Archive for the ‘Resumes’ Category

By: Heather Eagar

So you’ve recently started searching for jobs in your field and have discovered an opening that matches your qualifications and career goals to a tee. The only problem is that you’re not sure how to create a specific resume for this job.

Don’t be discouraged if you feel this way. In all honesty, you are probably already one step ahead of those who believe that updating a resume is accomplished by adding the most recent employment/school/skill information where appropriate, saving the changes, and sending it on its way. Of course, you’ll need to dig deeper to create a great job-specific resume. So let’s look at a few ways you can get this done.

Study the Job Posting for Keywords

One great way to make the prospective employer feel that you are truly qualified for the position is by studying their job posting. By doing this you can find company-specific skills, job titles, jargon, certifications, and other keywords to be included in your resume.

For example, if you are applying for a position in healthcare, you might notice words like “imaging” and “pharma” show up in the job posting. It is a good idea to add these and other relevant words to your resume because they apply widely to the field. Likewise, if you’re in marketing, you might find words like “branding,” “campaigns,” and “trade shows” within the posting. These are also relevant and can be included to populate your resume with great keywords.

Visit the Company’s Website

Once you’ve studied the job posting for relevant keywords to use in your resume, it is a good idea to visit the company’s website. There you can learn even more about how the company’s goals can fit in with your specific career goals.

Some important information to look for on the website includes the company’s values, mission statement, and even their organizational culture. This information can help you better describe who you are, what you’re looking for, and how you think you can enhance their business with your skills and personality.

Strategically Combine Action Words and Keywords

Using action words in your job-specific resume is just as important as incorporating the keywords you’ve found through the job posting and website. In fact, the action words and keywords work together in your resume to create a picture of the type of employee you are likely to be.

For example, if you were responsible for the success of a major ad campaign at your previous employer then try to describe it by saying that you “developed and executed an intense 9-month ad campaign with the marketing team that resulted in a $1.2 million year-end profit increase.” The action words in this example were “developed” and “executed” and the keywords were “ad campaign” and “marketing team.” Using these action words along with others like created, planned, organized, recommended, advised, and trained – and of course your relevant keywords – will help you write a great job-specific resume.

Creating the right resume for the right job can result in you securing the position of your dreams. So take your time, do your research, and most importantly, have a good time writing a great job-specific resume.

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer and is passionate about providing working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. Check out reviews of the top Resume Services in the industry at www.resumelines.com.

By: Jennifer Anthony, Resume Expert

Every day someone else enters the technology job market. Due to the ever-growing popularity of this field, technical jobs are getting more and more competitive. In order for your resume to be noticed above all of the others’ who are competing for the same position, it must stand out. Here are some tips to help position your resume at the top of the potential employer’s stack.

Create a Tech Section

Summarize your technical skills apart from the rest of your resume. You should also break this section up into separate categories such as software, hardware, networking, systems, etc. By doing this, you are allowing the hiring manager to easily find and scan your job specific skills.

Include Your Transferable Skills

Just because an employer is hiring for a technical position, doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for certain transferable skills as well. Let them know your strengths in areas other than technology. If you are a team player and have a track record of meeting deadlines, be sure they can see that in your resume. Summarize skills such as quick to learn and taking initiative, in another section of your resume.

Find a Happy Medium

Don’t make your resume too long winded, but don’t over summarize your experiences either. Find a middle ground by getting to the point while giving yourself ample credit by showcasing your accomplishments.

Gain Experience by Volunteering or Freelancing

If you are a newbie and lack experience, offer your services for free or deeply discounted rates to others. This will give you “hands on” experience that can be included in your resume. You can propose your services to charity organizations, local businesses, and friends if necessary. When you have completed the work, ask for a written critique so that you can add some of their feedback to your resume.

