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You
have approximately twenty-two seconds for your resume
to grab the reader and guarantee you an interview.
Your resume is a summary of your career highlights
and history, but also needs to be your marketing material.
To make sure your resume hits the mark, here are some
basic tips to follow:
Get
Straight to the Point
Do
not put anything in your resume that could knock you
out as a candidate. Leave off the "objective" because
they tend to be too specific. Employers read resumes
until they read something that doesn't fit with the
job posted, then it goes to the reject pile. Begin
your resume with a summary of your qualifications.
Give a brief overview of your skills in a few short
sentences, such as:
Manager
with strong background in human resources, training,
strategic planning, budget, benefits and compensation,
process improvement, organizational development,
and all operations.
The
next item to list on your resume should be your professional
highlights. What have you accomplished over your career?
All of your professional highlights must be quantifiable.
The sort of items you list here (in bullet form) include:
- Increased
sales by 38%
- Achieved "Employee
of the Year" Award two years in a row
- Lowered
scrap parts by 52%
- Developed
program to shorten lead time by two weeks
Now
you can list your work history. Show your work history
chronologically with the most recent job first. Give
the dates you worked for the company, the name of the
company with their address, and your title.
| 1997
to Present |
ABC
Company, Manager of Operations
2200 DEF Lane, City, State |
| 1994
to 1997 |
Widget.Com,
Web Developer
123 Internet Dr., City, State |
Your
education comes next on this target resume. You should
list the name of the schools you attended and the degree
you received. If you didn't complete a degree, list
the dates attended and the major emphasis of study.
You can list your education first on your resume if
you believe it is very important to the job for which
you are applying. If it is not that important, or you
think it could hurt your chances, list it in this section
so the reader has time to get to know your other qualifications
before reading your education.
Finally,
list any professional organizations you belong to and
your status in each. Also list if you are an officer.
And last, but not least…list your keywords. Many companies
today use applicant-tracking systems. When they enter
your data into the system they usually have to enter
keywords under which to look you up. It is much better
for you to list your keywords, than to depend on a
personnel clerk to figure them out.
To
Lie or not to Lie?
Is
it ever okay to lie on your resume? Absolutely not!
If you are not completely honest on your resume, the
chance the employer will find out is very great. If
you are honest and straight, forward on your resume,
it will impress the employer. If it doesn't, then you
should just move on to the next opportunity.
What
About Printed Resumes?
Here
are a few general guidelines for printed resumes:
- Keep
your resume to one page if possible, and don't go
over two pages. Remember, you get only twenty-two
seconds read time on the resume itself. You can always
take additional information to the interview.
- Use
plain white resume paper. The employer will be making
copies of your resume and white reproduces nicely.
- Avoid
linen and recycled papers because they do not provide
good copies.
- Make
sure you have a one-inch border all the way around
your resume. This will be very appealing to the reader's
eye.
Once
you get your resume completed, don't keep it to yourself.
Always carry copies of your resume with you. Hand them
out strategically at professional meetings, to friends
and relatives, and to others who could assist you in
your job-hunt. Targeted resumes are invaluable in any
job market. Build yours and see how the interviews
start pouring in.
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