Some reasons to have a great resume on hand
It will need to be so pleasing to the eye that the reader is enticed to pick it up and read it. It should automatically stimulate interest in meeting you and learning more about you. Your resume needs to inspire the prospective employer to pick up the phone or email you and ask you to come in for an interview.
- To establish you as a professional person with high standards and excellent writing skills. Based on the fact that the resume is so well done meaning clear, well-written, well-organized, and well-designed. You should also only use the highest professional grades of printing and paper if possible. For persons in the art, marketing, advertising, or writing professions, the resume should serve as a sample of their skills.
- To have something to give to your potential employers, that being your job-hunting contacts and professional references. It is also a good way to provide background information, to send a contact as an excuse for follow-up contact, and to keep in your briefcase to give to people you meet on occasion. Which you can consider another form of "business card."
- To pass the employer's screening process regarding your educational level, number of years of experience, etc. To basically give facts which might favorably influence the employer like companies worked for. It is also important to have on hand to provide contact information: an up-to-date address and a telephone number. It is very important that this telephone number will always be answered during business hours.
- To help you clarify your direction, strengths, and qualifications to boost your confidence, or to start the process of committing to a job or career change.
- To put in an employer's personnel files. That way they can always have YOU on hand.
- Senior staff position with a bank that offers the opportunity to use my expertise in commercial real estate lending and strategic management.
- Vice president of marketing in an organization where a strong track record of expanding market share and internet savvy is needed.
- A position teaching English as a second language where a special ability to motivate and communicate effectively with students would be needed.
- An entry-level position in the hospitality industry where a background in advertising and public relations would be needed.
- A short phrase describing your profession
- Followed by a statement of broad or specialized expertise
- Followed by two or three additional statements related to any of the following:
i. breadth or depth of skills
ii. unique mix of skills
iii. range of environments in which you have experience
iv. a special or well-documented accomplishment
v. a history of awards, promotions, or superior performance commendations
- One or more professional or appropriate personal characteristics
- A sentence describing professional objective or interest
- Senior staff position with a bank that offers the opportunity to use my expertise in commercial real estate lending and strategic management.
- Vice president of marketing in an organization where a strong track record of expanding market share and internet savvy is needed.
- A position teaching English as a second language where a special ability to motivate and communicate effectively with students would be needed.
- An entry-level position in the hospitality industry where a background in advertising and public relations would be needed.
What a resume should not be:
It is a mistake to think of your resume as a personal statement, a history of your past, or as some sort of self expression. Obviously most of the content of any resume is focused on your job history and qualifications. But you should always write from the intention to create interest and to persuade the employer to call you. If your writing with that goal, your final product will be very different than if you write to inform the employer a catalog of your job history.
Most people write a resume because they believe that you have to have one to get a job. If you realize that a great resume can be your ticket to getting exactly the job you want, you may be able to gather some genuine enthusiasm for creating a real masterpiece about yourself, rather than the frail resumes most people turn out. Remember, you are the product.
How to really "hit home" with a prospective.
Recently, research shows that only one interview is granted for every 200 resumes received by the average employer. Research also tells us that your resume will be quickly scanned, rather than read by the employer. This research shows that ten to 20 seconds is all the time you have to persuade a prospective employer to read further. What this means is that the decision to interview a candidate is usually based on an overall first impression of the resume. You must develop your resume in a way so that a quick screening impresses the reader and convinces them of the candidate's qualifications that an interview results. As a result, the crucial top half of the first page of your resume will either make you or break you. By the time they have read the first few lines, you have either caught their interest, or your resume has failed in its intent. That is why your resume needs to be an advertisement. You need your resume to have the same result as a well-written ad; moreover, to get the reader to respond.
To write an effective and intriguing resume, you have to learn how to write powerful but subtle advertising copy. You must sell a product in which you have a large personal investment, that of course being yourself. Most of us do not think in a marketing-oriented way naturally, and you are probably not looking forward to selling anything, let alone yourself. But it is vital that if you want to increase your job hunting effectiveness as much as possible, you would be wise to learn to write a spectacular resume.
