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What is the purpose of a resume? To obtain an interview. This can be quite a challenge since the average resume receives only 5-7 seconds of viewing. No one is ever hired solely on the basis of how they look on paper. The resume is your promotional literature for selling yourself. It serves to whet an employer's appetite and make him or her want to know more about you.How do I accomplish that purpose? By providing the most relevant information in as concise a manner as possible: the most positive, impressive highlights from your past that would be applicable to the position you seek. Understand and answer the question from the employer's perspective: Does this applicant come close to matching any of our current or forthcoming needs?
What's a good way to start? Describing yourself on paper is difficult and somewhat dehumanizing. One method is to randomly list information about yourself, set it aside and add to it later. Place the accumulated data in a format that best emphasizes your strengths and then delete the least relevant information. A critique by another person can also be of help.
Whafs important to emphasize? In order of importance, (1) experience relevant to the job you are seeking, (2) your most recent experience, and (3) experience extending over a long period. Focus on what you have achieved and learned and not just on how and where you have spent your time. Be as specific as possible in citing examples to support your statements, using numbers, percentages, and timeframes whenever possible. Consider responsibilities from as many employer angles as possible, such as: budget responsibility, customer contact, advancement and level of authority.
I'm having trouble narrowing down information. A resume is not a biography. It should emphasize only your very best side, using information most applicable to the job opportunity at hand. Regardless of the amount of time you spent on a particular job, or how important you thought it was, use only the most impressive tip of the iceberg that also relates to the employer's needs.
Ifs still hard to cut out information. Editing is difficult, but essential; without editing, the most relevant information might get buried. You can't just try to squeeze things in or use smaller type. Less is more: less information, more impact. To put in everything, hoping to miss nothing, does not work!
I feel like I'm bragging. There's no room for modesty on a resume. Employers expect to see ideal candidates, and those who don't portray themselves as such are seldom given the benefit of the doubt. Many of the items listed on resumes are exaggerated if not outright lies. Don't lie, but don't sell yourself short. Save being humble for the interview.
Is tone important in a resume? Tone is the personality that comes through in a resume, from the sentence structure, word selection, number of verbs, etc. It can say .as much about you as the content. For example, a resume that has a business tone will convey a directness and a sense of urgency in word and sentence structure: short sentences, appropriate jargon, and active rather than passive words.
"Wbafs a statement of objective"? This sentence or two located at the beginning of your resume or in your cover letter that tells a prospective employer at a glance if you are a possible match for any employment needs. It is both general, so as to not exclude you from openings you might want to be considered for, yet specific, so it communicates some boundaries to the employer. It is essential for individuals who have extensive unrelated experience. Some examples:
- An entry-level position in marketing or sales support for a manufacturing firm.
- An administrative position for a small or medium-sized non-profit organization.
- A research assistant for a professor or service organization.
What should not be included in a resume? Information unrelated to your job objective. A picture, your height and weight, Social Security number, hobbies, information inap-propriate to the position at hand, misspelled words, long words from a dictionary to impress someone, any ambiguous information (either simplify or eliminate), slang or jargon words or phrases, abbreviations or slashes. Avoid flowery adjectives and overused phrases, as well.
How creative should I be? Although you should want your resume to stand out from the masses, this should be achieved more through content and less through format. The resume serves the functional purpose of explaining why you are qualified for a position.
What else do I need to know? Standard length for a resume is one page; a longer resume indicates you're trying to say too much or are stuck on yourself. It never hurts to have it typeset or use heavier or toned paper. Avoid the use of "I" since this is assumed. You should use different resumes for different job categories, with the information slanted accordingly. There are no magic words that always sound good. What looks good on another resume may detract from your resume. It's important to be sincere and appropriate, citing relevant information and statistics to support your claims.
Where do I distribute the resume? Have the resume ready to send to all individuals you contact. It can also be attached to any application you will complete to present your qualifications in a format that you have control over.
What do I send with my resume? A personal letter of intro-duction, or cover letter, should always accompany your resume. It serves to arouse the potential employer's interest in you and your resume, and briefly explains your qualifications and why you are sending the resume.
To whom should the letter and resume be sent? This information should always be sent to the person you have spoken with who has the authority to hire you. Always confirm the spellings of names and the accuracy of titles in advance.
Is there a format to the cover letter? You can be a little more creative here than with the resume. A good cover letter will contain:
- AN ATTENTION GRABBER—an impressive bit of information about you or what you could do for the firm, if hired. Present an incentive for them to be interested in you.
- RESUME HIGHLIGHTS—a few impressive facts elaborated upon in the body of your resume.
- ACTION—what you intend to do as a follow-up to the resume. Never request action of a potential employer; you should be taking the initiative and not cause him or her extra work.
Standard Cover Letter
Your address
Date spelled out
Full name of employer Title of employer Organization name spelled out Address
Dear Mr. or Ms. Last Name:
Reference your recent telephone conversation with the individual or how else you came to be writing him or her. State a remarkable fact or qualification about yourself. Explain your area of interest or purpose in writing.
Explain how your interests, abilities and experience would fit into the career or position you seek. Distinguish yourself from other candidates by emphasizing specific qualifications. Lead the reader into the enclosed resume by mentioning one or two of the most relevant items on the resume.
Thank the individual and explain what you will do next to follow-up on the letter. If a meeting is already scheduled, confirm the time and place.
Sincerely,
Your full name signed
Your full name typed
Enclosure.
Standard Resume
NAME
Current address Permanent address
street, state, zip code (only if you plan to move
phone number during your job search)
PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE
This tells an employer at a glance if you'd be interested in the opening at hand. Immediate or career objectives, or both, are indicated. Because it is assumed, avoid saying "a challenging and demanding position in ..."
EDUCATION
Your college, its location, dates attended (spelled out) B.A. (or B.A. candidate), graduation date. Major/Minor. Additional marketable coursework such as computer languages or statstics that could apply to the job, the profession, or to business in general. Also, honor societies, an honors thesis, or special educational experiences such as international study
programs.
EXPERIENCE
Title of Position, Name of Institution, location, dates employed Don't bury this category, even if it doesn't look impressive for the job you seek. Employers don't expect a new graduate to have extensive experience, but do want an indicator of your ability to work and hold a job. Three or four entries should be sufficient. List volunteer positions, internships and unusual experiences as regular jobs if they relate to the position sought. The more dated the experience, the less significance it is likely to have. Be selective in choosing the experiences most relevant to the job you seek.
Title of Position, Name of Institution, location, dates employed The format can vary as long as it is consistent from position to position. Whatever format you use should make your strengths stand out. If you use a chronological format, list your most recent experience first. A functional format would place your most relevant experience first.
RELATED ACTIVITIES
List here anything else that might relate in a positive way to the job sought: examples of leadership, professional interests, and additional skills.
Month 198.
Additional Resume Tips
Be Specific
- Trained three new employees.
- Decreased errors by 15 percent saving over $4000 in one year.
- Learned new procedures in a record two weeks.
- Completed . . .
- Used resources effectively.
- Was responsible for. . .
- Assisted customers with...
- Improved product potential. . .
- Made a career move to . . .
- Did some training.
- Helped reduce errors.
- Was a fast learner.
- Was in charge of completion of. . .
- Made utilization of the following resources:
- Had the responsibility for. . .
- Handled complaints of...
- Avoided loss of market share. . .
- Was laid off from,. . .
- Was promoted and received two merit increases.
- Completed all projects on schedule.
- Successfully handled supervisory responsibilities.
- Worked there three years.
- Handled odd jobs.
- Filled in for the assistant manager.
Objective:
Education:
Experience:
Related Activities:
