Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited

Return to career-consulting-limited.com
Managing
People
Managing Your Career
CV Examples
Coaching
Cover Letter Examples
Pre-Employment Tests


3 Resume Secrets the Pros Use


You don't write a resume every day. Not even every month or year, most likely. So you can't be expected to do it flawlessly every time, right? After all, you're not a professional.

Well, I am.

My team and I have written or edited nearly 5,000 resumes over the past nine years. And there are a handful of secrets we use to get the job done, and get our clients hired.

Now, for the first time, I'd like to share with you three of my proven methods for writing a resume that gets results. Fast.

Here they are ...

1) Focus on One Specific Job

I can't tell you how many times I've heard job seekers say, "I want a resume I can use to apply for many jobs, like Project Manager, IT Manager and HR Manager, for example."

My response: You can't.

Writing a resume that tries to be all things to all employers is like trying to ride a horse in all directions at once. You'll get nowhere fast.

Before writing one word of your resume, it's essential that you first choose one job title or function, such as project management. Then aim your resume in that direction. Every sentence in your resume should try to convince employers that you are the person to hire for that one job.

But never more than one. Because you'll only end up confusing readers with a "one-size-fits-all" resume. And a confused mind will always say no. Which can spell doom for your job search.

2) Use a "Skill Skeleton"

Once you tailor your resume with one job in mind, try to focus further and come up with a short list of skills to build the entire document around. I refer to this as a "skill skeleton."

Let me explain.

You may be an awesome project manager, for example. But what are the three or four skills that make you so special? Is it your ability to finish projects early and under budget? Your skill at leading others? A knack for negotiating the lowest prices with vendors?

These areas of expertise make up your "skill skeleton." Try to make them a recurring theme throughout your resume. Emphasize them again and again when describing your success stories on the job and in school.

Using a "skill skeleton" like this will force you to focus on a core message that's compelling and easy for employers to remember. And, of course, it should make the phone ring with job offers!

3) Be Truthful AND Believable

You already know you must be 100% truthful in your resume -- your GPA, actual degrees from actual schools, accurate dates, etc. That's basic stuff.

But it's not enough for YOU to believe what you're saying. The employer has to believe it, too. To encourage that, back up the claims in your resume any way you can, using specific numbers, dollars, percentages and dates.

Here are some wrong and right ways to make your resume more believable ...

WRONG"Many years of experience"

RIGHT"Seven years of award-winning experience"

WRONG"Saved time and money"

RIGHT"Saved $437,450 and reduced cycle time by 23 days"

See the difference?

Specific facts and figures are more believable than generalizations. Always. Every time.

For best results, get written documentation for all of your claims, then bring these documents to the interview, where you can expand on points of interest in your resume face-to-face with a hiring manager.

Now go out and make your own luck!

Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1996, he and his team have provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in all 50 states and 23 countries. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly, CBS Radio, and many others.

As a reader of this publication, you're eligible for a special offer. Get your Free Job Search Kit ($25.00 value) at the Guaranteed Resumes Web site - http://www.gresumes.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Careers homepage  Continental AG

Corporate  Lowe's Careers



Careers  City of Phoenix (.gov)


Working for ICE  ice.gov

Careers  University of Northern Colorado

Careers at FEMA  FEMA.gov


Careers  City of Ontario, California (.gov)


Careers | Home  USDA (.gov)


Jobs  Multnomah County

Careers and Jobs at CRS  Catholic Relief Services


Technology  Lowe's Careers

Careers - MDOT  Maryland.gov

Work at Fairfield  Fairfield University


Careers  Baxter

Careers  Johnson & Johnson



Employment Opportunities | Game Commission  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov)


Careers at USCIS  USCIS (.gov)


Careers at TWU  Texas Woman's University



Work at Butler  Butler University

Water Services Careers  City of Phoenix (.gov)

Job Search Results  UnitedHealth Group Careers

Jobs  City of Rochester (.gov)


Employment | Department of Corrections  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov)

Work With Us  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (.gov)


Career Opportunities  Gilead Sciences


Welcome to People Operations  Taylor University


Jobs Report  NFIB

Careers at Willamette  Willamette University

How to Apply  FEMA.gov

IOM career gateways  International Organization for Migration


Careers  Washington State University

Careers  BASF

Jobs at Liberty University  Liberty University

Student internships at J&J  Johnson & Johnson Careers




Careers | Human Resources  Seattle University



Work for the City of St. Louis  City of St. Louis, MO (.gov)



Careers  WV Department of Education


Careers  The Ocean Cleanup

UF Health Careers  UF Health Careers

Job Seekers  Illinois Human Resources

Careers at CrowdStrike  CrowdStrike.com


Careers at Union  Union College


Job search  KPMG

KPMG Careers  KPMG










Careers  Euromonitor


Job Opportunities  Bellevue School District



Current opportunities  Turner & Townsend








Work at UI Health Care | University of Iowa Health Care  University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center

Job application FAQs  Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services



Need More Information?
Site Home | Site Map | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
© Career Consulting Limited.com 2011

tumblr visit counter