What Does Your Email Cover Letter Say About Your Job Search?

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Resume Objective Talks About Your Career Goal

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Office Manager Resume: It's Not About Supremacy

Writing a resume is a hard task especially if the one who's going to write is not used to it. New graduates and those who have no professional experience yet are usually the ones who find this undertaking boring and tiresome. But wait, not only them-because even professionals who have been in the industry for quite some time consider this as annoying.

According to studies, resume writing becomes tougher for those who would like to apply for high-level positions. These aspirants are expected to submit something better as compared with those vying for low-level positions. As an effect, applying executives are pressured with the expectation.

Let's dwell on this topic deeper by using the situation of an office manager who wants to quit his post and who looks forward in obtaining a new but same job in another company.

What bothers them?

Most of them have been employed in a firm for years. And the problem with these professionals is that they forgot to update their applications during the time they are still working. As an effect, they tend to become problematic about their inability to compose a compelling application document.

Another factor has been discussed earlier. It is the pressure from other people especially from recruiters. The expectation that they should present an outstanding document is another forceful factor that bothers them so much.

Well, worry no more. Present a striking office manager resume!

Face the challenge

The decision to quit a stable job in exchange of a new one is risky, right? How can a high-ranking official overcome the risks of leaving a previous post when he is afraid of trying to create a personal application tool? There's nothing else to do but to face the music.

Actually, it is not a challenge. All it takes are the guts to go on with the decision for a better career. Start it now. Move.

Here are some tips on how to create an eye-catching office manager resume:

- Through the header section, introduce yourself. If you have a Master's Degree in Business Administration, flaunt it but not to the extent that you're bragging about it for excessive use of it.

- Do not make use of the "annoying" career objective statement. Why not use a more innovative approach by citing the specific field or position you're applying for? Don't make this job title too generic. For example, you may write, "Medical Office Management."

- In 4 to 5 phrases, enumerate your summarized qualifications in either narrative form or by using bullet points. Start each phrase with strong adjective (or sometimes adverb) to really convince the hiring authority that you're an effective future executive of the company. You may try to consider this phrase: Highly versatile and motivated professional with over 10 years of progressive experience in the field.

- Highlight your leadership skills. Include some other core competencies that can help you qualify for the job post.

- In professional experience section, include past experiences from 10 years or less than a decade ago. Highlight your key achievements by citing factual numerical figures that helped previous companies in achieving for their business goals. Do not forget to incorporate powerful action words and those keywords related to the field you're interested at.

- Include all other succeeding sections: education and trainings, honors and awards, activities, certificates, and licenses.

In searching for a job of this kind, please be reminded that the competition is not about supremacy. But see to it that as an applicant, you should not demonstrate actuations that you have superiority complex. All it takes is an outstanding office manager resume that tells you're qualified to manage a particular company.

Nelson Mullins is a former corporate hiring and recruitment expert who regularly writes articles on resumes, resume writing, personality development, and career in general. He is a father of three who also enjoys photography and biking. Nelson believes that while the employment world continues to be a rat race for applicants, it is important to always be equipped with new ideas on sustaining career growth and opportunities.

Read more ...

Resume Objective Talks About Your Career Goal

Employers and recruiters are always busy doing the evaluation of hundreds of resume each day. As a result, they tend not to spend much of their time reviewing one's application. This is the reason why it is important to create an eye-catching document that will stand out from the crowd. It represents the job seeker and gives the employer the idea of who here ally is. If you're the applicant, keep in mind that you are not physically there to speak for yourself, and your application is your only medium to convey that you are the most qualified person to fill-in the vacant position.

Attention-grabbing pre-employment document will definitely increase aspirant's chances of receiving phone calls from the employers or companies and eventually opportunity in securing interviews. This document has a purpose to arouse the interest of the employer to meet you face to face and get the chance to be interviewed and finally bag the job post. Therefore, it is important that upon writing of the application summary, the applicant is convinced that it is his marketing tool to further promote himself. It must contain the needed sections and it needs to be carefully written and evaluated.

An Important Section

Resume is the most significant tool in every job application. It is a "snapshot" of who the job hopeful is. It represents him with the intention of capturing the interest of the employer by emphasizing the career objective. It is definitely the "way" to clearly elaborate the achievements, professional experience, skills, strengths, and the most important is the objective.

It is basically a line or two included in an application summary that sums up one's employment or career goals. It is placed right below the header of the document. Since it is at the upper portion of the paper, it is definitely the first thing that prospective employers look at. Serving as an introduction, it must stress the specific type of job being sought. It provides the employer an overview of the reason(s) why the aspirant is applying for the job, how the company will benefit out of the employment. It should be focused on what he can offer to the company and avoid talking too much about his wants or dreams, for this may cause the loss of interest of the reader.

A Piece of Advice

If you're the job seeker, always think that your goal is to instantaneously get the employer's attention. Provide a clear idea of the position you want to secure. Include the important details that are relevant to the post, for these will serve as excellent bait to the possible employer. Do not forget that your objective statement reveals what you know about what you're applying for.

Stating a well-defined application can capture the interest of the reader, for the reason that it can persuade the employer to consider your application and further convince to immediately call you for an interview. It is necessary that this statement is tailored specifically to the position. Remember, the more precise your resume objective is the better opportunity you will have. Through it, prospective employers will be given a good impression of you even before they start reviewing the rest of the details written on your summary.

Melinda Edwards works as a career consultant and has been invited in many forums and events on human resource management. She is also a time management expert who effectively performs her roles both as a career woman and a mother.

Read more ...

It's All About Impact

"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

You will hear those words quite frequently if you watch The Dr. Phil Show, but they're just as true for resume writing as they are for marital counseling. When he or she is reading your resume, a recruiter or potential employer is searching for the way you behaved at your previous job. That reader wants your resume to answer the key questions: Why did you get hired? Why did the company keep you? What impact did you have on your previous position?

It's important to realize just how important impact is to your job search. You could have rebuilt the Space Shuttle, or taken apart and reassembled a Sikorsky helicopter blindfolded, yet if your resume is full of duties alone, it will never make it onto the hiring manager's desk.

