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In a casual conversation over beer with your friends, you could easily list dozens of the greatest achievements at work that you are proud of -  skills you've mastered, languages you've learned, contacts you earned - and yet, now that you're looking for a job and you need to put it all down on a resume, it's like nothing seems good enough. This is what the professionals do - they keep their resumes up to the minute, whether they're looking for a job or not. They know that if you put it off until you actually need it, all the little details, the instances of your day-to-day abilities and competencies, will be forgotten in the heat of the moment. And then, here's the thing about competing in a field that is overcrowded when you're desperate for a job - what you'll remember will be so minor, you'll just end up saying the same things everyone else does. Clichés, well-worn phrases, resume-ese (to coin a word).

When you think about how to create a resume, you need to remember that you are a brand at that job competition, and your resume is your advertisement. Think of just how annoyed you are to see an advertisement with words peppered all over that go - "because we care", or "just the way you like it", or "cool and ready to rule". Why would the hiring manager be any more pleased to see vague claims, and have worn-out phrases paraded before him that are supposed to remind him of how competent you are? Let's look at ten of the most worn-out phrases, that, if you feel compelled to use them, would do better with a little extra qualification.

There is a set of descriptive clichés people use for how good they are to work with. You know the ones, clichés like "Team player", or "Go-to man". It's easy to understand what you're trying to say here, but it's better said without these phrases. Try to say something like: Understand the team dynamic well enough to inspire friendly group effort and recognize that team achievements deserve no individual credit. "Go-to man" is better expressed in something that stretches out to say, "Chosen and named out of 20 possible candidates by the regional VP to fix pressing and chronic retail customer satisfaction problems".

Another route to avoid mistakes when learning how to create a resume would be to describe your abilities with lines like, "Well-developed communication and organizational abilities", or "I possess leadership, and motivational abilities". You'd be much better off saying something like, "Proven communication skills in the planning phase on a project resulted in a reduction of the estimated planning time by 15% and contributed to the completion of the project ahead of schedule" or "Demonstrated leadership qualities have been recognized by the director, and by team members, 90% of which members were promoted to positions of greater responsibility".

You see where we are going here - the idea is to keep the meaning of the clichés, and taking your time to go where they really go; but you're supposed to stretch them out, and say what they mean, instead of just using them as some kind of shorthand. The idea also is to give specifics, and not just say things like "Strong work ethic". Give them specifics like, "Have on occasion sacrificed personal time to get the project in on time". That ought to do it.

Technorati Tags: cv, resume writing

1 or 2 years gone, I was out of work and hopelessly attempting to find a job. I dusted down the old resume and cover letter and got them prepared to send to my first possible employer, and after signing up for the position I felt miles better already. Then I began to realize that each job for which I applied ( and there would be many ) will require some edits to my resume and cover letter, and it occurred to me that those are 2 things that need continuous attention, particularly when you're looking for a job.

The 1st job for which I applied was as a journalist for a construction newsletter based in my area. I made some updates to my resume and cover letter and sent them in.

I knew that my possibilities of getting that job were probably not as good as they would've been 5 years back, so I chose to take what my bro calls the shotgun approach and just start firing out as many applications as practicable. The difficulty was, not every job was in the writing field, and I shortly found myself having to make major overhauls to my resume and cover letter in order that they would seem sensible for the job for which I was applying. I had originally made a decision to send out ten resumes a day, and I had to chop that to seven a day simply because making those 2 documents applicable for each job was so time-intensive. Lots of the resume and cover letter really stayed the same, re my work experience and education and that kind of thing but I did desire to re-word my reasons for desiring the job and why I was an acceptable fit for the job in just the best way. I also needed to tailor my work experience to the prerequisites for the job.

I wasn't deceptive about what I could and couldn't do, but I did make a point of it to emphasise that I was skilled in the job abilities needed on my resume and cover letter.

It didn't so much trouble me I had to do a little bit of work to get my resume and cover letter into shape for each job. It was just the indisputable fact that I had it in my mind that after you had them finished, they may be used transposably for any job. In the final analysis, I was capable of finding work as a writer. My employer was impressed with my resume and cover letter and I suspect that was truly a very sizeable part of the reason why I got the job. I'm aware that if I find myself in the situation again where I want to find a job, and I need to provide my resume and cover letter, it'll take more work than I used to believe. At least now I know.

