Resume Writing Tips – How to Impress Prospective Employers

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 11-04-2009

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When the idea of this article came in to my mind, I decided to start with an analogy. When you go for shopping and see different types of products in the racks, do you understand how helpful the products could be? Can you guess the functionalities of a specific product unless you go through the brochure or the user-manual? Once you are impressed with the description written in the product page, you take more interest in the product.

Applying for a job is no way different! You need to market yourself properly to get the job. Your employer does not know anything about you, unless you are an icon! So prepare your resume in such a way that gives your employer a fair idea about you – your abilities, your strengths and your skill set. This would help them judge how helpful you can be for the organization.

Hence, in this case, your resume is the brochure! If the employer likes your resume, they will call you for an interview and you will get a second chance to prove yourself.

So you need to put adequate effort and thought while preparing your CV or resume whatever you call it. Make sure, it attracts the viewer so much that they pick it up readily leaving all other resumes on the stack.

To start off, judge the requirements of the employer carefully; do your homework before you start resume writing. If you are applying in reference to an employment notice or advert in newspaper, magazine or online job board, go through the entire text thoroughly. Read the ‘about us’, job responsibilities and requirements line by line. Once finished, read it for another time. A lot of people do the mistake of scanning online employment notices lightly and often miss the important points.

Having the requirements inspected carefully, start preparing your resume. Highlight the facts about you that are helpful for the employer. For example, if you are applying for jobs in advertising and the advertising agency is looking for a creative person, why don’t you start your resume describing the advertising project that you did in college and how successful it was!

Resume Formats: Chronological, Functional, Combination

Three resume formats are there – chronological, functional and combination. In a chronological resume you list your work experience in reverse chronological order, i.e., the latest work experience is mentioned first and so on. After work experience, educational background is listed in the same way. Chronological resume expresses your career growth.

On the other hand, a functional resume highlights your abilities and skills under the title of various functions you have performed in different organizations. Functional resume is useful when you decide to switch your career – this format helps your employer understand how swift you are at adopting new job profiles.

Combination resume is a hybrid of both of the above mentioned formats. Here employment history is listed chronologically and then the skills and abilities are presented adhering to functional resume writing properties. Combination resume can be useful for those who are changing career and have worked on various industries in past.

Choose the right format for your resume and hit the job market. A well-written resume is the key to successful career.

Resume Writing – Keep It Short And Concise

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 09-04-2009

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One of the main questions asked about resumes is, “Do I have to include everything on one page?” The most common misconception of resume writing is that your entire professional history has to fit within one A4 page of white paper.

The truth is, the resume should be well written and concise, and should promote your qualifications in the best possible light. This is sometimes impossible to do in one page. Thus, a resume can extend to multiple pages, with some consideration depending on your career level.

1.Be concise.

This is critical. Do not use lengthy sentences and paragraph forms to disclose your experience and your education. Employers want straight forward statements that highlight your qualifications. A resume is not a place to show your creative writing skills.

2.Perfect your resume.

You have second to catch your potential employer’s attention. Make sure that your resume is properly formatted, and you are not trying to fit too much copy on a single page of paper. Create appropriate and professional sections for your resume. Your potential employer is more concerned with the look and content of your resume than with its length.

3.Keep it short and focus

Longer is not better when you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective. If you are new to the job market, are changing careers, or you’ve only had one job, stick to a one page resume.

If you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective, no matter the reason, do not apologize for it. Don’t try to fill up your resume with irrelevant content; instead do your best to highlight your transferable skills, and stick to the short and sweet.

3. Do not exceed two pages

Unless you are applying for an executive-level job, or are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not exceed two pages.

The purpose of a well-written resume is to sell you as the best candidate for the job with a confident and a straight-forward approach. Do not oversell your skills. Do not list more than three to five previous positions you’ve help.

Stick to those skills and experiences that best meet the job requirements and your career objective. The most relevant information has to be included on the first page.

