Resume Help Blog

Posts Tagged ‘executive resume’

You are ready to write your next resume only to realize that you’re really not that ready? It may be that you’re not sure what format to follow or have never written a resume before or any number of things that can cause you to panic. It could be any number of things starting with the fact that you don’t have the basic writing skills needed. You really want to let the prospective employer know that you are the right person for this job.
If you find yourself struggling with the basic needed to get your resume together, then please consider looking for outside help. This outside help should come in the form of a professional resume writer. You can of course struggle with the problem of writing it yourself or getting a friend to help but is this the right choice for you? For many the answer is no; not if you want to stand out from the rest of the crowd of unemployed people.

The Benefits of a Resume Writer
There are a number of great benefits that come with working with a professional resume writer. The first is that you get the advantage of having someone help you who writes resumes every day. A professional resume writer knows what the employers want to see and will arrange your resume to enhance your chances of getting hired.
Another benefit of working with a professional resume writer is certification. While we are all able to write our own resumes, it helps to work with a certified resume writer. A certified writer has specialized training and that’s a benefit for you. It is similar to working with a tax professional that is used to catching the things you might overlook. Sure anyone can do their own taxes but a tax professional will get you more money back than you will on your own. Is it worth the money, absolutely!
The third benefit of working with a professional resume writer is having the third party source. Sometimes it’s hard to know what we need to focus on in our careers because we’re so close to the picture. However, a professional resume writer will know exactly how to put your resume a work of art.

If your resume not opening the doors you were hoping for then hiring a professional is the right thing to do. It can make the difference in getting a job or not!

That’s the question consciously or unconsciously running through the mind of someone looking through a stack of resumes. That person will often not find the answer if there’s no cover letter from you. Resumes list the information about your skills and experience. Cover letters pinpoint why you should receive serious consideration for a particular job. A cover letter helps readers see how your experience relates specifically to what they are looking for in an employee. Instead of making readers interpret your resume, your cover letter does the work for them. A cover letter says, “I know your company and what it does. Here’s why you should take notice of my qualifications.”

A planning advisor for a huge oil corporation who scans hundreds of resumes a week looks at it this way: “The more someone can tell me what attracted him or her to my company, the better. I try to get a feel for whether the applicant is interested in our industry, which is sometimes clear in the resume and sometimes not. That is where a good cover letter can make a difference. If I get 10 resumes with similar experience and skills, the cover letter prioritizes who I need to speak to. If the resume is strong, then I don’t need the cover letter, but lots of times resumes don’t answer the questions I have.”

Keep in mind that the people who read resumes and cover letters spend mere seconds on them. You could meet every requirement of the job you’re going for but unfortunately, your qualifications might be buried somewhere in your resume. The people who are considering you for a job don’t like to dig. That’s where the best cover letter can be a make or break proposition.

Resumes are a record of your past and current experience. A well thought-out cover letter selects only those skills and experiences that apply to a job description and company. It summarizes your qualifications for that particular job so the hiring manager doesn’t have to search for them on your resume. If your cover letter doesn’t showcase the main points of your resume that match their requirements, the hiring manager is more likely to move on to the next candidate. And in this job market, you don’t want that to happen. Many times it is helpful to have a professional resume writer prepare your resume and cover letter. It’s an excellent investment.

But you may be saying; “I simply cannot afford to hire a Professional Resume Writer”. What’s the answer to that statement? I cannot deny a professionally written resume costs at least a couple of hundred dollars. But there is an answer. Here is a website that will give you basically the same thing for much, much less. You do the work, they tell you exactly how! Most people stumble over Interview questions. They offer help for that too!  And you save lots of dinero! Go to Resume On A Budget now!

Authors bio: Darlene Zambruski is the managing for Resume Edge.  She has authored 10,000+ resumes/cover letters/CVs for clients at every career stage.

Sometimes your resume can hurt more than help you. In today’s job-search market, you are often competing against large numbers of applicants, and your resume has to be good enough to make it past the first screening.

The first people to view your resume are often lower-level staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of consideration. You can minimize the chances of your resume being eliminated during this round by following three simple rules.

LESS IS MORE

Don’t tell too much. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to know more. They will be likely to call and phone-screen you. So don’t fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer.

For example, you may have worked several years at your present employer. Certainly you could fill up several paragraphs with all that you’ve done. Instead, think of the one or two most critical projects, duties or functions that you provide. List the most important and give them no more than a sentence or two each.

Here is an example:

EXPERIENCE: Mar 2003 to Present: XYZ Company, Their City, CA Senior staff design engineer. Products designed/Projects involved: A, B, C. Description of Most Important Project and why Description of 2nd most important project and why

Skip the hobbies and personal info. Avoid mind-numbing detail that will cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. One page is ideal — two pages only if you are a 15- to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.

MORE KEYWORDS

You want the computers to flag your resume for closer examination. Do this by including as many keywords as possible that are relevant to your job and your job skills, as well as specific industry words that may be appropriate. A convenient method to accomplish this is to include a separate “Keywords” section on your resume just below the “Objective”. Think of this as an important catchall specifically for the computers to “see”.

Here is an example from a candidate employed as a medical quality assurance auditor:

KEYWORDS: Quality System, QA, QS, Audit, Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), International Standards (ISO), Corrective and Preventive Action Programs (CAPA), training, QSR, Medical Device, calibration, 510K, TQM, PMA, FDA.

Also, include the names of major companies you worked with or for, as this often is important to employers. Include those in the “Experience” section.

BE SPECIFIC

Don’t just tell them what you did. Move beyond that and tell the benefit of your accomplishment.  A good way to do this is to include several specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money. Remember, the only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed.

Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples of some of your best work. How can an employer think of you as a problem solver? If at all possible, try to “monetize” your accomplishments (state them in terms of money). At the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these successes.

SUMMARY

Building an effective resume doesn’t have to be drudgery. Using the above three guidelines will keep your resume lean and to the point standing a greater chance of landing on the “to call” stack and getting you a phone screen. If your resume still looks like a jumbled mess I would invite you to contact one of our professional resume writers. We have screened them carefully and know they can help you get the perfect job even in today’s tight market. Here is our top pick; contact them today!

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: www.jobchangesecrets.com.