What Can A Resume Do?

A great resume can help you accomplish two important objectives: It enables you to make a great first impression, and it presents your work credentials in such a way that you

1. Can compete successfully for great jobs right now
2. Are well positioned for career-enhancing positions in the future

Making a positive first impression In today's fast-changing workplace, a great resume is one of the key components of success. It acts as your agent, a tireless advocate for your career interests and goals. If you're job hunting, your resume is the means by which you introduce yourself to employers and networking contacts. It is the document you use to establish your credentials when you apply for a position and to describe your background and goals when you prospect for job leads.

In most cases, your resume gives employers their first look at you. The document's content, clarity, and persuasiveness - all part of your care in presenting these recorded credentials - determines whether that first impression is positive and helpful or not. And making a positive first impression has never been more important in the job market. Research shows that employers typically spend just 15-45 seconds reviewing each resume they receive. That's all the time your resume has to convey your qualifications for an open position. The quality and impact of that initial impression determines whether you are considered for the position.

First impressions can also have a significant impact on your networking abilities. Connecting with others to uncover job leads is an important part of any successful job search campaign. In many cases, you're meeting people for the first time, and your resume helps shape their impression of you. A great resume that creates a positive initial impression can expand the range of people who are willing to meet with you and point you toward interesting employment opportunities.

Promoting your credentials
Even if you're not actively job hunting, a great resume can help you achieve career success. It's an effective tool for measuring your progress in acquiring new skills and experience.

Today, employment security largely depends on how deep and how current your occupational skills and knowledge are. Half of that expertise grows obsolete every 3-5 years, however, due to technological and other changes. As a consequence, you now must continuously replenish and improve your credentials to keep your career healthy and moving forward.

Despite its value, this requirement for lifelong learning sometimes slips in its position among your priorities. The demands of today's job can mask the importance of continuous self- improvement and preparation for the future. That's where your resume can help. It's a record of your personal development, both in the past and in the present. In other words, if you don't have to update your resume every six months or so - to document newly acquired skills or experience - odds are good that your capabilities are falling behind - a fitting reminder that you need to invest some time and energy in their development.

Schedule a personal performance appraisal with yourself every six months. Use your resume to evaluate your progress in the previous six-month period and to set clear, achievable goals for the next six months.
A great resume can also help you promote your credentials to others. Traditionally, cultivating that kind of connection was something you did only in an active job search. In today's ever-changing workplace, however, marketing your credentials should be a continuous activity. It is the only way to protect yourself from unexpected disruptions in employment and to manage your career advancement pro-actively.

A well-written resume enhances both the reach and stature of your credentials. In the past, networking was limited to who you knew; today, it's based on who you know and who knows you. The key to advancing your career is increasing the number of people who are aware of what you can do and how well you can do it.

Your resume enables you to provide an accurate, up-to-date, and upbeat introduction to your track record on the job, and circulating it can help you extend your circle of contacts. That ever-expanding network of people who know about your capabilities in the workplace helps ensure that you are considered for as many opportunities as possible and thus have a range of options with which to work as you manage your career. 

Writing a Great Resume

Every great resume has seven core elements, all of which must be present for it to be complete and effective:

• Contact information
• Objective
• Profile
• Experience
• Accomplishments
• Education
• Professional affiliations and awards

Contact information
Begin your resume by centering your name at the top of the first page. Use your complete name, but not any informal or nickname or such designations as Mr., Ms., or Mrs. In addition, do not give the document a title, such as "Resume" or "The Resume of ______."

Beneath your name, position your postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address, if you have one. This information is critically important because it enables employers and recruiters to contact you for additional details and, potentially, to schedule an interview.

If possible, provide a telephone number where you can be reached privately during the business day. Otherwise, use a private telephone number that will be answered by another adult, a voice mail service, or an answering machine. Then make sure that you check your messages regularly and return recruiters' calls promptly. Similarly, use a private e-mailbox - not one provided by your employer (which is subject to inspection) - to receive e-mail from recruiters. Check your incoming e-mail at least twice daily.

Objective
Your resume objective statement tells the employer what kind of position you're seeking and helps you organize your resume. Place this single sentence, which generally runs about 20-30 words, just below your contact information. (For guidelines on writing an effective statement of objective, see Chapter 3.)

Profile
A profile appears below your objective statement and summarizes your key skills, abilities, experience, and knowledge. It should be roughly the same length as an objective statement (20-30 words) and written in 3-5 bullets or short, descriptive phrases.