The second page should be numbered, with your contact information included as well (just in case the pages are separated when printed, you don’t want your potential employer to discard the second page of your resume completely).

If you find yourself going over two pages, review your resume and make sure that you are not incorporating information that is irrelevant to your goals or to the position you are seeking.

4.Statements should be applicable to the job

Make sure that your professional history warrants a resume that is three pages or longer. As mentioned above, unless you are a senior- or executive-level professional, or you are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not extend to over two pages.

If you have a longer resume, you will have to make sure that every statement on the resume is applicable to your career goals.

If you have had decades of leadership experience for example, demonstrate that using the reverse chronological resume style and only list those jobs that best qualify you for the position you are seeking. If you need to include an extensive list of publications or certifications, your resume can take up more than three pages.

Make sure that the important information is still listed on the first page. This includes your career objective and professional profile, and your current or most recent professional experience. All subsequent pages need to be numbered, and include your contact information in the heading.

Resume Writing Tips To Get You That Dream Job

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 12-03-2009

Resume writing is an art. But, fortunately, you can learn this art and develop the skills necessary to write a winning resume. First off, be sure to have a proper format. This will go along way towards landing that job you desire. Be careful not to use flashy symbols or images, and do not highlight any portion of your resume. The reader already knows what they want, and they will see it when looking for it in a resume and will quickly find that without you having to draw attention to a particular portion of the resume.

There are tools available to help you write your resume. Always check the Internet first when needing information or programs to use to construct your very own resume. Once you have created your masterpiece, it is time to contact companies that are hiring for the position you are seeking. Some companies prefer that you mail in your resume and others would like you to fax it today.

There are even websites devoted to job hunting, which will provide you with tips and tricks to get your foot in the door. Doing a search on the Internet will provide you with the most popular websites that are focused around jobhunting. The information that these sites provide are designed to help you write a better resume.

Jobhunting is not an easy thing to do. You must do your due diligence research into the companies are hiring and also find out about the benefits offered in the company to see if that is one company you would like to work at. Most companies offer 13 or 12 paid holidays. Some companies do not pay for holidays. Be sure to match your skills with the requirements of the job you are seeking in order to be the best candidate available at the time they are interviewing for new personnel.

Always send a cover letter with the resume to ensure a proper introduction to your prospective employer. They cover letter should be distinct and different for each company that you are applied for and is directed to the manager in charge.

Tips To Put Your Application On Top!

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 11-03-2009

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There are some things you must bear in mind when using these free resume writing services on the internet.

• When writing your resume you must first decide what it is you want to tell the reader of the resume. You must understand that the reader is looking for information on your education and skill. The reader should not have to surf through the resume looking for the information. It should pop right out at him or her.

• Never resort to the use of Jargon in your resume. Slang is a big no-no when it comes to presenting your services to a prospective employer through a resume or in the course of an interview. Stick to being absolutely formal.

• If you are not applying for a technical post, avoid using technical terminology like the plague.

• Remember that you are making a resume and not a bio-data. So never include information such as the color of your eyes, hair and your height.

• Include only the education, training and experience that are relevant to the job profile you are applying for. Never detail your entire work history from jobs that is not relevant to the post you are applying for. Include an abbreviated list of the responsibilities you shouldered but do not go into detail.

• Stick to facts when making out your resume. Never try to over sell yourself as this may backfire during the course of the interview.

• Never fill your resume with graphics. In fact, never include graphics in your resume apart from a simple snap-shot of yourself shoulders up and do not wear dark glasses when getting your photograph taken.

• Lastly check the resume for spelling and grammatical errors. One error and your resume may just be thrown into the waste basket.

When you adhere to the above mentioned tips while making your resume even an automated system will produce a professionally written resume that can clinch the best job interviews for you.