To get noticed, your resume must show the kind of accomplishments that had impact on your prior employers. As author, speaker, and executive coach Jay Block puts it: "A resume without accomplishments is like a report card without marks."

Consider the following:

Janet Jobhunter has been pursuing a career in the aerospace industry as a mechanic. She has 20 years' experience assembling and disassembling helicopters and airplanes. Who wouldn't want someone with that kind of experience, right? She even tells the reader on her resume:

* Assembled and disassembled helicopters and diagnosed and repaired jet engines for airplanes. Tightened bolts to exact tolerances.

To her surprise, however, Janet gets no responses from her resume. Nothing at all. Not even so much as a letter acknowledging receipt.

On the other hand, we have Patricia Professional. She's also done the same things Janet has, and for exactly the same length of time. But Patricia's resume says the following:

* Troubleshot consistently recurring failures occurring in twin helicopter motors. Traced problem to inadequate wiring between pilot's controls and engine. Facilitated all corrections, and established permanent fixes for the manufacturing stage, which reduced the failure rate to 0.

Based on their resumes, which of these two would you hire?

Give this some thought and think about this example when you're writing your resume. Because a resume is not a simple, dry listing of your daily job duties; a resume is a commercial for you. And just like any other commercial, whether for soap, gasoline, toothpaste, or shampoo, you need to show the employer the ways in which you have had an impact.

What are you waiting for?

Jack Mulcahy has written hundreds of resumes for people from all walks of life. Each resume he writes shows the unique selling proposition so necessary to market the job seeker. To learn more about Jack and how he can work to help your resume gain interviews, visit his website at http://www.resumesbyjack.com/.

Read more ...

Office Manager Resume: It's Not About Supremacy

Writing a resume is a hard task especially if the one who's going to write is not used to it. New graduates and those who have no professional experience yet are usually the ones who find this undertaking boring and tiresome. But wait, not only them-because even professionals who have been in the industry for quite some time consider this as annoying.

According to studies, resume writing becomes tougher for those who would like to apply for high-level positions. These aspirants are expected to submit something better as compared with those vying for low-level positions. As an effect, applying executives are pressured with the expectation.

Let's dwell on this topic deeper by using the situation of an office manager who wants to quit his post and who looks forward in obtaining a new but same job in another company.

What bothers them?

Most of them have been employed in a firm for years. And the problem with these professionals is that they forgot to update their applications during the time they are still working. As an effect, they tend to become problematic about their inability to compose a compelling application document.

Another factor has been discussed earlier. It is the pressure from other people especially from recruiters. The expectation that they should present an outstanding document is another forceful factor that bothers them so much.

Well, worry no more. Present a striking office manager resume!

Face the challenge

The decision to quit a stable job in exchange of a new one is risky, right? How can a high-ranking official overcome the risks of leaving a previous post when he is afraid of trying to create a personal application tool? There's nothing else to do but to face the music.

Actually, it is not a challenge. All it takes are the guts to go on with the decision for a better career. Start it now. Move.

Here are some tips on how to create an eye-catching office manager resume:

- Through the header section, introduce yourself. If you have a Master's Degree in Business Administration, flaunt it but not to the extent that you're bragging about it for excessive use of it.

- Do not make use of the "annoying" career objective statement. Why not use a more innovative approach by citing the specific field or position you're applying for? Don't make this job title too generic. For example, you may write, "Medical Office Management."

- In 4 to 5 phrases, enumerate your summarized qualifications in either narrative form or by using bullet points. Start each phrase with strong adjective (or sometimes adverb) to really convince the hiring authority that you're an effective future executive of the company. You may try to consider this phrase: Highly versatile and motivated professional with over 10 years of progressive experience in the field.

- Highlight your leadership skills. Include some other core competencies that can help you qualify for the job post.

- In professional experience section, include past experiences from 10 years or less than a decade ago. Highlight your key achievements by citing factual numerical figures that helped previous companies in achieving for their business goals. Do not forget to incorporate powerful action words and those keywords related to the field you're interested at.

- Include all other succeeding sections: education and trainings, honors and awards, activities, certificates, and licenses.

In searching for a job of this kind, please be reminded that the competition is not about supremacy. But see to it that as an applicant, you should not demonstrate actuations that you have superiority complex. All it takes is an outstanding office manager resume that tells you're qualified to manage a particular company.

Nelson Mullins is a former corporate hiring and recruitment expert who regularly writes articles on resumes, resume writing, personality development, and career in general. He is a father of three who also enjoys photography and biking. Nelson believes that while the employment world continues to be a rat race for applicants, it is important to always be equipped with new ideas on sustaining career growth and opportunities.

Read more ...

It's All About Impact

"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

You will hear those words quite frequently if you watch The Dr. Phil Show, but they're just as true for resume writing as they are for marital counseling. When he or she is reading your resume, a recruiter or potential employer is searching for the way you behaved at your previous job. That reader wants your resume to answer the key questions: Why did you get hired? Why did the company keep you? What impact did you have on your previous position?

It's important to realize just how important impact is to your job search. You could have rebuilt the Space Shuttle, or taken apart and reassembled a Sikorsky helicopter blindfolded, yet if your resume is full of duties alone, it will never make it onto the hiring manager's desk.

To get noticed, your resume must show the kind of accomplishments that had impact on your prior employers. As author, speaker, and executive coach Jay Block puts it: "A resume without accomplishments is like a report card without marks."

Consider the following:

Janet Jobhunter has been pursuing a career in the aerospace industry as a mechanic. She has 20 years' experience assembling and disassembling helicopters and airplanes. Who wouldn't want someone with that kind of experience, right? She even tells the reader on her resume:

* Assembled and disassembled helicopters and diagnosed and repaired jet engines for airplanes. Tightened bolts to exact tolerances.

To her surprise, however, Janet gets no responses from her resume. Nothing at all. Not even so much as a letter acknowledging receipt.