A profile functions as a billboard to highlight your strengths in the workplace, and by being positioned near the top of your resume, enables recruiters to assess your qualifications quickly and accurately. Your profile should be rich with keywords - the nouns and phrases recruiters use to describe qualifications similar to yours. Review the terms included in recruitment ads, job postings on the Internet, and position descriptions, if you have access to them. Then write your profile with recruiters' vocabulary, always ensuring that the information you include is accurate, clearly expressed, and persuasive. For example:

PROFILE

• 15 years of experience as a successful sales agent in the personal insurance industry
• Top performer in the Eastern Region for the past five years
• Experienced at both new account sales and current account management and growth

Experience
The experience section provides a detailed description of your work credentials. Because both the space on your resume and the time recruiters have to review it are limited, include information that clearly and directly supports your good resume objective writing. Each detail should be designed to provide evidence of your skills and knowledge, your track record in applying these attributes on the job, and your potential to extend that capability into another organization and a new position. If you use a chronological or hybrid format, this section also details your previous employers, positions held, and locations. (See Chapter 1 for a description of chronological, functional, and hybrid resumes.)

In today's job market, employers are seeking very specific kinds of talent. They want to hire individuals who have demonstrated high levels of performance in their occupational fields and gained the kind of experience that prepares them to achieve similar success in the future. Therefore, your experience section should provide a focused, hard-hitting summary of what you can do, not who you hope to be. It is a place for fact, not dreams; achievable objectives, not wishful thinking.
Accomplishments
In most cases, your accomplishments are best presented as bullets in the experience section. These success stories provide two kinds of information to employers. First, they are the details that prove how capable you are in your occupational field. Because quantitative measures are often easiest to understand and have the greatest impact on the reader, describing your on-the-job achievements in numbers, rather than phrases, may attract the most employer attention. Here's an example:

• Increased sales by 30% in just two years
• Accomplished special project on time and within budget, producing a $150,000 profit for the company
• Managed a weather-related spike of 5,000 claims within 60 days by hiring and training five new employees

Your accomplishments also provide employers with information about your character. These glimpses into proven performance are a statement about the pride you take in your work. They describe your sense of commitment to making genuine contributions on the job. And they are a measure of the importance you attach to being the best you can be in your profession, craft, or trade.

Education
Your resume also presents your most important education and training credentials. Once again, what you say in your objective should determine what to include in this section. Cite past degree-track programs you pursued and any classes and programs in which you are currently involved. In fact, employers now look very favorably on candidates who recognize the importance of and take responsibility for keeping their skills current. Therefore, think of yourself as a work-inprogress; always be enrolled in a program that extends your skills and knowledge in the workplace and always include that information on your resume.
To describe your educational credentials, think about providing the following information:

• The name of the degree(s) or certificate(s) you have earned or are in the process of earning
• The specific field in which you majored or the subject you are currently studying
• The institution where you did your coursework or are now doing it
• The date your degree(s)/certificate(s) were awarded or the term "ongoing" if you have not yet completed the program For example:
  BS/Software Engineering Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA 1971
  JAVA Programming University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT Ongoing

Professional affiliations and awards
In the professional affiliations and awards section, cite the names of any professional societies or associations to which you belong, as well as any positions you have held, presentations you have delivered at annual or chapter meetings, and articles you have authored for publication. Don't include the citation you received for helping out at the local community center, but do highlight any activities or achievements that underscore your dedication to your field and demonstrate your improved competency. For example:

• Member American Marketing Association - 1975 - Present
• Mid-Ohio Chapter President American Marketing Association - 1991-93
• "Building Powerful Brands" paper presented at American Marketing Association 9th Annual Convention - 1998  

Resume Cover Letter

Writing a Good Resume Cover Letter
Cover letters are just as import, or more important than the resume themselves. Your cover letter is taking out all your best characteristics and skills from your resume and putting them into a document to entice the prospective employer. The cover letter leads the employer to your resume, and then to deciding if you are going to make in onto the shortlist of prospective employees.

 

The cover letter is built on top of the resume, and being built it leads the employer to your resume. The goal of the cover letter is to get the employer excited about your resume. In essence, your cover letter is a salesman for your resume. It should let the employer know that you are special compared to all other applications, but try not to sound cocky. Try and address the cover letter to the actual person who will be reading it, not just "Dear Sir/Madam". It may take a bit of research, for example phones calls or looking on their website, but it often can be done.

