|
Resurrecting the Perfect Resume, Part One
Is your resume dead? Don't be so quick to say, "No way!" Of the hundreds of resumes I've seen written by job seekers of all backgrounds and educational levels, easily 95% qualify to be labelled as dead-but-not-yet-buried.
A dead resume lacks a clear structure or chronology, does not present or quantify achievements, fails to offer a "big picture" of what you would bring to the employer and is impersonal rather than expressive. Worse yet, a dead resume fails to win you the response you're hoping for from the employer: an invitation for a job interview.
To win more job interviews and dramatically increase the quality of opportunities your resume can help you attract, strip your resume down to bare bones and resurrect it using the same techniques professional resume writers use to reposition job seekers whose own job search campaigns have failed to yield the results they need.
Problem #1: Resume Lacks Structure
You cannot create a resume without first creating a structure for it. Resumes are complicated documents that include different types of information which they communicate to different types of readers. If your resume has a poor structure it will make no sense to the reader; he or she will simply discard your resume and move on the next one in the pile, and you will count yourself lucky to even get a rejection letter.
Solution #1: Create A Strong Skeleton For Your Resume
- Be as specific as possible in the content you want to communicate.
- Match your content to the job you are applying for and the industry you seek to enter.
- Avoid jargon yet be sure to use industry-specific key words.
- Organize and sequence all of your dates and details. You didn't edit, then write and then initiate; you initiated, then wrote and then edited.
- List dates chronologically but in reverse order.
- Combine like skills together.
- Choose a resume style (chronological, functional, skills-based combination) that highlights your accomplishments.
- List resume sections with most important section first, least important section last and all other sections in their appropriate place in between those two poles. Education should rarely be listed first unless you seek work either in academia or in a field where education is paramount, such as in medicine.
- Be consistent in how you record information. Begin bulleted sentences and phrases with the same parts of speech. Give the same level of detail in all resume sections. Use first person for verbs, not second. It is inappropriate to refer to yourself in the second person as if you are someone else: "Resolves customer complaints promptly," really means, "Mary resolves customer complaints promptly." To imply, "I resolve customer complaints promptly," say, "Resolve customer complaints promptly."
- Double check all your details. Edit your resume at least three times yourself, then invite knowledgeable others to edit it as well. Then edit it again yourself, this time reading the whole document backwards, word by word. Do not rely on spell checkers to do this for you - they are only as thorough as you are!
Problem #2: Resume Contains No Substance
Many job seekers write a resume with structure but no substance, with a skeleton but no muscles. Remember that your resume is your brochure; its job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses and sell the reader on the idea of interviewing you. To accomplish this you must layer details and specific examples into your key resume sections.
Solution #2: Layer Achievement Muscles Onto Your Resume Skeleton
- Highlight the most vital points.
- Add deeper levels of detail; articulate clearly and succinctly.
- Tell success stories with brevity and power.
- Make each word count.
- Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your reader's eyes to what you most want them to read.
- Describe results and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
- Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories. What did you do? How did you do it? Why? With and for whom? Where? When? What results did you achieve? Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume. Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
- Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form. Let's say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily. Let's also say that you worked five days a week. Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
- Put yourself in your reader's shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections. Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them. If you know you lack specific experience, then go out of your way to translate your background into language and skill sets a potential employer will want to hear.
- What assumptions do you fear an employer will make about you? That you're too old? Too young? Inexperienced? Overqualified? Build resume muscles on these specific issues by challenging assumptions before they can be raised.
- Use action verbs and concrete, quantifiable nouns. Avoid passive verbs. Use verbs that communicate to your reader's senses and create the impression of action.
- Avoid vague terms like "several", "many" and "some"; try specific numbers or number ranges instead.
- Choose verbs and nouns that demonstrate the highest level of skill you have achieved.
Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live. Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's busy women. For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Washington State University
Careers Gwinnett County Public Schools
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
TMI: The Resume Destroyer
"They say my résumé should be only one page long. Is that correct?"Not necessarily.
Learn a Language for Career Advancement
To learn a language for career advancement is one of the best ways to get ahead in the job market. In the 21st century you will need every advantage you can get to keep yourself competitive in the marketplace, and adding foreign language skills is a great way to gain an advantage.
3 Secrets to Landing a Home-Based Position
Landing a telecommute position isn't easy. Finding them in the first place is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Ask For That Raise!
For nine years Jeff worked for company G as an engineer. Flying airplanes was his first love.
How Long Does It Take To Write A Resume?
Many people can easily write a resume in just a couple of hours. They can do this by following a resume sample and just writing their information in place of the sample.
Hello Work World, Im Un-Retiring
For many years, you looked forward to that day when you would bid the world of work a fond farewell and ride off into the sunset of your golden years.Initially, it felt wonderful not to have to go somewhere each morning.
Switching Careers - 7 Key Steps
Are you thinking about switching careers? If you are, you're not alone. Most Americans switch careers three times in their lifetime.
Interview Thank-You Letters
The number one etiquette tip for interviews is writing a thank-you letter. This is not a tool commonly used by job seekers right now.
The Last Minute Interview
Your breath catches in your throat - at last, an interview! Elated, you write down the time and place of the interview, who to ask for, say thanks, and hang up!But, wait, it's such short notice, and you haven't been interviewed for ages. Too, you never did get around to practicing.
Business Dress for Women: Making Impact
Buying a suit can be an important investment when you are trying to improve your look for business or career advancement. Wearing a standard off-the rack suit for business or a job interview does not always mean success.
Certification for Freelancers and Home-Based Business Owners
When we think of technical certification, most of us think of the seemingly endless jumble of letters that follow the names of information technology experts-MCSE, MCSA, A+, CCNA, etc. These certifications serve as standardized, objective validations that the person holding them possesses a certain set of skills and a certain level of professional competency.
How to Survive in Business Long Enough to Win
As a former human resources professional it has always intrigued me as to why people were more 'successful' than others. By 'successful' we are referring to an innate ability of some people to set and achieve worthwhile challenges for themselves.
Writing Resumes That Attract Your Perfect Job
Let me introduce you to Ben. He made it happenBen was a comptroller.
5 Steps to Standing Out Above the Crowd at Work
Do you feel like one in a million at work - and not in a good way? When you run into your boss in the hallway, do you get the impression she isn't sure who you are? Are the juicy projects always going to someone else?If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you need to raise your work profile. Here are some tips to get you started.
Always Have a Current Resume
What is the biggest mistake people make with resumes?People write their resumes as a chronological summary of everything they've done in their professional lives. Employers only care about one thing: what you can do for them.
Why Do You Want This Job?
Why Do You Want This Job? Is it because any job will do, or is it because this is the job of your dreams? What do you do - you send your winning resume, you carefully dress for the interview, you prepare to answer all of the questions about why you are the best candidate for the job. All of the literature tells you to do this.
Whats Stopping You from Getting Your Next, Good Job?
This question comes up often when I'm working with someone to help them move forward in finding their next job.What is it that compels people to stay "stuck"?1.
The Ripple Effect of Fear
Unemployment carries a lot of emotional baggage for most of us and fear is a major component. We fear the financial fallout of no longer receiving regular wages.
Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career:
1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know.
Staying In Shape
Why Lawyers Should Eat Bananas by Simon Tupman is a book that caught my eye both because of its unusual title and because I coach lawyers who are growing their practices. The book cover says it gives "Inspirational Ideas for Lawyers Wanting More Out of Life"Much of what Mr.
|