Resume Help Blog

Archive for June, 2009

Can writing an effective resume be challenging? Certainly! There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time. It is much easier for people to craft their document if they understand the rules they need to follow 100% of the time – the mistakes that should never be made and will brand a job-seeker as unprofessional. Eliminating these errors from your resume will go a long way in improving your chances of securing an interview. However, if you are not comfortable with writing or have written your resume and followed the majority of these suggestions without the results you expected then you would benefit from having a professional resume writer do it for you. Many of our writers will also blast it out to the major job boards which really gives you exposure. Here is our list of things to avoid:

1. “Responsible for…”

The Problem:
This is one of the most common, and most amateurish, resume errors. There is no greater example of weak, passive writing than the overused “responsible for.”  It does nothing to draw in the reader, and demonstrates no specific or relevant skill. With the average resume being read in approximately seven seconds, the first word or two in each sentence is absolutely critical because it is the information that will be read first and most. If the hiring manager holding your resume does not spot keywords of interest in those vital locations, then the entire resume is probably going in the trash, no matter how great the rest of your information is.

The Solution:
A great way to test the quality of a resume is to read just the first word in each sentence, and see what image those words convey of you as an employee. If your first words consist of “responsible for”, “helped”, “handled”, or other passive language, then you’re not creating a powerful or compelling first impression. Open each and every sentence with a power verb that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Words such as “manage”, “direct”, “administer”, and “process” can often be used to replace “responsible for”, and are far more effective.

2. Using a paragraph format.

The Problem:
As mentioned above, the average resume is given a cursory glance of approximately seven seconds. In those precious few seconds, the hiring manager will skim through your entire document and determine if you possess the qualifications needed for the job. If your information is organized in long, dense paragraphs that are difficult to read quickly, they are most likely not going to be read at all. Remember, you have only seven seconds. Paragraphs are intimidating to the eye and for the hiring manager who has literally hundreds of other applicants to choose from if it is not in an easy to read format it will be tossed.
The Solution:
Create brief, bulleted statements. Each statement should focus on one particular skill and be no more than two lines in length.

3. Repetition.

The Problem:
It is not uncommon for people, in an attempt to not overlook anything, to mention the same skills multiple times within the same resume. This creates a boring, stale document in which the heavily repeated skills overshadow everything else. In addition to this, the repetition contributes to excess length; again, we come back to that same seven seconds. Let’s say, for example, that in your resume you want to list skills A, B, C, and D. If you do just that, then it is easy to identify all of those skills in seven seconds. If, however, your resume lists A, B, A, A, B, B, B, C, A, C, B, A, A, C, B, D, C, A… suddenly, your qualifications are not as obvious and one – D – could very easily be overlooked.

The Solution:
Identify which skill each and every statement is addressing and write that information directly on a copy of your resume. Then review the skills listed next to all of your statements. Are you seeing one or more skills listed over and over? Consolidate this information.
4. Writing job descriptions.

The Problem:
Committing this error is what can make the difference between getting an interview and losing the opportunity to someone else. State what you did in your position. Make it clear and concise. Employers are not interested in what activities you performed on a daily basis – they are interested in how well you performed those activities.

The Solution:
Focus on accomplishments. Many job-seekers disregard this advice with the mistaken notion that they do not have any accomplishments. Most of the time these people do have quantifiable achievements; they just don’t realize that they do. It can be difficult to look objectively at our own experiences. Review your employee evaluations. What positives are noted? Think about special projects or busy times; were there any instances in which you were praised, or were very proud of the job you did? Any times in which you improved processes, made or saved money, or lifted some of the burden off your supervisor’s shoulders?

5. Using Objective statements.

The Problem:
This is often the result of a job-seeker who has either been out of the market for a long time, or someone who is using a dated resume-writing manual. Objective statements are counter-productive. By definition, an Objective states what you, the job-seeker, want. The problem with this is that the hiring manager does not care what you want; the hiring manager cares about what you can do for the company. Additionally, what you want should be clear from your cover letter and by the simple fact that you sent your resume in the first place – it does not need to be repeated (see #3, above).

The Solution:
Professional Summary, Profile, Summary Statement… whatever you want to call it, a summary section at the top of your resume that reviews your strongest, most relevant skills and abilities is a surefire way to capture the attention of your reader and encourage him or her to read on. This is also a highly effective strategy to position notable achievements that occurred early in your career in a visible location.

About the Author

Jaimie Marzullo is a professional resume writer and career counselor, and owner of http://www.leadingcareers.com. With additional expertise in U.S. employment and labor, family medical leave, disability rights, and human rights laws, she has served as a consultant to small businesses, educational systems, healthcare organizations, and government offices.

By Joe Turner

We are in a recession and who knows how long or how deep it will go. Are you prepared? Do you know how to find and win a job in a smaller, more competitive job market?