You should keep you cover letter to a one page maximum. A cover letter should be around three or four paragraphs, starting with the opening paragraph. The opening paragraph gives the basics of what you are writing about. It should include which job you are applying for, the place that you heard about the job, and who you are personally.

The middle paragraph, or paragraphs, is where you must describe your relevant qualifications to the job you are applying for. Explain why you are a perfect fit for the job. Tell the employer what you can do for their organization, but don't talk about what they will do for you. Highlight how you have the right work ethic and attitude to be the perfect candidate for the job. It is also good to show that you know something about the organization. For example if it was a car company you could write "I find it a pleasure to see your newest car model on the roads, and am pleased with the way that you treat environmental issues."

The closing paragraph shouldn't actually be too closing. Make a note of any attachments there are such as your resume. You should be confident in saying things such as "I hope to hear from you soon" and also thank them for their time and consideration in looking at your application.

Remember when you have finished writing your cover letter to edit and proofread it. It is often an excellent idea to get a friend or family member to read over the cover letter. This is the first contact that you will ever have with you potential employer, so try and make first impressions last.

You can see some resume examples and resume cover letters having some very good resume cover letters for various jobs.

How to Write a Resume

A resume consists of several key components, and to write a good resume you need to cover all these aspects. The main items that are required on a resume include your name, contact details (address, telephone and optionally email), your objective, education, previous work experience and references. You may also include other additional information that may be relevant to the job you are applying for such as special interests, computer knowledge, and if you are multilingual you may write down the languages that you speak.
Name and contact details
It is important to put your real name on your resume, and not a nickname. This is to show that you are serious about the position you are applying for. It is also best to give your permanent, residential address so that employers can see where you are located. It is a good idea to list both your home phone number, and your mobile/cell phone number incase you are not available at home when the prospective employer rings.
Objective
This is often the focus point on your resume, it outlines to the employer what type of work that you are after and why you are after it. The resume objective should be a simple sentence or two that is directly related to what work you wish to gain and your qualifications or accomplishments. For more information on this visit .
Education
This is often one of the most important areas when writing a resume. It is important to list all the education you have achieved so that you distinguish yourself from other applicants. If you have a degree, be sure to include the type of degree you achieved (Bachelor, Masters, etc.), your majors, the institution attended, graduation date and years attended. It may be worth providing your grade average, and also any special awards and achievements that you have.
Work Experience
Work experience is also another very highly important category when writing a resume. It shows employers if you have had relevant past experience to the job you are applying for. Ensure that you list the name of the organization, location of the organization, your position with them and the dates you worked with them. You should also describe the work you done with them, ensuring that you use strong and words relevant to the job at hand (for example, if the job you are applying for relies heavily on teamwork, focus on the teamwork aspects in previous jobs). You should list any forms of volunteer work or internships.
Additional Information
This is the area in which you can list anything else that may be relevant, or put you ahead of other applicants. This could be for example if you are multilingual, you could list the languages that you speak. You can also list computer knowledge that you have if computers will be used in the workplace.
References
It is almost essential to include a reference list when writing a resume. References are most often people you have previously worked for, or if you haven't had a job before you could list teachers or family friends. You must ask references if you can put them on your resume before including them. It is best to have at least two people, and include there name, phone number, what relation they had and organization they work for. If you do not wish to provide references when you first submit you resume, you can write "References available upon request" in which the potential employer will ask you for them when they are ready.

If you are looking for some more information about how to write a good resume, we will like to recommend resume cover letter and resume examples.

Types of Resumes

You can choose to create your resume in any of three styles and pick from two alternative formats for their presentation. The three types of resumes are chronological, functional, and hybrid.(Chapter 3 helps you determine which type is best for you.) The two alternative formats are electronic and Internet.

 
The chronological resume
A chronological resume describes your work experience as history. It is structured around dates, employers, and titles, beginning with your most recent job and working backward to your first position in the workplace. This format enables you to demonstrate a steady progression of your work skills and responsibilities. On the other hand, this resume type also focuses the reader's attention on what you have done, rather than on what you can do. Indeed, the chronological resume is often described as the "obituary resume" because it's the perfect format for writing a worklife summary.

