Writing a Résumé That Shouts ‘Hire Me’ By PHYLLIS KORKKI

Posted by ResumeHelp on March 8, 2010

IT’S tempting to think of a résumé as a low-maintenance aspect of your job search. Just list where you worked, what you did and where you went to school, attach that to each application and press the button.

In fact, though, you have considerable flexibility in how you structure your résumé. The decisions you make about what it says and how it looks can affect whether you get the job you really want, or get a job at all.

A résumé is a marketing document that “can serve as a magnet to draw job opportunities to you,” said Susan Ireland, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Résumé.” That’s largely because more résumés are now on job boards and social media sites, and are included on company databases, she said.

Often, people place too much emphasis on the parts of past jobs that they hated — and get new jobs they end up hating, too, she said. “Your résumé is about your future,” she said, “it’s not about your past,” so stress experiences that are most relevant to the position you aspire to hold.

Let’s say you were in a data-entry position but want to move into project coordination. Give your true job title, she said, but you can highlight the parts of your job that involved projects.

You aren’t obliged to list every single job you have ever held. If a job is 15 or more years in the past, stop and consider how much it’s worth mentioning, or how much space to give it, said Wendy S. Enelow, a résumé writer for executives and co-author of “No-Nonsense Résumés.”

“Your résumé is not an autobiographical essay of your entire life,” she said. If the sales job you had 20 years ago does not relate to where you are headed, leave it out or summarize it very briefly, she said.

In listing your most relevant experience, quantify your achievements whenever possible, Ms. Enelow said. For example, you could write “automated internal record-keeping processes, resulting in a 27 percent reduction in annual operating costs,” she said.

People with gaps in their recent work history often balk at a résumé that lists their latest jobs first, thinking that a “functional” type, stressing skills rather than dates, will work in their favor. But in most cases, job seekers should go the reverse-chronological route.

Most hiring managers become suspicious when they see a résumé without prominent dates, Ms. Ireland said. Try to list things like your community service, your volunteer work or other activities to fill in gaps in your recent work history, she said.

Many companies use software to weed out unqualified applicants. Pay attention to key words, repeating some defining terms from the job description. For example, if you are applying to be a solar energy engineer, you could include the words “solar,” “installation” and “photovoltaic (PV),” Ms. Ireland said.

Be concise in the job-objective or summary part of the résumé, which comes after your name and contact information. If you are seeking a position similar to one you have held, simply state your professional title, Ms. Ireland said (for example, user interface architect). Otherwise, indicate the job you want next or emphasize the skills that the job involves.

Tweak your résumé when necessary. Be sensitive to wording differences among industries. For example, banks have customers, while libraries have patrons and hospitals have patients, Ms. Ireland said.

Generally, unless you are a very recent graduate, list education after work experience. The older you are, the less necessary it is to list the year you graduated, Ms. Enelow said.

Make sure your résumé is easy to read, both on the screen and on paper. Even though most résumés are sent via e-mail, many H.R. people still print out the attachments, Ms. Ireland said.

Résumés are shorter than they were even five years ago, Ms. Enelow said, perhaps as a result of social-media behavior like 140-character tweeting. Keep them “tight, lean and clean,” she said. Ms. Ireland warns against the “big cement block” effect, meaning the use of dense paragraphs. A paragraph should be no longer than three lines, she said.

Make good use of white space, point size, boldface and bullets. But if you start seeing a laundry list of bullets, group them into clusters under skills headings so they are more readable, Ms. Enelow said.

And if you are a mid- or late-career professional, don’t feel that you must keep your résumé to one page.

Many companies have older versions of Microsoft Word, so make sure that your résumé attachment is compatible with them, Ms. Ireland said. It’s also wise to have printed versions ready, to hand out at interviews.

Finally, have someone review your work. If you need a complete makeover, the services of professional résumé writers may cost from $100 up to thousands of dollars. The price will depend on your job search area and how much work is entailed but most times is worth the cost.

But even an extra set of eyes from a friend, family member or career center employee can be enough to set a wayward résumé on the right course.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/jobs/28search.html

Getting recognized online

Posted by ResumeHelp on March 5, 2010

As if the dreaded R-word wasn’t already making the job hunt tough, applying for work online can feel like you’re tossing that carefully crafted cover letter and résumé into an abyss of HTML. After polling experts in human resources and career development, we gathered a few tips for separating yourself from the other online applicants.

