If you're in the midst of a job search, you no doubt want
your resume to land enough interviews to make your efforts
worthwhile.
If it seems like you are passed over for jobs on a regular
basis, consider this: what you see as your real strengths
might NOT be conveyed on the resume you send out.
Here are some ways to reverse this situation and clearly
market your qualifications so your resume gets noticed:
1) Ask yourself what your 3 main qualifications are—then
write directly to them. What do you really want an employer
to know about you? Take out a piece of paper and jot down
your three strongest qualifications for the job.
For example, this could be a recent degree, your leadership
capabilities, or your ability to bring in new business. Now
write your resume around these points, taking into
consideration that the document should give a clear picture
of your overall background as well.
Not sure what strengths to highlight? Take out a job
description from an online posting and circle some areas
that match your expertise. Focus your thinking around these
requirements and the skills that accompany them.
2) Stop taking up space with mundane details. Think of your
resume in terms of a certain amount of valuable space, then
use that space to convey your strong points as much as
possible. Avoid focusing on the details that others most
likely know about your profession.
For example, it is generally assumed that accountants are
familiar with the general ledger, and that network
administrators back up servers. I recommend that you
conserve "resume real estate" by giving hiring managers
some hard facts about the impact you have had on your work
environment, customers, and to the bottom line.
3) List the most important aspects of your credentials
FIRST. I am always amazed by the volume of highly
credentialed professionals who show an old degree at the
top of their resumes. If your degree is surpassed by your
experience, put it near the end of your resume.
If you have managerial experience and you are applying to a
leadership position, put this on your resume toward the
beginning. By the same token, be sure to show qualities and
skills relevant to the job as quickly as possible on your
resume so that these will not be missed.
4) Don't use "rules" unless they apply to you. The biggest
mistake I see here is that experienced professionals try to
cram a lot of detail onto one page. Since no one is really
sure of the origination of the one-page "rule," it is best
to just forget about it and concentrate on readability
instead.
Other rules to skip include the use of an objective
statement (very outdated) or references (should be kept
separate) on the resume.
5) Quantify everything where possible. One of the biggest
rules in the resume industry is "show, don't tell." A very
effective way to demonstrate the full impact of your work
is to pull as many figures into your resume as possible.
To get yourself into the mode of including numbers, look at
each sentence and try to think like a four-year-old. So you
brought in new business—how much? If you reduced costs—by
what percentage?
Ask yourself the kind of questions that employers might
want to know in an interview, and you'll soon find that
your resume contains some exciting facts and quantifiable
numbers that will catch the reader's eye.
Remember that it is up to YOU to make an outstanding first
impression, and that you may need to take a hard look at
how you are presenting yourself on paper—especially if your
resume is not producing the results you expect.
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A unique resume authority, Laura Smith-Proulx of An Expert
Resume creates cutting-edge documents that access jobs at
prestigious firms. Known as "The Career Champion" with a
98% success rate landing interviews, Laura created the
Resume Strategy System, a highly consultative process that
captures job seeker talents. For her free e-course, "The 7
Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From Your Dream
Job," visit http://www.AnExpertResume.com .
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