On the other hand, we have Patricia Professional. She's also done the same things Janet has, and for exactly the same length of time. But Patricia's resume says the following:

* Troubleshot consistently recurring failures occurring in twin helicopter motors. Traced problem to inadequate wiring between pilot's controls and engine. Facilitated all corrections, and established permanent fixes for the manufacturing stage, which reduced the failure rate to 0.

Based on their resumes, which of these two would you hire?

Give this some thought and think about this example when you're writing your resume. Because a resume is not a simple, dry listing of your daily job duties; a resume is a commercial for you. And just like any other commercial, whether for soap, gasoline, toothpaste, or shampoo, you need to show the employer the ways in which you have had an impact.

What are you waiting for?

Jack Mulcahy has written hundreds of resumes for people from all walks of life. Each resume he writes shows the unique selling proposition so necessary to market the job seeker. To learn more about Jack and how he can work to help your resume gain interviews, visit his website at http://www.resumesbyjack.com/.

Read more ...

Misleading Information About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

"Resume Oblivion" has been a hot topic in the news. The Wall Street Journal published an article, "Your Resume vs. Oblivion", reporting that the percentage of large companies using computerized Applicant Tracking Systems to screen candidates is in the high 90%; almost all Fortune 500 companies rely on these programs.

The article points out that "the systems, which can cost from $5,000 to millions of dollars, are efficient, but not foolproof." Specifically, "Tracking software... may miss the most-qualified applicant if that person doesn't game the system by larding [sic - I think they mean loading] his or her résumé with keywords from the job description."

The article offers advice, which I recommend reading, on "How to Beat the 'Black Hole.'" However, the advice is not comprehensive. The first item, for instance, instructs job seekers to "mimic the keywords in the job description as closely as possible. If you're applying to be a sales manager, make sure your résumé includes the words 'sales' and 'manage' (assuming you've done both!)."

Pardon me for saying so, but the above advice is 1) rudimentary, 2) a no-brainer and 3) limited in its value. The problem is that 99% of the people applying for a sales manager job are going to have the words "sales" and "manage" in their resumes! Therefore, you will not get higher on any list by including these keywords. The same goes for most of the keywords in the job description, since many job seekers are getting savvy about matching their resumes to the posting.

The Wall Street Journal is not the only major news provider who delivered misleading or incomplete information on this topic. Take NPR's 16-minute segment entitled Keeping Your Resume Out of Online Oblivion, where callers related stories of how they got interviews despite the reign of Applicant Tracking Systems. View it here: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/146585368/keeping-your-resume-out-of-online-oblivion

You will hear some creative solutions in this spot on how to make it past the computers. You will also hear something misleading: that hiring managers (i.e., human beings) program the ATS software to screen for certain terms.

Do you really think that a company like Google or Starbucks is going to have a human being sit there and punch keywords into a computer for each of the thousands of jobs they post every day? Think again.

No, human beings do not program these systems - the systems program themselves! The keywords the computers are looking for are determined by the computers. And this is why qualified candidates are so often overlooked.

In my estimation, to beat a computer you need a computer. That's why I make sure that every one of my clients who applies to a mid- to large-sized company puts his or her resume through a computerized system, Preptel's Resumeter. Preptel gives an actual view of how your resume is read by the computers, and, starting later this week, will coach you step by step through the process of fixing the formatting. Isn't that better than the vague advice given in the WSJ article to "keep the formatting on your résumé simple and streamlined?"

Preptel will also tell you what keywords the computers have deemed important. Trust me, you won't figure these out on your own. Here's a sample:

adding creative input

bim publishing software

or ad tags

the bim publishing

widgets pages content

with station contacts

If you include even one or two of these wacky strings of words in addition to the ones in the job description, your resume will move up in the pile. Add three of the strings and you will have a great chance of success, especially if you also meet the other qualifications in the job description.

http://www.theessayexpert.com/

For writing that gets results.

Brenda Bernstein, Founder and Senior Editor, BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com

Brenda Bernstein, Certified Advanced Resume Writer and accomplished editor and LinkedIn trainer, holds an English degree from Yale University and a J.D. from the NYU School of Law. Over her 15 years as Senior Editor at The Essay Expert, Brenda has coached hundreds of professionals and companies to write resumes, essays and other materials that result in sought after job interviews, admission to top schools, and measurable business success.

Specialties: Resumes, Cover Letters, College Application Essays, Professional Bios, LinkedIn Profiles

Read more ...

Misleading Information About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

"Resume Oblivion" has been a hot topic in the news. The Wall Street Journal published an article, "Your Resume vs. Oblivion", reporting that the percentage of large companies using computerized Applicant Tracking Systems to screen candidates is in the high 90%; almost all Fortune 500 companies rely on these programs.

The article points out that "the systems, which can cost from $5,000 to millions of dollars, are efficient, but not foolproof." Specifically, "Tracking software... may miss the most-qualified applicant if that person doesn't game the system by larding [sic - I think they mean loading] his or her résumé with keywords from the job description."

The article offers advice, which I recommend reading, on "How to Beat the 'Black Hole.'" However, the advice is not comprehensive. The first item, for instance, instructs job seekers to "mimic the keywords in the job description as closely as possible. If you're applying to be a sales manager, make sure your résumé includes the words 'sales' and 'manage' (assuming you've done both!)."

Pardon me for saying so, but the above advice is 1) rudimentary, 2) a no-brainer and 3) limited in its value. The problem is that 99% of the people applying for a sales manager job are going to have the words "sales" and "manage" in their resumes! Therefore, you will not get higher on any list by including these keywords. The same goes for most of the keywords in the job description, since many job seekers are getting savvy about matching their resumes to the posting.

The Wall Street Journal is not the only major news provider who delivered misleading or incomplete information on this topic. Take NPR's 16-minute segment entitled Keeping Your Resume Out of Online Oblivion, where callers related stories of how they got interviews despite the reign of Applicant Tracking Systems. View it here: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/146585368/keeping-your-resume-out-of-online-oblivion

You will hear some creative solutions in this spot on how to make it past the computers. You will also hear something misleading: that hiring managers (i.e., human beings) program the ATS software to screen for certain terms.