Focus on Results

Make sure to focus on measurable results and accomplishments you have achieved. Numbers tend to bring forward a more positive reaction than just descriptions in this case. Therefore, if you have percentages or dollar amounts, use them. Include things such as how you overcame challenging circumstances and how your work has been a benefit to past employers.

When applying for a technical position, your resume needs to present you in a way that gives the employer an idea of how adding you to their team will benefit their organization. Remember, it is not about what the employer can do for you, but instead what you can do for the employer. So while you are compiling your resume, always keep in mind the main question on the hiring manager’s mind, “What can this person do for me?”

Jennifer Anthony is the Director of ResumeASAP, offering professional and affordable resume writing services. If you have comments about this article, or if you are interested in learning more about professional resume writing, please contact Jennifer Anthony by e-mail.

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

By: Adam Boulton

A resume is a summary, which advertises the education and job experience of a jobseeker to gain an interview. But a resume will get the interview but not the job itself. So it is very vital that the resume produced represents the person and his or her achievements.

An ideal resume should set him apart from other applicants. Therefore it is advisable not to copy a standard resume template from the website or a book. It must be ensured that the resume is easily readable and the best to attract attention.

Before beginning to write a resume, it is necessary to get all the relevant information to hand because all the information given should be correct. The type of job applied for should also be taken into consideration. If it is a permanent one, the career development should be highlighted and if it is a temporary role or on a contract, the skills and the adaptability should be highlighted.

The important points to be included on the resume are the name, phone number, email address and also the residential address. Students should specify both their term and home addresses in the resume. Employers are interested in knowing what the applicant can achieve and so it is better to include the major achievements, which are relevant to the job. It is essential to give a concise history of the career in reverse chronological order with the most recent position coming first. If the application is for permanent roles, relevant training courses and awards must be included.

There are certain things that should not be included in a resume. The foremost point is not to write anything negative or critical about own self while writing a resume. Only the positive abilities must be highlighted. Poor grades or bad employment experiences can be avoided because it is impossible to lie in the resume. Another thing that should be avoided in a resume is the list of references. Strictly photographs on resumes must be avoided for two reasons. One obvious reason is that it is the experience and skills that count and not the appearance unless applying for a modeling or acting job. The second reason is employers use databases to store the resumes and a photo may not be scanned well and corrupt the application.

In majority of the cases listing the hobbies and interests is not needed. Regardless of the career there is no need to include the age, gender, date of birth, marital status and so on.
There are certain common resume mistakes. A spelling mistake in a resume will cost an interview and the job and so spellchecker on the PC must be utilized. Too many fonts and font sizes on a resume reduces the chances of the employer reading the resume patiently. Normally it is better to confine the resume to two pages even if the career history is long. Bullet points are the best method to draw the attention of the reader and also to bring down the resume to two pages and word processed resumes are better since hand written resumes have become obsolete.

Visit www.resumetips.info for useful tips on drafting a comprehensive resume outlining all your academic and career achievements.

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

By: Heather Eagar

As you sit down to write your cover letter, do you ever stop and think, “Who the heck is going to read this?” You may believe that just because employers get hundreds of resumes per job posting that they tend to skip the cover letter part. That is just not true.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

You’ve written this awesome cover letter and it’s taken you quite a long time to create your masterpiece. You’re tired and spent from all your hard work. When it comes time to get your information together for the next job, you change the “To” section of the cover letter and the job title that you’re applying for. Boom – done!

But hold on a second…

What you just did is a major faux-pas. How is Employer #2 going to feel when it’s obvious you didn’t write your cover letter just for him? What if there was something in there that didn’t relate to that particular job at all?

Before you throw up your hands in frustration, let me clarify: you do not need to completely re-write your entire cover letter for each and every one of the positions for which you apply. You just need to put forth a little extra effort to show the employers that they are not just one of many companies for which you are applying.

Oops! Forgot to Change the Company’s Name?

