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Top 10 Issues You Need to Know to be Resume Ready
Your
resume is your ambassador to the work world. It
functions for you 24 hours a day, opening doors
to opportunities you didn't even know existed.
But not all resumes are alike or are used alike
today with all the electronic means available to
reach your potential employer. Here are the most
important issues to consider as you prepare your
resume to represent you in the marketplace:
- Write your resume in your own words. It
may be challenging - especially if writing
ranks among your least favored activities -
but if you write your own resume and don't
hand it off to someone else you'll be able
to be sharp in your interview. No
embarrassment not knowing what the resume
expert meant when he wrote that smart phrase
on your resume! If you do hire an expert to
help you, work closely with that person to
be sure your resume realistically reflects
your abilities and your vocabulary.
- Put your best foot forward. People
remember what they see first and last, so
place your least important information in
the middle. Have an objective or a key word
summary or both in the beginning of your
resume and end your document with strong
content - such as your educational
background.
- Tell war stories. Make a list of all the
work or volunteer experiences you have had
that support your candidacy for the job.
Select the best ones and write them so that
they show what Problems you've solved,
Actions you've taken to do this, and the
bottom line Results you've achieved. For
example:
- Managed the design, equipment
selection, installation, and start-up of
a four-aisle, man-aboard storage and
order-picking system 35 feet high and
120 feet long, handling 6,000 items.
Project was completed on time within the
$400,000 budget.
- Use resume etiquette. The word resume does
not belong any place on the document. Never
use "I" to start out a sentence.
The language of your resume should be
specific, clear, succinct, positive, and
exciting. Make it easy for someone to
contact you. Of course references are
available. Don't use valuable resume real
estate to say this.
- Know what format to use. The two most
commonly used and accepted resume formats
are the chronological and the functional.
Often elements of both are combined. A
chronological resume is most widely used and
preferred by recruiters and interviewers. It
is good for someone with a consistent work
history. A functional resume focuses
attention on your accomplishments and is
often used more successfully if you are
trying to change careers or industries or to
downplay gaps in your career.
- Tell the truth. If you lie about your
education, job experience or any other
element of your work history, you will
probably live to regret it. True stories
abound of professionals receiving awards,
only to have their careers ruined when
research revealed that portions of their
resumes were fabricated. On the other hand,
if a job title you had does not adequately
reflect the work you really did, clarify it.
"Clerical Assistant" does not tell
the scope of responsibilities as well as
"Meeting Planning Coordinator."
- Know your audience. Your resume and every
interaction in your job search should answer
the question to the employer - "Why
should I hire you?" Communicate the
information necessary to evaluate your
ability to do the job. Use language that is
appropriate to the industry or field, but be
aware that extreme jargon may not speak to
those who are intermediaries between you and
the ultimate hiring manager.
- Get some objective feedback. Have others
who have not worked as closely with the
resume as you have read it for accuracy and
typographical errors before you submit it.
Ask questions about whether the resume
communicates what you intended. Does your
resume support your claim of being qualified
for the job? Does it address the
requirements of a specific job description
you're after? Does it need to be modified to
fit the situation exactly?
- Know your parts of speech. Action verbs
are the bedrock of good writing. Use them
liberally throughout your resume to
communicate your accomplishments: Developed,
streamlined, pioneered, implemented,
produced - use your word processor's
thesaurus to identify alternatives so that
you don't need to repeat yourself. Key words
are nouns demonstrating essential skills
that are most effective for electronic
formats, scanned by computers who are the
first line screeners: Operations manager,
project planning, data analysis. Use a
KeyWord Summary at the top of your resume,
choosing the top 20 or 30 words that
represent your abilities.
- Hit the highlights. Remember that your
resume is only one element of your job
search strategy. It's important and needs to
get you in the door, yet cover letters,
email and fax communications and telephone
interactions will extend the conversation
and add further evidence of your ability to
do the job. Be prepared to give more detail
later. Think of your resume as your personal
brochure.
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in its entirety, including this
copyright line: Copyright © 1999, by
WorkLife Solutions, Inc., all rights
reserved.
This
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copyright/contact/creation information
intact, without specific permission,
when used only in a not-for-profit
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Questions?
Email the Editor at
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