Resume Help Blog

Posts Tagged ‘resumes’

Most people, no matter what job they seek or how long they’ve been part of the working world, make the same mistake when it comes to the resume writing process. They forget – or simply don’t know how – to develop their resume from the employer’s point of view.

“Employers want to know several things about you within seconds of glancing at your resume. Your job, then, is to be hit-them-over-the-head obvious about who you are, what job you’re seeking and what you have to offer them,” says Louise Kursmark, a certified professional resume writer and author of “30-Minute Resume Makeover.”

When sifting through resumes, most employers and recruiters know exactly what they’re looking for. Resumes that meet their expectations are ones that respond to the following questions:

Who Are You?

To determine how well your resume addresses this, Kursmark suggests having friends or colleagues read it. Within five seconds of them looking at the resume, snatch it back from them and quiz them on what they know about you as a job seeker based on what they read. If they can’t offer a quick answer that truly describes you, your resumes summary needs some work.

What Can You Do For Me?

The most effective way to show employers the value you offer is to show them how you’ve contributed to an employer’s success elsewhere. These examples must be specific, measurable accomplishments that cite numbers and other details. For instance, did you create a report that tracked results, or saved the company work and time? Did you find a way to save them money by taking on a responsibility?

Do You Have The Skills I’m Looking For?

Scan job ads and job descriptions to discover which skills are most relevant to the employers and recruiters receiving your resume. Then strategically place them throughout your resume to ensure it makes it past computer scans and into the hands of employers and recruiters. If they say you need to have customer service skills then describe your previous position in such a way that it highlights that. If they want you to know a certain computer program then describe how you used it at your last job.

Where Have You Worked Before?

This one should be simple. Employers want to know where you worked, for how long and which job titles you’ve held that may indicate how prepared you are for a role at their organization.

Is Your Experience Relevant To My Needs?

Sometimes it’s necessary to expand upon a job title or job description to truly demonstrate that you have experience that applies to the job you’re seeking. Consider using bullets to present brief and interesting information that is relevant to the employer.

Do You Have The Right Education And Credentials?

If you have the education, credentials and training needed to qualify for the job, be sure to say so! Use commonly accepted terminology and keywords in this section to ensure your information isn’t misinterpreted or overlooked by employers or resume scanners.

Do I See Any “Red Flags” In Your Background?

Gaps in employment (an indication of job hopping), spending too much time in the same job or resume errors may alert employers and recruiters that you are not the type of candidate they’re looking for in their organization. You can turn “red flags” into a positive by calling attention to it first and making it a positive. Call attention by addressing the issue and explaining it thereby disarming the hiring person.

For instance if you’ve been 8 years at one job outline the various job titles, or responsibilities that were added in a date format. Say you started as the receptionist and then 2 years later you were an administrative assistant and then 2 years later you were the executive assistant to the president. Show a progression of responsibility within the company.

Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. Her articles help people find meaningful work, develop their career and life plans, and carry out effective job search campaigns.

We asked three college recruiters what they looked for first when reviewing resumes. All three represent major companies and look over countless pages of resumes every year. Some of these come on expensive bond, some on plain copy paper. In the end it doesn’t matter, it’s what is on the paper that counts.

One college recruiter represents GTE Corp. in Irving Texas and tells us that he looks at the education portion of the resume first. He tells us that he looks at the degree, the major, the graduation date and of course the GPA.

Another recruiter is a college relations manager at J.C. Penny. Inc. in Dallas, Texas. She says she looks at the experience section first. She is looking for retail experience and then adds that her next look is the GPA and the graduation date.

The third recruiter we asked is the corporate staffing manager at America Online out of Fairfax, Virginia. This recruiter looks first for skills and experience.

They all agree that a resume should contain the skills and experience as well as the education. Your resume must communicate those elements clearly and be free from glaring grammatical and spelling errors.

Getting Started

If you’re just beginning the process of building your resume, you’ll need to construct a framework first.

“A resume is like a final term paper,” says Jeff Nardo, career services coordinator at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, North Carolina. “You have to put in the same energy, attention to detail, and focus.”

Your resume should begin with a heading that includes your name, address, telephone number, and, in most cases, e-mail address. If you can make it look like professional stationery letterhead this is always nice.

If you’ll be leaving campus soon, be sure to provide a way for employers to reach you. If you’re not sure where you’ll be living, it’s best to include both your campus contact information and contact information for your parents. If you don’t have an email address you can sign up for a free one at Yahoo, Hotmail or Google.

