Sometimes it might seem like an Executive Resume is the kind of resume you needbecause “Top Level C-Position” is the top rung of the mythical career ladder. The problem with that thinking is the idea that there’s only one career ladder and it is an inexorable march to the one goal of CEO. The Executive Resume is for someone who is:
experienced in working within an organization and ready to transition to this type of position
interested in things like planning the strategic infrastructure of a Fortune 500 company or negotiating multi-million dollar partnerships
seeking positions as President, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CTO and other senior/c-level positions
In reality, there are many career ladders, and every rung is an important rung. Being a senior level executive is just one of them. That’s good, when you think about it, because if there were only one type of job, most of us would be pretty unhappy. Your resume is the tool you use to show potential employers how well you can fill the openings in their enterprise, and there are many varieties of job openings. Resumes need to be maintained: as we work, learn and grow, we change. Then the jobs we are suited for will change, too. An Executive Resume cannot help you ifyour experience and preference is that you explore managing a garden shop to see if you can blend your love of growing things with working beside people and learning business techniques. That’s why Professional Resume Services offers different types of resumes and a consultation with every one: When it comes to your resume, one size does not fit all.
We live in a time when you can find all kinds of Do-It-Yourself advice for pretty much anything you could pay someone to do for you.Sometimes, it actually is a good idea to do something yourself, but the trick is to be honest about it. If you are thinking of writing your own resume, here are some points to consider:
Are you confident that your writing skills are professional level?
Do you have the word processing software and the ability to utilize it for a professional resume?
Do you have specific jobs you are applying for so your resume and cover letter will show your suitability for the position?
Do you have a good grasp of what employers are looking for in a resume?
If you can say “yes” to those questions, then of course I would say, “yes, it is a good idea to write your own resume.” But if you can’t, you may want to do some more thinking about it. The Job Search Resources page and blog posts on writing resumes are two places to start expanding your frame of reference.
For example, if you do not have a specific job you are applying for, the distribution and networking of a professional resume service will be beyond your capability unless you have done extensive networking already. You may decide it is worth investing in the service even if you are a professional writer because you aren’t sure what employers are looking for. It’s really your call.
People write their own resumes all the time, and some of those resumes are good enough to get them the job. If you want to be one of the DIY resume writers, take advantage of the free resources here and do the best job you can on your resume. Good luck!
An entry-level resume is the beginning of your career, so you might think you don’t have much to offer. You couldn’t be more wrong! Many things are part of the assets you offer to a potential employer, and work history is just one of them; an important part, but not the only part. Do your homework before you write your resume. Take advantage of the wisdom you can pick up from the experts. Look at what resumes typically do and do not have on them, and make a list of what could be on yours. Ask some people what you are good at. Don’t just ask your friends, talk to teachers and other folks you know. Are you part of any volunteer efforts? In any clubs? You are looking for things you take for granted, like the ability to figure out how to do things on a computer. You’d be surprised how many people do not know tech stuff. Write your test resume. You can easily find a template online and fill in the blanks. Which blanks did you have trouble with? Do you have experience that could compensate? Make a copy of your test resume and start playing with it. How can you tweak it to say the things you are good at? When you are ready, have someone who is good at proofreading check it for you. It is very easy to miss your own mistakes because you know what you were thinking. Somebody else is going to see it quickly. Know how you will distribute your resume and make a secure file to keep it in. Some employers want paper, others want your resume submitted online. Keeping your resume lets you revise it for future use as you need it. It’s always good to have a paper copy to bring to the new job because it makes filling out the forms that first day a lot easier. Our Entry-Level Resume Package puts all those parts together for you:
coursework
internships
early experience
skill sets
In addition, you get unlimited email support after the initial consultation and end up with a professional entry-level resume, cover & thank you letters all in an ASCII and PDF version. Your first resume is important, but remember that future resumes will get better as you develop your skills.
If you are looking for an easy way out of creating a resume you are out of luck.You will need a resume for practically everything, including a promotion within your own company.
While it will be different for every company, most will require a resume of some sort. Even for entry-level positions. This means that you need to have a resume no matter what. Not only will it save you heartache during your job search, but it will be impressive to employers who have not required a resume. By having a resume, you make it easier for potential employers and it also makes your job of “selling” yourself to the company easier. It is just a good idea to have a resume no matter what. However, there are definitely some cases where you won’t need a resume.If in the job posting it specifically says “no resume needed,” then you are in luck. Another case may be if a company has an application that they want all applicants to use instead of a resume for organization and record keeping, then you have again lucked out, but for the most part, this will not be the case. The vast majority of the time, employers want a resume from you so you better be prepared to give them what they want or they won’t give you what you want — the job. A resume is not difficult to put together if you take the time to do it.And if you really feel you can’t write an impressive resume, hire a resume service to help you out. There is no harm in having a resume, and who knows? The resume may just get you that job.