You’re applying to jobs online and you hit “Send” a split second before you realize you forgot to update the company’s name on your cover letter. It seems like it’s happened to everyone but it is a huge blunder that most likely takes you out of the running for that particular position. Not very encouraging, huh? The good part about it is that you’ll be extra careful applying for jobs from then on.

Is there a way to recover from this error? You could always follow up with a hardcopy of your resume package. By then, the hiring manager probably would have already forgotten about your little mistake. You can also wait a few days and apply on line again. With so many resumes, employers probably aren’t going to remember your original submission.

Not Highlighting Your most Important Achievements?

Many job seekers believe that if they have their achievements on their resume, why should they repeat themselves in their cover letter? Simple – you need to do everything you can to make that employer want to read your resume. If your cover letter doesn’t provide them with enough ‘proof’ that you’re a great candidate for the position, then there is a chance they won’t even make it to your resume.

Now I’m not saying that it’s best to repeat yourself verbatim. Be a little creative and reword those top three or four achievements or important requirements that you know the employer wants to see. These may be different with each job posting so customize appropriately.

There are many ways to make your cover letter grab an employer’s attention. Treat it as being as important as your resume in getting interviews. After all, it’s your cover letter’s job to make the hiring manager want to read your resume. A great resume needs a cover letter to pave the way for the job that you really want.

About The Author:

Heather Eagar is a former professional resume writer who is now dedicated to providing job seekers with resources and products that promote job search success from beginning to end. Grab your free cover letter tips email course at www.CoverLettersMadeEasy.com.

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

By: Alafiya Kapadia

There are some things about resumes that don’t often get considered. It is important when writing your resume that you think about what a it is, what it does and what a it cannot do. Sounds strange, doesn’t it?

Think about this:

It is not a type of document that you can make once and forget about. You will update it from time to time as needed.

There is a directly proportional relationship between how a it looks and how much time you have spent working on it.

It is a marketing tool. It tells others about you and attempts to “sell” the employer on the idea that YOU are the best person for the position.

It is your best bet for getting hired; no matter what your field is.

If you don’t spend your time NOW making yours the best it can be, you will either spend the time LATER working on it, or you will pay someone else (who doesn’t know you) to write it for you.

Why is one piece of paper SO important?

It is important because the employer has no idea who you are. It represents you. You can’t be there to speak for yourself, so your resume has to do that in a clear and arousing way. Arousing? You want to arouse the employer’s interest to the point that he/she makes a phone call to interview you.

That’s the whole purpose!

It gives you an opportunity to meet the employer face to face. That’s why it has to be a professional piece of work. It’s not that writing a resume is hard. It isn’t hard at all. When you have the right information, such as what is available on this site, you can present your own personal information in a way that makes YOU a person of interest to employers.

It just takes a little time.

A resume can either get your foot in the door or get a door closed in your face. Write the best one you can and you’ll likely find yourself with your foot in several doors.

Pay Attention to this next paragraph!

When you write your own resume, not only are you able to make the important decisions about what gets included and what does not, but there is a HUGE payoff when it comes time to interview. During the course of an interview, you will be asked a number of questions about your background. By taking the time to review your qualifications, you will be much better prepared for the interview. You will have the confidence that comes from being certain of your skills and abilities. This may be one of the best resume tips you ever read.

Here are a few additional resume tips to consider when writing your resume:

Keep your statements to one or two sentences. Anything longer than that and the person reading your resume may lose interest.

Effectively use the “white space” on your page. Guide the reader down the page, providing an occasional break for the eyes.

Collect the information you need before actually writing the document itself. Do not “wing it”. Prepare, plan, then place your accomplishments and such on paper.

Your entire employment history does not need to be listed. Only note the most current positions you have held. Depending upon how much you have moved from job to job, that could be two employers or it could be five. Do not feel the need to re-create the last thirteen years on paper, though.

Write professionally, avoiding jargon or slang.

Revise, revise, revise. Make this piece of paper work for YOU.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alafiya_Kapadia