Do you really think that a company like Google or Starbucks is going to have a human being sit there and punch keywords into a computer for each of the thousands of jobs they post every day? Think again.

No, human beings do not program these systems - the systems program themselves! The keywords the computers are looking for are determined by the computers. And this is why qualified candidates are so often overlooked.

In my estimation, to beat a computer you need a computer. That's why I make sure that every one of my clients who applies to a mid- to large-sized company puts his or her resume through a computerized system, Preptel's Resumeter. Preptel gives an actual view of how your resume is read by the computers, and, starting later this week, will coach you step by step through the process of fixing the formatting. Isn't that better than the vague advice given in the WSJ article to "keep the formatting on your résumé simple and streamlined?"

Preptel will also tell you what keywords the computers have deemed important. Trust me, you won't figure these out on your own. Here's a sample:

adding creative input

bim publishing software

or ad tags

the bim publishing

widgets pages content

with station contacts

If you include even one or two of these wacky strings of words in addition to the ones in the job description, your resume will move up in the pile. Add three of the strings and you will have a great chance of success, especially if you also meet the other qualifications in the job description.

http://www.theessayexpert.com/

For writing that gets results.

Brenda Bernstein, Founder and Senior Editor, BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com

Brenda Bernstein, Certified Advanced Resume Writer and accomplished editor and LinkedIn trainer, holds an English degree from Yale University and a J.D. from the NYU School of Law. Over her 15 years as Senior Editor at The Essay Expert, Brenda has coached hundreds of professionals and companies to write resumes, essays and other materials that result in sought after job interviews, admission to top schools, and measurable business success.

Specialties: Resumes, Cover Letters, College Application Essays, Professional Bios, LinkedIn Profiles

Read more ...

It's All About Impact

"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

You will hear those words quite frequently if you watch The Dr. Phil Show, but they're just as true for resume writing as they are for marital counseling. When he or she is reading your resume, a recruiter or potential employer is searching for the way you behaved at your previous job. That reader wants your resume to answer the key questions: Why did you get hired? Why did the company keep you? What impact did you have on your previous position?

It's important to realize just how important impact is to your job search. You could have rebuilt the Space Shuttle, or taken apart and reassembled a Sikorsky helicopter blindfolded, yet if your resume is full of duties alone, it will never make it onto the hiring manager's desk.

To get noticed, your resume must show the kind of accomplishments that had impact on your prior employers. As author, speaker, and executive coach Jay Block puts it: "A resume without accomplishments is like a report card without marks."

Consider the following:

Janet Jobhunter has been pursuing a career in the aerospace industry as a mechanic. She has 20 years' experience assembling and disassembling helicopters and airplanes. Who wouldn't want someone with that kind of experience, right? She even tells the reader on her resume:

* Assembled and disassembled helicopters and diagnosed and repaired jet engines for airplanes. Tightened bolts to exact tolerances.

To her surprise, however, Janet gets no responses from her resume. Nothing at all. Not even so much as a letter acknowledging receipt.

On the other hand, we have Patricia Professional. She's also done the same things Janet has, and for exactly the same length of time. But Patricia's resume says the following:

* Troubleshot consistently recurring failures occurring in twin helicopter motors. Traced problem to inadequate wiring between pilot's controls and engine. Facilitated all corrections, and established permanent fixes for the manufacturing stage, which reduced the failure rate to 0.

Based on their resumes, which of these two would you hire?

Give this some thought and think about this example when you're writing your resume. Because a resume is not a simple, dry listing of your daily job duties; a resume is a commercial for you. And just like any other commercial, whether for soap, gasoline, toothpaste, or shampoo, you need to show the employer the ways in which you have had an impact.

What are you waiting for?

Jack Mulcahy has written hundreds of resumes for people from all walks of life. Each resume he writes shows the unique selling proposition so necessary to market the job seeker. To learn more about Jack and how he can work to help your resume gain interviews, visit his website at http://www.resumesbyjack.com/.

Read more ...

Misleading Information About Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

"Resume Oblivion" has been a hot topic in the news. The Wall Street Journal published an article, "Your Resume vs. Oblivion", reporting that the percentage of large companies using computerized Applicant Tracking Systems to screen candidates is in the high 90%; almost all Fortune 500 companies rely on these programs.

The article points out that "the systems, which can cost from $5,000 to millions of dollars, are efficient, but not foolproof." Specifically, "Tracking software... may miss the most-qualified applicant if that person doesn't game the system by larding [sic - I think they mean loading] his or her résumé with keywords from the job description."

The article offers advice, which I recommend reading, on "How to Beat the 'Black Hole.'" However, the advice is not comprehensive. The first item, for instance, instructs job seekers to "mimic the keywords in the job description as closely as possible. If you're applying to be a sales manager, make sure your résumé includes the words 'sales' and 'manage' (assuming you've done both!)."

Pardon me for saying so, but the above advice is 1) rudimentary, 2) a no-brainer and 3) limited in its value. The problem is that 99% of the people applying for a sales manager job are going to have the words "sales" and "manage" in their resumes! Therefore, you will not get higher on any list by including these keywords. The same goes for most of the keywords in the job description, since many job seekers are getting savvy about matching their resumes to the posting.

The Wall Street Journal is not the only major news provider who delivered misleading or incomplete information on this topic. Take NPR's 16-minute segment entitled Keeping Your Resume Out of Online Oblivion, where callers related stories of how they got interviews despite the reign of Applicant Tracking Systems. View it here: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/146585368/keeping-your-resume-out-of-online-oblivion

You will hear some creative solutions in this spot on how to make it past the computers. You will also hear something misleading: that hiring managers (i.e., human beings) program the ATS software to screen for certain terms.

Do you really think that a company like Google or Starbucks is going to have a human being sit there and punch keywords into a computer for each of the thousands of jobs they post every day? Think again.