It used to be that the only ways to find a job were to look in the newspaper or watch for “Now Hiring” or “Help Wanted” signs (remember those days?). Not only was this inefficient, it was disappointing because there never seemed to be enough jobs or the right kind of job. Luckily, we now have a very useful tool for job searches–the Internet. The Internet is a very valuable thing in this day and sometimes we do not take advantage of all its perks. There are hundreds of job search sites that not only list jobs that are available, but allow you to post your resume to the site so that employers can see your resume and offer you a job before you have even talked to them. Many of these sites also have very good search filters that allow you to customize your job search from the job area to the hours to the place where the company is. This makes sorting through jobs much easier so you can find the job that is right for you in less time and start working sooner. These sites are built to make your life easier when searching for a job. Take advantage of them and try out a lot of them. Some of them may work better for you than others, but you will never know until you try them out. LinkedIn is another great internet ‘job hunting’ site. It’s a great place to expand your network by making new contacts, researching companies or roles you may be interested in, joining relevant groups where you can ‘mingle’ with people who are interested in what you do, or do what you do and may be able to help you get an ‘in’ to the company you want, and so on. There are many ways you can use this service and I would use it every day if job searching (yes, it’s that good!). Do not take the Internet for granted when searching for a job. While it doesn’t replace actual networking, it can save you time and disappointment and ultimately get you working much sooner.
If you have been job hunting for awhile, landing a job may make you so happy that you do not stop to consider whether this position is exempt or non-exempt. What does that mean? You know from having non-exempt positions on your resume that non-exempt means that you are paid hourly, and you must be paid overtime for hours worked that are more than 40 hours per week. Your manager must acknowledge and pay you for time worked before or after work, lunch hours, on-call hours, and meeting and lectures attended outside of regular work hours. You will get more money if you work overtime hours. All this time tracking is documented on some sort of time card. The down side of non-exempt status is that you rarely get to do the conferences, meetings and lectures outside of regular working hours because you have to be paid one and a half times your regular rate for those hours. Employers do not want to pay out the extra money. Exempt positions are paid on a salary or combined salary and bonus basis. If your position is exempt, you must work however many hours you need to get your job done. And you do not get paid any extra money for working through lunch or going to conferences. You usually do not fill in a time card for an exempt position. Anyone who has taken on the jobs of employees who have been downsized will tell you that working in an exempt position can be tough because you work longer for virtually no more pay to get the work done.
If you have been working and job hunting during the recession, it is likely that your resume has both exempt and non-exempt positions on it. Don’t forget to learn which status your new job has. It is a nasty shock after getting paid extra money for a lot of overtime to move to an exempt position where you may be working just as many hours for no extra pay.
It’s funny that this still has to be pointed out to people, but it does. When you are interviewing for a job, you need to dress in a certain manner. Torn jeans, a dirty t-shirt, and uncombed hair will simply not cut it in the corporate world. Neither do gauges, visible tattoos, or piercings. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with any of those things, but they may work against you. The arguments I most often hear are, “Things have changed,” and “It’s not my style.” Or more recently from some young, still-in-college, twenty-somethings I know, “But the company I want to work for will have a cool, hip culture and they won’t mind if I have gauges, tattoos, or piercings!” Be that as it may, certain standards are still expected. The best resumes, cover letters and recommendations will still only get you to the first interview. You have to take it from there. Even in companies that at best could be called slacker style, expect those interviewing for a job to be dressed appropriately. Keep in mind that even if you are planning on working for a “hip” or “trendy” company, you still have to interview with the HR person who might be a forty- or fifty-something person that does not agree with that Coke can-sized hole in your ear. It also means men should wear, at the very least, trousers not made of denim, a pressed shirt with a tie and a jacket; a suit is better. For women, the same attire as for men, if you like, or a conservative skirt and pressed blouse; a suit would be better here as well. The attire should be conservative, clean and pressed. Your goal is to get through that first level of interviewing. Once you do that and you get to speak to the person you will directly report to, check out his/her style. If they seem like they encourage more of a unique style, then you are in luck. If not, you may either want to ask them, or look around at the other employees as you are walking through the office. What do they have on? The point here isn’t as much about your clothing as the image that clothing presents to the employer. You can have the best resume in the world but if you look like a slob, or have too much (visible) body art, the company is going to think twice about hiring you. You want the company to see you as a serious candidate who takes care of himself and presents himself well. You put out the wrong image when you appear looking like you slept in your clothing, or forgot to wash your hands. If you look like that on the day you are trying to show them your best, what on earth are you going to wear on casual Friday? Dressing the part is often the first step in getting the part. Look at it like this: If you dress well and everyone else dresses down for the interview, you will have set yourself apart in a good way.
Common wisdom suggests that when you have found a new job you quit hunting for a new one.This is a mistake that the vast majority of professionals make and it’s one that is typically detrimental to their careers. Constantly looking for new opportunities not only keeps you current with what positions are available, it also keeps you fresh in your current position. Continuing to search for a new position isn’t necessarily an active pursuit. When you are reasonably happy in your current position and not really looking to change either your career or your employer, job search takes on a more passive role. Much of what you do during an active job search is ignored, such as cold calling, applications and interviewing. In a passive job search you keep your resume updated and you occasionally examine what is open in your field. Networking is still a part of a passive job search, but instead of looking for a new job you are looking for contacts. Meetings, seminars and various network gatherings can be a fun way to meet new people as well as stay current in what your field is offering to new job candidates. It’s also a way to stay current on new trends in your area of expertise as well as current salary ranges; this can be helpful during your next salary negotiation or promotion meeting. Staying in the hunt for a new job also means that you are ready to hit the ground running should you suddenly need to make your passive search an active one. In an uncertain world it’s good to have this in your career arsenal.
