Resume Help Blog

Archive for the ‘How To’ Category

A friend of mine who was looking to change careers asked me last week for some ideas of tailoring his resume to expedite his search. Here’s what I told him, and this advice is for you too. Here are two examples but there are many; always keep in mind whether you are in sales or management this applies; “sales are sales”; if you know how to sell the product is incidental. Same is true of management. A personal friend of mine worked in management in six or seven different companies, all different products. If you understand people, “management is management”, only the product changes. If you are a machinist and run a lathe; you can be easily trained to run a mill or drill-press.

If you are seeking a job in a new area, you should first identify and describe any previous work experience in the best light possible while identifying the most relevant duties performed. Job descriptions are no longer seen as helpful ways for employers to evaluate potential employers, and many of them are looking for accomplishment-focused phrases and results-oriented statements. So tailor your resumes toward this.

Using Action Verbs in Resumes

Use action verbs. These are words that are used specifically in resumes to accurately and succinctly indicate what a job applicant accomplished in their last position. These phrases begin with an action word such as designed, sold or instructed and leave out unnecessary words such as the, a and also.  The phrases sound crisp and leave the distinct impression that you have been active.

The best action verbs depend on the specific job duties you performed, but some example action verbs could include: billed, wrote, supervised, managed, analyzed, directed, trained, planned, taught, developed, maintained, organized, initiated or produced. When you write your resume you should pick one verb for each line and then elaborate.

Accomplishments to Mention on a Resume

If you haven’t had to look for a job for several years – you may have a difficult time figuring out which of their past accomplishments are best to focus on when choosing the action words for their resumes.

These questions may help when trying to determine which verbs are best to describe the results of each pertinent job duty:

• Did I improve efficiency – how?
• How did I perform the job better than expected?
• Did I implement anything new that benefited the organization?
• Did I receive any awards or special recognition as a result of past performance?

Tips When Changing Careers

Researching the new field or profiling the specific job the applicant is looking for is the most important aspect of changing careers. The more knowledge you have about the company the better your chance to market your existing skills. By using the Internet, research has never been easier. Employers are impressed by applicants who have taken the time to find out about their businesses.

Be sure to avoid major pitfalls by following these resume do’s and don’ts:

1. Poor or inappropriate formatting: The first impression a resume makes is generally the most lasting. Large blocks of uninterrupted text; small margins; text that is very small; or an abundance of bolding, italics, and “designer” fonts make documents difficult to read.
2. Lack of focus: An effective resume should indicate to the reader within seven seconds or less the candidate’s targeted position and qualifications that match the opening.
3. Use of self-serving objective statements: In today’s economy, hiring managers are not interested in what a candidate wants. Rather, they seek candidates that clearly state what they can do for the targeted company in terms of cutting costs, increasing profits, and enhancing productivity.
4. Poor data prioritization: A resume should reveal the candidate’s professional and academic background as it applies to the targeted position or program being sought, and in reverse-chronological order (the last job worked or school attended is listed first within that section).
5. Failure to showcase and quantify accomplishments: Hiring managers will not read every line of a resume to determine what a candidate has to offer, especially if it’s buried within dense blocks of text. Applicants must provide special sections indicating professional or academic achievements, and these must be quantified.
6. Including non-relevant data: Hobbies and interests should never be included unless directly related to the current job search.
7. Inappropriate length: There is no one correct length for a resume. The document is as long as it needs to be in order to provide a clear and effective picture of the candidate.
8. Personalizing the document and using casual language: Modern resumes are business documents and should never be personalized with use of “I,” “my,” “we,” or other personal pronouns.
9. Redundancy of data: Once information has been provided in a resume, do not repeat it elsewhere.
10. Spelling or grammatical errors and incorrect verb tense: Once a spelling or grammatical error is detected by an admissions director or hiring manager, they will stop reading the resume.

Suppose you had just one chance to advertise yourself on a billboard overlooking a busy highway, and that passing motorists had only a few seconds to glance at it. How would you make your advertisement meaningful and memorable?

Think of your resume as a portable version of that billboard. The motorists whizzing by? Human resources professionals and other hiring entities. They don’t have time to read a jobseeker’s biography, and they don’t want to read a description of your job. (They aren’t interested in knowing that you report to work and do what an employer expects of you—the daily tasks for which you are paid.) They want to know what makes you special, how you add value and that you achieve goals, and how you can, therefore, make a difference in their organizations. They want to glance at your resume and say, “Here’s someone I need to meet.”

It’s not always easy or comfortable for people to try to “sell” themselves. There’s a fine line between hollow bragging and effective advertising. Here are some real-life examples:

Before:
Daily processing of portfolio transactions in accordance with department policies and procedures
After:
Provide investment managers and clients with accurate, time-sensitive portfolio information through diligent processing, analysis, reporting, and dissemination of cash and transaction data

Before:
Inspected, marketed, and sold properties to first-time homebuyers
After:
Created home ownership opportunities for low – and moderate-income residents who might otherwise be excluded from the housing market; provided prospective buyers with inception-through-settlement financial consulting services and education

Before:
Presented PowerPoint presentations to civic, photography, and hiking clubs around the country with client endorsements
After:
Increased revenue and brand awareness by making sales presentations to clubs and associations countrywide, incorporating customer testimonials about tour experiences as marketing technique

Before:
Daily processing of portfolio transactions in accordance with department policies and procedures
After:
Increased revenue and brand awareness by making sales presentations to clubs and associations countrywide, incorporating customer testimonials about tour experiences as marketing technique

Before:
Organized profitable and charitable events
After:
Organized and ran for-profit and charity events attracting more than 45 musicians of regional, national, and international influence in the avant-garde genre, including two-time world DMC champion DJ Klever.