAL (ALC), JCL, APL, DL/1, SQL, DS-2, HP-UX, and various PC-oriented software and support packages. Systems: DOS, OS, CICS, VSI/II, MVS, SVS, VM/CMS, IMS, MVT-II, MFT, POWER, TOTAL, DATANET-30, JES-2, JES-3, BTAM, QTAM, TCAM, VTAM, TSO, ACF, NCP, SNA, SAA, ESCON, SDLC, X-25, TCP/IP, UNIX, and TELNET.
This type of "laundry list" isn't very interesting for a human being to read, but a few recruiters in high-tech industries like this list of terms because it gives them a quick overview of an applicant's skills. You can use whichever style you prefer.
Busy recruiters spend as little as ten seconds deciding whether to read a resume from top to bottom. You will be lucky if the first third of your resume gets read, so make sure the information at the top entices the reader to read it all.
This profile section must be relevant to the type of job for which you are applying. It might be true that you are "compassionate," but will it help you get a job as a high-pressure salesperson? Write this profile from the perspective of a potential employer. What will convince this person to call you instead of someone else?
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Resume writing tips
Resume writing is one of the most important tools in your job search. On this site, we give you the basic, insider information about resume writing, you need to make sure you are the one who gets that job interview by showing you how to write a perfect resume.
Writing a great resume does not necessarily mean you should follow the rules you hear through the grapevine. It does not have to be one page or follow a specific resume format. Every resume is a one-of-a-kind marketing communication. It should be appropriate to your situation and do exactly what you want it to do. Instead of a bunch of rules and tips, we are going to cut to the chase in this brief guide and offer you the most basic principles of writing a highly effective resume.
When putting together your resume, evaluate the needs of the employer and then determine how you can fill those needs. If you have access to a computer (which you do if you are reading this article) and a quality printer, you can design a targeted resume for every job for which you apply. If you have to mass produce your resume, you will have to do a little guesswork to come up with one that will impress everyone.
Choosing a Resume Format
Next you must determine what type of resume format to use. There are three basic types: chronological, functional, and a combination of the two. The following sections will explain what each of these types are and when to choose one type over another.
Chronological Resume
The chronological resume is probably the one with which most people are familiar. On it, work experience is listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first). The period of time during which you were employed is listed first, followed by the name of the employer and then the employer's location. A description for each job is also included. Following work history is a section on education. If you are trying to show career growth, a chronological resume may be the way to go. If your most recent job is store manager, while the one before that is department manager, and the one before that is sales clerk, you can show a history of promotion. However, if your work history has been spotty or if it has been stagnant you shouldn't use a chronological resume. If you are changing careers, a chronological resume is not for you either.
Functional Resume
A functional resume categorizes skills by function, emphasizing your abilities. This is useful if you are changing careers and want to show how you can transfer your skills. As stated previously, it is important to show prospective employers what you can offer them. A functional resume does just that. A functional job objective is given first, followed by several paragraphs, each discussing a different job function. Examples of functions are: Supervision and Management, Accounting, and Writing and Editing. Begin with the one you want to emphasize most. If you are customizing your resume for different employers, you can change your functional job objective as well as the order in which you list the functions. However, if you don't list your previous jobs, the person reviewing your resume may be suspicious.
Combination Resume
A combination resume is exactly what it sounds like — it combines a functional resume with a chronological one. An objective is listed at the top, after your name and address, of course. Following that are paragraphs describing job functions. A section titled "Employment Experience" comes next. That is where the chronological part of the resume comes in. List employers and dates in this section. Do not offer further descriptions here as you have already described your abilities in the functional part of this resume. This is a useful format if you are changing careers but have a solid employment history. I also find it useful if your job duties on a single job were very diverse and you want to stress your various abilities. If you spent a long time at one job but moved up through the company, you might want to use a combination resume.
Writing a Good Resume
This section of best resume writing will show you what steps you need to take for writing a good resume. Take your time to read these steps. Take around 3 hours to write your resume. (Yes. Resume writing should take around 3 hours of your time). Follow these step and you are on your track to get good interview calls.
The purpose of a resume
A resume or curriculum vitae is a window to you, your personality and your skill sets. Its raisin d'etre is to convince a recruiter that you deserve to be called for an interview. It should present you in the best possible light and convince a prospective employer that you can add value to the company.
It should tantalize enough to make an employer pick up the phone and dial your number. Your resume should not simply inform; it should also excite a would-be employer.
The resume can also act as a sample of your skills. If done well, it can show how you can organize a large amount of data in a few words. It can also showcase your skills if you plan to opt for a career in designing, advertising or copy writing.
