Want to know how to write a resume that separates you from your competition? Follow the guidelines in this article.
As a senior corporate leader for many years, and later, as a small business owner and management consultant, I have reviewed countless resumes, and I have also submitted resumes as a job seeker. I have learned that there are principles that must be included when writing a winning resume.
And, as you will see, free "cookie cutter" templates and samples that abound on the internet are only partially useful in writing a great resume. They will not differentiate you sufficiently. The real key is in constructing the resume as a strong sales and marketing piece.
Whether you are senior manager, a college graduate, own your own business, are looking to change careers; or are using a resume within your own organization, everyone will benefit from a current, well written resume. There are many different resume types and each is served by a slightly different format, but they all should follow similar principles.
Let's start with a question: what is the purpose of a resume? If you answered something that sounds like: "to capture all the things I've done in my career so an employer will see just how good I am and hire me for a zillion dollar salary", you would be wrong! If you answered, "the purpose of a resume is to get an interview" you would be correct! Your resume is a strategic marketing document that makes an employer want to call you in for an interview.
Mindset and Preparation
Before you pick up a pen to write a single word, you need the right mental preparation for writing a resume. Be thorough about this because many times people take important things for granted - we use a 21 point questionnaire to make sure we have captured all important information.
Organize all of the relevant information - write down a list of:
o Problems that you have solved
o Character traits that make you different and effective
o Work history
o Accomplishments..
Put yourself in the employer's shoes - Today an employer gets hundreds of applications for a single advertised job. So how do you think they will they make their choices of which person to interview? If you answered, the first lines of the resume, usually the objective, have to catch her eye very quickly, you would be right again! You want your resume to be remembered. Make it easy to see how you are a good candidate for the job.
Have a very specific objective in mind. The resume should be written for the specific job that you are trying to get. This will help you write a resume that includes keywords that match the job description, and makes you look like a tailor-made prospect for the job. Always remember though to be truthful in whatever you say.
Be ruthless about excluding, or de-emphasizing job experiences that are not relevant, or not helpful, as long as it doesn't create a large gap in employment history. For example, a part time job at McDonald's may not be helpful in landing a statistician's job after graduation.
If you are over 50, you may want to exclude very early jobs that are less important. This strategy can make your resume look more current, minimize any obstacles, and increase the probability of getting the interview. As an alternative, extract the skills that you learned from the excluded jobs and put them in a qualification statement. Be selective about what you include, but be truthful.
Plan to include a "Power Cover Letter" that is addressed to a specific person in the company, and in it, highlight the most impressive parts of your resume that are important to your employer. Since many people do not do the cover letter, doing so, can set your resume apart, communicate why you are different, and enhance their interest in your resume.
Style
With these principles in mind, you need to also write a resume with style.
For resumes that are submitted electronically on job boards, some of these style points will not apply since they force you to squeeze your information into a specific, impersonal electronic format. And because of that it is even more important to write your resume using the above principles in mind, and then format it especially for electronic submission.
Resumes submitted online are usually parsed and read by computers that look for specific information. They score these resumes and reject those that do not meet certain criteria. All this is done before the resume is read by any human.
These software systems - Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) ignore some of the creative formatting, and subheadings that are advantages in hard copy resumes. It is therefore important to format these in a way that is optimized for computer scoring.
We use the Preptel System to test our version of the electronic resume for computer compatibility before submitting it.
I would recommend that you avoid these electronic formats if you can. Do some research and send a hard copy resume on quality paper and matching envelope, directly to the individual in the department where you are seeking a job. It helps if you know someone employed there, that is willing to be positive about you, and that you can reference in your cover letter.
In any case, when they receive it, they will forward your resume on to the right people. If the company insists that you follow their electronic submission guidelines, do so, but you may have already succeeded in establishing yourself as a person who takes initiative - a nice little character builder image boost. Submit both a paper version and an electronic version if you can.
Hard Copy Style Points:
· The basic components of a resume include:
o Job objective (what you want to accomplish)
o Experience (where and when you worked what jobs)
o Accomplishments (what you achieved)
o Capabilities (your skills)
o Education (your schools, majors, thesis)
Format these components so they fit your personal experience, e.g., a college graduate with little experience should highlight his education first. Generally, Job experience in a chronological format works best if there is uninterrupted employment. If there are interruptions you may want to change the format to highlight your accomplishments and capabilities first, and then an experience summary.