There is no need to hard sell or make any claims that are not absolutely true. You do need to get over your modesty and unwillingness by tooting your own horn. Research has found that people more often buy the best advertised product than the best product. That is fantastic news if you are willing to learn to create an excellent resume. With a little extra effort, it is proven that you will get a better response from prospective employers than people with better credentials.
You must focus on your employer's needs, not your own
Imagine that you are the employer doing the hiring. Usually, the person who makes the hiring decision is also the person who is responsible for the bottom line let alone the productivity of the project or group you hope to join. This is a person who cares very deeply on how well the job will be done. You must write your resume to appeal directly to them.
You need to ask yourself: What would make someone the perfect candidate for this position? What does the employer really want, and what kind of individual would they be looking for? What special abilities would this person need to have? What would set aside a truly exceptional candidate from a merely good one?
If intend on seeking a job in a field you know well, you probably already know what would make someone a superior candidate. But if you are still not sure, you can always gather hints from the help-wanted ad you are answering. You can also try asking other people who work in the same field or even in the same company.
Putting yourself in the shoes of the person doing the hiring is the first and most significant step in writing a resume. Every step in creating a finished document should be part of your overall intention to convey to the prospective employer that you are a truly exceptional candidate.
You must always plan first.
Focus on your writing efforts. Get clear what the employer is looking for and what you have to offer before you begin the process of creating your resume. Organize your thoughts on the intention of what would make someone the perfect candidate. You can try prioritizing these thoughts on different sheets of paper, based on which qualities or abilities you think would be most important to the individual doing the hiring.
You can start with the top priority page by filling the rest of that page with as much brainstorming as you can about why you are the person who best fulfills the employer's needs. Write down everything you have ever achieved that demonstrates that you fit perfectly with what is needed and expected by the prospective employer.
The perfect resume always has two sections.
In the first section, you make assertions about your abilities, qualities and achievements. You write powerful, but honest, advertising copy that makes the reader immediately perk up and realize that you are someone special and possibly fit for the position.
The second section would be the evidence section. This is where you back up your assertions with evidence that you actually achieved what you said you have achieved. This is where you list and describe the jobs you have held, your education, etc. This is all the important information you are obliged to include.
Most resumes just contain the evidence section, with no assertions. But the most vital part of a resume is in the assertions section. When a prospective employer finishes reading your resume, your goal is for them to immediately reach for the phone to invite you in to interview. You don't want the employer to be informed, you want them to be interested and excited.
It is even proven to only hint at some things. This would leave the reader wanting more. Leave them with a bit of mystery about you. That would just give them even more reason to reach for the phone. The assertions section usually has two or three sections. Your job in all of them, is to communicate, assert, and declare that you are the best possible candidate for the job and better than any other potential candidate.
You should start by naming your intended job. This might be in a separate Objective section, or may be folded into the second section, which would be the Summary. It is important that if you are making a change to a new field, or are a young person not fully established in a certain career, start with a separate Objective section.
Your resume objective.
Ideally, your resume should be directed toward conveying why you are the perfect candidate for one specific job or job title. Great advertising is directed toward a very specific target audience.
Targeting your resume requires that you be absolutely clear about your career direction. If you aren't clear where you are going, you can wind up heading in a different direction than intended. You would be wise to use this time of change and opportunity to design your future career so you have a clear target that will meet your goals and be personally fulfilling. Even if you are a little unclear about what you are looking for, you cannot let your uncertainty show. With a nonexistent, vague, or overly broad objective, the first statement you make to a prospective employer is basically letting them know that you are not sure that this is the right job for you.
The way to demonstrate your clarity of direction or apparent clarity is to have the first major topic of your resume be your OBJECTIVE.
