It can seem overwhelming to distribute your resume and get your name out there, but it doesn’t have to be.If you can slow down, think things through, and be confident in your search and distribution, then it will be much easier. Here are some things you should remember and be aware of when choosing where and how to distribute your resume.
Send your resume to more than one place: You will have a better chance at actually getting a job if you have your eggs in more than one basket.
Don’t give your resume to places you wouldn’t commute to: This seems like common sense, but it is something you should keep in mind the whole time you are distributing your resume. If you are not willing to commute daily to a company, then don’t bother wasting your time or theirs by giving them your resume.
Follow up: After spending hours giving your resume to dozens of companies, you want to be able to know what is happening and if your hard work is paying off. But be careful not to become annoying. Follow up after a week or two and be very polite and to the point.
Don’t become discouraged: Know right now that it will take a lot of time for you to get called in for an interview or get the job. You cannot let the long amount of time discourage you from distributing and re-distributing. You need to keep going and you will eventually get the job that you are looking for.
If you want to highlight your best career achievements concisely, a professional biography is the perfect tool. Your bio’s goal is to give potential employers an overview of your career achievements while presenting a window into your personality. This means that you should keep your bio up to date so that it reflects the most recent you.
To create a great professional biography, just follow these easy steps:
Write in the third person. Instead of using the “I” word, use your full name on the first usage, then you can use only your first name after that. If you want your biography to be more formal, use your last name instead (e.g. “Mr. Martin”). Or, you can just use wording like, “Bill began his career taking on roles of …”
Highlight your most impressive professional achievements, and provide examples. This should include any awards you have won, key promotions, and other major achievements. If appropriate, mention client names, which will make your biography more credible. Be specific in presenting numerical data.
Define a personal brand. Differentiate yourself from other candidates by showcasing your unique professional and personal attributes. List publications for which you have written, articles authored, presentations you have given, speaking engagements, classes you have taught, seminars, and other achievements you are proud of. Be sure to include educational achievements. community service activities and organizational memberships may also be included.
Don’t forget to include contact information. Make it easy for your contacts to reach you. Make your contact information visible and easy to find. If it helps, include a small professional photo.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, protects workers 40 and older from age discrimination with respect to any aspect of employment:hiring, firing, job assignments, salaries, career advancement, benefits and other aspects. However, age discrimination is difficult to prove, so keep an eye on what you put on your resume. Is there any information on there that gives away your age? Listing a job you started in 1972 might be a bad idea. Look to the obvious. Do not put your birthday, Social Security number or other personal information on your resume. If you live in a community that is well-known as an older community or retirement community, leave off the community name in your address. Many people leave their graduation dates out of the Education section on their resume. The Work History or Professional Experience section and listed skill sets on an executive resume may identify you as an older worker. However, most employers only expect your last 10-15 years of employment history to be listed on your resume, so this in itself may not give away your age. Affiliations and Awards resume sections can also inadvertently give away your age, especially when they are age-related such as The American Association for Retired People (AARP) or lifetime achievement awards. Keep in mind that AARP membership and lifetime achievement awards are given out well before most American people now retire. Not a good idea to list AARP, just don’t do it. The publications section on a curriculum vitae can also give resume readers a clue to your age, especially if it is extensive. This is because you would typically list publication dates for each work you have published. If you have 30 years of published works, your readers may assume that you are at least 50 years of age. 50 isn’t old, but you might want to summarize your earlier works in a paragraph format and omit the dates. Check your resume or curriculum vitae routinely for anything that can easily identify you as an older worker. Do not give an unscrupulous employer any reasons to discriminate against you based on information from your resume or curriculum vitae.
The good news is that there are jobs out there for older workers, so get your resume polished up and go after them!
A common problem that many people come across, particularly for those recently graduated and entering the work force, is that their work history is not long enough for them to make a full, complete, and impressive resume. But it is nothing to stress over. You can still have an impressive resume without a long or extensive work history.
The biggest key to having an impressive resume without a long work history is to not create fake jobs or fake references. This is the biggest mistake anyone can make. It will only cause you problems in your search and may cost you multiple job opportunities.
You may want to take a functional resume route. In other words, focus on the skills that you have that will apply to the job you are applying for. You should still include the work history that you have, but the focus of your resume should be on your impressive skills and abilities. The skills would be formatted to look like this in your resume: Auto Mechanic:
Responsible for tune ups, tire changes, and other basic level mechanical work
Worked as an oil change technician for 5 years
Shade tree mechanic for two years
Used Car Sales
Sold pre-owned vehicles on commission for 6 months
Examined vehicles for mechanical problems prior to purchase
Fixed major and minor issues on vehicles before resell
Not only is this a simple format, but it can fill up your resume, make it impressive and professional, and keep you out of future trouble with potential employers.
