Creating a Resume from Scratch
Are you creating a resume from scratch? Writing a resume is not that hard, but it does take a little time. Competition for jobs is fierce and you have to present your credentials in the most favorable light, so spend the time it takes to create an excellent resume. It will serve you well now and in the future when you need to add to it.
Employers want to read resumes that are professional, reflect your qualifications in a positive, energetic way and focus on the position you are seeking. The easier you make it for the employer, the more likely you will be called for an interview.
Everything about your resume is focused on the employer, not you. Yes, that seems backwards, but it’s true. Even though it is your skills and accomplishments that are on the resume, they are there to show the employer that you can meet all the requirements of the job in which you are interested.
Now, it’s time to focus attention on the resume itself. Think of the sections included in a typical resume. There is the heading, objective, education, experience and “other” sections. Each one needs to be written professionally and with attention to the employer’s needs.
Section 1: the heading. This is the easiest section to write. Make note of your current address, phone number and email address. If you are still in school, list both your home address and your school address.
Section 2: the objective. What do you want to do in your first or next job? Write down your goals and career plans. When you write the objective for your resume, remember that you are to focus on the employer’s needs, not your own. Show the employer what you intend to do for them.
Section 3: education. Make note of the school, city and state where you attended, the dates you attended, the courses you studied and your GPA if it was good.
Section 4: work experience. Think about what you have done in the past which could potentially influence an employer to want to hire you. If you are writing your first resume, include anything you have done for volunteer organizations, churches and school organizations, too. Remember, the focus is on accomplishments and skills, not always former employers. After you have done this, highlight anything that complements your career goals or the job you are seeking. If it is not directly related, then don’t use it.
Section 5: other. This could include: awards, honors, publications, activities and other such items. Use this section to emphasize your achievements, team sports and anything else that the employer might be impressed to learn about you.
You will need to select an appropriate format and the three most recognized are: Chronological, Functional and Combination. Tailor the information in your resume to the format that best suits your needs.
Once you have a working copy of your resume, proofread it and check for grammar errors, typos and other possible resume mistakes. The fastest way to get your resume thrown into the garbage can is to have misspelled words and/or typos on it. Revise your resume as much as necessary to ensure it is error-free.
Now you can see that writing a resume is not that hard. Yes, it does take a little time, but it is worth it when you are working in a great job doing something you enjoy doing.
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples
Tags: creating a resume, professional resume, resume outline, resume writing, writing a resumeThe Four R’s of Resume Writing
If you want to get a prospective employer’s attention, you need to write a resume with the Four R’s of Resume Writing in mind. These tips will help you create a resume that conveys the appropriate information to an employer in a way that shows confidence and enthusiasm.
Remember that you are competing against a lot of other job candidates, so take the time to create an excellent resume and you will already have an easier time of landing that perfect job.
The Four R’s of Resume Writing are:
- Relate - Relate your skills in your resume to the position you are seeking. This is often called targeting your resume. An employer is less concerned about your job title and more concerned about what you did while you were on the job.
- Research - Research the company so that you can relate your skills in a meaningful way. If the company has been headed in one direction and is undergoing a shift in marketing, management or mission, then you need to be aware of this and create your resume to reflect the current company direction.
- Refresh - Refresh any tired old language with vibrant, energetic action words. This will attract the attention of the employer and make a much better impression.
- Read - Read your resume as many times as necessary to ensure there are no typos, grammar errors or spelling issues. You may only get one shot at a particular job, so make sure everything the employer sees is top notch.
If you want to get a great job, you have to have a great resume. Keep these resume writing tips in mind as you work on your resume.
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples
Tags: get a great job, great resume, resume, resume advice, resume tips, resume writing, writing a resumeWriting A Resume That Gets You Noticed
As the old saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” In today’s business world, of course, that first impression usually does not come from a face-to-face conversation, but from whatever you can tell your future boss about yourself on paper: your resume.
But knowing what information to put on your resume is a challenge. You want to tell your future boss about every noteworthy thing you’ve ever done, but your future boss only has a precious few seconds to look at your resume and the countless others that pass their way. How do you create a resume that makes a first impression that counts?
