Effective
Resume Writing
by: Dave
Lympany A lot of places around the
world call it A Curriculum Vitae, in North America,
it's a Résumé. This is definitely one of the most
important tools that any jobseeker has at their
disposal. You may be THE best candidate for a
particular job by a long way, however, if you
don't make it to the interview stages the company
will never know.
Many companies (especially the larger corporations)
will use computer software to "read"
all the résumé's and reject any that don't fit
a particular template. This may seem unfair, but
it's cost effective.
So, for some jobs you have to beat the computer
and still read well enough for someone who may
not have any knowledge of the position you are
applying for. It is definitely worthwhile to adapt
your resume for the position that is advertised.
There may well be some of the "buzz"
words the "filter" is looking for mentioned
in the job description.
It is very important that you can substantiate
all the claims you make, preferably with physical
examples or letters. This will be essential in
any in interview situation.
There is now a wealth of information available
online, from books, local employment offices and
with professional writing agencies. You can also
access other people's résumé's that are posted
online which will give some great ideas for style
and content.
Professional writers may seem the answer, but,
all the research I have done seems to lean away
from them. I have never used one and feel that
it will give a good impression if you have written
it yourself (this will display literacy). Apparently,
if they are professionally written, they are easy
to spot; however, they may be worth the expense
if you are stuck. You can always "customise"
what has been written to make it your own work.
In my case, I had been in the military since
I left school and had never written a resume or
had an interview. I spent a lot of time writing,
copying other people's styles and changing things.
I didn't realise how difficult it is to catch
up on 16 years - I'll never allow mine to go out
of date again! I found the hardest part was to
actually start writing. The best advice I was
given was to just write anything that you can
think of and it will soon start to flow. With
modern word processors it's relatively quick and
easy to cut and paste so you can keep on changing
it until you are happy. More detailed information
can be found at
http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/resume.html
Good Luck!!!!! |