No, human beings do not program these systems - the systems program themselves! The keywords the computers are looking for are determined by the computers. And this is why qualified candidates are so often overlooked.

In my estimation, to beat a computer you need a computer. That's why I make sure that every one of my clients who applies to a mid- to large-sized company puts his or her resume through a computerized system, Preptel's Resumeter. Preptel gives an actual view of how your resume is read by the computers, and, starting later this week, will coach you step by step through the process of fixing the formatting. Isn't that better than the vague advice given in the WSJ article to "keep the formatting on your résumé simple and streamlined?"

Preptel will also tell you what keywords the computers have deemed important. Trust me, you won't figure these out on your own. Here's a sample:

adding creative input

bim publishing software

or ad tags

the bim publishing

widgets pages content

with station contacts

If you include even one or two of these wacky strings of words in addition to the ones in the job description, your resume will move up in the pile. Add three of the strings and you will have a great chance of success, especially if you also meet the other qualifications in the job description.

http://www.theessayexpert.com/

For writing that gets results.

Brenda Bernstein, Founder and Senior Editor, BrendaB@TheEssayExpert.com

Brenda Bernstein, Certified Advanced Resume Writer and accomplished editor and LinkedIn trainer, holds an English degree from Yale University and a J.D. from the NYU School of Law. Over her 15 years as Senior Editor at The Essay Expert, Brenda has coached hundreds of professionals and companies to write resumes, essays and other materials that result in sought after job interviews, admission to top schools, and measurable business success.

Specialties: Resumes, Cover Letters, College Application Essays, Professional Bios, LinkedIn Profiles

Read more ...

It's All About Impact

"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

You will hear those words quite frequently if you watch The Dr. Phil Show, but they're just as true for résumé writing as they are for marital counseling. When he or she is reading your résumé, a recruiter or potential employer is searching for the way you behaved at your previous job. That reader wants your résumé to answer the key questions: Why did you get hired? Why did the company keep you? What impact did you have on your previous position?

It's important to realize just how important impact is to your job search. You could have rebuilt the Space Shuttle, or taken apart and reassembled a Sikorsky helicopter blindfolded, yet if your résumé is full of duties alone, it will never make it onto the hiring manager's desk.

To get noticed, your résumé must show the kind of accomplishments that had impact on your prior employers. As author, speaker, and executive coach Jay Block puts it: "A résumé without accomplishments is like a report card without marks."

Consider the following:

Janet Jobhunter has been pursuing a career in the aerospace industry as a mechanic. She has 20 years' experience assembling and disassembling helicopters and airplanes. Who wouldn't want someone with that kind of experience, right? She even tells the reader on her résumé:

* Assembled and disassembled helicopters and diagnosed and repaired jet engines for airplanes. Tightened bolts.

To her surprise, however, Janet gets no responses from her résumé. Nothing. Not even so much as a letter acknowledging receipt.

On the other hand, we have Patricia Professional. She's also done the same things Janet has, and for the same length of time. But Patricia's résumé says:

* Troubleshot recurring failures occurring in helicopter motors. Traced problem to inadequate wiring between pilot's controls and engine. Facilitated corrections, and established permanent fixes for manufacturing stage, which reduced failure rate to 0.

Based on their résumés, which of these two would you hire?

Hopefully, you'll think about this example when you're writing your résumé. Because a résumé is not a listing of job duties; a résumé is a commercial for you. And just like any other commercial, whether for soap, toothpaste, or shampoo, you need to show the employer the ways in which you've had an impact.

What are you waiting for?

Jack Mulcahy has written hundreds of resumes for people from all walks of life. Each resume he writes shows the unique selling proposition so necessary to market the job seeker. To learn more about Jack and how he can work to help your resume gain interviews, visit his website at http://www.resumesbyjack.com/.

Read more ...

About To Write Your First CV? Here Are A Few Tips To Keep In Mind

This is the second post in our two-part How To Prepare A CV series. In our earlier post we discussed simple design techniques you should adopt to make your CV more visually appealing. Here are a few more tips that will ensure your CV is easy to read and navigate through by employers/recruiters.

Capitalising on white space

It's very easy to forget about the aesthetics of your CV when you are so focused on content. Once you have your content down on your CV, take a step back and assess the overall 'look' of your document. Does it look visually appealing? As mentioned in part one, de-cluttering your CV is essential for keeping the recruiters engaged and your CV focused. Therefore to aid in making it visually appealing and easy to read, be sure to create adequate space between each paragraph/section/headings. Make sure your margins aren't too narrow that your words practically expand the entire width and length of the page. Leave a few spaced between your headers and paragraphs/bullet points, so as it doesn't look cramped or squashed.

Font

You want your CV to stand out for all the right reasons and one of the ways to make it look a little different to all of the others is the typeface. When we write CVs, cover letters or even standard letters, we almost always use the computer's default font style. Now imagine a recruiter looking through hundreds of CVs all in the same font - most likely Times New Roman or Arial. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with these fonts, you want to use every opportunity you can find to make your CV stand out. Now, don't go crazy, I'm not suggesting you use one of the those barely legible fonts such as Lucida Handwriting or even a font like Comic Sans MS, which can be seen as amateurish. You want a typeface that is still traditional but adds a bit of personality. Perfect examples would be Book Antiqua or Georgia.

Highlighting certain words or headers

As mentioned earlier, to make it easier for recruiters to focus on the information talked about in your CV, it needs to be easy to read and navigational. One of the ways to achieve this is by highlighting certain bits of your CV using different styles, i.e bold, italics, underline, CAPS to allow recruiters to readily identify the areas they would want to read first or of most importance to them. So examples of this would be, capitalizing or underlining the different sections of your CV, e.g, "Education" and "Work Experience". By doing this, recruiters can jump around the CV without necessarily having to read from beginning to end. Italicizing your achievements, either at university or during your positions held at work can also aid a quick review but ensures that they stand out an get noticed.

For more tips on how to write a CV resume, visit our site by just clicking on the link.

To make it easier for you to get started we have provided free CV templates and professional CV examples which can be downloaded and edited.

