Resume & Cover Letter Writing: Essentials

Showing posts with label Essentials. Show all posts

2/27/12

5 Must-Know Essentials For Writing a Results-Generating Resume

It is both astonishing and sad that so many people enter the job market with an insufficient resume. Too many people perceive a resume as just a piece of paper and do not comprehend how imperative a resume can be in promoting you within a competitive job market. The job market is overflowing at the present time with qualified individuals. To be noticeable, get attention, and yield strong results, as many professional resume writers will tell you, your resume must establish an exceptional first impression. An old-fashioned format, passe content, and an ugly design are all guaranteed ways to land your resume in the circular file while the employer turns to the next job seeker who actually spent the time to write an enticing resume that speaks to their needs. The vast majority of people struggle through long, unsuccessful job searches that could be turned around in an instant if only they took the time to revamp their resume.

If you are guilty of this line of attack then you need to know that you're in for an extended and protracted job search. You simply have to be sure that your resume is top-notch if you are going to win a chance of even getting to an interview, let alone getting a job. You have to demonstrate how you are a fantastic candidate, an excellent problem solver, and will exceed expectations and produce concrete results.

Here are some guidelines if your resume is in need of an overhaul.

1.Your focus must be directly apparent. Never write an all-purpose generic resume. Your resume must express, in the space of a few seconds, precisely who you are, what you can deliver to the table, and how you will fit in the company you are applying to. When possible, personalize your resume for each specific job opening.

2. Write about the positive outcomes that you delivered for past employers. It's just not good enough to write about the responsibilities. You have to demonstrate how you delivered benefits to past employers, using real numbers if at all possible to demonstrate what you brought to the bottom line.

3. Use design elements to tastefully heighten the eye appeal of your resume. A resume created from a template will just ensure that you blend in with others and not stand out. Be strategic and use design elements to draw the eye to key areas of importance.

4. Write in terms of success stories related to the challenges that you faced and the actions you took to meet the challenges. Write about the results of your actions and the strategic importance for your previous employer. This is known as the Challenge-Action-Result (CAR) method of writing a resume. The stories will make you memorable and help the employer comprehend how your past achievements will translate into future value for them.

5. Rethink everything, proofread meticulously, and ask a friend to check it over again. Any errors will seriously detract from the professional, quality, and detail-oriented picture that you should represent. This may seem like an obvious point, but so many people neglect it to their detriment.

These are five essential tips to help you strengthen your resume in a very competitive job market. To be truly effective you should consider the wise investment of hiring a professional resume writer. Professional resume writers know how to market people and will often be able to help you identify a value proposition that will help you stand apart from the competition and shine in those interviews.

Michelle Dumas runs of one of the longest-standing and most respected professional resume writing firms on the internet. Since 1996, Michelle has empowered thousands of professionals with resumes that get results and win jobs fast. Get insider resume writing tips that you won't find anywhere else at her website. Go now to http://www.distinctiveweb.com/

7/14/11

Resume Writing Tips - The Essentials for Resume Writing

Coming up with a good, if not the best resume, is one of the most important things in the job-hunting stage. Whether you're an executive who left your job because you feel you want something else or a new graduate trying to get your first job, you need a solid resume to prevent an employer from throwing yours in the trash. Below are few of the most important things you have to remember when writing a resume. In addition, there are things such as resume builders that could actually help you achieve a time-worthy resume.

- Follow the One-Page rule

Do not think of yourself as very important, an employer wouldn't have any other choice but to review yours longer than all the other applicants. An employer may only devote about 10 seconds per resume, thus you have to make sure those 10 seconds count. With the allotted time, only little information can be retained. A resume builder wouldn't make this mistake.

- Don't hog the Personal Interests row

Whatever it is you're interested in, if it does not do anything to help meet the company's goals, you're not making your resume strong. You're only putting clutter making your resume less attractive. If you're applying as a video game developer, go ahead and write that you enjoy playing all sorts of game consoles as well as online games. If not, put something else that would show a trait that would be a benefit for the company.

- Chronological order means listing the most recent first

This is the default format. If you go against this, an employer may think you're trying to hide something. The resume builder has the same settings, thus would make sure your job history is in the right order.

