How to Beef Up a Resume When You Have Little Work Experience

If you're fresh out of high school, college or university and you have little or no work experience, when it comes to writing your CV or resume you may think you'll end up with very little on the page. This should not be the case! A CV or resume is a marketing tool, which allows you to market your skills and experience; it is not simply a record of your employment. As long as you remember this fact then your CV or resume can be as full and as positive as that of someone who has been employed for fifty years.

A standard CV will start with a personal profile; this can sometimes include a summary of your work experience, an outline of your key skills and your objectives and goals for the future. With little or no work experience this summary paragraph is still possible, but it should focus primarily on your skills and abilities. These skills can be identified from any part of your life, perhaps you are a full time mother with exceptional time management skills, or a keen footballer who has demonstrated commitment and skills as a team player? These and other experiences outside of the workplace all contribute towards developing skills that are sought after within the workplace.

The next section of your resume should detail your education and qualifications, and the third section is where ordinarily your employment history should be recorded. Remember that employment does not have to be paid employment, so if you have undertaken any charity or voluntary work then this should be listed here, in exactly the same way as paid employment. If you have no work experience whatsoever then you should use this section to detail ways in which you have developed skills or achieved success.

For example, you may have been a key player in your school's theatre production, demonstrating creative ability, organisational skills, confidence etc. In the same way, you may have cared for a sick relative for a long period of time, showing compassion, people skills, multi-tasking abilities, prioritising etc. Again, these are all highly sought after skills, known as transferable skills and these should be marketed as such in your resume or CV.

Finally, for those with little work experience, this is where the 'hobbies and interests' section of the CV is a great place to give the potential employer a little more information about yourself, what makes you tick, and how you spend your time. Make this section as compelling as possible, to show that although you haven't had much employment experience you do still live a full and productive life which can be transferred to the workplace.

Do you need help to produce a professional CV or resume? Then use the professional CV editing service from JMD Editorial and Writing Services

Read more ...

How to Write a Resume With Only A Little Bit of Effort

The word "resume" gives some people the shivers when they think about having to write one. This reaction is truly not necessary-all it takes to write a resume is a little bit of effort, and some thought. The following are some basic tips on how to write your resume. While the actual writing process takes a lot of thought, planning and strategy, having a "to do" list like this will keep you on track.

Knowing what will go into a resume is the most important thing. In other words, your very first step is to plan out what will go into the resume-sort of like the term papers you wrote for school, or a shopping list.

Think about what jobs you have done, the time spans each of them have covered, and the job duties included. Don't put them in a specific order yet, unless it's easier for you to work that way.

Begin at the top of the resume, and decide the format that you want to create it in. List your name and contact information first. After that will be the career summary, your job experiences, and follow them up with education/credentials/professional development.

Start out writing each job description, in a loose, easy manner. Whether you choose for that to be just a few words for the description, or a list of words done as bullet points, it doesn't really matter. Whatever works for you is what counts.

Look at the jobs that you have in front of you. Some people prefer to take the paper that they've used to jot these descriptions out on, and cut it up to rearrange the jobs into the correct chronological order. Others just use circles and arrows. Once you have decided the order in which you want to put the jobs, look at the descriptions again. Put the words into a coherent, thoughtful description of that particular job.

See? You are already writing a quality resume-it's that easy.

Refining the job descriptions so that they make sense, don't run on, and will put you into a positive light are the next step. There are some other things to consider now, in addition to the job descriptions. Education is an important thing to list on your resume. With that in mind, list whatever college or technical/trade school experience you may have. Remember to keep it reverse chronological (the preferred choice), listing the most recent position first.

List things like the GPA that you had, any school-related leadership positions you may have had, and extra-curricular activities as well, but ONLY if you are a new grad.

Now, create a career objective or career summary (I always do mine last, after I get a strong familiarity with the client's history). What do you want to do in your career? What do you want the reader to know about you, your strengths and what you can contribute? You should remain very clear and focused in this area. Think of your brand. Do you have one?

Learning how to write a resume isn't difficult as long as you devote the time, thought and planning into it.

Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, 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 9+ best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations 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 PARW, CDI, 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

Read more ...

How to Write a Resume With Only A Little Bit of Effort

The word "resume" gives some people the shivers when they think about having to write one. This reaction is truly not necessary-all it takes to write a resume is a little bit of effort, and some thought. The following are some basic tips on how to write your resume. While the actual writing process takes a lot of thought, planning and strategy, having a "to do" list like this will keep you on track.

Knowing what will go into a resume is the most important thing. In other words, your very first step is to plan out what will go into the resume-sort of like the term papers you wrote for school, or a shopping list.

Think about what jobs you have done, the time spans each of them have covered, and the job duties included. Don't put them in a specific order yet, unless it's easier for you to work that way.

Begin at the top of the resume, and decide the format that you want to create it in. List your name and contact information first. After that will be the career summary, your job experiences, and follow them up with education/credentials/professional development.

Start out writing each job description, in a loose, easy manner. Whether you choose for that to be just a few words for the description, or a list of words done as bullet points, it doesn't really matter. Whatever works for you is what counts.

Look at the jobs that you have in front of you. Some people prefer to take the paper that they've used to jot these descriptions out on, and cut it up to rearrange the jobs into the correct chronological order. Others just use circles and arrows. Once you have decided the order in which you want to put the jobs, look at the descriptions again. Put the words into a coherent, thoughtful description of that particular job.