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Drawing Attention to Your Accomplishments: What Your Resume Says About You

Focusing on your experience, your background and your accomplishments is what's known as a functional resume. Chronological resumes list all of your employers in the order of the date that you worked for them, typically with the oldest employer at the bottom of the resume. Functional resumes are great for people who are looking to make a career change, people with multiple positions with different industries, people with gaps in their employment and those just starting out on their career. However, as always, I have to warn you that recruiter and hiring people really don't like functional style resumes. They feel you may be "hiding" something.

You can combine both resume types to give yourself a well-rounded appearance to potential employers, plus hiring managers love to see a list of previous experience, especially when it's for a position of authority. Providing work history is an excellent way to showcase how your accomplishments have translated to actual success in the work place.

Start by writing a list of the skills that you used at your previous jobs. List them one by one so that you cover a wide range of tasks on your resume. Depending on the position you're applying for, modify your skills to directly reflect those of the position that you're applying for. Don't embellish, instead focus on what you've accomplished and how it will allow you to succeed at your new position.

Use bullet points to provide a concise and accurate depiction of your responsibilities and where you used your skills. List our your accomplishments and try to use numbers to demonstrate an actual value. You can say something like, you promoted better paper management and turned your office into a green office, reducing the waste and lowering cost for trash maintenance by a third. Or that you increased sales in your office by 15% over a 5 year period.

Show your employer in the bullet section of your accomplishments. You want to be able to match your accomplishments with a tangible company, so make sure to list the companies where you worked. Your accomplishments only mean so much if they can be backed up. Listing your companies, or contacts you may have done a project for, will help highlight your accomplishments.

Use action verbs at the beginning of your accomplishments. Saying things like, "demonstrated" a strong desire to train new employees, is better than saying "trained staff." Elaborate on your accomplishments, it's all right to use descriptive words here. In fact, the HR manager may appreciate your ability to be descriptive.

Complete a short job history below the accomplishment section of your resume. This will help employers get a good idea of your work history. Make sure to include the name of the employer, your job title, the dates you worked for the employer and the location of the job. Write this list in reverse chronological order.

It's time to get those accomplishments out there and find the job that you've always wanted!

Erin Kennedy, CMRW, CPRW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant and President of Professional Resume Services, Inc. She is a nationally published writer and contributor of 12 best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations and wins of the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award. Erin has written thousands of resumes for executives and professionals.

As a proud member of CDI, NRWA, PARW, and AORCP, Erin also sits on CDI's Credentialing Committee for new certification candidates and serves as a Mentor for CDI's Member Mentoring Committee. She also is a featured blogger on several well-known career sites. Reuse of this article is encouraged but must include a link to http://exclusive-executive-resumes.com/.

Want to know more about Erin Kennedy, CPRW? Read her LinkedIn profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erinkennedycprw

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10 Facts You Didn't Know About Resumes

1. Sending out a generic or homemade resume you wrote is a mistake. We've come across thousands of do-it-yourself resumes and most are not exceptional.

2. A candidate with an outstanding resume will strongly influence and get preferential treatment from hiring managers, recruiters, and HR staff.

3. You can sell yourself into a targeted position even against those candidates with better qualifications, but it requires a professional resume presentation.

4. Running your resume by an objective third party is crucial. Often what hiring staff see on your resume and what you see often does not line up.

5. Perception is reality...a hiring manager's perception of a candidate's suitability for employment is directly tied to a resume-mediocre resume, mediocre candidate.

6. Remember that your resume is a reflection of the person who chooses you. So HR staff, recruiters, and hiring managers select only the absolute best resumes and your resume is a reflection of them.

7. Hoping that your document is "good enough" or "this will do" is exactly why many job searches fail to produce results. Outstanding resumes sell.

8. Searching the internet and copying templates, samples, and free resume builders will not produce the professional document you need to succeed.

9. Sending out a poor resume more than wastes your time. You'll lose out on thousands of dollars in earned income. We know the outcome of having a perfect professional document.

10. Companies hire marketing and advertising staff for a reason...even the U.S. president has a writer on staff. Professionally prepared resumes are key to successfully selling your services.

A recent survey of hiring professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers revealed that resumes have reached an all-time low in quality resulting in thousands being instantly deleted every day. If you're not getting results or find yourself in the delete category, then it's time for you to make a change. Don't waste anymore of your time or energy with a weak, outdated or do-it-yourself resume. Feel the difference right away in your job search with the touch of a professional writer. You will absolutely shorten the time it takes for you to get interviews and avoid losing thousands of dollars in lost income. That is the advantage of hiring a professional resume service.

Remember... you are a service, your resume is your advertising material. Hire a professional resume service today and feel the difference in your job search!

WE MEAN QUALITY

CR Resume Services was established in 2003 and is located in sunny Orange County, California. We take pride in our high standards for professional resume practices to bring you professional, high quality resumes that stand out from the competition. To learn more go to http://www.crresumeservices.com/.

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All That You Wanted to Know About the CPOL Resume Builder

CPOL resume builder is an application that is used to by civilians when applying for CPOL jobs available on the CPOL website. The resume builder lets a job aspirant enter the required data like personal and professional details that are required for CPOL jobs. This ensures that the data is provided by all applicants in a consistent format and this data is fed to the Army's centralized resumix system.

The data provided by the applicant is used for recruitment and placement of desired candidates by the recruitment team. There is another associated system which is known as "Applicant Notification System Web-Enabled Response" or ANSWER. This system lets the applicant keep a track of their application, check the current status and go through the history of their current resume.

The advantage of this resume builder for the applicant is that they can apply for relevant CPOL jobs from any place in the world provided that they have a stable internet connection. This saves the candidate the effort of visiting the army recruitment office in order to apply for a job. Similarly the entire tracking of the application can also be done from home and the applicant is always informed of the status and next steps in case of selection.

Some tips for using the CPOL resume builder in order to effectively create a resume are provided. This will help candidates use the resume builder better and create resumes that will appeal to the recruitment team thus increasing the chances of selection. Given that the CPOL resume builder system allows one resume per person thus it is vital that the resume looks good and stands out.