1. Use position-relevant keywords: “Most recruiters today do not look at each individual résumé that comes in. They perform searches on electronic résumés by keywords,” says Allison O’Kelly, CEO of staffing firm, Mom Corps. “Therefore, it is critical that you make sure that you have keywords in your résumé that you would expect a recruiter to use in a search.”

2. Label your résumé clearly: “If you are e-mailing your résumé directly to an employer, you can name the document “Full Name’s Résumé for Name of Position Applying to,” says Tara Malone, assistant director of career development at Purchase College.”

3. Use the appropriate subject heading: “If sending via e-mail, the subject line must clearly state “who” you are (for example, sales associate- pharmaceutical industry) or the position for which you are applying,” says career consultant Wendy S. Enelow.

4. Don’t use “helper words”: Jane Goldner, president of the Goldner Group, adds that words like “assisted” and “coordinated” emphasize that you’re less of a doer and  more a passive helper.

5. Try the FedEx trick: “A candidate sent FedEx envelopes to each hiring manager with a short note telling us that the best candidate we could hope to see was about to present her résumé and that we should be ready,” says David Lewis, president of a human resources outsourcing firm, OperationsInc. “A few days later, another FedEx arrived with the résumé. She got the interview. She was as advertised, and we hired her.”  Click here for more ideas like this that really work!

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/02/28/22/4724-82/index.xml

Would I benefit A Career Coach?

Posted by ResumeHelp on February 13, 2010

What should you do if you need a career tune-up?
An awful lot of people will wait until their career crashes and burns before they seek the guidance of a career counselor or coach, and even then they want to make sure that they can’t fix it themselves first.

What would happen if you met with a career counselor before your career had a breakdown, before being laid off or before you became so discouraged that you are ready to throw in the towel? Let me suggest that you would be well on your way to a better, doing something that you love to do job instead of dreading to go to work every day.

Does this sound too good to be true? It can happen by developing a the right career plan.

Career counselors and coaches do not have all the answers for you. They aren’t magical. They can’t answer the question “what should I be when I grow up?”. However, they can guide you on a journey to help you discover the answer for yourself.

The most common issue that most job seekers have is resume development. Most people start with a resume, without having a clue what they want to do, what their skills and talents are and where they would like to apply those skills. They aren’t creative and only list their jobs without any explanation and thus their resumes are boring.

You must look at your resume as selling a product (you) then define what you have to offer and what problems you can solve. Only then can you develop and implement a plan. Until you understand your “product”, you cannot define who needs your product or who is willing to buy it. This will take some time and some work. You will be the one who decides where you want to be and what you want to do, instead of waiting for someone else to make those decisions

What if you have already been laid off or expect a downsizing? A career counselor or coach can help you here as well. If you need quick results, you will need to work smarter, not harder. Career counselors and coaches can put together a plan to help you to develop job search strategies. They will develop an effective resume first and then use all available resources to unearth job openings.

However, not all career counselors are equally effective. You need to find a career counselor or coach that you can work well with. One who will help you to identify any career gaps, and who is astute enough to generate solutions and suggestions that will help you move forward.

The difference between a career counselor and career coach is how they approach your needs. Both career counselors and career coaches will work with you to identify your strengths, goals and of course interests. Of course they expect you to take responsibility for your outcome. In other words if you think this is a magic pill, you are mistaken. Your coach will be direct, will push you, and will probably schedule check-in calls. A career counselor will let you set the pace, encourage you to call when you need help, and expect you to report in at agreed upon times. Which is better? Only you can tell. How motivated are you? Either approach will move you forward.  You decide which approach will work best for you.

Exercise caution when selecting either one. In some states they are licensed, in others not. Therefore it is your responsibility as a consumer to do your research. If licensing is required in your state they should have a have a graduate degree in counseling or a related field, have a solid track record of helping individuals be successful in their career pursuits.

The career counselors we offer on our website are credentialed and are genuine.

Before making your first appointment, you should interview your potential career counselor or coach over the phone.

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