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How to Write a Resume That Stands Out From The CrowdArticle Category : Resume Presentation 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. 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! About the Author: Rumki Sen is the founder of Perfect Editing Solutions (http://www.perfectediting.com), a professional firm providing Resume Writing, Proofreading and Copyediting services. Get your resume and cover letter prepared or edited at highly affordable prices by her company’s resume writing services. Submit your information online and receive your perfect resume and cover letter within 2-3 days. Contact Rumki Sen at rumki@perfectediting.com Visit her blog at http://wordshavepower.blogspot.com
Article Category : Resume Presentation Using a general resumeDON’T DO IT! You cannot successfully use the same resume to apply to several different jobs. Your resume should be custom written for each job you are targeting. When you send out something generic, it shows apathy and lack of motivation. This is NOT the impression you want to send to your potential employers. Irrelevant content. For example, if you are applying for an accounting position, don’t list your lifeguard position you held back in 1989. Spouses, children, hobbies, and your favorite movie genre are also irrelevant tidbits that should remain private. Creative fonts. Even if your choice looks easy to read on your screen, it may not be on someone else’s screen. For example, if I use Arial, Verdana, or Times New Roman, anyone with MS Word can view these fonts. If I were to use my cool Futurama Alien Font, most likely it would look all jumbled up on someone else’s system. “References Available Upon Request” This statement is unnecessary. An employer assumes that if you are job searching that you have professional references readily available. Objective statement. Your resume needs a clear goal, but the traditional objective statement is outdated. Hiring managers don’t care that you want a “challenging position utilizing my experience and creativity…” Everyone knows the objective is to get the interview. Instead, try using a headline followed by a compelling summary of your relevant skills. This is a better way to present what you have to offer your potential employer. Using a resume to replace a job application. A resume is not a job application. The reason for leaving your last job, previous supervisors’ names, and rate of pay don’t belong on your resume This is information can hurt you more than help you, so leave it off of your resume Jennifer Anthony is the owner of ResumeASAP, offering professional and affordable rresume writing services. If you have comments about this article, or if you are interested in learning more about professional resume writing, please contact Jennifer Anthony by e-mail or by calling 1-888-722-5211.
Article Category : Resume Presentation Looking for a new job, whether it is with a new company or a promotion within your own organisation, requires time and effort. To make your job search more effective you need to take five fundamental steps on the road to success:?Analysing your skills ?Writing a winning Resume ?Managing your job search ?Coaching for interview success ?Negotiating your job offer Step 1: Analysing your Skills The most crucial step in the job search process is to assess what skills you have to offer to your future boss. At an interview you will have to tell your story. An interviewer will not remember your precise details, but they will remember your story, once it is filled with practical examples. This means that you have to be able to explain the four ‘what’s’ of your job: ?What do you do? ?What skills do you require to successfully carry out your role? ?What have you achieved? ?What benefit did your company get from employing you? The answers to these questions can be used to draft a one-minute sound bite of the skills that you have to offer to your future boss. This sales pitch should incorporate details about your role, your achievements and your personal qualities and should be tailored to the position you are applying for. For example, ‘experienced Software Engineer who has worked in a multinational telecommunications environment; part of a team that developed an innovative process for a groundbreaking platform; proficient in all aspects of the development life cycle; used a variety of languages particularly C++ and Java; excellent organisational skills combined with a practical and resourceful approach to problem solving’. Step 2: Writing a Winning Resume This summary of your skills becomes the cornerstone of your resume. Your resume must be tailored to the needs of your future boss so customise it accordingly. Here are some guidelines to assist you to write a winning resume: Aim for a two-page resume - page one should be devoted to how your skills match the position with a emphasis on your recent career details. Page two to your less recent career history, education, training and relevant personal details. Decide on your key selling points. Provide evidence of this experience. Include quantification - reduction in costs, increase in efficiency, improvement in processes, saving in time, etc. Use simple, jargon free words - if techno speak is required, explain it! Decide on the style after the structure and content have been finalised. Step 3: Managing your Job Search The third step to securing your job search success is to manage the process. There are three elements to effectively managing your job search process: ?Controlling channels ?Analysing jobs ?Constructing compelling cover letters Controlling channels There are four distinct job search channels. Draw on all four to maximise your success: 1. Contacts - use (in a positive sense!) all of the people that you know, both professionally and personally. 2. Media - this includes newspapers (both national and local) and professional/trade magazines. 3. Agencies - access both online sources and the more traditional recruitment agencies. 