The first tip is to include all the relevant personal and professional information required for the job that you are applying for. If you have done military service before, make sure you highlight it. Given that each field in the resume builder has a limit on the number of characters you can type in, it makes sense to highlight only relevant information that will help your resume get noticed and eventually get you the job. The most effective way to build the resume would be to use the right keywords and short sentences describing your experience and why you are suitable for the job.

Next tip is not be disheartened if you do not get the job you have applied for initially as there are numerous openings that keep coming up. The most important thing is that you should go back to the CPOL resume builder from time to time and update the resume to include your recent work experience and any qualifications that you may have obtained in the interim. Keeping the resume updated will ensure that the recruiters have access to the latest data about you and if your qualifications match any requirements, you will be selected for the same.

CPOL resume builder is a simple and powerful tool that opens the world of various CPOL job opportunities to you. These jobs are some of the best and most sought after in the world and let you work across global locations. So ensure that you spend some time understanding the requirements in the terms of the job requirements and resume requirements before applying.

We Have All The CPOL Resume Builder Info You Need To Know For Building A Successful Resume.

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Crafting The Perfect Cover Letter - Why You Must Be Careful About Using Online Examples

So, you are back in the job market? You're getting your resume all brushed up, putting yourself out there and hoping employers look your way. And now you hear that when submitting your resume to potential employers you should be including a cover letter.

But what is a cover letter supposed to look like? If you send a bad letter and the other competitors for the job send a good one, you are going to be out. So you've done what nearly everyone in your position does: you've went to the Internet looking for an example.

It's not a bad idea, because the person who took the time to make a webpage on the subject probably knows a few things about how to write a cover letter. But there are a few problems with this idea. You probably used one of the two most popular search engines to find the page with your sample on it, and these are the same two search engines everyone uses. So everyone is finding the same page and downloading the same letter. Sure, they will change it slightly, but when a hiring executive sees 80 versions of the same sample letter, do you think he is very impressed? I'll just let you know on that one: No, he is not impressed with that. He is bored.

So, assuming you don't want to bore the potential employers, you are going to need to work a little harder. Either you will want to dig much deeper and find better samples that are industry specific, or you will need to craft one from scratch using the samples for ideas. Either way, you will want to personalize each cover letter a little bit, saying a few words about the company and how you really would love to be a part of that team.

Either way, you need to realize that the cover letter is very important, and it is your best chance to sell your unique skills to the potential employer. In your resume you are pretty much required to just list the facts, but in the letter you can paint yourself in the best light, and enthusiastically tell why you will be an excellent employee.

Creating a perfect cover is not an exact science, but if you take the time to put a good, job-specific letter on each resume, your chances of getting hired quickly go up exponentially. Just remember to be enthusiastic, optimistic, and professional.

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What 80% of Us Don't Know (Or Ignore) About Our Job Searches

With this post, I am going to go out on a limb using some strictly unscientific data I've been quietly gathering from all of my discussions with hiring managers, recruiters, headhunters, and human resource professionals.

Are you ready?

OK, here it is:

80% of all the r?sum?s out there suck.

Yes, I mean really suck. As in spelling/grammar/usage/punctuation errors, ugly or non-existent formatting, lack of keywords, cutting and pasting job duties instead of listing valuable contributions, inclusion of photos and other non-relevant personal information, and the ever-so-outdated objective statement which is the constant thorn in the side of anyone who reads the document, just to name a few.

All of these horrible elements are still out there and still being circulated as application materials in all of their hideous, error-ridden, and totally ineffective glory.

Now before you start rolling your eyes, clucking your tongue, and thinking indignantly, "Certainly, she's not talking about not my r?sum?!" consider this:

Most of these hiring professionals I've talked to have indicated that the 20% of the 'good' r?sum?s that they see are only ADEQUATE (meaning the documents give them the basics of what they need to consider the applicant).

Out of that 20%, less than 5% absolutely pop and crackle in the way we all think and hope our document does when it lands on the screener's desk.

Actually, I totally agree with that 5% number... Lots of prospective clients send me their documents, brimming with confidence that their r?sum? is superior and just needs some 'minor' tweaks or touch-ups.

Oh, really? "Well, let's take a look," I say, and open up the file.

What pops up on my screen isn't pretty... most of the time.

There's a reason why so many r?sum? writers, human resource managers, and career professionals are constantly tweeting and writing articles on this subject. We are literally screaming at the top of lungs... job seekers simply HAVE to punch it up a notch in today's highly sophisticated job market.

But the problem is that there are lots of people who simply are not 'getting' it whether they are just plain ignorant or too egotistical to admit their r?sum? isn't up to current snuff - to their own detriment.

To defend John and Jane Public, they don't make a career out of tracking r?sum? trends. Most of us usually go through this update process perhaps every few years until we find a job, then we let the dust settle before calling up the r?sum? again years later.

As a writer, I see technology continually reshaping the employment marketplace, and it is going to boil down to how you position and then format your credentials which will determine whether you attract the attention of first an applicant tracking system (ATS) and then a human resources live human being.

However you go about it, you need elevate your r?sum? to the next level whether you buy a 'how-to' book to do it yourself or hire a professional. It is a constantly evolving landscape, and if you want to stand out as a superior candidate, your background and accomplishments alone won't cut the mustard anymore as 'stand alone.'

We're talking pushing yourself harder than you've ever pushed yourself before. Everyone needs to see their r?sum? as a living, breathing roadmap of their career, and invest in themselves. Their livelihood depends on it.

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Why Writing Your Executive Resume Is Difficult - And What You Can Do About It

Trying to get your job search off to a strong start - but hampered by the resume writing process? Are you finding it challenging to sum up the reasons you should be considered over others for a leadership role?

If so, you have plenty of company, especially if your career is at the executive or senior professional level. Many leaders discover that it's easier to actually drive change, improve company operations, or transform revenue performance than it is for them to write about it.