Be specific throughout - include concrete, quantifiable information particularly in the accomplishment summary
Use action verbs, not passive verbs wherever possible, i.e. use: "trained sales people to increase revenue" instead of "my department's revenue's increased"
Use white space to focus the reader's attentionUse Fonts that are easy to readSpell and grammar check your documentUse bullet format to highlight the most outstanding achievementsUse small blocks of text (A guideline is no more than two lines in a bullet or four lines in a paragraph)
Don'ts
Never do or include this stuff:
Bright colored paper (white, off white, and light gray are fine) Cheap paperSmall fonts (less than 12 pt.)Multiple fontsTyposYour pictureSalary expectations Personal dataReasons for leaving last jobFinally consider getting a behavioral style assessment that will highlight characteristic traits that will give you something to talk about either in the resume or in the interview. A DISC assessment highlights your traits in leadership, working with others, steadiness, and how you deal with rules and regulations. They are inexpensive and give you great insights into your own behavioral style.
Learning how to write a resume is an exercise in personal marketing, and it can give you an edge over your competition that could mean getting that job you've always wanted - you know - the one that also earns you more money to do the things in life that you want to do.
I hope you have picked up a few ideas for how to write a resume. If you are feeling like you need additional help in writing your resume, you can always have a professional resume writer write your resume or bio.
Greg Jordan is a trainer, consultant and business copywriter who has been in senior leadership roles for two Fortune 500 Companies.
His site - http://www.b2bcopyworks.com/ is a resource for business growth through marketing and best practices. Professional resume writing services are handled as a personal strategic marketing document and are very effective.
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Everyone has to look for a job once in a while. You know the grind, polish up your resume, have a look what's out there, compose resume cover letters, and mail your Curriculum vitae out to all jobs which look possible, wishing you will get an interview. It's so monotonous, with so few replies, that it's hard to stay motivated to carry out a good job on attempting to find a job.
You have to keep in mind that your curriculum vitae is really an ad. The product your resume is advertising is you, or rather the skills you offer to a company. Its only function is to get you interviews, not to land you the job. With that in mind, let's look at a few of the most common mistakes:
• Applying with a one fits all curriculum vitae - Most job seekers write one Curriculum vitae and send it out with every application. Seeing that not every job is the same, the resume should not always be the same. Go ahead and create your generic Curriculum vitae, but do not send it out. You're better off modifying that curriculum vitae to focus on the requirements of the company you are making an application for.
• Making your resume too long - The typical resume seems like the applicant is trying to make an impression on the hiring business with volume. The majority of companies read only the first page of a Curriculum vitae, so if you haven't caught their interest by then, you've lost this game. It is essential that you strike a balance between importance and volume.
• Concentrating on your own objectives - Objective statements which point out your own expectations from the job won't impress anyone. Don't forget, you are promoting yourself. Tell that future employer what benefit there is for him in employing you.
• Concentrating on achievements, with no results - Telling the future employer that you made a change in the company policy result in "so what" reaction. Telling them you saved the business X number of pounds by making that change sparks his or her attention.
• Writing an autobiography style of resume - While this may be the most popular type of resume, it actually doesn't accomplish what you need it to, nor will it reveal to anyone reading through it what they need to know. They do not need your life story; they want to know what you're capable of doing for them. So stay clear of a resume that looks like your life story.
Although this checklist isn't conclusive, I hope you can understand where it is heading. Make a resume which focuses on the benefit in employing you, that's what is going to get you the job interview.
The Writer is a jobs advisor at the internet job sites nineoclock. He specialises in guiding job seekers on various areas of jobs searching especially selecting the right job vacancies in london. Check out his web site for many more good suggestions for job hunting. The website often features a listing of jobs you can find on the internet.
When creating a curriculum vitae for job searching no matter whether on Job search sites or in the standard way, It's necessary to understand that your resume is really an ad. The product your cv is advertising is you, or in fact the services you offer to a company. Its only function is to get you an interview, not to land you the job.
