Take a look at your resume with fresh eyes – can you honestly say that it is written well enough to get an employer’s interest? It is easy to forget just how many people you may be up against when it comes to applying for a job and just how tough the competition to be. The person in charge of deciding who goes through to the interview stage of a job application process is probably going to be reading loads of different resumes over a short period of time. You need to make sure that your resume stands out for all the right reasons and commands attention.
Although what your resume says and the skills that it showcases are important, you need to give careful consideration to the layout of your resume. People will take one glance at your resume and will know immediately whether or not they are interested in reading more about you. It might not seem fair, but at the end of the day first impressions count, so you need to make sure that the first impression your resume gives is a good one.
There are many standard templates you can use as part of a word processing program and if you are after a standard resume, then this will suit you perfectly well. What it won’t help you do is create a resume to get excited about or something that is going to make sure that people pay attention to you. You need to ensure your resume is created in a manner that will make the reader stop and pull your resume out of the pile.
If you are serious about job hunting and making sure that you have the best chance of job success, you may want to consider hiring a professional resume writer to ensure that your resume is creative and flawless. Professional resume writers are trained to highlight your best skills and achievements, as well as can write your resume so that it markets you, and shows employers the value you can offer their company. Remember, the first step to your next career is getting your resume read by employers-will your resume stand out above the rest?
Most people are usually well aware of the fact that having a high-quality, well-written resume is the best way you can go about getting the job of your dreams. There are loads of ways in which you can make sure that your resume has the ideal layout and wording to help you land a job, however, it is also important to make sure that your resume is suited to the position you’re applying for.
When it comes to applying for jobs, you’re going to find a job hunt much more effective if your resume is written to match specific job descriptions. Your experience and skills listed on your resume should coincide with the qualifications listed in the job description, otherwise, potential employers may write you off at the first hurdle.
However, if you are applying for a job that is much grander and in essence a better job, then it makes sense that your resume needs to step up to the mark. If you are going for a higher-paying job, and one that gives you a much better chance of career progression, then you need to ensure that your best career achievements and leadership skills are highlighted in your resume.
If this sounds like you and you want to make sure that you can go for a promotion, or higher-level position, then you may need to look at having an executive resume created. This goes above and beyond a standard resume and is essential if you are going for any type of executive or c-level (President, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CTO) positions. An executive resume must be powerful and have a “wow” factor that will attract employers looking for executive-level candidates.
The term “return on investment” (ROI) means getting something worth your money, no matter what that is. A resume needs a good ROI as well. One rule of thumb for your resume is to ensure that it earns revenue in excess of the amount of money your company has spent on your training. Write your resume in terms of wording your successes effectively.
For example, a person in sales could mention bringing in a key client for the company. If the client contributed $10 million to your company’s bottom line, then that will be a demonstration of your ability to close profitable sales. It also shows your value to potential employers. That’s precisely how you want prospective employers to think of you – in terms of how much value you bring to them.
When it comes to demonstrating numerical success, you have several options. You can use
- Percentages
- Amount of revenue increase
- Profitability ratio
- Etc.
It’s always nice to be able to illustrate your success with hard numbers.
If you refrain from getting bogged down in your duties and draw attention to your successes instead, then you’ll be able to clearly demonstrate to potential employers why you are the right candidate for the job. Focus on results. Make sure your resume doesn’t look like you copied your job description off a company website. Use hard and verifiable facts about how you created success in past positions. This will separate you from the competition.
If you’re not sure how to use hard facts, go back and read some performance reviews. What did your boss consider your strengths? If your performance review shows high praise for your ability to communicate effectively with clients, you can use that in your resume. You can incorporate that information to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
But what if you can’t do that? Then try to come up with accomplishments you made that were significant improvements to your company’s culture and overall work environment. Did you improve work efficiency? Did your customer service skills result in happier customers and fewer complaints? Think along those lines.
I hope this gives you a better idea of how you can demonstrate ROI to potential employers. Think in terms of numerical successes will clear examples. You’ll soon have the job of your dreams.