Here are six winning ways to maximize your chances of scoring a secure paycheck:

Get in the Game:

If you’re serious about finding employment, become proactive. Stretch yourself, get out of your comfort zone and aggressively search beyond the listed jobs you find on the Internet. This requires a game plan and the expectation that you’re going to win this game. Decide to excel and achieve at job search.

Do something every day to further your search. Positive action diminishes anxiety and other negative feelings. This goes beyond survival of the fittest. For anyone who wants to succeed, it requires an iron will and determination. You will not be defeated by this job search process. You will prevail and you will outlast this challenge. Remind yourself of that.

Lose the Neediness:

Take the words “desperate” and “defeat” out of your vocabulary. Employers can sense neediness and they won’t hire you. If you present yourself with a sense of desperation, you’re bringing your anxiety and fears to the table. Rather, focus on what you can do for an employer. Don’t focus on your needs. Instead, focus on what the employer needs, and this leads us to Resolution #3.

Think ROI:

Employers don’t hire people to be liabilities on their balance sheets. They hire people to be assets (to provide a Return On Investment) and to solve a problem. To do this, demonstrate clear benefits that you offer them.

Take a look at your skills, experience, abilities and talents. Determine how you can best help the employer either make money or save money. Turn your skills and talents into benefits that an employer understands and appreciates. Pull out examples from your past work experience. Ask yourself, “How did my work save time or money, make money or otherwise improve the overall situation for my employer?”

Education and skills, while valuable, do not translate into benefits. What can you do for this employer that your competitors can’t? You have a unique set of skills, experiences and talents. Turn them into a “Unique Selling Proposition” for the employer.

Widen Your Network

In the past it was easier to find work by responding to ads found in the newspaper or on the Internet. That was before the bar was raised. Now it’s foolhardy to limit yourself to ads on the Internet and expect success. Aggressively seek out those 80% of jobs that are not advertised.

Start widening your network both in person and online. Begin by making some new contacts each week through local events or related professional meetings. Online, you can add your bio to LinkedIn, Spoke and even MySpace, for starters. Don’t forget family, friends and neighbors who might know someone. Job searching is tough enough. Don’t isolate yourself behind a computer screen.

Be Persistent

Nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve. There is a lot of rejection in job search. Sometimes it seems as if you’ll never get a “yes”. Remember what good sales people already know. That winning a sale, a job, or any other goal is a numbers game. Commission sales people will tell you that every “no” is one step closer to a “yes”. When you can see your process from a more objective viewpoint, knowing that you’re one more rejection closer to a “yes”, you’ll be less inclined to take the “no’s” personally, and less likely to get discouraged.

Inoculate Yourself Against Negative Messages

Succeeding at a job search is a mental process, and negative input from anywhere can poison your outlook and encourage fear, discouragement, anxiety and other negative emotions. Associate with positive people and protect yourself from all types of negativity. A job search can be a big undertaking. You need all of the assets and advantages that you can possibly bring to the party. You can’t afford to be exposed to the negativity of others. This includes friends, relatives and negativity from newspapers, magazines and TV. Read books and articles that motivate, encourage and inspire you. Avoid anything and anyone that doesn’t fall into this category.

Summary

The job search market will only get tougher and more competitive in 2009. Get an early edge by implementing these six resolutions now to catapult your job search into the fast lane in a tightening job market.

Authors Bio

As a recruiter, Joe Turner has spent the past 15 years finding and placing top candidates in some of the best jobs of their careers.  Author of “Job Search Secrets Unlocked” and “Paycheck 911,” Joe has interviewed on radio talk shows and offers free insider job search secrets at: jobchangesecrets.com

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Believe it or not that is exactly what a friend of mine said to me the other day when I suggested that she take a look at one of the professional resume writers we feature on our site.

My friend has been out of work for four months. She has a good job history as far as the businesses go that she has worked for. And yet in four months, not one job interview. Why? she was asking.

My friend is attractive, dresses well, doesn’t smell bad; then why? I looked at her resume and she does have the good job record she claimed in a good field that I know is hiring now.  What would you tell someone who asked you?

My suggestion to consider having her resume re-written by a professional resume writer wasn’t well received so I explained further:

Having your resume professionally written gives you a leg up on the competition because the writer will interview you and get to know you, your personality, likes and dislikes, the type of job you are looking for and are best suited for. You can be sure that your resume won’t look like it came from a template or like everyone else’s.

With a professional resume writer they look at the jobs in the market and what “key words” are being used to describe the positions, then they incorporate those into the resume so that your resume hits the right note with the prospective employer. Her resume will be “truly unique”. And will show off her strengths. And if she will get her cover letter professionally written at the same time so she will be ready to go!

Does this sound like you? If so what are you waiting for? The investment of a few dollars for a new career is the best investment you can make. Invest in yourself; you are worth it! We have some of the best professional resume writers anywhere. Take a look then contact one of them. Do it now! Don’t be out of work needlessly another day.