See? You are already writing a quality resume-it's that easy.

Refining the job descriptions so that they make sense, don't run on, and will put you into a positive light are the next step. There are some other things to consider now, in addition to the job descriptions. Education is an important thing to list on your resume. With that in mind, list whatever college or technical/trade school experience you may have. Remember to keep it reverse chronological (the preferred choice), listing the most recent position first.

List things like the GPA that you had, any school-related leadership positions you may have had, and extra-curricular activities as well, but ONLY if you are a new grad.

Now, create a career objective or career summary (I always do mine last, after I get a strong familiarity with the client's history). What do you want to do in your career? What do you want the reader to know about you, your strengths and what you can contribute? You should remain very clear and focused in this area. Think of your brand. Do you have one?

Learning how to write a resume isn't difficult as long as you devote the time, thought and planning into it.

Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, 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 9+ best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations 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 PARW, CDI, 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

Read more ...

How to Write a Resume With Only A Little Bit of Effort

The word "resume" gives some people the shivers when they think about having to write one. This reaction is truly not necessary-all it takes to write a resume is a little bit of effort, and some thought. The following are some basic tips on how to write your resume. While the actual writing process takes a lot of thought, planning and strategy, having a "to do" list like this will keep you on track.

Knowing what will go into a resume is the most important thing. In other words, your very first step is to plan out what will go into the resume-sort of like the term papers you wrote for school, or a shopping list.

Think about what jobs you have done, the time spans each of them have covered, and the job duties included. Don't put them in a specific order yet, unless it's easier for you to work that way.

Begin at the top of the resume, and decide the format that you want to create it in. List your name and contact information first. After that will be the career summary, your job experiences, and follow them up with education/credentials/professional development.

Start out writing each job description, in a loose, easy manner. Whether you choose for that to be just a few words for the description, or a list of words done as bullet points, it doesn't really matter. Whatever works for you is what counts.

Look at the jobs that you have in front of you. Some people prefer to take the paper that they've used to jot these descriptions out on, and cut it up to rearrange the jobs into the correct chronological order. Others just use circles and arrows. Once you have decided the order in which you want to put the jobs, look at the descriptions again. Put the words into a coherent, thoughtful description of that particular job.

See? You are already writing a quality resume-it's that easy.

Refining the job descriptions so that they make sense, don't run on, and will put you into a positive light are the next step. There are some other things to consider now, in addition to the job descriptions. Education is an important thing to list on your resume. With that in mind, list whatever college or technical/trade school experience you may have. Remember to keep it reverse chronological (the preferred choice), listing the most recent position first.

List things like the GPA that you had, any school-related leadership positions you may have had, and extra-curricular activities as well, but ONLY if you are a new grad.

Now, create a career objective or career summary (I always do mine last, after I get a strong familiarity with the client's history). What do you want to do in your career? What do you want the reader to know about you, your strengths and what you can contribute? You should remain very clear and focused in this area. Think of your brand. Do you have one?

Learning how to write a resume isn't difficult as long as you devote the time, thought and planning into it.

Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, 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 9+ best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations 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 PARW, CDI, 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

Read more ...

Spice Up Your 2009 Resume Now - Add This Little Gem

A glass of cheer, a toast, a display of fireworks, is the way people will be ringing in the New Year from Times Square in the New York City to Tiananmen Square in Beijing City. Next day, they all dive into 2009 welcoming the New Year with new dreams, goals, resolutions, and commitments for the several months ahead.

Among many of your dreams and your goals, perhaps getting an exciting job will be one of the. However, to make it a reality, you will need to brush up your resume, or might need to create a fresh one.

Do Not Just List your Past Jobs and Responsibilities:

As important as they are, you do not want to just list all your past jobs and responsibilities. Instead, it is a better idea to add some spice into your resume. This can be achieved by including a section focusing on your good will, your volunteer work, as well as your acts of kindness during your time at your previous work place, church, or community.

Including these kind of activities, can quite frequently say more than your professional profile. For instance, consider how impressed a potential employer can be of you if he/she reads in your resume that you managed a group of lay leaders who came together to put up housing for the poor in Mexico, and how willing they will be to hire you as a department manager or sales trainer.

In our society today, the virtue of kindness is sorely lacking. However, when it is expressed it truly appreciated and valued.

So, you might be asking how you can share your acts of kindness without sounding arrogant or self-satisfied. Here, we describe some ideas that can help you.

1. Have, at the top of the section of your resume, a headline that would be reserved for these activities. For instance: Community Affairs - Volunteer Work

2. Mention the name of the organization, your responsibilities, together with the relevant date. For example: Edgewater Young Adult Club, teaching monthly basic life skills, setting goals, and personal hygiene to improvise the youth, starting in January 2006 till present.

3. Describe in detail how your volunteer work is related to the job which you are applying for.

For instance: My experience working with the youth has prepared me to train, lead, and motivate salesmen and women, to not merely sell, but to serve others. I have learnt a lot by building relationships with the young men and women of this club, especially the value of interpersonal relationships, networking, and common courtesy toward others. All these skills can benefit your company and improve the employee-customer relations.

A statement that is well-worded, such as this one, will allow the hiring manager to see what kind of person you truly are, where your values lay, as well as the level of integrity on which you operate while you engage with people on the job and in the community.

If you are aiming to land a job interview, nothing can be more important than harnessing the attention of the reader with your ability to do work and exercise kindness towards other at the same time.

Read more ...