Your standard dream job description may require an average of three to five years of experience when you only have two years of experience.Do you just walk away and do not apply? No, apply anyways. You may be surprised and get at least a phone interview. Pay close attention to the keywords of the job description and ensure that you put them in your resume also. Do not inflate your experience in this field or call attention to your lack of three to five years of experience in a cover letter. There are other things a recruiter looks for aside from number of years of experience. Maybe the job calls for someone who can work tirelessly towards a specific goal for long-term rather than short-term gratification. Or perhaps your background in customer service will be a great add-on to the skill sets required in the position. Personal characteristics, related skill sets and ability to work hours that are different from just the 9 to 5 grind may also make you an attractive candidate. If the recruiter describes the type of person that would fit best into this position, listen carefully, then provide information on why you are that person. Training also counts towards making you the ideal job candidate when you do not have the requisite number of years of work experience. While some managers like to train their new employees from the ground up, realistically, it can be cost prohibitive and time consuming to do so. Arriving with some relevant training can also make starting a new job easier. A flexible, can-do attitude also counts in your favor. If you can be flexible with start dates, hours, where you work, what equipment you do your work on, all of these things can add up to make you the best candidate for the job, even when you do not have the preferred amount of experience.
When you are busy organizing job descriptions and sending out hundreds of resumes, the last thing you want to do is to think about composing yet another document. After all, many employers do not ask for a cover letter, and many of them may not take the time to read one. So should you just skip the cover letter? It depends on the application requirements and what you want to say to a potential employer. A cover letter is not a restatement of your resume. The mistaken assumption that it is is one reason why hiring managers do not read them. However, companies often run multiple ads for different positions, and the first line of your cover letter should make it clear which job you are applying for and how you found out about it. Use the second paragraph to show how your experience can add value at the employer’s company. This is where people make the mistake of reiterating what is on their resume. Instead of informing the advertising employer that you were the Director at XYZ Advertising Agency, you can state that the position also gave you exposure to various media outlets, key decision makers and Fortune 500 companies. The third paragraph of your cover letter is your opportunity to clarify anything that is not specifically addressed on your resume, such as you have the skill sets for one career but would like to use them to move in a different direction, potentially into a related career. You can also use this paragraph to give the employer information that they asked for in their ad that would typically not go on a resume such as salary history and expectations. Use your closing paragraph to express that you are looking forward to speaking with the employer regarding the position. If you send a paper copy of your cover letter, make sure you sign it in the space between Sincerely and your full name. This is one detail people often forget to do. If the employer does not request a cover letter or specific information that does not go on a resume, you do not have to send one. However, a cover letter gives you an opportunity to showcase your writing skills and to give the employer a feel for your personality and work style.
If you are writing your own resume, it is easy to concentrate on the text and content over everything else. You know that your resume needs to “sell” you to potential employers and you need to list your skills, experience, and achievements to do this effectively.
Although the content and listing your selling points is essential for any resume, it isn’t the only thing that you need to give consideration to in order to give yourself the best possible chance at being successful when applying for jobs.
When a job is advertised, there will be a large number of applicants, especially if the job is a good one and pays well. To stay on top of the competition, you must have a resume that stands out above the rest.
If your resume looks dull, messy, or boring, then the likelihood is that the person in charge of processing the resumes received won’t even read it. Your resume should have a clean, crisp layout that will catch the reader’s eye, prompting them to select it from the stack. How your resume flows and reads to potential employers is as important as the content itself.
If you feel that you don’t have the skills to create a layout that will highlight your value, then it may be worth looking into hiring a professional resume writing service. Professional resume writing companies have writers on staff who will help you design a resume with a layout that flows well and showcases your skills in the most strategic manner.
The facts on your resume may get you an interview and even a job offer, but even these facts must still be verified before you start a new job. You should keep legitimate documents that back up the information on your resume. Some of these documents include: College and High School Diplomas: Degrees are being checked with regular frequency before a job offer is finalized due to the fact that many people lie about their education credentials on their resumes. Diplomas are also a good way to verify education when a school no longer exists. W-2/W-4 Tax Documents: The W-2 tax form is issued by your employer. It is an official record of taxes on the state and federal level that were taken from your paycheck. As such, it is also an official record of which company you were employed by. If a company fails to respond to background check inquiries, at least you have one legal document that shows you worked there. The W-4, which lists your tax exemptions may work as well. Job Offer Letters: If you receive a verbal offer, either in person or over the telephone, you should also request that the offer be put into writing on the company’s letterhead. You then have an official document that at least illustrates the job offer and proposed starting date.
Most of these documents may be hard to get your hands on, especially if you were not thinking about education and employment verifications needed for future employment. Pay stubs, however, should be relatively easy to keep and pull out if you need them. They serve two purposes: to verify employment and wages. Wage verification may be needed to negotiate a higher salary rate at your next job.
