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| 10 Essential Resume Writing Secrets |
Whether you are happily entrenched in a job, engaged in an active job search or thinking about a career change everyone who is working today needs a current updated resume even if the job you are at is your first! It is worth the time and effort to update your resume at least once or twice a year. Add more recent accomplishments to it. Keep a file of accomplishments you have removed so that you can use them if they are appropriate for a particular position you are applying for. Those who have a ready resume can immediately respond when that perfect opportunity presents itself. Here are some ideas to think about when writing that resume.
1. It's a Marketing Document: Remember your resume is your introduction to the hiring manager. Its purpose is to convince the manager that you are someone worth interviewing. Put yourself in the hiring manager's shoes. What is that person looking for? How do you attract his/her attention?
2. Show Your Accomplishments: Every accomplishment on your resume can be written in a format: Problem, Solution, and Result. Sometimes the problem is understood and doesn't need to be stated but the solution and the result must be there. If you can quantify the result in some way that really adds to your resume.
3. Grab Their Attention Immediately: Use the top third of the first page to attract their attention. Give a summary of the achievements that makes you the ideal candidate. Depending on the job you are applying for, this might include skills that you have or even achievements in a particular skill. Use whatever works for your particular job level.
4. Customize Each Resume: It is rare that you will use exactly the same resume for two jobs. Look at the job ad and familiarize yourself with the job description. Use some of the words that they use to highlight your experience. Keep a copy of the resume and the job ad you send to each company and/or position. Be a good record keeper. You'll want to bring the right resume to your interview.
5. Use Action Words: Your resume paints a picture of who you are. Action words make the picture more vivid and dynamic. Words such as led, delivered, achieved, slashed, transformed etc. give the hiring manager a more desirable picture of your talents.
6. Eliminate Passive Tense: Using the passive makes it sound like you didn't do much. The active voice makes the action yours. Example: passive -“was chosen to head team that…” or active - “Led team that…“
7. Use Key words: When applying on line, be sure to use words from job ad. Today most companies use software to scan resumes. If you haven't included the words from the job ad, your resume won't even be read!
8. Resumes Are Scanned: Some resumes especially snail mailed or unsolicited ones are
put in a pile on the desk of the hiring manager. This person has many resumes to look at. He or she spends 10 to 15 seconds looking at yours. Make it easy for the person to scan it for the information they are looking for. Use bolding appropriately. Make the resume look
attractive with lots of white space. Dense resumes discourage the reader.
9. Maximum of Two Pages: The objective of your resume is to get the interview not tell your life story. If you are recently out of school one page is fine. For people with a long career, two pages, highlighting the last 10 to 15 years, is sufficient.
10. Use Appropriate Accomplishments: Pick accomplishments that are appropriate for the job you are applying for. Show that you have had the exact experiences the company needs. Quick Resume Writing Tips Here are some general guidelines for writing your resume.
Write it yourself. It's OK to look at other resumes for ideas, but write yours yourself. It will force you to organize your thoughts and background and make up for interview questions. Make it error free. One spelling or grammar error will create a negative impression. Get someone else to review your final draft for any errors. Then review it again. Make it look good: Poor copy quality, cheap paper, bad type quality, or anything else that creates a poor physical appearance will turn off employers, even to the best resume content. Get professional help with typing and printing if necessary. Most print shops can do it all for you.
Be brief, be relevant: Many good resumes fit on one or two pages. Include only the most important points. Use short sentences and action words. If it doesn't relate to and support your job objective, cut it. Be honest: Don't overstate your qualifications. Most employers will see right through it and not hire you. If you end up getting a job you can't handle, it will not be to your advantage. Be positive: Emphasize your accomplishments and results. This is no place to be too humble or to display your faults. Be specific: Rather than "I am good with people," say, "I supervised four people in the warehouse and increased productivity by 30 percent." Use numbers whenever possible, such as the number of people served, percent of increase, or amount of increment as a result of our handling. You should also know that everyone feels he or she is a resume expert. Whatever you do, someone will tell you it is wrong. For this reason, it is important to understand that a resume is a job search tool. You should never delay or slow down your job search because your resume is not "good enough." The best approach is to create a simple and acceptable resume as soon as possible, and then use it. As time permits, make a better one if you feel it's necessary. References: Contact your references and let them know what type of job you want and why you are qualified. Be sure to review what they will say about you. Because some employers will not give out references by phone or in person, have previous employers write a letter of reference for you in advance. You can then make copies of these letters to give to potential employers, if asked. If you feel you'll get a bad reference from a previous employer, negotiate what they will say about you, or get written references from other people you worked with at the company. When creating your list of references, be sure to include your reference's name and job title, where he or she works, a business address and phone number, how that person knows you, and what your reference will say about you. |
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