Resurrecting the Perfect Resume, Part One
Is your resume dead? Don't be so quick to say, "No way!" Of the hundreds of resumes I've seen written by job seekers of all backgrounds and educational levels, easily 95% qualify to be labelled as dead-but-not-yet-buried. A dead resume lacks a clear structure or chronology, does not present or quantify achievements, fails to offer a "big picture" of what you would bring to the employer and is impersonal rather than expressive. Worse yet, a dead resume fails to win you the response you're hoping for from the employer: an invitation for a job interview. To win more job interviews and dramatically increase the quality of opportunities your resume can help you attract, strip your resume down to bare bones and resurrect it using the same techniques professional resume writers use to reposition job seekers whose own job search campaigns have failed to yield the results they need. Problem #1:  Resume Lacks Structure    You cannot create a resume without first creating a structure for it. Resumes are complicated documents that include different types of information which they communicate to different types of readers. If your resume has a poor structure it will make no sense to the reader; he or she will simply discard your resume and move on the next one in the pile, and you will count yourself lucky to even get a rejection letter. Solution #1:  Create A Strong Skeleton For Your Resume - Be as specific as possible in the content you want to communicate. Â
- Match your content to the job you are applying for and the industry you seek to enter.Â
- Avoid jargon yet be sure to use industry-specific key words.
- Organize and sequence all of your dates and details.  You didn't edit, then write and then initiate; you initiated, then wrote and then edited.Â
- List dates chronologically but in reverse order.Â
- Combine like skills together.Â
- Choose a resume style (chronological, functional, skills-based combination) that highlights your accomplishments.
- List resume sections with most important section first, least important section last and all other sections in their appropriate place in between those two poles. Education should rarely be listed first unless you seek work either in academia or in a field where education is paramount, such as in medicine.
- Be consistent in how you record information.  Begin bulleted sentences and phrases with the same parts of speech. Give the same level of detail in all resume sections. Use first person for verbs, not second. It is inappropriate to refer to yourself in the second person as if you are someone else: "Resolves customer complaints promptly," really means, "Mary resolves customer complaints promptly." To imply, "I resolve customer complaints promptly," say, "Resolve customer complaints promptly."
- Double check all your details. Edit your resume at least three times yourself, then invite knowledgeable others to edit it as well. Then edit it again yourself, this time reading the whole document backwards, word by word. Do not rely on spell checkers to do this for you - they are only as thorough as you are!
Problem #2:  Resume Contains No Substance Many job seekers write a resume with structure but no substance, with a skeleton but no muscles. Remember that your resume is your brochure; its job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses and sell the reader on the idea of interviewing you. To accomplish this you must layer details and specific examples into your key resume sections. Solution #2:  Layer Achievement Muscles Onto Your Resume Skeleton
- Highlight the most vital points.Â
- Add deeper levels of detail; articulate clearly and succinctly.Â
- Tell success stories with brevity and power.Â
- Make each word count.Â
- Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your reader's eyes to what you most want them to read.Â
- Describe results and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
- Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories. What did you do? How did you do it? Why? With and for whom? Where? When? What results did you achieve? Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume. Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
- Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form.  Let's say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily. Let's also say that you worked five days a week. Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
- Put yourself in your reader's shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections. Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them. If you know you lack specific experience, then go out of your way to translate your background into language and skill sets a potential employer will want to hear.Â
- What assumptions do you fear an employer will make about you? That you're too old? Too young? Inexperienced? Overqualified? Build resume muscles on these specific issues by challenging assumptions before they can be raised.
- Use action verbs and concrete, quantifiable nouns. Avoid passive verbs. Use verbs that communicate to your reader's senses and create the impression of action.Â
- Avoid vague terms like "several", "many" and "some"; try specific numbers or number ranges instead.Â
- Choose verbs and nouns that demonstrate the highest level of skill you have achieved.
Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live. Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's busy women. For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com. | | | | RELATED ARTICLES Is Your Job Search Guided by the Controller or the Controllee? I'll define what I mean by these terms."The Controller" is a job seeker that is ruled by doing everything right. He/shehas read all of the appropriate books,done a good job composing a resume,but is still unemployed. Simple Interviewing That Works Powerful questions to get below the surface Losing a Career When Youre Moving for Love Those who watched HBO's Sex and the City (SATC, now available on DVD) know the last eight episodes were less about sex and more about city. And the last three episodes, taken together could serve as a case study for a decision faced by many clients Should I follow my heart or hang on to my job? Use Job Search Hacks to Get Hired Faster Job searching alone is like hitchhiking a scary ride with an unknown stranger on a 180-mile long deserted, no-exit road with hopes you'll make your destination. When you lack time or expertise to plan career moves carefully, sometimes the loss of ground is not apparent until years later. You can get trapped in a black hole and frustrated that your career is not advancing to full potential. Ever feel imprisoned in positions that lacked adequate reward, satisfaction, challenge or a future? Job Interviews: Succeeding with Panel Interviews These days, job interviews often consist of a panel of three-to-six interviewers. Home Healthcare Careers One of the fastest growing sectors of the medical industry is that of home health. There are many reasons for this growth, but most important are: Hiring the Perfect Fit Through ELance.com Outsourcing has moved upward in the most-improved columns of efficiency and respectability through eLance.com. This website offers time-saving access to high-quality expertise that enables you to offload projects for quick completion, while maximizing your budget and letting you focus on those items not easily delegated. If the project you have in mind falls into one of the twelve categories currently supported by eLance, you are literally in business: 1) Software & Technology, 2) Writing & Translation, 3) Sales & Marketing, 4) Management & Finance, 5) Legal, 6) Website Development, 7) Graphic Design & Art, 8) Search Advertising, 9) Administrative Support, 10) Training & Development, 11) Audio, Video & Multi-media, and 12) Architecture & Engineering. Talented People I was asked last week for an article about employment, "What is your favorite 'employment phrase'?" Make Your Career Offshore Proof There has been a lot of talk recently about American jobs moving overseas?offshoring is the buzzword for it. During difficult economic times it is often easy to find a scapegoat to blame for a downturn in jobs. While government reports and politicians try to downplay the impact, offshoring is something to take seriously. This article will discuss the permanent effect offshoring will have on U.S. jobs and what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen to you. Hospital Staff at Great Risk of Attack and Injury Whilst at Work There are millions of people working extremely hard every day in the UK to ensure that the public are healthy and recover from illness or accidents. Countless medical staff around the country study hard to become doctors and nurses and then work long hours and endure stressful situations in order to save the lives of men women and children every day. These people are present day saints and have chosen the caring professions because they genuinely want to help others. Sadly though, their efforts sometimes are not appreciated. How to Prepare for A Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal should be treated as an ongoing developmental process rather than a formal once-a-year review. It should be closely monitored by both employee and reviewer to ensure that targets are being achieved. By preparing yourself diligently and demonstrating a willingness to co-operate with your reviewer to develop your role, you will create a positive impression. You Are Lucky in Your Career! You Are Lucky in Being Satisfied in Your Career How to Close Your Interview and Leave a Lasting Positive Impression Closing the Interview Job Interviews: Six Steps to Acing a Telephone Interview Telephone interviews are becoming more popular these days. Whether that's good or bad depends on how you handle them! Ten Things To Do When You Really, Really Hate Your Job 1. Begin focusing on what you want instead of how much you want to escape. When you find yourself sharing the latest horror story, stop in mid-sentence and say, "What I want to have is..." When Bad Interviews Happen to Good Candidates Going through the motions of a bad interview is like peeling back the layers of an onion. Sally learned this lesson the hard way, hands-on during an interview that should have been a piece of cake. Sally applied for a position that fit her qualifications perfectly. When she received an invitation to interview, Sally believed she was a shoo-in for the job. Feeling confident, she approached the interview in a lax manner. She didn't prepare and prematurely celebrated an offer she was convinced would be extended. Does Your Resume Have What It Takes To Survive The First Cut? Qualifications" or "Personal Profile") uses bullets and succinct wording to highlight what is likely to most intrigue the employer. Before writing this section, make a list of the 5 to 10 criteria that are most likely to guide the employer's choice ? then summarize your qualifications in a way that speaks directly to the employer's interests. Your First Job "Your first job is an extension of your education" Ask Me No Questions, Ill Tell You No Lies If only there were no questions involved in getting a job! Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:
|