Technorati Tags: cover letter, resume writing

In today’s competitive job market, employers relay on well-written Resumes to screen potential candidates. In many instances, employers look through job search web sites, such as HotJobs.com or Monster.com, to find professionals with skills, education and experience that fit their needs. These employment search web sites, along with many companies’ own online applications, require candidates to upload their resume in order to express interest in a specific opportunity. Without an opportunity to send a personal email, or a cover letter, you have to make sure that your resume expresses your personality in addition to listing your professional and educational experiences and achievements. To do so, you can include a professional profile or summary at the beginning of your resume that allows you to market yourself through a narrative. This section allows your potential employers to learn something unique about you and your career, as well as get a good feel of your communication skills.

To write an effective summary, you should first understand what information should not be communicated in your resume. While a summary provides an insight into what is unique and competitive about you, it is not a place for you to indicate any personal information that does not relate to your career. Information such as ethnicity, marital status, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and affiliations, etc. should be left out of your resume. While descriptive of who you are, this information is not relevant to your potential employer in order to pre-screen your qualifications for their opportunity. Additionally, the summary should not contain your previous professional experience, unless you can clearly demonstrate how such background can be of value in your future career development. Beware of generic statements, such as “I am well organized and detail oriented.” Employers want to hear your unique voice and get a sense of your communication skills while reading the summary portion of your resume. Using generalizations about your abilities will make the employers believe that you are either a poor communicator or are using such statements to fill up space on your resume.

Your summary should be in form of a short paragraph or bulleted statements, containing only several sentences. There isn’t a sentence limit, but as a rule do not take up more than one quarter of the page. Your summary should begin by a headline that summarizes your professional title and/or your professional statement. Emphasize your title by featuring the headline in bold and larger font, as it allows your potential employer to grasp who you are quickly. For example:

Financial Planning Professional
Achieved Double-Digit Return for All Clients through Well-Balanced Financial Portfolios

It is important that this title is well crafted, as it is the first impression your potential employer will have of you.

There are three things a well-written summary should address:
-    Your experiences and skills as they relate to your idea job
-    What you can bring to the organization and the open position that no other candidate can
-    Your professional goals.

Even though your resume summary is written by you, it should be composed in third person, in present tense. Think of it as a summary of what one of your best colleagues would say about your professional achievements. Reinforce your title, and sell only the experiences and skills that meet your career objective. If you have multiple career objectives, such as you wish to get a position in either marketing or public relations, develop separate resume summaries for each of the objectives.  A summary can also contain a brief bulleted section highlighting only a few vital competitive skills that you bring to the table. An example of an effective summary would be as follows:

Successful financial planning professional with over 15 years of personal and retirement planning experience. Managed a small financial planning firm, achieving double-digit financial returns for all clients by developing personalized investment portfolios. Leader in development and professional growth of four other financial planners in the firm through effective and motivating mentoring strategies.

Key competencies include:
o    Personalized portfolio development
o    Financial forecasting
o    Retirement portfolio management
o    Development on-going professional growth strategies

Much like your overall resume, your summary should be well-written and error-free. Make sure to review your summary, and customize as necessary for the various opportunities of interest. An effective summary will help you “hook” your employer; it should sell you as a primary candidate for the job, leaving your employer with a great first impression of you.

Technorati Tags: professional summary, resume writing

A resume is a one- to two-page document summarizing your career objectives, professional experiences and achievements, and educational background. The heading of the resume should contain your name, address and contact information. The body of the resume should be broken into the following sections: career objective, profile/summary, professional experience, achievements, scholastics, and references.  Your career objective should be brief, up to two sentences; it should give your potential employers an idea of how you wish to move forward in your professional life. A concise profile or a summary should discuss who you are and how your skills and experience best apply to the job you are interested in.

The summary, as well as other parts of your resume, should not contain personal information that discloses ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, living situations, or any other personal information that is not directly related to your career. Personal profile/summary should only contain a few well-written sentences that convey what you can bring to the table in terms of the specific job. Use this section to attract the employer’s attention, but don’t go overboard in trying to be creative – stay professional.  Your experience listing should include information on one to five jobs you’ve held, starting with your current or last job, and listing previous positions in chronological order.