Objectively Speaking

Write your objective that clearly tells the employer the sort of work you’re hoping to do. Avoid writing grandiose “philosophy-of-life” objectives.

Employers like to see some kind of objective or summary statement. The more specific it is, the better. Then they are able to route the resume to the appropriate people.”

Tailor your objectives to each employer you are targeting-and to each job they’re seeking.

The objective is like the thesis statement for a term paper.  In it, you’re trying to prove your knowledge of a particular area.”

Education

Tell them what you have learned. You may also want to include related course work in that category or in a separate section directly beneath it.

At minimum, the education section should include your degree, when it was earned or is expected, and what college or university you attended or are attending. Be sure to include your GPA.

You should also include in this section if you’re on the dean’s list or have received other academic honors.

For most students, the education section should precede the experience section.

Be descriptive in what your work experience actually was. Don’t just say, ‘rang up sales and talked to customers.’ In other words, don’t generalize, be creative.

Students are way too negative about their fast-food experience. It’s how you position it that matters. Customer service is a wonderful training ground. Try to identify how what you did fits into the corporate world and play up that experience. Again, be creative. Emphasize the ‘customer service’ angle. Also list any promotions you received and if it was in a short timeframe make sure to brag about that. For instance, ‘promoted to Assistant Manager after 3 months.

Describe a fast food job like a work experience. “But be honest about what it is. You don’t want to snow someone into thinking it was a full-time job for two years.”

One counselor who often counsels students transitioning from other careers or returning to the workplace after raising their children, says that sometimes volunteer and home-management activities can be used as experience.

Other Categories

Recruiters and career counselors agree that not every resume needs to look exactly the same. Different people need to emphasize things in different ways.

You could also include a key skills or special competencies section, to be placed high on the resume, usually just below the objective.

Special skills, such as fluency in a foreign language or proficiency in specific computer programs, can be placed beneath the experience category as well.

Putting It On Paper

No matter how you plan to submit your resume, make sure that you’ve proofread it carefully and asked several other people to do the same.

It’s really important to remember that spell check does not work for grammar, the same holds true for homonyms. “If you have ‘their’ instead of ‘there,’ it won’t come up on spell check.”

Make sure you have spelled everything right, especially the company’s name. And keep in mind what a resume is: a summary of your job qualifications.”

By Heather Eagar – resumelines.com
In the midst of hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes that recruiters and employers receive for any given position, your resume needs to stand out from the crowd.
You must make the Hiring Manager want to read your resume more thoroughly than just the average 10-20 seconds the vast majority of resumes get. The way to do this is by designing an accomplishment driven resume.
What makes a resume that is focused on achievements so effective? Most job seekers tend to list the responsibilities of their past and current positions. While this may be important, it should not necessarily be the focus of your document. The higher level the position you are seeking, the more crucial the accomplishment aspect of your resume. You need to provide proof of the results you were able to achieve while conveying the idea that you can bring the same, if not better, results to your future employer.

Say for instance, you are a CPA. Your current resume states things such as “Control accounting activities”, and “Invest and manage cash activities”. What does that really say about your abilities? How does that differentiate you from all of the other CPAs out there applying for the same job as you? It doesn’t.

You need to show the potential employers what you can bring to their organization. Now is the time to brag. How have you improved a company’s bottom line? Have you spearheaded any projects that resulted in increased revenue, company savings, or employee morale? That’s the kind of information that Hiring Managers seek out.

Your resume is your own personal sales pitch. Keywords are an integral part of that pitch. While you are describing your accomplishments, be sure to use powerful keywords to signify the importance and magnitude of those feats.

It is not the time to be modest. Use strong action verbs that really drive home what you’re trying to say. Use industry terms, where appropriate, if you are seeking a job similar to your current position. The company will understand this terminology and be relieved to know that you are competent enough to comprehend them as well.

Another significant part of an accomplishment driven resume is the format. Do not clump your achievements and responsibilities together. You can write an overview of your responsibilities in a paragraph and then highlight your accomplishments with bullets. You don’t want to have everything in a paragraph, and likewise, not everything in a bullet format. You must draw the reader’s eye to the important parts that you really want to sell. If everything looks the same, nothing will stand out.

Using these techniques, you are on your way to writing an accomplishment driven, extremely effective resume. Your potential employers will not only see what you have achieved in the past, but what you could offer them in the future.

About the Author:

Heather Eagar, a former professional resume writer and creator of ResumeLines.com, provides reviews of the top resume writing services that put you in charge of your career so you can get the job you deserve.