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With the heavy competition prevailing in the job market, the resume of a person acts as the initial index to an employer even before seeing that person. Therefore, there should never be any mistake in the bio-data. For ensuring that a person gets the best resume clearly specifying his positive points to the employer even before he views the person, it would be wise to select the best resume writing services. Even though, this assistance is being offered by many companies at higher costs, there are also the best companies offering affordable resume writing services. Before a person starts filling up his application for his new job, he should make sure that his curriculum vitae is updated and for getting the well-prepared resume, he can contact online resume writers. Here are some points to be kept in mind when selecting an affordable resume writing service:
It is better to check out the work of different companies in such a way that the person looking for the best can find one. It is better to get the help of a company, who can handle your work irrespective of whether you are a fresher, a professional, an executive or a healthcare professional.
Since many service providers are offering the assistance at affordable cost, it is better to consider the cost at which the service is offered to make sure that the cost of service does not go beyond your wallet.
Some of the service providing firms will enable you to keep in touch with the person who is actually writing your curriculum vitae in such a way that you can clearly explain your professional achievement to be included in it. Therefore, ensure whether you can contact the person writing it for you.
It is also better to visit their website to view the reviews written by the people benefitted from the firm. It is also wise to check whether they are experienced and their reputation should also be checked.
Some service providers offer free resume evaluation, cover letter design service and thank you letters as well. Rather than contacting online resume writers, who just write resume, it is better contacting a firm offering all these services under a single roof. Even some firms assure 48 hours turnaround time and any person looking for immediate writing services can contact these firms ensuring quicker turnaround time.
So, get the help of a professional writing firm and make your curriculum vitae attractive for the employers.
Resume helps to understand the writing style which in turn brings the best impression. Here you can get online resume writers to revise or to write the resumes. For more details about affordable resume writing services, visit us online.
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In the US, our top corporations are busy looking and scanning our society and civilization for the very best possible people to recruit into the organization. It's also a very tough job, as they are being inundated with resumes and inquiries. One of the best ways I've found to recruit the top people is to create online articles discussing topics of interest that those types of folks you are looking for might consider intriguing. This way you can exactly target market the individuals that think like your company needs and therefore, will be a valuable new person for your team. Let's talk about this for second of the might.
Why should you write online articles to recruit people to your organization or business, you ask? It's simple, you see, if you prepare an article correctly you can speak directly to the individual, invite them to think on the topic you brought up, and allow them to offer insight. Perhaps they have ideas, innovations, or are very passionate about the topic. Indeed, these are the exact people you need to propel your organization into the future and ahead of the competition.
Whereas many companies have their recruiters, some of them handsomely paid going through LinkedIn resumes, and trying to recruit people from other companies and organizations for higher pay trying to lure them away, you can simply allow people to come to you, and the cost is minimal. If your article is prepared correctly, and submitted to one of the top online directories for articles you will ensure that those keywords are found by those who are searching that exact topic.
Anyone who is thoroughly interested in a subject will seek it out, even if they are unemployed, or perhaps not even looking for a job, they will do this because it is of interest to them, not because they are being paid. Anyone that is already searching around the Internet for something that they care very much about is someone who will be loyal to the cause, and passionate about that area of the human endeavor. It's worked for me, and I am blown away by just how good it has worked.
In fact, up until now I haven't shared this advice with anyone else, it's always been my little secret. Of course, now the secret is out, and you have this knowledge, my question to you is; what are you going to do about it? Perhaps you will be creating online articles in the future? Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Writing Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/
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Fundraising advice/Proposal Writing
Association for Sustainable Development Livelihoods Initiatives
TASK
Volunteer provides advice for,and develops a fundraising strategy, research potential donors, writes 2 funding proposals for our organization in the area of water, hygiene and sanitation and on vocational training for a program to run concurrently with our formal educational scheme for disadvantaged adolescent youths.
The volunteer will follow up to oversee the application and implementation of the fundraising strategy within our organization, while playing an advisory role.