Making Use Of Resume Writing Services

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 05-03-2009

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Some people find that they do not know how to write a resume. They try, but they just don’t seem to understand how one is put together or how it works. Thank goodness for resume writing services and for their valuable knowledge.

Sure it may cost a bit of money, but it is worth it when you land that job interview because they wrote you a stellar document. Once you provide the information, they will create a polished and professional document, written in the correct resume format.

Resume writers usually work on a freelance basis. You pay a set amount to have them work their magic with your information. They type away at it and suddenly it becomes an effective curriculum vitae you can hand into your potential employer with confidence.

Professional curriculum vitae writing companies rely on their employees to have a high standard to which their resumes must be held accountable. A poorly written curriculum vitae is useless and a direct reflection on the writer. A document, void of typos and poor grammar, is essential as the customer does not want to send substandard documents out to potential employers.

A resume writing service can be the difference between being stuck at a dead-end job and getting one filled with promise and advancement opportunities. Your curriculum vitae is the only thing holding you back. Curriculum vitae services can do the job, but you must do your part as well.

You provide the information about past employment and salary history, and they ask you for details on your job duties. You may have to explain how you ran the office and increased revenue by 30%, as well as any technical skills that are pertinent to the position you wish to secure.

If it has been said once, then it has been said a thousand times over the course of your life. Do not lie on your curriculum vitae. Do not embellish the facts and figures. If you elect to do so you will eventually be discovered and may lose your job.

You can also lose your credibility and the potential to find other jobs in that career field. Most employers now check the facts, so do not provide your resume writing services with incorrect information.

Using resume writing services is a great way to save hassle, time and money. You just provide them with the information and they write your document. You will need to know what style of curriculum vitae each company sends out along with what style works best for your work experience.

Some job fields require a particular type of curriculum vitae and cover letter. A good, effective resume is the proverbial foot-in-the-door to the job of your dreams. Make sure and put your best foot forward.

3 Tips for Success Resume Writing

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 05-03-2009

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Resume writing is possibly the biggest stumbling block for folks who are looking for a job. While it may seem simple, there are allot of subtle things that really matter. Potential employers are flooded with resumes in response to their job postings, and you only have a few short moments to make it or your resume will end up in the trash. So, how do you optimize your resume to make it likely to get read? Here are 3 great tips to get you started.

1. Be Comprehensive, yet Succinct. While your resume should contain a detailed account of your qualifications and accomplishments, you need to keep on topic specific to the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a position as an office manager, for example, you don’t need to include references to your stint as a rodeo clown. The prospective employer will likely be interested only in the skills and work experience that relates directly to the position they are trying to fill. Give them what they are looking for. Take a thorough account of your work history and skillset and choose to highlight what is relevant, and eliminate or downplay the items that are irrelevant. This strategy of niche resume writing keeps your resume focused and gives you the advantage of appearing to be the most qualified candidate for the job.

2. Your Resume Should be Formatted Nicely Kooky fonts and such may be okay for personal communications, but your resume should be more “standardized”. You want it to appear as neat and tidy as… well, yourself, right? A typewritten resume using standard fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial on high quality plain white paper will be a winner every time. You also need to pay close attention to your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Nothing would be more embarrassing than a resume with typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings. Not only embarrassing, but presenting a resume with errors will not impress potential employers and will likely land your resume in the trash can. Don’t rely on computer based spelling and grammar checks. Check it yourself, and if possible, get someone else to check it for you as well. Also be wary of the reformatting that sometimes happens when you upload your resume to an Internet based resume submission service. Allot of times, you will loose your careful formatting only to find it replaced with the wrong margin, strange fonts and worse. Before you send it, check it!

3. Show Enthusiasm Your resume and cover letter should not be something that you write begrudgingly. You are excited about the job you are applying for, correct? Well, then show it! Your excitement will come across in your resume and cover letter and will impress perspective employers. Whenever it makes sense to, use action words to describe your career history and goals.