Chronological resumes are the most prevalent type of resume in circulation today - for many reasons. First, this account of a person's employment past is easier to write than either a functional or hybrid resume. It has a logical structure and requires information that the writer is likely to have readily at hand. Second, the chronological resume also makes the recruiter's job easier. It formats experience so that it can be quickly and accurately compared to the requirements for an open position and provides a reasonable structure for a follow-up interview.

The functional resume
A functional resume is a description of what you can do, arranged according to how well you can do it. Its organizing principle is your capabilities, not a chronology of your experience. In effect, a functional resume leads with your strength by focusing on your skills and abilities, regardless of when you applied them in your career. The details of your employment history are included only to the extent that they illustrate your functional expertise.

Functional resumes are not as popular as chronological resumes. They are more difficult to write and are not as easily used by recruiters. They require that you organize the presentation of your career information by the contribution you can make to a future employer rather than by what you did for an employer in the past. And they can be more difficult for recruiters to evaluate because they don't present your career in a traditional linear format. But functional resumes can be particularly effective in describing your qualifications if you don't have a long track record of work experience or if there are gaps in your work history - for child rearing, education, or to take time off - and therefore can't demonstrate an unbroken record of employment experience.

The hybrid resume
The hybrid resume, also called the "combination resume," attempts to combine the best elements of both the chronological and functional formats. It includes a brief history of your work record and a detailed description of your functional qualifications. Typically, you position the work history section after the presentation of your qualifications so that recruiters can quickly scan and evaluate your skills and experience.

Hybrid resumes are as difficult to write as functional resumes. Moreover, the addition of a work history section consumes space on your resume and can force you to cut information in order to keep the document at an acceptable length. Further, including two experience sections can cause overlap and redundancy in the information that you present. Nevertheless, this format provides almost everything a recruiter needs to evaluate your credentials: a summary of your past work record, plus a detailed description of the skills and abilities you can offer to a future employer.

The electronic resume
The electronic resume is a special format designed for the high-tech environment prevalent in human resource departments today. Many employers now rely on computer-based resume management systems to store and organize the resumes they receive from candidates. These systems require that your paper resume be converted into information that a computer can accept and use. The conversion is accomplished with a device called a scanner. Scanners are very sensitive, however, and can't process many of the standard features used in word-processed documents. Therefore, the only way you can ensure that your resume will be included in such systems is to reconfigure it to make the document "computer-friendly."

Electronic resumes involve adjustments to both the format and content of your resume. To help scanners "read" your resume, you have to eliminate all the underlining, italics, graphics, and other conventions you ordinarily use to structure and highlight your information. In addition, to help the computer find your resume in its database, you have to augment your resume's content with keywords that describe your background and skills. Finally, take precautions in producing your resume to avoid other problems that can affect its accurate processing into a resume management system.

The Internet resume
A growing number of employers are also using the Internet to acquire resumes from candidates. They post their open positions at their own Web sites and at commercial recruitment sites and even ask that responses to print advertisements be sent to a designated e-mail address. When you use the Internet to apply for these openings or to transmit your resume, you gain the advantage of speed. Your credentials arrive at the employer's human resource department where they can be processed and evaluated while the resumes of other job seekers are still working their way through the mail.

When you send your resume over the Internet, it usually travels in the body of an e-mail message. As with resume management systems, the software programs used to send e-mail don't transmit traditional printed documents well. The journey through cyberspace may garble their contents, rendering them unintelligible. To use the Internet effectively, you must configure your resume for online transmission. You have to convert it to plain unformatted text and narrow the margins of the document to a maximum of 65 characters. In addition, you must eliminate all Greek, mathematical, and business symbols from the body of your resume.
Don't send your resume as an attachment to an e-mail message. Many computer viruses are transmitted as attachments, so most human resource departments are now reluctant to open them.

Great Resume Examples

A great resume has four distinguishing features. Each of these features contributes to a positive first impression - in written form - and all of them are necessary if you want to make that impression linger.

 
A great resume sells your successes
A great resume promotes you as an employment candidate by highlighting your capabilities and accomplishments. It focuses on the successes you have enjoyed at work and the contributions you have made to other employers. Your resume is not the place to volunteer negative information; if asked, of course, you should provide a complete and accurate accounting of your employment record. A great resume describes the tasks you performed, the actions you took, and the benefits you delivered, all of which reaches beyond dull- sounding responsibility statements, such as "I was responsible for doing this or that." In short, a well-crafted presentation portrays you as a person who gets the job done, rather than someone who simply had a job description.