The timeline for the assignment will be for 6 weeks.
we will provide the volunteer with necessary documentation to facilitate the work.
we will correspond through emails, skype, facebook, as it will be convenient to the volunteer, i.e scheduling time for meeting and/or sharing information and inputting into proposals
Number of volunteers: 1BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The mission of integrating people with low self esteem in the development of Cameroon is in the heart of SUSTAIN Cameroon's activities. We believe this can be realized through participatory approaches through a series of programs initiated by the organization;
1- Promotion and Protection of Vulnerable Youths from HIV Infections
2- Promoting Basic Hygiene and Sanitation to slum dwellers in semi-urban areas and poor households
3- Support Education and Empowerment for the Disadvantaged (SEED).
OBJECTIVE
Improve our donor base and increase sources of funding for the organization to meet the needs of targeted beneficiaries.Region or country
Cameroon
Development topic
Integration of marginalized groups
REQUIREMENTS
Experience in the area of fundraising and proposal writingAreas of expertise
Business and administration
Languages
English
Hours per week
6-10
Duration in weeks
6
View the original article here
Fundraising advice/Proposal Writing
Association for Sustainable Development Livelihoods Initiatives
TASK
Volunteer provides advice for,and develops a fundraising strategy, research potential donors, writes 2 funding proposals for our organization in the area of water, hygiene and sanitation and on vocational training for a program to run concurrently with our formal educational scheme for disadvantaged adolescent youths.
The volunteer will follow up to oversee the application and implementation of the fundraising strategy within our organization, while playing an advisory role.
The timeline for the assignment will be for 6 weeks.
we will provide the volunteer with necessary documentation to facilitate the work.
we will correspond through emails, skype, facebook, as it will be convenient to the volunteer, i.e scheduling time for meeting and/or sharing information and inputting into proposals
Number of volunteers: 1BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The mission of integrating people with low self esteem in the development of Cameroon is in the heart of SUSTAIN Cameroon's activities. We believe this can be realized through participatory approaches through a series of programs initiated by the organization;
1- Promotion and Protection of Vulnerable Youths from HIV Infections
2- Promoting Basic Hygiene and Sanitation to slum dwellers in semi-urban areas and poor households
3- Support Education and Empowerment for the Disadvantaged (SEED).
OBJECTIVE
Improve our donor base and increase sources of funding for the organization to meet the needs of targeted beneficiaries.Region or country
Cameroon
Development topic
Integration of marginalized groups
REQUIREMENTS
Experience in the area of fundraising and proposal writingAreas of expertise
Business and administration
Languages
English
Hours per week
6-10
Duration in weeks
6
View the original article here
Fundraising advice/Proposal Writing
Association for Sustainable Development Livelihoods Initiatives
TASK
Volunteer provides advice for,and develops a fundraising strategy, research potential donors, writes 2 funding proposals for our organization in the area of water, hygiene and sanitation and on vocational training for a program to run concurrently with our formal educational scheme for disadvantaged adolescent youths.
The volunteer will follow up to oversee the application and implementation of the fundraising strategy within our organization, while playing an advisory role.
The timeline for the assignment will be for 6 weeks.
we will provide the volunteer with necessary documentation to facilitate the work.
we will correspond through emails, skype, facebook, as it will be convenient to the volunteer, i.e scheduling time for meeting and/or sharing information and inputting into proposals
Number of volunteers: 1BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The mission of integrating people with low self esteem in the development of Cameroon is in the heart of SUSTAIN Cameroon's activities. We believe this can be realized through participatory approaches through a series of programs initiated by the organization;
1- Promotion and Protection of Vulnerable Youths from HIV Infections
2- Promoting Basic Hygiene and Sanitation to slum dwellers in semi-urban areas and poor households
3- Support Education and Empowerment for the Disadvantaged (SEED).
OBJECTIVE
Improve our donor base and increase sources of funding for the organization to meet the needs of targeted beneficiaries.Region or country
Cameroon
Development topic
Integration of marginalized groups
REQUIREMENTS
Experience in the area of fundraising and proposal writingAreas of expertise
Business and administration
Languages
English
Hours per week
6-10
Duration in weeks
6
View the original article here
Requirements.
The applicant must posses a University DegreeThe applicant must have an internet connection. The work is home based.Possess fast typing speedExcellent English writing skillsAble to write articles free of plagiarismExperience not a must but for those who have written key word articles and can follow instructions are encouraged to apply.Payment will be discussed later.Send your CV and a sample of keyword article if you have been writing.Application end date is 18th April 2012.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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