Summary
Here are points you must definitely include:
i. Experience in your profession
Give valuable insights; for example, if you are in the advertising industry, you could mention the big players and important names you have worked with.
ii. Skills gained in the field
Apart from skills you are expected to gain in your field of work, do highlight skills you may have picked up as extras. For example, if you are a teacher, your expected skills would include your command over the language concerned, the ability to handle students and your knowledge about the subject concerned.
However, if you are also involved in organizing workshops for teachers, you can also mention your ability to organize events and liaison effectively.
iii. General skills
This could include interpersonal skills, a knowledge of computers, etc. If you know computer packages apart from MS Office, such as Photoshop and Adobe page maker, and if you know how to make a Powerpoint presentation, do mention it. Many recruiters are on the look out for personnel who can multi-task.
iv. Accomplishments in concrete terms
Mention successful projects that you have handled/ been part of.
Focus on career progression, especially if you have been promoted in a short space of time.
If you have won any award or citation such as Best Employee Of The Month, mention it; this will present you in a positive light.
v. Academic record
Give your record in reverse chronological order, mentioning your most recent qualification first.
Packaging and content
Packaging is as important as content -- both should go hand in hand.
* Your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address should lead your resume.
* The format you use should be consistent. Do not use too many stylistic fonts and don't change the font size too often.
* The first impression is the last impression, so the first few lines must be really impressive. List about three to four major skills and two achievements in the first summary section. The qualities you focus on should be compelling, not generalised.
* Using a job objective as a starting point is a good focal point. Here is an example:
Job objective: Senior-level assignments in the area of logistics and supply chain management in the Office Automation, IT/ Telecom industry in a dynamic organization.
* What a prospective employer really wants to know is what you can do for them. Instead of just listing your achievements, try and tailor your resume to the needs of the company concerned. It may simply mean changing a few lines here and there on a resume you have already created.
* Don't be too humble. You have to sell yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you. Give concrete achievements. For example, if you increased sales by six percent or created a database of clients, mention it instead of making generalized statements like 'used problem-solving skills' or 'created aggressive marketing strategies' that do not speak of actual results.
* If you have progressed up the ladder in a particular company, you need to point this out. For example, if you joined as a trainee and were then promoted to a managerial level within two years, mention it instead of simply saying you are a manager.
What to avoid
* Lousy spellings are a real put-off. Talk about your career prospects instead of your 'carrier' prospects.
* Standardize your language. Use either American English or British English, not a sprinkling of both.
* Don't exaggerate your skills. It may get you the job, but you will have difficulty retaining the post if you cannot deliver.
* Don't talk about unrealistic goals: 'I want to progress from a cub reporter to a reporter independently handling a political beat' is realistic, while 'I aim to be editor of the newspaper soon,' is highly unrealistic.
Last But not least Do consult the experienced people of how to write one & do show them an final draft of it since they will point out mistakes & will give solid advice how to improve it !!
Writing a great resume does not necessarily mean you should follow the rules you hear through the grapevine. It does not have to be one page or follow a specific resume format. Every resume is a one-of-a-kind marketing communication. It should be appropriate to your situation and do exactly what you want it to do. Instead of a bunch of rules and tips, we are going to cut to the chase in this brief guide and offer you the most basic principles of writing a highly effective resume.
When putting together your resume, evaluate the needs of the employer and then determine how you can fill those needs. If you have access to a computer (which you do if you are reading this article) and a quality printer, you can design a targeted resume for every job for which you apply. If you have to mass produce your resume, you will have to do a little guesswork to come up with one that will impress everyone.
Choosing a Resume Format
Next you must determine what type of resume format to use. There are three basic types: chronological, functional, and a combination of the two. The following sections will explain what each of these types are and when to choose one type over another.
Chronological Resume
The chronological resume is probably the one with which most people are familiar. On it, work experience is listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first). The period of time during which you were employed is listed first, followed by the name of the employer and then the employer's location. A description for each job is also included. Following work history is a section on education. If you are trying to show career growth, a chronological resume may be the way to go. If your most recent job is store manager, while the one before that is department manager, and the one before that is sales clerk, you can show a history of promotion. However, if your work history has been spotty or if it has been stagnant you shouldn't use a chronological resume. If you are changing careers, a chronological resume is not for you either.
