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
Posted by ResumeHelp on February 12, 2010
What separates a good resume from a great one? Here are some tips to help increase the strength of your resume, and give you the edge over the competition:
1) USE A REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT
A “Functional” resume format is one that contains a free-floating list of accomplishments at the start of the document, followed by an abbreviated work history. This is heavily discouraged by recruiters/hiring agents, as it prevents a clear understanding of a candidate’s work history.
Opt for a “Reverse Chronological” format that lists positions from most recent to least. Focus intently on those within the past 10-12 years, as this is what hiring agents predominantly focus on. Older positions should probably be consolidated within a “Prior Experience” section listing 1-2 highlights for each, no dates.
2) TAILOR YOUR RESUME FOR SPECIFIC JOBS
No job seeker has the time to create separate versions of his/her resume for every position. However, if you’re seeking vastly different positions spanning more than a single industry, you will need to tailor your documents accordingly.
- Start the resume with a boldfaced title that lists the EXACT POSITION you’re applying for. This can be swapped out between submissions.
- Create a 3-4 line “Summary” beneath this DEMONSTRATING key attributes that you possess, and are heavily sought after by employers seeking to fill your target position. If you’re having trouble, seek out the counsel of a professional resume writer. This can be one of the best investments you can make.
When submitting to vastly different positions, simply swap out these 2 sections. Everything else can remain as-is.
3) USE RESUME-SPECIFIC LANGUAGE
Not adhering to the specific language of resumes is a clear sign of unprofessional. A good rule of thumb is to keep it in the third-person past tense and begin every sentence with a verb. An example would be, “Delivered major revenue gains through forging new client relationships and implementing unique product marketing strategies.”
Anish Majumdar is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Owner at Resume Orbit.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anish_Majumdar
Posted by ResumeHelp on January 20, 2010
By Claudine Benmar, PayScale.com
When every day brings new headlines about layoffs and economic disaster, your job hunt may start to feel like searching for a four-leaf clover. In Death Valley. In August.
But many companies are stable and still looking for talent. Some are even expanding. In fact, when asked which of the big companies are still hiring despite the recession, BountyJobs CEO Jeremy Lappin had this encouraging answer: “All of them.”
“Even companies in the most pain are hiring,” he says. “They’re just doing it more selectively. Really, truly talented people are always in demand.” If your resume isn’t in the best of shapes give some very serious thought to having it professionally written before you apply. This is your one moment to shine — don’t blow it to save a few bucks.
BountyJobs, which connects employers to recruiters, currently lists 2,000 companies that need to hire right now. Here is another great source for a professionally written resume. Many people think the same old resume they have used before is good enough. That’s not so in these difficult times. Don’t cut corners, a resume is a tool. Have you ever bought a cheap tool and been satisfied? Don’t do it!
7 Examples of Companies Hiring: Looking for Employees:
Places that are Hiring: Google
http://www.google.com/intl/en/jobs/
For the second year in a row, Google was named Fortune magazine’s top company to work for in 2008. “Googlers” enjoy stock options, gourmet cafeteria food and on-site massages. The company has hundreds of jobs listed for its 27 locations in the United States, including Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Places that are Hiring: Big Fish Games
http://www.bigfishgames.com/company/careers.html
This Seattle-based company, which develops, publishes and distributes online games, has multiple open positions. Peter Anderson, vice president of human resources, credits changing consumer behavior for the company’s current growth. Online games are much less expensive than going out to the movies, for example. “If you do your research, you will find these funny, hidden little gems that expand rather than contract in bad economic times,” he said. “It’s a growth industry — and a lot of fun.”
Places that are Hiring: Microsoft
http://members.microsoft.com/careers/default.mspx
It takes an army of software developers, product managers, editors and lawyers to keep Microsoft going. While the recession has prompted a review of hiring plans, according to a Microsoft spokesperson, the company still anticipates adding thousands of new jobs in 2009. “We will continue hiring the talent we need to ensure our ongoing success,” the spokesperson said.
Places that are Hiring: Alpine Access
http://www.alpineaccess.com/external/careers/
This company, which provides phone-based customer service, tech support, and collections calls for clients like J.Crew and Office Depot, is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, but its 7,500 employees all work from home. Alpine Access plans to hire over 1,200 people in 2009.
Places that are Hiring: Novartis
http://www.novartis.com/careers/index.shtml
Thanks to the success of its new vaccine against human papillomavirus, this Swiss company is expanding operations in the Boston area, adding 150 people to a vaccine research facility in Cambridge in 2009. All told, the drug company has more than 600 jobs open at locations in the United States.
Places that are Hiring: Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/jobs/?ref=pf
If you’ve recently been “friended” by people you haven’t seen in decades, it should come as no surprise that this social networking company is thriving. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Facebook has six other U.S. offices and dozens of job openings. As the company explains on its site: “We’re looking for dynamic people that get excited by big questions and unsolved problems.” Is that you? Confirm or ignore.
Places that are Hiring: Meetup
http://www.meetup.com/jobs/
Online social networking is great, but sometimes you just want to meet face-to-face. The web site Meetup.com, based in New York, helps more than 2,000 groups of people get together in real life in their own communities. Meetup has dozens of jobs available for software engineers, testers and bilingual customer service agents. (Parlez-vous Francais? Then apply tout de suite.)
