Archive for the ‘Resume Guide’ Category

How many times have you found yourself in the midst of writing your resume when you realized that there were some questions you simply had to have answered before you could move forward? Everyone has probably been in this predicament at least once during a resume-writing experience.

Of course, there are some questions that are more frequently asked than others. So before you put your fingers back on the keyboard, let’s take a moment to explore some of the more commonly asked questions regarding resumes.

How Do I Write a Great Objective?

For many, the objective is the most abstract and challenging portion of the resume to write. You may find yourself asking questions like “what does the employer want to know?” and “how can I describe myself in just one sentence?” during the process. But don’t let these issues deter you from continuing on, because in actuality, it is not hard to create a succinct objective that will entice the employer to read on.

First, take note that objectives can be more than one sentence long. Depending on your level of experience, you may want to include up to three sentences describing who you are and what career plans you have that fall neatly in line with the employer’s goals. Within the 1-3 sentences, you want to express your strengths, abilities and qualifications in your field, and how they match the specific employer’s goals. However, try to avoid using the word “I” in this section as it creates a self-centered image, something that can quickly result in your resume hitting the bottom of the stack.

What if I Haven’t Worked in a While?

If you haven’t worked for several years, or even several months, you may feel a little bit nervous about explaining your employment gap. But don’t worry; if you truly feel you’re qualified for the job, you can express this in a number of ways.

One is by using a functional resume style (as opposed to chronological) that focuses less on timelines and more on skills. Also, you can roll up all of your non-work experience, including volunteering, community involvement, consulting, or even your continuing education, to highlight the skills you’ve acquired over the years. If your gaps are a little smaller, you can make them less obvious by not noting months on your resume. In the end, you want to showcase your knowledge of industry trends, so be creative in explaining how this knowledge can enhance the position you’re applying for.

Should I Include References?

Typically, the rule for references is this: if they don’t ask for them, don’t provide them. However, if they do it’s a good idea to create a separate sheet just for them. On that sheet, you can include the references’ names, phone numbers, and their locations, as well as your personal/professional relationships. But before you add references be sure to contact them so they are prepared to offer information about you.

Writing a resume can be an exciting process if you remember that your hard work can result in a great job. So take the time to ask more questions about the writing process. You’ll find that the more you ask, the more likely you are to create a standout resume that may just secure the job you want.

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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. Compare the top resume writing services in the industry at http://www.resumelines.com.

Here are the top 20 things that annoy and irritate recruiters and other people who read resumes. And FYI, annoying people who could hire you isn’t a good idea.

From ResumeDoctor.com:

“ResumeDoctor.com undertook the immense project of conducting a survey of over 2,500 recruiters / headhunters throughout the US and Canada to find out their “Pet Peeves” with resumes. These recruiters stemmed from varied specialties and industries, (Engineering, Information Technology, Sales and Marketing, Executive, Biotech, Healthcare, Administrative, Finance, etc.). ResumeDoctor.com sought to find out what the recruiter’s likes and dislikes in a resume and what is going to get a resume read by them.”

Click on each item for more details.

1. Spelling Errors, Typos and Poor Grammar
2. Too duty oriented - reads like a job description, failing to explain the job seeker’s relevant accomplishments
3. Missing dates or inaccurate dates
4. Missing contact Info, inaccurate, or unprofessional email addresses
5. Poor formatting - boxes, templates, tables, use of header and footers, etc.
6. Resumes organized by job function as opposed to chronological by employer
7. Long resumes - greater than 2 pages
8. Long, dense paragraphs - no bullet-points
9. Unqualified candidates - candidates who apply to positions for which they are not qualified
10. Personal info not relevant to the job
11. Missing employer Info and/or not indicating what industry in which the candidate worked
12. Lying and misleading - especially in terms of education, dates and inflated titles
13. Objectives and meaningless introductions
14. Poor font choice or style
15. Resumes sent as PDF files, Zip files, faxes, or mailed resumes; i.e. not sent as a WORD attachment
16. Irritating Pictures, graphics or URL links
17. No easy-to-follow summary of skills and accomplishments
18. Resumes written with 1st person references, or in the 3rd person
19. Unexplained gaps in employment
20. Burying important info in the resume

Hiring Managers Share Top Ten Most Unusual Resume Fibs & Expert Shares Tips on Making Your Resume Stand Out

(from MarketWatch)

CareerBuilder.com asked hiring managers to share the most memorable or outrageous lies they came across on resumes. Examples include:

1. Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family
2. Invented a school that did not exist
3. Submitted a resume with someone else’s photo inserted into the document
4. Claimed to be a member of Mensa
5. Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had
6. Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee
7. Listed military experience dating back to before he was born
8. Included samples of work, which the interviewer actually did
9. Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian
10. Claimed to have been a professional baseball player

Although only 8 percent of workers admitted to stretching the truth on their resumes, nearly half (49 percent) of hiring managers reported they caught a candidate lying on their resume. Of these employers, 57 percent said they automatically dismissed the applicant. This is according to CareerBuilder.com’s latest survey of more than 3,100 hiring managers and over 8,700 workers nationwide conducted from May 22 to June 13, 2008.

Read the rest of the article here and find out how to make your resume memorable

One of the things that always amazes me is that people use exactly the same cover letter and exactly the same CV to apply for every single job.

That’s not the way to go. With recruiters receiving so many applications per advertised position the secret is to customize.

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A resume represents you in words and is the one that creates the first impression. So, a resume must be well thought out and written perfectly. According to experts in the field of human resources there are five basic concepts:

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Writing a resume isn’t easy. To your reader this one piece of paper is you, and he or she is going to give it about 20 seconds of attention (often less). Unfortunately, there are resume traditions that seem to make sense but that ought to be questioned in today’s tough job search world. One of those traditions is that certain words and phrases are considered basic necessities. They aren’t. There are many such cliches, but here is my list of 7 of the most common:

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