- The format includes the font styles you are using

If you think designing your resume would make a difference for the better, you're on the wrong path. Not only are they going to mess up the supposed perfect balance of your resume, they will be an eye sore for busy employers. The resume builder knows its job, and definitely the right number and the right font styles to use.

Always remember that whatever you write on your resume, it always pays to be honest of your qualifications and characteristics. The key to making the best is not the number of items you have in your resume, but correct orientation to the goals of the company or institution you're applying to.

Ran is the founder of ResumeBuilderWiz.com - a free online resume builder wizard.
Resume Builder Wiz was created to help people prepare a professional, effective resume instantly and easily, by filling the relevant details in the step-by-step wizard. It includes tips and guidelines for the ultimate resume. Visit http://www.resumebuilderwiz.com/ to create your own resume in a few minutes.

7/6/11

Resume Writing Tips - The Essentials for Resume Writing

- Follow the One-Page rule

- Don't hog the Personal Interests row

- Chronological order means listing the most recent first

- The format includes the font styles you are using

1/19/11

Resume Writing - Essentials Of A Good Resume

A good resume is the key to your dream job. When you apply for a particular job, you have a good resume to stand out among the thousands of other applications. And to ensure you have a good resume to entice your prospective employer, brush up on your resume writing skills, or hire a good resume writing service.

Resume writing is basically simple. So let's talk about the essentials of a good resume:

(1) Your name and contact information

So many job seekers forget to include their full names and contact information, it's just not funny anymore. I mean, even when you have a good resume, how can your prospective employer going call you for an interview if you don't provide your contact information?

Resume writing tip - just your name, phone number and/or email address is fine these days, unless mailing address is requested in the application.

(2) Objective

This is important - you have to be careful how you word this section. The objective in a good resume outlines what you want and how hiring you can benefit your future employer in 1-2 short and crisp sentences.

Resume writing tip - refrain from using phrases like "looking for a challenging opportunity". Instead, be more specific, like "looking to utilize 3 years of SQL programming expertise in building a real-time database to include the company's accounting systems".

(3) Education

Don't start from high school, unless you are in high school trying to grab a job. A good resume simply states what degree you have earned, from which college/university and in which year. List the most recent degree first.

Resume writing tip - any education information below high school level. It's just not required, ever.

(4) Experience

This is a biggie! A good resume incorporates your skills with your working experience. Include real-life projects to attract your prospective employer. Again, list the most recent work experience first.

Resume writing tip - Avoid using phrases like "managed cross-functional teams", etc. Instead, explain properly. This is the section for details, so don't confuse or bore your prospective employer with vague words.

You can also add information about your skills, achievements, etc. - we'll get to that in our upcoming posts. But remember not to go beyond a total of two pages.

12/8/10

Key Essentials of a Driver Resume

A driver is a professional who is indulged in driving of either a car, bus, truck, taxi, or any commercial vehicle. He or she is responsible for carrying goods and people from one place to another and hence the driving skills and perception plays a significant role.

When writing a resume for the driver's position, it is very important to put forth a narration of the applicants driving skills, perception, road knowledge, and most important validity of his or her license. Because the individual is involved in transporting people from one place to another the safety and security of people is the key concern.

Following are some of the key essentials while writing a driver's resume:

? The most significant requirement is the details of the license with its type, validity, and state of issuing.
? Describe your key responsibilities in terms of delivering goods on time.
? Describe your duties with regards to collecting documents.
? Understanding auto mechanics and ability to fix mechanical faults is also significant.
? Your methods and strategies when planning your routes and deciding priorities.
? Show your decision taking ability when it comes to planning the quickest and economical route.
? Be truthful when listing your previous employment.
? Your awareness of industry regulations should also be listed.
? Road network and road regulations are also the key considerations.
? Show your skill and talent in driving specific vehicles. It is not always important that someone who drives a car can also drive a truck.
? There is a special training offered for commercial truck driving. If applying for the same, ensure that you have the commercial driver's license.
? While driving you need to monitor traffic and weather conditions. You should be prompt in your action to take the right decision under such situations.
? Describe practice that you use to improve company's productivity.
? Mention the years of experience in the driving industry.
? Make your resume stand out with your accomplishments.

To know more, check Driver Resumes.

Three Essentials of Writing Resume Title

Resumes play an important role when it comes to applying for a job position. Whether the first job or a change in job, resume helps to showcase an individual's skills and potentials to employers in a convincing manner.