Of course, there are the basic things that any employer is going to want to know:
Job objective, telling what kind of position you are looking for
Work experience, with employers, positions, and dates listed
Formal education, with schools and degrees or certificates listed
Training and skills, really any ability that will set you apart from the rest
But in order to get beyond the boss’s circular file, you are going to need to go beyond the basics. Let’s start by talking about the forms that your resume might take.
This is a resume where you tell your future employer what you’ve done over the course of your life that makes you the best choice for the position. The basic categories listed above form the skeleton of this resume, with lists for every school you’ve attended, job you’ve held, and training you’ve received, in chronological order.
The basic data is pretty standard. You can’t really change where you’ve worked, when you went to school, and what degrees you received (at least without risking being found out as dishonest and unethical). Where you can set yourself apart from the pack is in how you present that data.
The words you use to describe the tasks you’ve performed in a job can communicate much more about you and your capabilities than a bland description ever could. For example, using action words to describe your job tasks can say to your future boss that you are someone who can take initiative rather than someone who simply responds to circumstances.
Some examples of good, action-oriented ways of phrasing things are:
“Implemented company business directives,” rather than “followed my boss’s instructions.”
“Diagnosed and corrected problem,” rather than “figured out what was wrong.”
“Promoted company products nationwide,” rather than “went on sales trips.”
“Coordinated the activities of teams of employees,” rather than “received reports from different company departments.”
As you present the jobs you’ve held, the degrees you’ve received, and the training you’ve acquired in your chronological resume, remember to use action words and phrases to communicate that there is more to you than just the sum of your activities.
The Skills Resume
A different type of resume with different goals, the skills resume seeks to communicate the capabilities you bring to a job rather than what training and experience you have. The best course to take here is to show yourself in the best possible light.
The main sections of a skills resume are:
Position: the job for which you are applying.
Skills and Abilities: the traits and skills you have that make you the person for the job.
Education and Training: the short version of your formal education and/or training for the job.
Other: anything and everything that makes you stand out from the rest.
Sometimes, you may have traits that you consider negative, but that can be framed in a positive way for your future boss. Character traits that are complete opposites of one another can both be portrayed as positives. For example, do you think you’re “pushy”? In your skills resume, put that you are “assertive“. Are you a “push over”? In your skills resume, put that you are “easy to work with”.
But even more than discussing character traits, a skills resume tells your prospective employer what you think your best qualities are and why you should be given the job. The keys to this are identifying your most important skills and giving examples of how you’ve used them in the workplace.
These descriptions should always be kept short and simple. Remember, your future boss only has a few seconds to size you up. A short sentence that communicates the basic facts is far more important and helpful than a paragraph that gives every single detail of the story.
If you can think of positive ways of looking at the things you’ve accomplished in your life, there is no reason that you cannot communicate those things in exciting ways! Even if you don’t think your life has been all that thrilling, you can definitely make it sound that way by using the right words and phrases. The right words can make the qualifications you have sound absolutely indispensable to your future boss and can serve to draw their attention to the areas in your experience and character that will make you the obvious person for that position.
Lauren Danver was formerly a Human Resources Manger for ten years. During that time, she accepted and rejected countless resumes based on their merits. She is now the owner and webmaster of ResumeService.Biz
Tags: how to write a resume, resume, resume help, writing a resumeResume Dos Writing A Resume That Gets Interviews
Here are some tips and considerations when putting your resume together and as you continually update it.
1. Keep your resume up to date in case that perfect job comes along and you don’t have time to write your resume from scratch.
2. Ensure your resume has no spelling or grammatical errors. Typos can be an instant turnoff for hiring managers as they indicate a lack of attention to detail.
3. Include a short statement at the beginning of your resume stating your career objective and include a brief mention of what type of job you are looking for.
4. Structure your resume’s bullet points by describing a problem, the action, and the result whenever possible ie. improved an under achieving division by upskilling a group of employees and increasing their work output by 25%.
5. Tailor your resume for the specific job you are applying for. You don’t necessarily have to list a specific job title but at least tailor it to the job you are applying for.