5 Tips about Resume Writing

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 05-02-2009

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Virtually every job you apply for in the modern world will require you to send in your resume, and often the quality of that resume is the determining factor in whether you succeed or fail. As so many resumes are just run of the mill efforts with very little thought or preparation, it doesn’t take that much to stand out from the crowd. These resume writing tips will give you a head start!

Resume Writing Tip 1- Make sure you have a plan. Do your research and be sure exactly what the job requirements are. Produce your resume so that it is tailored to that individual job, and shows why you are the right person, as what you have matches what they are looking for.

Resume Writing Tip 2- Have a definite goal in mind. The more you can define exactly what it is you want in applying for the role, the more clear and concise your resume will be. Just saying that you are trying to get more money is not what the employer wants to read, so you need to say something like “further your experience in a well known successful organisation”

Resume Writing Tip 3- Try to inject some force into your writing. As so many people have been taught to write routine resumes in school, yours can stand out if you take the time to be a little bit different. With every sentence that you write, you should ask “Is that how everyone will word it?” Use different words and phrases if you feel that you are just going to be too much like all the rest. Use your writing to try and sell yourself. You can make quite a large impact, just with some very small changes.

Resume Writing Tip 4- Sell the benefits of the skills you have, don’t just list the skills. Salesmanship is all about getting over to the prospect the benefits of the features of the product, not about just listing the features. With you resume, for example, if you had the skill of being a good sales closer, “Excellent sales closer” could become “Proven closing ability, over $150,000 worth of business written in the past year alone” or something like that. This is going to make a much bigger impact on your potential employer.

Resume Writing Tip 5- Try to make use of figures. Firstly, numbers do tend to look prominent on a page filled with text and words. A resume with figures on the page will be easier on the eye. Secondly, if you include numeric data in your resume, people will be more inclined to take what you are writing about at face value. Instead of “Managed my own team of people” you could write “Managed 25 up and coming trainees…” or something like this. Giving the recruiter a visual image of you that they can relate to is always a good idea

These resume writing tips should have shown you that making a resume that stands out can be a lot easier than some would have you believe, you just need to learn the ropes and do some original thinking!

Resume Writing Tips – How to Write a Resume That Persuades!

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 03-02-2009

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When applying for a job, you have to remember that you’re not the only available candidate. Your future employer or the head of the HR department probably has a good number of resumes waiting on his or her desk.

In order to catch their attention, you have to make sure that your resume stands out among the rest. In fact, resume writing tips are the secret weapon of many successful job applicants!

You might think that a resume is only a piece of paper and that what matters most is the interview itself. However, know that applying resume writing tips on your own profile automatically gives you an edge over the others! Scroll down a bit more and learn how to gain a good advantage over your competition!

Do Your Research

What is the company all about? What kind of person are they looking for? If you take the time to research on your target workplace, you’ll be able to find out just what qualities you can highlight on your resume.

Keep in mind that companies aren’t necessarily looking for the highest scorer or the best speaker. They’re looking for that one person who will match and blend with the job and their company perfectly.

Use Action Words

I’m not just talking about verbs here. When describing the task you have accomplished, stick to specific descriptions and use the active voice.

After all, it’s much more pleasant and interesting to learn that you “edited and published a collection of short stories” than “served as an editor.” It shows that you’re someone who works hard.

Avoid Stereotypes

Stereotypes will kill your resume. Many articles on resume writing tips will warn you of being too ordinary. Remember that the goal here is to stand out. Start with your objective.

We all know how the typical objective goes. Try to keep yours interesting by fusing your personal point of view and the company’s direction. That will definitely help you come up with a fresher objective.

Now that you have learned a few of the standard resume writing tips, go over your resume and see which areas you can improve on. Is your objective too boring? Can you make your tasks more specific and action-oriented? Do you think your resume shows that you’re the right person the company is looking for?

After reviewing and submitting your resume, it won’t take long before the phone rings and someone asks you to schedule a job interview!