If you were to ask career counselors if a career objective is worth merit, half of them would say yes. Those arguing against objectives will say they are too limiting and usually poorly constructed. Those in favor will say that employers want to be able to determine quickly what you can do for the company and what you’re good at. An objective can help meet that need. To some employers, the lack of an objective translates into a job seeker who doesn’t know what he or she wants. On the other hand, numerous employers say they rarely see a well-written objective.
There’s no doubt that many resume career objectives are poorly put together as they are usually vague and not job specific. This defeats the whole purpose of the objective in the first place.
Job seekers also tend to ignore the employer’s need to know what a potential employee can contribute and list everything that the job seeker wants. For example, a typical self-serving objective will say “To obtain a meaningful and challenging position which enables me to learn the accounting field and which allows for advancement.” If your career objective doesn’t match what the hiring manager has to offer, he or she is not likely to give serious consideration to other positions within the company that you might fit into.
In other words, don’t leave the career objective off of your resume. You can have several versions of your resume saved on your computer that each have a different objective. You could even come up with a specific, tailor-made objective on your resume for each job you apply for. With technology, resumes and objectives need not be “one size fits all.” However, if you go to a job fair where it’s impossible to tailor your objective as you move from booth to booth, or if you’re handing out resumes in a networking situation, it may make more sense to leave your objective off.
If you are still uncomfortable with committing yourself to an objective on your resume, you can use a cover letter to tailor a resume to specific jobs. The cover letter can help bring the resume into sharper focus by elaborating on what the job seeker wants to do and what he or she can specifically contribute to a particular job.
Employers are seeing more objectives being replaced with wording such as summary, skills summary, qualifications or profile. Keywords in these sections are very important if they are tailored to specific job skills.
Objectives should reflect the employer’s perspective, not the job seeker’s, and should tell what the job seeker can contribute. An objective should demonstrate the value the candidate will add to the organization. Objectives should be as concise as possible. Whether or not you choose to include an objective, you may wish to present a skills or qualifications section on your resume
In today’s current era of technology, social media, choppy economies, and 14-year-old executives, it pays to learn the job search process. Anyone, whether employed or not, can benefit from learning how to streamline the job search process.
With over 40,000 websites and companies competing to offer job search services, it is easy to get confused. Career websites are set up so that you can submit resumes electronically to businesses. Applying for jobs takes time, and landing one is really a numbers game. Almost all potential jobs can now be examined, located, and applied for from the comfort of your own home. Follow these simple steps to learn how to manage your time and resources in an effort to get more interviews.
Write Down your Goals. Before even writing a resume or applying, write down your goals. If you don’t write yours down, you will just be helping someone else achieve theirs. Decide what you want, write it down, and create a plan to get what you want.
Get a Resume and Cover Letter. Write your own or use a service. If you think about the cost/benefit analysis of purchasing a resume, it really makes sense to invest in a custom resume written by a professional. This could be the difference between two jobs and big salary differences. There are numerous experts that say a cover letter is imperative. Most resume services will write a cover letter with the resume you purchase. Then all you have to do is change the company and contact name in the letter. Another reason to use a professional resume service is because they know how to write resumes integrating all the right keywords in all the right places.
Research Companies. Research the companies for which you want to work. When interviewing it is always better to keep focused on the company and how you will benefit them. Don’t sell yourself short.
Get Organized. When you find a job of interest, be sure to make a list of their contact people and email them your resume directly if possible. If there is a phone number, pick up the phone and call the headhunter. Log everything. You never know when HR will call. You will look really good if you know something about the representative.
Submit your Resume. This is by far the most important step. Most of the time, jobs will find you, not the other way around on line at various job boards.
These five steps, if followed, will guide you to an interview. Always remember that your thoughts control your destiny. You have to be positive and patient. You can do it. Always remember, if you don’t respect yourself, no one else will.
The electronic age has revolutionized the way job seekers and employers meet. Online services take the volume of resume traffic to levels unimagined only a few years ago. With services to job seekers expanding continually, it’s important to understand the different options available to increase exposure of your resume to potential employers and recruiters. Two types are resume posting and resume distribution.