6. Type your resume using fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman or another popular font that is virtually guaranteed to be viewable by the person you are sending your resume to. Using obscure fonts only increases the chance that your recipient might not have that font installed on their computer.
7. Print your resume on plain white paper or off-white paper. Don’t bother with the fancy paper.
8. Use action words in your resume bullet points that describe your job tasks rather than just listing your tasks. When describing your role, consider using words like managed, maintained, saved, directed, supervised, achieved, improved, etc.
9. Keep your resume focused on the job you are applying for. Having unrelated job functions and skills can quickly make a hiring manager believe you are unqualified for a job and cause them to stop reading your resume.
10. Clearly highlight the special skills and experience you have that the hiring manager is looking for.
11. Prioritize your skills and experience and ensure that the most important information is visible at the top of your resume not at the bottom. The person reading your resume might skim resumes and not make it past the first page.
12. Explain gaps in your resume if you were between jobs for a significant period of time ie. more than several months. If you were traveling, taking courses, on maternity leave, etc then state this in your resume along with the specific dates when this occurred.
13. Clearly show your educational achievements including the date you graduated. If you are one or two credits short, you don’t have a degree. Lying about your educational achievements is normally a very serious problem if you get caught.
14. Include “Mr.” or “Ms.” in front of your name on your resume if you have a first name that could be male or female ie. Mr. Robin Jones, Ms. Pat Jones.
15. “Protect” the exclusivity of your resume. Mass emailing your resume to recruiters and employers either through a resume distribution service or on your own is a low impact job search method unless you really believe putting your resume in front of thousands of people who don’t know you can somehow be effective. Plus, if you’re planning on using a recruiter to assist with your job search, they generally won’t work with you if your resume is plastered all over the Internet already.
Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter who wants to help you find your dream career.
Visit Carl’s website to separate yourself from other job searchers: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com
Sign up for The Effective Career Planner, Carl’s free 5-day course: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com/effective-career-planner.html
Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website but please don’t change any of the content and ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URLs.
Tags: resume advice, resume dos, resume sample, resume tips, writing a resumeThe 50-Yard Resume Dash How Fast Do You Need Your Resume
Are you in a hurry to zip off your qualifications to a prospective employer? If you already have a resume, it may need a little tweaking. If you are changing careers, your resume might need a major overhaul. What if you not have time to revamp the whole thing?
There are times when a friend lets you know about a potential job opening or a neighbor tells you about a job fair in your chosen field and you simply don’t have time to revise your resume 5 times before feeling comfortable enough to print off a copy or two.
If nothing else, take a look at the tips below to ensure your resume is able to pass the employer’s first screening. If you have more time, give your resume a fresh look altogether by using a different format or by adding a summary of qualifications at the top of the page.
Use these quick tips to polish your layout:
- White space - make sure there is enough white space so that the reader’s eyes can focus on what really matters - those keywords
- Choose a format that highlights your achievements the best
- Use tabs to keep your resume aligned perfectly
- Do not use bullets for every achievement, responsibility or task
Why is the layout so important? Human Resource personnel read so many resumes that they get weary. If your resume is packed with words and offers little in the way of white space, it will not get fully read. In fact, it may barely get scanned. HR people just don’t have time for a “loaded” resume.
Here are some guidelines for your content:
- Be concise - state what you need to, be brief, pack a punch, then hush.
- Upgrade your words using powerful action verbs in your
- Proofread again and again
- Eliminate slang, jargon, acronyms and unrelated personal information
Why is the content so important? Ok, if you really have to ask yourself that, you’re in trouble. Seriously, though, making sure the content flows well, is packed with energy and shows proof of your accomplishments, an employer will take more time to read it through.
Even if you are only taking a short period of time to update your resume, make the most of the time you have and present yourself in the best possible way. Your resume has to be outstanding, or it will not help you get off to a good start with a prospective employer.
Whether you are attempting a quick fix or a fully revamped resume, make it awesome. Second best in the job search means you don’t have a job.
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing resumes, follow this link to Writing a Resume
Tags: help writing a resume, qualifications, resume, resume help, resume tips, resume writing, writing a resume