First of all, decide on a specific job title for your resume objective. You should then go back to your brainstorming and planning notes. Within these notes should be the two or three qualities, abilities or achievements that would make a candidate stand out as truly exceptional for that specific job.
Be sure the objective is right to the point. You should never use "fluffy" phrases that are obvious or do not mean anything. A good example of this would be, "allowing the ability to enhance potential and utilize experience in new challenges." An objective may be broad and still somewhat undefined in some cases, such as, "a mid-level management position in the hospitality or entertainment industry."
Remember, your resume will only get a few seconds attention for them to notice you. You have to generate interest right away! The first sentence they lay their eyes on is crucial. Having an objective statement that really excites the employer is highly effective. It is also very simple to do.
One objective format is:
OBJECTIVE: An “x” position in an organization where 'y" and "z" would be needed (or, in an organization seeking "y" and "z").
“X” is the name of the certain position you are applying for. "y" and "z" are the most compelling qualities, abilities or achievements that will really make you stand out above the other applicants. Your previous research to find out what is most important to the employer will provide the information to fill in "y" and "z".
If you are applying for several different positions, you should adapt your resume to each individual position. There is nothing wrong with having several different resumes, each with a different objective, and each specifically crafted for a different type of position. You may even want to alter some parts of your resume for each job you apply for. Make sure to have an objective that is perfectly matched with the job you are applying for. Remember, you are advertising yourself, not your life story.
It may also sometime be appropriate to include your Objective in your Summary section rather than have a separate Objective section. (There are examples of this to follow.) The point of using an Objective is to create a very specific psychological response in the mind of the reader.
If you are making a career change or have a limited work history, you want the employer to immediately focus on what you would like to achieve, rather than where you have been. If you are looking for another job in your present field, it is more important to stress your achievements, qualities, and abilities first.
The "summary" of your resume.
The "Summary" or "Summary of Qualifications" consists of several to the point statements that focus the reader's attention on the most important achievements, qualities, and abilities you have to offer. Those qualities should be the most compelling demonstrations of why they should hire you instead of the other potential candidates. This gives you a brief opportunity to convey a few of your most authentic qualities. It is your one and only chance to attract and hold their attention. This would be your moment to get across what is most important, and to entice the employer to keep reading.
The summary is the spiciest part of the resume. This may be the only section fully read by the employer. Your goal must be to make this section very strong and convincing. The Summary is the one place to include professional characteristics (exceptional interpersonal skills, extremely energetic, natural salesman, a gift for solving complex problems in a fast-paced environment, committed to excellence, etc.) which may be helpful in winning the interview. It is very important to gear every word in the summary to your targeted goal.
So how can you write a Summary? Go back to your notes once again in your planning stages for your resume. Look for the qualities the employer will care about most. Then look at what you wrote about why you think you are the perfect person to fill their need. Pick the information that best demonstrates why they should hire you. You can now assemble it into your Summary section.
The most common ingredients of a well-written Summary are as follows. Of course, you would not use all these ingredients in one Summary. Use the ones that highlight you best.
- A short phrase describing your profession
- Followed by a statement of broad or specialized expertise
- Followed by two or three additional statements related to any of the following:
i. breadth or depth of skills
ii. unique mix of skills
iii. range of environments in which you have experience
iv. a special or well-documented accomplishment
v. a history of awards, promotions, or superior performance commendations
One or more professional or appropriate personal characteristics A sentence describing professional objective or interest
There are some examples below that show how to include your objective in the Summary section. If you are making a career change, your Summary section should show how what you have done in the past prepares you to do what you attend to achieve in the future. If you are a young person new to the job market, your Summary will be based more on your abilities rather than experience.
A few examples of Summary sections:
- Highly motivated, creative and versatile real estate executive with seven years of experience in property acquisition, development and construction, as well as the management of large apartment complexes. Especially skilled at building effective, productive working relationships with clients and staff. Excellent management, negotiation and public relations skills. Seeking a challenging management position in the real estate field that offers extensive contact with the public.