Resume Writing Help

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 01-01-2009

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Writing a resume can seem to be a frustrating task especially if you have never written a resume before. Thankfully in the new age of technology there are several online websites that offer to help individuals with writing their resume. This is perfect for someone who is a novice at resume writing.

A resume writing website will ease the intimidation of writing an effective resume. It is often times difficult to know what to include in a resume or what to highlight or what to emphasize. The pressure is placed on an individual because our resume is a foot in the door. There are an estimated one hundred applicants for any open position.

Since human resource departments and managers are swamped with hundreds of résumés this means that on average they probably spend ten tot thirty seconds looking at each one. You need to make sure that your resume stands alone from the pile. If you organize information incorrectly on your resume this can affect your chances of being called in for an interview.

A résumé writing website will offer important services to users such as resume writing software, free resume samples to view, answers to the most frequently asked resume questions, free tips on writing a resume and the resume forum where you can chart with others. This is a valuable online resource that is changing the way we write resumes.

It is so important to have detailed and organized résumé that impresses potential employers. If you are a beginner at resume writing then it is recommended that you visit a resume building website. Put your best foot forward when you are applying for a job.

There is so much competition for each job that we apply for. Remember that you are up against hundreds of applicants. Tools that assist you in designing a professional resume can give you an edge against your competitors.

Resume Writing – What Do Hiring Managers Look For in a Resume?

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 18-12-2008

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How many times has this happened? You see that perfect position so you put together a resume and send it off with the hopes of getting a call back for an interview. You wait and wait but no one calls so you scratch your head and wonder what you could have done better. Your well-intentioned friends or family members may try to convince you to believe that the position was already filled or that the company hired internally. Although these scenarios are viable possibilities, it’s more likely that your resume simply does not reflect what employers want.

So how do you get more calls for interviews?

You have to understand what hiring managers want to find in your resume.

Simply put, they want to find the best candidate with the qualifications and required skill-set for the job.

If you need an electrician to do some work in your house, you won’t pick up the yellow pages and blindly flip through the pages until you find someone who might be qualified. You are more likely to go straight to the “E” section and look up electrical contractors. Then you might narrow it down by using criteria that are important to you (e.g. licensure, years of experience, cost, availability, etc.) Basically, you have a need and you want it fulfilled.

Likewise, while writing your resume you should keep in mind the hiring manager’s main goal: to fill a need. It seems simple, but so many jobseekers seem to make the same mistake by using resumes that are generic without a clear direction or goal. It is extremely important to target your resume to the position you are applying for.

Some Tips for Targeting Your Resume

First, throw out that old objective statement and replace it with a headline followed by a skills summary or a profile.

Here is an example headline and profile for a sales and marketing manager:

—–

EXPERIENCED SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

Results-delivering senior sales and marketing manager with an exemplary record of leading organizations to exceed plan year over year. Currently lead $50M sales team for multiple product lines as a Regional Sales Manager for [Company Name]. Adept in developing and executing strategies that increase market share and generate record-breaking sales. Strong relationship-building skills, known for securing crucial partnerships with…

—–

As you can see, it is unmistakable what this jobseeker is looking for and what unique qualifications he or she has to offer a potential employer.

Once you get that part of your resume under control, make sure you are using industry keyword phrases throughout your resume.

Caution: Don’t go overboard with keywords because you may give the impression that you are fluffing your resume or “keyword stuffing” if you over do it.

Here are some example keyword phrases for the same sales and marketing manager:

client relationship management strategic alliance building negotiations and deal structuring customer acquisition marketing strategies key account management and retention P&L management brand development and management collateral design and development

Tip: A good method to find your own keywords for your industry is to take them right out of the job ads. Go to indeed.com and type in the kind of job you are looking for and check out several ads. Write down they key phrases that repeatedly appear.

Once you learn to write your resume around what employers want, you will significantly improve your odds at getting a called for interviews.