Some people are uncomfortable with proactively selling themselves. Pointing out your finest qualities is, however, the best way to differentiate yourself and your record. Selling your successes tells an employer that you understand what he or she is looking for and explains how, if hired, you are likely to perform on the job. Although you may feel like you're boasting, you're not. As the old saying notes, "It ain't braggin' if ya' done it."

A great resume tells the truth
A great resume is accurate and truthful. It portrays your employment record in the best possible light, but never by making misleading statements, fudging the facts, or exaggerating your role or accomplishments. Employers know that many resumes contain false information. As a result, they are now much more vigilant about checking employment dates, positions held, activities performed, and other details presented on resumes. And nothing will end your candidacy for that dream job more quickly than to be caught in a lie. So, don't risk it; rely on just the facts - without embellishment.

A great resume is error-free
A great resume has no spelling, grammatical, or typographical errors. It is neat, well written, and carefully edited. This type of resume gives employers two ways of looking at you: First, it provides the information they need to evaluate your employment record; and second, it affords them an insight into what you are like as a worker. An error-free resume demonstrates that you are a careful person who is attentive to detail and takes pride in your work.

A great resume is clear and complete, but also concise
A great resume or resume samples provides everything an employer needs to evaluate your qualifications for a position opening. Being complete, however, doesn't mean overstepping "enough, already." A great resume is never more than two pages long. Leave out any irrelevant information and facts that do not substantially enhance your employment credentials. In addition, present your information in short, hard-hitting statements that are easy to read and understand. Avoid flowery or pretentious language, run-on sentences, and long-winded paragraphs. 

First Step to Great Resume

The first step in writing an effective resume is to determine your employment objective: the specific goal you would like to achieve in your next job.
Setting your sights
Great resumes have a clear and distinct theme. Every detail included in the resume supports that theme and reinforces its impact on the reader. This theme is your objective; it has two elements:

1. The attributes and circumstances you want in your next job
2. A clear and positive relationship to your career and its advancement

In other words, your objective has both a near-term and a mid-to-longer-term purpose. The message you're conveying focuses on your immediate goal in the job market - to make very clear the kind of job, work, and employer you're seeking. Your objective also connects your past, current, and future jobs into an integrated strategy and direction for your career.

Determining your objective requires that you know what professional interests you have and what potential positions may allow you to express those interests. In addition, you need a realistic sense of your current skill level and expertise in your chosen field. You then can figure the level and scope of position for which you are competitive. Achieving such understanding involves both introspection and research. You must know yourself and the workplace and continually update that knowledge as you grow and develop and the workplace changes.

Taking stock of your interests and making sure that they are aligned with your work is necessary whether you're a first- time job seeker, a seasoned worker at mid-career, or a highly paid expert in your field. To help you with the process of self- exploration, use one or both of the following exercises.

The lottery. Imagine that you won a huge jackpot in the lottery. Suddenly, finances are no longer an issue. The mortgage is paid, money is put away for the kids' educations, and your retirement program is generously funded. Now, you can do whatever you want to do with your life's work. What would that be? What activity would get you up in the morning and give you the most satisfaction at the end of the day? Describe it in a few lines - either on paper or in an electronic document that you can refer to.

Your tombstone. You spend much of your life at work. Aside from your family, faith, and friends, your career is probably the most important aspect of your life. If you suddenly learned that you were terminally ill, how would you like to be remembered? What would you be most proud of having accomplished at work? What would give you the greatest satisfaction? Write your thoughts down.

If you're a first-time job seeker, you may have to research which occupations and specific jobs provide the opportunity to express these interests and abilities. If you are a seasoned workplace veteran who is in transition or seeking greater satisfaction in your work, you may need to explore alternative career fields. Whatever your situation, you can find such information at college and university career centers, state employment security offices, public libraries, and on the Internet. For example, America's Job Bank offers a Career InfoNet that can help you identify career paths and opportunities.

Getting help
If you need help pinpointing your career interests, you can find several assessment exercises available through professional career counselors and centers. These include the following:

• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• The Keirsey Temperament Test
• The Self-Directed Search (SDS)
• The Unisex Edition of the ACT Interest Inventory (UNIACT)
• The Vocational Interest Inventory (VII)
• The Career Occupational Preference System Interest Inventory (COPS)