What's the Difference Between a Resume and a CV?

Designers are visual people and can come up with creative images at ease most of the time. However, they are relatively weak in phrases and words. It is by no accident that most designers' resumes fall short of catching the attention of potential employers. A resume is not just a list of your practical experience and educational qualification; it is actually a sales advertisement about you.

Designers have the advantage of showcasing their portfolio full of attractive images as promotional tool; but without a solid cover letter and resume to highlight their notable achievements; most of them won't make it through the first round of elimination.

A resume is basically a compilation of your knowledge and experience in a specific field that you are pursuing. It is like the specifications of a product which highlight the unique features and potential this particular product possess. This information about you has to be precise and concise in order to unleash its full potential as a marketing tool. Writing an effective resume which successfully summarizes your strength and achievements may just land you that job interview you want.

Although the main description about you is included in a resume; you should not neglect the cover letter. A good cover letter complements your resume and might make the difference between getting your resume read or ended in the trash. A candidate who submits a resume without the cover letter might be perceived to be insincere and unprofessional. A cover letter is like the front cover of a book which creates the crucial first impression about you to your potential employer. It is here that you have the opportunity to introduce yourself and briefly describe why you are the perfect candidate for the job.

In general, there are 2 major types of resume most commonly used by applicants. The first one is the chronological type which list down your job positions with the most recent one listed at the top. This type of format is arranged by date and most employers find it to be straightforward and organized. This type of resume works best for those who have been in the industry for an extended period of time and have accumulated valuable experience. As for fresh graduates, this type of resume does not work in their favor because they have very limited working experience to list down in a chronological order.

The second type of resume is written with the Skill Based format. It categorizes the employment history of an applicant into different sections based on areas of skill and experience. This format is best suited for those with a diverse job history that involves different types of positions which are not necessarily related. It is also great for people who have gaps between their jobs as it helps to play down this fact. However, this type of resume may appear to be messy and hard to read.

If you think both formats have certain elements that can best highlight your strength, you can always combine the two by using the basic structure of the chronological format while highlighting your skill and achievements. In fact this is the best format that can help to promote you.

After you have finish writing your resume, you should then focus on your cover letter. Most people write boring cover letters which simply state that they are looking for the job without putting extra effort in stimulating their potential employers. Before writing your cover letter, you should first do some research on the company that you wish to work for. The content of your cover letter should target on the needs of the company. Most people make the common mistake of focusing on what they want and not on what they can contribute to the company. Keep in mind that you must first offer your service before someone may consider hiring you. In the body of your cover letter, you should highlight your strength and what you can do. This is the section where you need to promote yourself to your potential employer. You may also briefly list down your notable achievements throughout your employment history.

Always keep in mind that the cover letter and resume are the only tools you have to create the first impression to your potential employer. If you put enough effort in preparing them, your chances of getting short listed for interview will be higher.

As long as you are passionate in what you do, you will achieve success sooner than you think. My name is KEAT TAN and I'm happy to share with you my experience in the design industry hoping that you would get inspired and start pursuing your dream at the same time.

Drop by my website to learn more!

http://www.ktdesignsuccess.com/

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Resume Tips: The Difference Between Tasks and Skills

Your greatest accomplishments will be of little value to you if you can't identify the skills that helped you achieve them. Employers may not see much value in learning about what you did in your last job, unless it reveals a skill they can use.

Of course you should be including your skills and your tasks on your resume, so you need to know the difference between the two, and how to communicate your skills and tasks on your resume.

If you are in a career transition, and you haven't yet identified possible new career directions, it is crucial now to really dig deep and figure out what skills have made you successful so far in your career. Understanding your career skills can open up a multitude of new career directions.

Think back to what you most enjoyed doing in all your past jobs. Put a little report together of all your favorite tasks. Then, study each task one by one and ask yourself "What was it that made me good at this?", "Which abilities did I utilize to be successful at this task?" You'll find that the answers reveal things about your inner self, and what makes you thrive, what gives you a rush, what excites you. This data will then reveal your skills.

If you are targeting a job you've never done before, your tasks will have little impact on the employer, unless you can convey how they translate into something of value to him. In this case, your presentation should be based on your transferable skills. Everything you want to convey can be presented in a language that is relevant to the reader.

Examples of pulling out the skills from your tasks in your last job: Let's assume for instance that you have a background in film production and you are making a transition and targeting a job in the aviation industry, the language of your resume will have to be made relevant to the aviation expert.

Task: Watched multiple actors while shooting a scene and retained countless details of their movements, prompting dialogue and cuing off-camera performers while maintaining the uninterrupted flow of the scene.

The above description might leave the Aviation employer wondering if you sent him your resume by mistake. He will certainly be asking himself why a film technician is contacting him or responding to his posting. That is because the description of the task bears no direct meaning to this potential employer, and he really has to read between the lines in order to pull out the inherent skills required to accomplish these demanding tasks.

On the other hand, if the facts were presented in a relevant language, the reaction may be very different. Try:

Transferable skills: Extreme focus, sharp eye for details, superior mental agility, composure under pressure.

This is very pertinent information. It's a relevant presentation of the facts. These are skills and attributes that this aviation professional may be looking for in his employees. The focus is now on what inherent abilities you used to successfully accomplish your tasks, rather than the task itself.

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Resume Writing Tip That Could Make All the Difference

As a corporate recruiter I see thousands and thousands of resumes and to be honest most of them are not very good. This is primarily the reason that I started helping people write their resumes about a decade ago. There is one thing that I keep noticing that is very easy to fix and will help everyone that is applying for jobs right now. Here is the key: Customize your resume for each and every job you are applying for. Yes, it will take more time and effort on your part but it will be well worth it. I also suggest that you write a detailed cover letter and highlight the reasons why you are the right fit for the job.

The easiest way to customize your resume is to read the job description very closely and use many of the same verbiage that is included in the description. The closer your resume matches the job description, the greater your chances of getting an interview. Be sure to not copy or make it obvious that you are extracting information from the description.

By reading the job description you will have the blueprint to what they employer is looking for. Make sure the highlight the experiences and accomplishments that are relevant based on this information. Too many people create a one size fits all resume and send it out to dozens of companies and wonder why they never hear back from them. My advice is to apply to fewer jobs and spend more time writing a cover letter and resume for each one. This one change can make all the difference.

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Article Submitted On: January 04, 2011

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