Functional Resume
A functional resume categorizes skills by function, emphasizing your abilities. This is useful if you are changing careers and want to show how you can transfer your skills. As stated previously, it is important to show prospective employers what you can offer them. A functional resume does just that. A functional job objective is given first, followed by several paragraphs, each discussing a different job function. Examples of functions are: Supervision and Management, Accounting, and Writing and Editing. Begin with the one you want to emphasize most. If you are customizing your resume for different employers, you can change your functional job objective as well as the order in which you list the functions. However, if you don't list your previous jobs, the person reviewing your resume may be suspicious.
Combination Resume
A combination resume is exactly what it sounds like — it combines a functional resume with a chronological one. An objective is listed at the top, after your name and address, of course. Following that are paragraphs describing job functions. A section titled "Employment Experience" comes next. That is where the chronological part of the resume comes in. List employers and dates in this section. Do not offer further descriptions here as you have already described your abilities in the functional part of this resume. This is a useful format if you are changing careers but have a solid employment history. I also find it useful if your job duties on a single job were very diverse and you want to stress your various abilities. If you spent a long time at one job but moved up through the company, you might want to use a combination resume.
Writing a Good Resume
This section of best resume writing will show you what steps you need to take for writing a good resume. Take your time to read these steps. Take around 3 hours to write your resume. (Yes. Resume writing should take around 3 hours of your time). Follow these step and you are on your track to get good interview calls.
The purpose of a resume
A resume or curriculum vitae is a window to you, your personality and your skill sets. Its raisin d'etre is to convince a recruiter that you deserve to be called for an interview. It should present you in the best possible light and convince a prospective employer that you can add value to the company.
It should tantalize enough to make an employer pick up the phone and dial your number. Your resume should not simply inform; it should also excite a would-be employer.
The resume can also act as a sample of your skills. If done well, it can show how you can organize a large amount of data in a few words. It can also showcase your skills if you plan to opt for a career in designing, advertising or copy writing.
Summary
Here are points you must definitely include:
i. Experience in your profession
Give valuable insights; for example, if you are in the advertising industry, you could mention the big players and important names you have worked with.
ii. Skills gained in the field
Apart from skills you are expected to gain in your field of work, do highlight skills you may have picked up as extras. For example, if you are a teacher, your expected skills would include your command over the language concerned, the ability to handle students and your knowledge about the subject concerned.
However, if you are also involved in organizing workshops for teachers, you can also mention your ability to organize events and liaison effectively.
iii. General skills
This could include interpersonal skills, a knowledge of computers, etc. If you know computer packages apart from MS Office, such as Photoshop and Adobe page maker, and if you know how to make a Powerpoint presentation, do mention it. Many recruiters are on the look out for personnel who can multi-task.
iv. Accomplishments in concrete terms
Mention successful projects that you have handled/ been part of.
Focus on career progression, especially if you have been promoted in a short space of time.
If you have won any award or citation such as Best Employee Of The Month, mention it; this will present you in a positive light.
v. Academic record
Give your record in reverse chronological order, mentioning your most recent qualification first.
Packaging and content
Packaging is as important as content -- both should go hand in hand.
* Your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address should lead your resume.
* The format you use should be consistent. Do not use too many stylistic fonts and don't change the font size too often.
* The first impression is the last impression, so the first few lines must be really impressive. List about three to four major skills and two achievements in the first summary section. The qualities you focus on should be compelling, not generalised.
* Using a job objective as a starting point is a good focal point. Here is an example:
Job objective: Senior-level assignments in the area of logistics and supply chain management in the Office Automation, IT/ Telecom industry in a dynamic organization.
* What a prospective employer really wants to know is what you can do for them. Instead of just listing your achievements, try and tailor your resume to the needs of the company concerned. It may simply mean changing a few lines here and there on a resume you have already created.
* Don't be too humble. You have to sell yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you. Give concrete achievements. For example, if you increased sales by six percent or created a database of clients, mention it instead of making generalized statements like 'used problem-solving skills' or 'created aggressive marketing strategies' that do not speak of actual results.
* If you have progressed up the ladder in a particular company, you need to point this out. For example, if you joined as a trainee and were then promoted to a managerial level within two years, mention it instead of simply saying you are a manager.
What to avoid
* Lousy spellings are a real put-off. Talk about your career prospects instead of your 'carrier' prospects.
* Standardize your language. Use either American English or British English, not a sprinkling of both.
* Don't exaggerate your skills. It may get you the job, but you will have difficulty retaining the post if you cannot deliver.
* Don't talk about unrealistic goals: 'I want to progress from a cub reporter to a reporter independently handling a political beat' is realistic, while 'I aim to be editor of the newspaper soon,' is highly unrealistic.
Last But not least Do consult the experienced people of how to write one & do show them an final draft of it since they will point out mistakes & will give solid advice how to improve it !!
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