- Over 10 years as an organizational catalyst/training design consultant with a track record of producing extraordinary results for more than 20 national and community based organizations. A commitment to human development and community service. Energetic self-starter with excellent analytical, organizational, and creative skills.
- Financial Management Executive with nearly ten years of experience in banking and international trade, finance, investments and economic policy. Innovative in structuring credit enhancement for corporate and municipal financing. Skilled negotiator with strong management, sales and marketing background. Areas of expertise include (a bulleted list would follow this paragraph.)
- Health Care Professional experienced in management, program development and policy making in the United States as well as in several developing countries. Expertise in emergency medical services. A talent for analyzing problems, developing and simplifying procedures, and finding innovative solutions. Proven ability to motivate and work effectively with persons from other cultures and all walks of life. Skilled in working within a foreign environment with limited resources.
- Performing artist with a rich baritone voice and unusual range, specializing in classical, spiritual, gospel and rap music. Featured soloist for two nationally televised events. Accomplished pianist. Extensive performance experience includes television, concert tours and club acts. Available for commercial recording and live performances.
Your skills and accomplishments.
In this final part of the assertions section of your resume, you will go into more detail. You are still writing to advertise and sell yourself to the reader, not to inform them. Basically, you do exactly what you did in the previous section, except that you will go into more detail.
In the summary, you focused on your most unique highlights. Now you let the reader know the rest of the best of your story. Let them know what results you produced, what happened in result of your efforts, and what you are especially gifted or experienced at doing. Amplify the most important highlights in your summary.
You are still writing to do what every good advertisement does, communicating the direct benefits of the product. If it doesn't contribute to furthering this specific communication, don't bother to say it. Remember to not use too much detail. Remember that you always want a bit of mystery. Don't tell the reader everything.
Sometimes the "Skills and Accomplishments" sections are in a separate section. In a chronological resume, this section becomes the first few phrases of the descriptions of the various jobs you have held. This will be addressed when we discuss different types of resumes. When skills and accomplishments is its own separate section, it can have several possible titles, depending on your situation:
- Skills and Accomplishments
- Career Highlights
- Accomplishments
- Recent Accomplishments
- Summary of Accomplishments
- Professional Highlights
- Selected Accomplishments
- Areas of Accomplishment and Experience
- Areas of Expertise
- Additional Skills and Accomplishments
There are a number of different ways to structure your "Skills and Accomplishments" section. In all of these styles, make sure to put your skills and accomplishments in order of importance for the desired career goal. If you have many skills, you might want to consider the last skill paragraph to be called "Additional Skills."
Here are a few ways you could structure your "Skills and Accomplishments" section:
1. A listing of skills or accomplishments or a combination of both, with bullets
Example:
Selected skills and accomplishments
- Raised $1900 in 21 days in canvassing and advocacy on environmental, health and consumer issues.
- Coordinated Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board of community mental health center. Later commended as "the best thing that ever happened to that job."
- Conducted legal research for four Assistant U.S. Attorneys, for the U.S. Attorney's office
2. A listing of major skill headings with accomplishments under each. The accomplishments can be a bulleted list or in paragraph form. The material under the headings should include mention of accomplishments which prove each skill.
Example:
Selected accomplishments
National Training Project / Conference Management.
Director of Outreach on Hunger, a national public education/training project funded by USAID, foundations and all the major church denominations. Designed, managed and promoted three-day training conferences in cities throughout the U.S. Planned and managed 32 nationwide training seminars and a five-day annual conference for university vice-presidents and business executives.
Program Design: Universities.
Invited by Duke University President Terry Sanford to develop new directions and programs for the University's Office of Summer Educational Programs, first Director of Duke's "Pre-college Program," first editor of "Summer at Duke." Designed and successfully proposed a center for the study of creativity at The George Washington University.
