Today's job market is competitive. Many
companies receive hundreds of resumes
a year, making it difficult for yours
to stand out from the crowd. However,
that should not keep you from getting
interviews. The following 10 tips will
help you learn how to get employers to
read your resume and get your phone ringing.
1. Include a profile
Begin your resume with a profile, which
contains a synopsis of your varied skills
and educational qualifications. This profile
should match the particular job you want
to apply for. State your career objective
clearly so that the reader gets an overall
idea of your background and areas of expertise.
Write this section in such a manner that
it immediately catches the attention of
a hiring manager, and he calls you instead
of someone else.
2. Keep the resume short
No one has the time to go through elaborate
detailing about your past jobs and experiences.
Therefore, keep the resume short. Make
a list of the most important jobs you
have held and give a brief of your previous
job-oriented experiences. However, in
the case of technical people, resumes
can extend to three pages in order to
include relevant technical information.
3. Give more importance on content than
on looks
One of the major mistakes people make
while creating resumes is in the use of
fancy fonts. Avoid using fancy fonts and
do not change font regularly throughout
the resume. Changing fonts regularly will
distract and confuse a hiring manager.
Do not use underlining or italics to add
emphasis. Make your document eye appealing
so that your reader can review it with
ease. Use white paper and make the thoughts
flow smoothly.
4. Clearly identify your skills
Do not be modest in mentioning your skills.
Clearly identifying your skills will distinguish
you from the other job seekers and eventually
help your potential employers to select
you from the rest. Remember, all you have
to do is to stand out from the crowd.
5. List your educational and professional
qualifications
Include any relevant education or training
that might relate. Provide details of
only those qualifications that match your
current job search. This will help you
to get short-listed more easily.
6. Focus on your job responsibilities
Starting with your present position or
most recent job, mention the title of
every job you have held, along with the
name of the company, the city and state,
and the years you have worked there. Under
each position, make a list of your job
responsibilities. Use descriptive verbs,
such as created, increased, performed,
initiated, developed, led, improved or
reduced to begin each statement of your
duties and accomplishments. Producing
a document that is well presented, detailed
and targeted will attract the attention
of your hiring manager.
7. Add related qualifications and interests
Think about anything else that might
qualify you for your job objective and
place it at the bottom of your resume.
It may include licenses, certifications,
awards and achievements, and sometimes
even your hobbies and interests if they
truly relate. If you seek a job in a music
company, for example, stating on your
resume that you are a pianist will increase
your chance to get that interview call.
8. Be honest with your resume
If you did not actually do what you said
you did, it would be called a lie. Numerous
surveys show that job applicants lie most
frequently about education and employment,
particularly about job responsibilities
and dates of employment. Hiding gaps in
employment and jobs where they were forced
to leave by the respective employers is
also common. There are many risks involved
in lying, but many job applicants do not
seem to get the message about the risks
of lying. Once you are caught with a lie,
you will be fired then and there. So,
DON"T lie - be honest with your resume.
9. Always attach a covering letter
A cover letter is a letter of introduction
that highlights your key achievements
and skills and entitles you for a job
opening. It reflects your communication
skills and your personality. The main
purpose of this document is to introduce
yourself in such an interesting manner
that the reader will not only continue
reading your resume but also be willing
to call you for an interview.
If you want to create cover letters for
any career situation, position, and job
level, I recommend a unique resume/ cover
letter tool on the Internet today called
Amazing Cover Letter Creator (http://pes2004.amazingcl.hop.clickbank.net).
I recommend this tool, because it solves
the frustrating problem job seekers have
when trying to write an effective resume
cover letter. You can use it over and
over again for all your cover letter needs.
10. Proofread your resume
After you have finalized your employment
documents, check them repeatedly for errors
in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Spelling and grammatical errors can automatically
disqualify a resume from consideration.
If you make mistakes on your employment
documents, hiring managers might presume
you will be equally careless on the job
- no matter how important your qualifications
and experiences are. Proofread your resume
and cover letter carefully.
Make your resume positive and completely
error-free. If you are seeking two or
three different positions, prepare two
or three separate resumes, each tailored
to the job you are targeting. Make your
resume exclusive and unique so that it
stands out from the crowd. Good luck for
your career!
This article was posted on September
11, 2005
