Your career training resource.
Search for Career Training
or call 866-529-1238 for help finding a school
Resumé Help — Your resumé is your first impression in the job search process. Let Career Explorer and CareerBuilder.com construct your perfect resumé.
Resumé Distribution — Get your resumé directly in the hands of the top job decision-makers in the United States.
SureCheck — Check your own background report with SureCheck and be sure!
You have heard it many times before – your resumé is your first impression in a job search. Resumés are extremely important when it comes to securing an interview and landing your dream job. A resumé is your chance to let the potential employer get to know you without ever seeing or speaking to you. What is your resumé saying about you? Learn the secret to making a resumé shine with these professional resumé writing tips, resumé cover letter techniques and follow-up and thank you letter hints that take you from unemployed to happily employed.
Steven Covey said in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People that you must always begin with the end in mind. That is an excellent starting point as we explore how to write a resumé in this article. Just as there are a number of careers and industries in need of qualified employees, there are a number of resumé styles to consider. You must first decide why you need a resumé before you can begin making a resumé to accomplish that purpose.
The main objective of a resumé is to get an interview. Many people think a resumé will help them get a job, but that is the purpose of an interview. When you view your resumé as a door opener rather than a deal sealer, you understand that it is supposed to be a mere snapshot of your skills and qualifications rather than a personal history. It might sound funny, but a lot of people eliminate themselves from the job race when they fail to recognize the difference.
Nick Lore, author of The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success, defines a resumé as an advertisement with you as the product. The shorter and more concise advertisements are, the more effective they will be at selling the product. The same rule applies to your resumé. A professional resumé should give employers a clear picture of who you are and what you will bring to their company in the least amount of space possible.
When you create a resumé, you should be able to answer yes to these three questions:
Now that you know the purpose of creating a resumé, you can make a list of the things you want to include.
Back
The best way to prioritize what goes in your resumé and what gets excluded from your resumé is to make a resumé outline. Using the standard resumé sections – personal information, education, qualifications/skills, job history, and special awards/distinctions – list the information that you think should be included on your resumé.
Your goal is to think of every possible way to communicate the things you do well. You should ask yourself a few questions as you make your list. What talents would you bring to the employer? Why would they interview you over someone else?
According to Kevin Donlin of Guaranteed Resumés, everything you say in every document you send out that´s connected to your job search must be centered on the needs of the employer. Your resumé must show how you can help the employer solve current problems and grow profits. Making an outline helps you accurately focus on the skills you do have from previous job experience so only the most relevant information makes it to the final resumé.
Back
There are a lot of different theories on how to organize a resumé for maximum impact and results. Some people promote the chronological resumé while others lean toward the functional resumé. A combination of the two is also popular with some. You want to use the format that is liked by recruiters because your resumé should always cater to the employer. Monster.com staff writer, Norma Mushkat Gaffin, recommends using a chronological resumé as recruiters tend to favor them over functional resumés.
Chronological resumés are the more traditional resumé style with huge emphasis on experience. This is a great opportunity for you to practice selling the employer on how you could help the company achieve its goals. Remember your mission is to sell benefits, not features.
"If you´re using your company´s job description, you´re missing the point of your resumé," says Paul Schmitz of Hufford Associates. Your resumé should highlight your accomplishments in that position. You can do this by following Schmitz´s advice to outline the process, outcomes and results that are specific to your position.
Back
When it comes to resumé writing, nothing is guaranteed. You can do all the right things and still not get the desired interview. The job hunting process can be difficult. Some advertised jobs were never intended to be filled outside of the company while other positions are filled before the resumé submission deadline arrives. Still, there are some undeniable traits necessary for writing a resumé that gets results.
Your first priority should be to write for the audience. You should know who is reading the resumé s. Is it the human resources manager, a recruiting firm, an office manager or a department manager? Again, you have to give the recruiters what they want. If you don´t write what they are looking for, chances are your resumé will not make it past their throw-out stack. Find out who will read your resumé by contacting the company. Ask the questions you need to ask about the job and who will be making the decision before you begin writing your resumé.
When writing your resumé, focus on the part of your background that is relevant to what the recruiter is looking for in a candidate. If they want someone with demonstrated leadership ability, include the jobs where you supervised or managed people and projects. You want to play to your strengths in a way that makes the recruiter take notice while providing relevant information about your job history. It should not be a coincidence that a recruiter finds what he or she is looking for after reading your resumé. Your resumé should tell the recruiter exactly what he or she wants to hear.
A benefit of the chronological resumé is that it is easy to read if done right. You want to create a resumé that can be scanned in 15 to 20 seconds while standing out at the same time. Use bulleted job descriptions as opposed to paragraphs. Create a balance of text and white space that is pleasing to the eye. Avoid using strange characters and varied typeface such as italics or underlined text. The text should be consistent with capital letters, verb tense, bullets, spacing and punctuation. Make sure your resumé is symmetrical and structured for easy readability. In the case of designing a great resumé, less can be more.
Finally, proof your resumé as if your life depended on it because the right job does. Is it targeted? Customize your resumé for specific jobs to avoid including irrelevant information. Is the writing clear and concise? Does your resumé target your strengths while de-emphasizing your weaknesses? Did you include all relevant information? Are you missing any important contact information? Last, but not least, have you checked your resumé for errors? Are all the words spelled correctly and used in the right context? Don´t rely on a word processor spell check program. Some words might be spelled correctly, but used incorrectly.
Let several people review your resumé before you send it out. If at all possible, find people working in management, human resources or the profession that you are interested in entering review your resumé. They can offer helpful insight regarding resumé keywords, resumé structure, skills and qualifications that should be included on a resumé for a certain type of job, or just offer a fresh set of eyes to make sure you are putting your best foot forward on your resumé.
Back
Your resumé is your first impression in the job search process. It should communicate that you are the best person for the job in 15 to 20 seconds. Your objective is to get an interview. Apply these tips in order to write a resumé that gets you in the door for the interview and hopefully lands you the job of your dreams.