3. A list of bulleted accomplishments or skill paragraphs under each job (in a chronological resume).
Example:
Director of Sales and Marketing
DELAWARE TRADE INTERNATIONAL, INC. Wilmington, DE
- Promoted from Sales Representative within one year of joining company to Director of Sales and Marketing. Responsible for international sales of raw materials, as well as printing and graphic arts equipment. Oversaw five sales managers. Was in charge of direct sales and marketing in 17 countries throughout Europe and the Middle East.
- Recruited, trained and managed sales staff. Developed marketing strategy, prepared sales projections and established quotas. Selected and contracted with overseas sub-agents to achieve international market penetration.
- Planned and administered sales and marketing budget, and maintained sole profit/loss responsibility. Within first year, doubled company's revenues, and produced $7-9 million in annual sales during the next eight years.
Basic resume formats:
There are basically three types of resumes, Chronological, Functional, and "combined" Chronological - Functional.
- Chronological
The chronological resume is the more traditional structure for a resume. The “Experience” section is the focus of the resume. Your last several jobs are described in some detail, and there is no major section of skills or accomplishments at the beginning of the resume as previously discussed. This structure is primarily used when you are staying in the same profession, in the same type of work, mainly in very conservative fields. It is also used in certain fields such as academia and law. It is recommended that the chronological resume always have an Objective or Summary to keep the reader focused and interested.
The advantages of a chronological resume, is that it may appeal to older, more traditional readers and be best in very conservative fields. This type of resume makes it easier to understand what you did in what job, and may help the name of your previous employer stand out more, if you find that to be impressive. The clear disadvantage is that it is much more difficult to highlight what you do best. This format is not appropriate for someone making a career change.
- Functional
The functional resume highlights your major skills and accomplishments from the very beginning of your working career. It helps the reader see clearly what you can do for them and their company, rather than having to read through the job descriptions to find out. It helps target the resume into a new direction or field. This is done by lifting up from all past jobs the key skills and qualifications to help prove you will be successful in this new direction or field within the company. There are many different types of formats for functional resumes. The functional resume is a must for career changers, but is very appropriate for generalists. A functional resume is best suited for those with a wide range of skills in their given profession, for homemakers returning to the job market, for students, for military officers, and for those who want to make a slight shift in their career direction.
The advantages of a functional resume are to help you most in reaching for a new goal or direction. It is a very effective type of resume, and is highly recommended. The disadvantage is that it is hard for the employer to know exactly what you did in which job since there will be good information left out, which may be a problem for some conservative interviewers.
- Combined
A combined resume includes elements of both the chronological and functional resume formats. It may be a shorter chronology of job descriptions preceded by a short "Skills and Accomplishments" section (or with a longer Summary including a skills list or a list of "qualifications") It also can be a standard functional resume with the accomplishments under headings of different jobs held.
There are many obvious advantages to this combined approach. It maximizes the advantages of both kinds of resumes, avoiding any potential negative effects of either type. One disadvantage to the combined resume is that it tends to be a longer resume which can possibly lose the readers interest. Another is that it can be repetitious. Accomplishments and skills may have to be repeated in both the "functional" section and the "chronological" job descriptions depending on how you decide to lay everything out.
Presenting your work history, education, etc.
A resumes is not much more than a collection of various facts about your past. This meaning all the mandatory information you must include on your resume including your work history with descriptions, dates, education, affiliations, list of software mastered, etc. If you put this information toward the top of your resume, anyone reading it will feel like they are reading some boring report or income tax form. All this crucial information is best placed in the second half of the resume. Put the “attention grabbing” stuff in the beginning, and all this less exciting information afterward. Keeping the employer interested is what’s most important, but we know that by now.
A great resume is basically one big assertions section. Every single word, even the basic facts about your history, are designed to have that certain effect on the employer to get them to pick up the phone and call you. The decisions you make on what information to emphasize and what to de-emphasize should be based on considering every word of your resume to be an important part of the assertions section.