Here are 3 main reasons that resume writing can seem like an massive chore in your job hunt—along with some ways to make the process easier:

1 - You're too close to the subject.

Most executive leaders and skilled professionals are subject matter experts in all types of leadership competencies, from strategic planning to team delegation.

However, when asked to describe their strengths, most of them will resort to tactical or skills-based descriptions, rather than illustrating the ways in which they add strategic value.

The reason? Being on the front lines is a much different experience than explaining what your career has meant to your employers. You're naturally good at what you do, but telling your story requires a higher level of strategic analysis—a process that most executives and senior-level professionals don't think to undertake for themselves.

To help with the process of writing about yourself, try asking others about your achievements and executive contributions. What do they see as your most valuable accomplishments and proficiencies?

What compliments do you receive on your work? You'll find that the impression others have of you is critical, as it can give you a valuable, and perhaps different, perspective of your leadership career (useful for framing the contents of your resume).

2 - Marketing copy isn't your strong suit.

Most COOs spend their time ensuring that costs are reined in and that the company's infrastructure will support growth, while sales managers are assessing the competition, CEOs are busy forming strategic forecasts, accountants are closing the books, IT Managers are negotiating with vendors, and CIOs are dealing with the rising costs of technology.

Of course, these activities leave precious little time to become well-versed in marketing!

Even if marketing campaigns are part of your leadership role, you'll still find that it's much harder to create promotional copy when the product is YOU. Often, it's easier to describe your skills verbally than it is to write about yourself.

Consider looking at executive or professional resume examples, which are readily available online, to get an idea of the marketing style that appeals to employers in today's job market. How does yours stack up?

In particular, you'll want to look for these elements in each sample resume:

-Summary section wording, where a short list of executive competencies and personality description often serves as a powerful introduction

-Achievement sentence structure that shows how to condense complex success stories

-Document design, where you can observe how white space is used to separate jobs and sections

3 - You haven't developed a personal brand message.

As with any type of promotion, branding is a key element of marketing. When it comes to job search, your personal brand is basically the value proposition and reputation that you've forged throughout your executive career.

Even if you're in touch with what this value means to your next employer, it's difficult to articulate it for yourself and maintain a focus on your top brand values.

A great way to bring out your personal brand message is to contact colleagues or others in your network to get an idea of your market value:

-What strengths did you bring to the company in your last job?

-What were the key reasons for your past promotions?

-How did your professional reputation stack up against others with your job title?

Getting answers to these questions can give you some ideas to weave throughout the content in your executive resume, as it's important to demonstrate how others have counted on your leadership for results in past roles.

In summary, writing a leadership resume can seem like the most challenging part of your job search, but don't give up!

Instead, leverage others' input and investigate current resume styles to create a document that truly reflects your brand and captures employer interest.

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Facts About Resumes

In a market where there are more people searching for work, your resume becomes a vital tool in your efforts to find employment. Hiring someone who understands how recruiters sort through the many resumes they receive for job openings can be a major step toward landing an interview. The following facts will help you evaluate whether you should hire or attempt to prepare your own resume.

You Only Have 30 Seconds.

That's how long the average recruiter spends scanning each resume. If your resume isn't recognized almost instantly as relevant to the job, it will be tossed.

The Most Important Information Must Be at The Top.

What is the most important information? What you have to offer, what your skills are. In some resumes, education will benefit you if it is near the top. In others, education is best at the bottom. It all depends on your unique skills set. You want to present information in a way that gets the message through that you are qualified for the job.

Most Free Templates Don't Stand Out.

If your resume is generated using a template, it will look like it. While some of the Monster templates actually look quite good, after thousands of people have used them, they start looking generic. You or the person who prepares your resume may find a template a useful starting place, but you should take the time to tweak it so it looks different.

You'll also discover that free templates are only as good as the information you plug into them. If you don't enter information in a way that creates a picture of you filling that job opening, the template isn't going to improve on what you plugged into the form. A professional resume preparer will.

You Need Multiple Resumes.

Every resume you attach to a job application must be tailored to that specific job. If you don't take time to do this, you're wasting your efforts sending out the resume. It might help you retain your unemployment benefits, but it won't help you find a job very effectively.

Fortunately, once a really good resume has been put together, it isn't difficult to tweak the resume to fit different positions as long as they are in closely allied fields.

Professional Resumes Land Jobs Faster.

It can take months to find a job even with a professionally prepared resume, but it has been demonstrated that professional resumes do increase the chances you will be called for an interview, the first step to landing a job.

A Resume with a Cover Letter Works Even Better.

Some recruiters toss resumes that don't have cover letters attached. Even if they didn't, a cover letter gives you an opportunity to demonstrate how you are uniquely positioned to meet the company's needs. It can reflect a little more personality than a resume can.

Keywords are Vital.

Both computers and recruiters scan resumes for keywords connected to the industry. If you fail to use them, your resume will be overlooked. A true professional knows how to weave keywords into your resume in a way that doesn't look like a job description.

Some Work Experience is Optional.

Jobs you had 20 years ago rarely offer anything compelling. Unless you absolutely have to go that far back to prove you have the qualifications for a position, only include the past 10 to 15 years of work history.

Mistakes Could Cost You an Interview.

Make sure your resume is perfect. If you aren't using complete sentences, don't put periods after bullet points. Make sure every word is spelled correctly. Check your grammar. And scan the resume for any inconsistencies in formatting. These are the kinds of mistakes that "blow up" on you.

Number of Pages Is Important.

Don't take two pages when you can take one to demonstrate you are the right candidate for the job. At the same time, don't cram everything into one page when two would present the message more effectively. Remember that small print is hard to read, so all your hard work may be lost if the recruiter hasn't upgraded his or her prescription recently.

Denise Rutledge has provided resume and cover letter writing services for over three years through WritingasaGhost. Her clients have said things like: "I've always gotten an interview when Denise has written my cover letter." R.F. "You are the best money I have ever spent." K.S. She shares this information to empower others to write their own resumes and cover letters for successful job search results.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Denise_Rutledge

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