The listing should include the date range of your employment, name of the companies or person(s) you have worked for, and the city and state where the place of employment is located (full address of employment is not necessary). List your title and your main responsibilities, with emphasis on duties that are applicable to the type of work you are seeking.  Your education should include college, graduate and post-graduate work, as well as any courses or professional certifications that are relevant to your career development. Achievements, volunteer positions, publications and interests should only be listed if they apply to your professional work experience References should be listed if requested; best practices suggest not to list generic statements about references being available upon request as this is understood.

In the competitive, internet-driven world of job searches, your resume represents you to potential employers. It serves as your tool to attract attention, get the interview and/or get a job. A great resume will make you stand out from other candidates by showcasing your aptitudes. Think of your resume as your sales pitch – you need to sell yourself in the best possible way. Invest some time and research into developing your resume. You will want to make sure that your resume is error free – double check your grammar and spelling, make sure that all company and school names and cities are spelled properly. A resume containing errors, no matter how minimal, will give your potential employer an impression that you do not have attention to detail, that you don’t take time to double check your work, and that you are a poor communicator.

Additionally, make sure that your resume is formatted well. Stick to basic fonts, like Arial and Times New Roman.  Keep the font size and color standard; don’t use large fonts or multi-colors in your resume. Don’t go overboard with bold, italicized, or large-cap text. Keep your format consistent and make sure that the resume looks great when viewed online as well as when printed out. Keep your resume to one or two pages – any additional pages give an impression that you either don’t know how to concisely summarize your education and experience, or that you are listing unnecessary information for the sake of taking up space. If you’ve never written a resume before, reference books, Internet resources or seek assistance from a professional resume writing service.  A well-written resume can make a difference between being stuck at your current job and getting an interview to land the job of your dreams.

Technorati Tags: cv, resume, resume writing

If you have never written a resume, you may wonder if it is easier to embark on the task yourself or to hire someone else to do it for you. Resume writing services or professionals concentrate on developing and writing resumes for professionals in any industry, with any caliber of experience. These professionals are skilled in formatting your resume, knowing how to create winning statements that draw attention, and customizing your resume to the industry or field you are interested in. In addition to their writing skills, resume writing professionals are familiar with the scanning software that most companies use in order to review resumes for key words.

You should consider using a resume writing services:
-    If you have never written a resume and you don’t know anyone who can assist in the process
-    If you have not written a resume in years and are unsure of the appropriate format that translates well online
-    If English is not your first language or if you know that you typically have problems with spelling or grammar.

A resume writer can assist by first collecting your information and understanding your career objective. If you have an existing resume, even if it is not the most up to date, you should make sure that you give that to the writer as a starting point. When you work with a professional resume writer you can expect that they can help you in composing your career objective statement, listing your responsibilities in a concise manner, and perfecting the final document. Additionally, a resume writer will be able to help you address any concerns potential employers may have about your resume, such as explaining a change of career, or gaps in your professional history.

There are truly no cons to using resume services, but there are certainly some things you should consider in order to get the best service for your money.

While some people recommend writers who are accredited or certified as professional resume writers, this is not the key to finding someone who will do a great job on your behalf. Make sure that you speak with the writer, and have him/her address any concerns or questions you have about composing your resume. They should be able to provide you with a sample of a before and an after resumes they have recently completed for a client, as well as professional references. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their writing process; ask about their background (what other writing services do they provide?), their writing and editing process, turnaround time and a detailed explanation of their fees.  If you receive a draft of your resume, and you are not satisfied with the format or there are discrepancies, ask for the writer to address your concerns before accepting the final document. The costs will vary, depending on the professional’s experience. Make sure that you understand what is involved in the cost. It is also in your best interest to talk to a couple of different professionals, so that you can better idea of the cost range.

Most importantly, make sure that you feel comfortable with the writer and the terms of the agreement you have with them, before you decide to hire them to work on your resume. Trust and understanding will result in the best working relationship, therefore producing the best resume for your career objective.

Technorati Tags: cv, resume writing