Resume Posting. This is a service where job seekers post their resumes to a job board for employers and recruiters to find. This is a passive approach in that the employer or recruiter must find you within the resume database. They usually find you by calling up resumes via key words. The chances of their finding you depend greatly on your including all the appropriate key words in your resume.
This service is normally free to job seekers, and used only by those employers and recruiters who have paid a substantial fee to access the resumes. In other words, when you post your resume to an online resume posting service, not every employer or recruiter will find you.
Resume Distribution. This is actually opposite of a posting service. With a resume distribution, the job seeker has access to a select database of well-qualified employers and/or recruiters to email his/her resume to. This service does cost the job seeker a fee. The amount will vary depending on the service you use.
There are several advantages of a distribution service. The advantages include not having to wait to be found, you decide who receives your resume and you are in control of who actually gets your resume.
Make sure the distribution service allows you to target the employers who receive your resume. At a minimum, you should be able to query the employer/recruiter database by industry, job function and geographic region. If the service offers no targeting capabilities, your resume may be sent out indiscriminately to employers and recruiters who do not match your employment criteria.
For optimum resume distribution or posting effectiveness you’ll want to make sure your resume is updated. If you are not currently getting the response rate from your resume that you’d like, using a resume distribution service will only be marginally helpful, because you will still be distributing a resume that is not working for you.
Both services, resume posting and resume distribution, are valuable strategies for your job search. Don’t be turned off by the fact that one is free and the other you must pay for. The money spent on a good quality resume distribution will repay you over and over again with valuable job leads and introductions to influential recruiters. After all, aren’t you worth it?
Due to the job markets lately, there are a lot of older generation employees wondering how to get hired. The key is recognizing and remembering that your work experience can play a supportive role as well as a leadership role with organizations. The two need not be mutually exclusive.
If you’re over 50, you’ve probably had the experience of being labeled as overqualified. And in response to this unwanted job-search slur, you’ve probably done what any intelligent, ambitious individual would do: Dumb yourself down on your resume.
A good move, but what does this do to your career confidence? If today’s market is telling you repeatedly in rejection emails that they are not concerned with your achievements, it’s no wonder your self esteem is shaky.
As an over 50 job candidate, you have a unique challenge to struggle with during the interview. Even though the interviewers are telling you that you are overqualified, you are suddenly feeling very inexperienced. This is because you’re overqualified because of the simple length of your resume, the style of your suit, color of your hair, and lingo in your business repertoire.
You’re under qualified because you may lack some understanding of today’s rapidly evolving technologies, flattened infrastructure, and business culture. Coming to terms with this before the interview is an essential component to building back your career confidence.
Be confident that you could do many of the job duties of the interviewer just as easily in the pre-computer generation. That doesn’t make you stupid. Many people couldn’t do a lot of jobs if it weren’t for computer programs helping them along.
Figure out your strengths and what you can bring to the table as far as being able take on a leadership role. It will still be a learning experience but we all have to learn something sometime. It’s important to know multiple aspects of your professional self prior to your job search, and it’s important to know how to present them to your next employer on paper and in person.
A lot of people have probably already done this, but it is important to make sure your executive resume is customized, tailored, and geared toward you in a good light. The best way to know if your resume is working is this: Have you been called in for a job interview? If the answer is no, then it’s time to customize your resume and try something different.
Of course, you want your resume to be a professional piece and it will be, but think about something. How quickly does someone scan over your resume? Interviewers are looking at your skills and experience, which will alert them to the needs that they are hoping you will fulfill. That takes maybe 20 seconds, tops.
So, what do you need to do? Make it pop! Bold certain words throughout your resume so they pop off the page at someone. You’ve got their attention now, right? An example would be: “have 10 years experience as a Project Manager”. OK, that sentence is just sitting there. But if you use “have 10 years experience as a Project Manager“. Much better, right?
Also, be sure to use the same phrases and job descriptions that the potential employer is using. This makes them feel as if you have really read the job requirements and understand the position. It’s only a matter of critiquing your resume so that when viewed it takes on a whole new life.
There are a number of ways of customizing your executive resume. Find the ones that work best for you. You can always find suggestions and help online; it’s just a matter of where to look.