Experience
Make sure to list jobs in reverse chronological order. Don't go into detail on the jobs early in your career. It is more important to focus on the most recent and/or relevant jobs. (You can also choose to summarize a number of the earliest jobs in one line or very short paragraph, or list only the bare facts with no position description.) Overall, you need to display what is more impressive; your job titles or the names of the firms you worked for. Then consistently begin with the more impressive of the two, you might want to consider using boldface type.
You may want to describe the firm in a phrase in parentheses if you feel this will impress the reader. Put dates in italics at the end of the job, to de-emphasize them. While listing dates, don't include months, unless the job was held less than a year. Include any internships, military service, and major volunteer roles if desired. Just because the section is labeled "experience", does not mean that you were paid.
Other headings you can use for this section might be "Professional History" or "Professional Experience". Do not use “Employment” or "Work History," both of which sound more lower-level from the readers perspective.
Education
List education in reverse chronological order starting with degrees or licenses first, followed by certificates and advanced training. It is important to set degrees apart so they are easily seen. Put in boldface whatever will be most impressive to the reader. It is not necessary to include any details about college except your major and distinctions or awards you have won, unless you are still in college or just recently graduated. You should include grade-point average if over 3.4. You should also list selected course work if this will help convince the reader of your qualifications for the targeted job.
Do include advanced training, but be selective with the information. Do this by summarizing the information and including only what will be impressive for the reader.
So you didn’t receive a degree yet? If you are working toward an uncompleted degree, include the degree and afterwards, in parentheses, the expected date of completion. (Example B.S. expected 200_)
If you didn't finish college, start with a phrase describing the field studied, then the school, then the dates. (Then the fact that there was no degree may be missed).
Other headings you can use for this section might be "Education and Training," "Education and Licenses," "Legal Education / Undergraduate Education" (for attorneys).
Awards
If the only awards received were in school, it is important to put those awards under the Education section. Mention what the award was for if you can (or just "for outstanding accomplishment" or "outstanding performance"). This section is essential and almost a must, if you have received awards. If you have received commendations or praise from some very senior source, you might want to consider calling this section, "Awards and Commendations." If that is the case, go ahead and quote the source.
Professional Affiliations
Include only those that are current, impressive, and relevant. Include leadership roles if appropriate for the position. This is a great section for communicating your status as a member of a minority targeted for special consideration by employers. It is also the section known for showing your membership in an association that would enhance your appeal as a prospective employee.
This section can be combined with "Civic / Community Leadership" as "Professional and Community Memberships."
Civic/Community Leadership
It is always good to include if the leadership roles or accomplishments are related to the job target and can show skills acquired. A good example being a loan officer hoping to become a financial investment counselor who was Financial Manager of a community organization charged with investing its funds. Make sure that any Board of Directors membership or "chairmanship" would be good to include. Be careful with any political affiliations, as they could be a plus or minus with an employer or company.
Publications
Include this information only if published. Summarize the information if there are many.
Comments from supervisors
Include this section only if these comments are very exceptional and would impress the reader.
Personal Interests
Advantages: Personal interests can indicate a skill or area of knowledge that is related to the goal; for example, photography for someone in public relations, or wood-working and carpentry for someone in construction management. It can also create common ground and/or spark conversation in an interview.
Disadvantages: Personal interests are usually irrelevant to the job goal and purpose of the resume. Personal interests could also be meaningless or an interview turn-off.
It is probably not a good idea to include a personal interests section. Your reason for including it is most likely that you want to tell them about you. But remember, this is an advertisement. If this section would powerfully move the employer to understand why you would be the best candidate for the position, include it; otherwise, forget about it.
This section may also be called "Interests and Hobbies," or just "Interests."
References
You may put "References available upon request" at the end of your resume, if you wish. This is a standard close on a resume; just make sure it is centered at the bottom in italics. Most employers already assume you have references. Do not include actual names or phone numbers of references. You can bring a separate sheet of references to the interview to be given to the employer upon request.