There are many components of an effective resume like the title, objective, summary qualification, professional history, and skill summary. All these components have their unique sets of strategies and significance but the resume title stands above the all.

Resume title is the first thing that an employer looks at. Just a few words in the title delivers sufficient amount of information about the applicant based on which an employer either reads further or it directly goes in the midst of waste paper bunch.

Here are the three essentials to keep in mind when writing the resume title:

Know Your Purpose

You should always keep your purpose in mind and only then you'll be able to write a good and effective resume title. For example, if your purpose is to secure a job interview in an IT company, make sure that you specify the same in the title. Don't let the key reason for writing the resume wander here and there. Be straight and specific with what you want and what you expect.

Showcase your Key strengths

Your skills and abilities are the important components of an attention grabbing resume. Obviously not all can be described in a title but a reflection or gist of the same can certainly be showcased. You have to be smart enough to pen down your key strengths in a way that it does not take much of words and space in the resume but definitely draw employer's attention.

Be Clear and Concise

Describing your responsibilities, skills, abilities, and talents does not mean that you have to write down pages and pages to show what you possess. You should concisely explain your key qualities and strengths in a clear and straightforward manner. There should be no guessing game or twisters in your words and statements. Be very clear of what you are and what you are delivering to employers.

To know more on specific resume types, check Estimator Resumes.

12/6/10

50 Key Essentials of Resume Writing

Resume is a simple document that showcases an individual's qualifications, job history, and special skills. The only purpose of a resume is to secure a job interview and in the midst of hundreds of resumes, your resume must have something extraordinary to stand out.

Here are 50 key essentials for resume writing:

1. A resume should deliver a professional, polished, and positive feel.
2. Write with substance and good depth.
3. Show potential employers what you can do for them.
4. Check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
5. Proofread before sending the final copy.
6. Use only resume-friendly fonts like Verdana, Garamond, or Times New Roman.
7. Use maximum font size of 12pt and minimum of 10pt.
8. Ensure visual appeal and consistency.
9. The content quality should be good and in perfect flow.
10. Don't use much of bold, italics, and other styles of formatting.
11. Do not include salary expectations in the resume.
12. Keep in mind that you are marketing yourself through the resume.
13. Never play smart with fake statements and false stories.
14. Decide well in advance which format to use - chronological, functional, or combination.
15. Each specific job position can have different format and structure.
16. Avoid using pronouns and flowery language.
17. Create a rough sketch of your basic information.
18. Take into account the relevance of each job position and then decide what to put and what to chuck out.
19. Crosscheck all the relevant and irrelevant information.
20. In the final copy begin with your name and complete contact details.
21. Ensure to put in all your contact numbers, your complete address, and your email.
22. Avoid giving any personal details like your date of birth and marital status.
23. Create an impressive resume title.
24. Write a concise yet expressive objective.
25. Objective should offer a brief on what you can give to the company and what your future goals are.
26. Objectives can also be quantified with supportive skills and strengths.
27. Include the professional synopsis.
28. For each job position write as much as detail you can write.
29. Emphasize job titles in bold letters.
30. Highlight your important duties in bullet or numbering system.
31. Check the relevance of each role in accordance to the applied job position.
32. Don't mention anything that is irrelevant.
33. Use simple declarative sentences and strong verbs.
34. Wherever possible use keywords.
35. Accomplishments play a significant role.
36. Emphasize on important duties, achievements, honors, and awards.
37. Brief on your special strategies and methods you follow to attain success.
38. Add numbers and ranks wherever possible.
39. List and assess your educational background.
40. List details of your degree or diploma earned covering the year of completion and the name of university as well as the institute.
41. List relevant coursework or certifications achieved in the job context.
42. List your interest and hobbies that positively reflect your key skills and strength.
43. Mention your extra-curricular activities or any kind of volunteer experience.
44. Mention any paid experience or summer jobs done to demonstrate your special skills.
45. Create a summary of skills. It is optional but beneficial.
46. List your interpersonal skills, communication skills, and key strengths.
47. Computer proficiency is equally important.
48. List all the software, programming language, and applications you know.
49. List different language that you are well-versed in with your level of ability.
50. Keep your resume well-balanced in all ways.

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Article Submitted On: November 30, 2010