4. Direct approach - get in touch with companies that require your skills set. Analysing jobs Each job that you apply for is different, so you have to analyse its requirements to ensure a match between you and the role. This entails assessing the job description, the person specification and the environment within which the role operates. Draw up a checklist of the skills required for that job. If you have at least a 60% match, apply! Constructing compelling cover letters Your cover letter (typed!) should contain three paragraphs: ?Why you are applying for the job ?How your skills match the requirements of the position ?What outcome you want to achieve (an interview!) Step 4: Coaching for Interview Success Your interviewer wants to know two things - can you do the job and will you fit in. Your RESUME prompts the interviewer’s questions in relation to ‘can you do the job’. These questions revolve around the who, what, when, where, how and why of your current job (the technical details of your job). The issue of whether you will fit in is crucial to your interview success. You may be technically superb, but if your interviewer believes that you will ‘upset the applecart’, he/she will not hire you. This means that your interview preparation should also concentrate on the non-technical aspects of your role. For example, how you relate to your colleagues and boss, how you have contributed to your team, how you have resolved potential interpersonal difficulties, etc. Regardless of whether you are talking about the technical aspects of your job, or the non-technical elements, use real life examples to illustrate your point. Provide a picture in the interviewer’s mind of the competent, capable person that you are. Step 5: Managing your Job Offer Following a successful interview, build on your success by negotiating an attractive job offer. This involves maximising your remuneration package and ensuring that your contract of employment exceeds the legal minimum. Know what you own requirements are but make sure that they are in line with the reality of today’s labour market. You also need to ensure that all of your referees give you a glowing reference and that they emphasise the skills that you want highlighted. About the Author
Article Category : Resume Presentation, Resume Standards Have you been spending money on countless job boards, only to find that they don’t offer the types of candidates you need? If the answer is yes, don’t fret any longer, you’re about to learn crafty techniques to help you find free resumes on the net. There are numerous free resources online that offer resumes. These include: Free Resume Databases; Free Member Resumes on Association websites; Free College and Alumni resumes on University websites; Free Resume Newsgroups; Free Resume Blaster sites and active and passive resumes hosted on individual candidate websites. All of these resources can be found by using simple search techniques. You will soon have hundreds of free resumes at your fingertips. The first step is to utilize multiple search engines since they will each offer different sites. The top 10 search engines suggested are: http://www.google.com, http://www.yahoo.com, http://www.altavista.com, http://www.excite.com, http://www.hotbot.com, http://www.alltheweb.com, http://www.galaxy.com, http://www.search.aol.com, http://www.msn.com, http://www.lycos.com. The search engines offer their own search features and they vary slightly. Therefore, it’s important to always read the search tips and check out the advanced search tool for each search engine. The common search symbols used across most search engines are called Boolean phrases. Using Boolean Phrases The first step is to choose one of the search engines from the above list and type the address in your Internet browser. Then decide what key words would be effective for finding the type of resource you want. Once you have a list of key words, use the following Boolean techniques to run the most efficient search. ? If searching for a phrase on a webpage, place the statement between quotation marks. Example: “free resume database” ? If searching for multiple words use the word AND between each word. Make sure to capitalize all 3 letters. Example: free AND resumes AND java ? If interested in finding one or more words, use the term OR between your key words. Example: “free resumes” AND java OR oracle OR php ? If looking for resumes that have a specific word with multiple possible endings such as: manager, management, managed, use an asterisk at the end of the base word. Example: manage* This will pull websites with all of the words that start with that base word. ? If searching for specific titles, type the word title: and then fill in the title of choice. Example: title: free resumes. This will pull websites with the words Free Resumes in the html title. ? If looking for URLs that have the word resume in the URL address, type the command URL: resume. ? If looking for a website with specific text such as: free resume search, type the command text: free resume search. Below you’ll find suggestions of Boolean phrases and keywords to use that will help you find the free resume resources listed above. At the end of this article you will also find a suggested website that can give you access to hundreds of free resume resources instantly. Free Resume Databases (These sites allow you to search through a database of resumes) ? “free resume database” ? “search for free” AND resumes ? “free resume search” ? text: free resumes ? free AND resume* Association Websites offering Member Resumes (Many associations or organizations offer sections on their websites where members, who are looking for jobs, can post their resumes) ? “member resumes” AND association OR organization ? url: memberresumes ? text: search member resumes ? member AND resumes ? title: association AND resumes Free College and Alumni resumes at University websites (Some Universities offer a section on their website where students, looking for internships, can post their resumes. Some also have pages where alumni can also post their resumes, when searching for work) ? “alumni resumes” ? url: edu AND resumes ? alumni OR student AND resumes ? text: alumni resumes ? university AND resumes OR cv Free Resume Newsgroups (Newsgroups are email lists where people can post various things. There are several free resume newsgroups.) ? “free resumes” AND newsgroups ? newgroup* AND resumes ? url: newsgroup ? text: newsgroup Free Resume Blaster Sites (These sites send resumes to your inbox after you fill out a form describing the types of resumes you need.) ? “resume distribution” ? “blast your resume” Active or Passive individual candidate resumes on individual web pages. (There are thousands of personal resumes posted on the web. Some are active and some passive. Using the 4 numbers of the current year in your search can help you find more active resumes) ? url: resume AND 2005 ? url: resume AND java AND oracle AND php ? resume AND experience AND education AND java OR oracle ? title: resume AND manage* Now you’re ready to begin your search for free resume resources. If you find that your busy schedule doesn’t allow enough time for you to run searches to find a substantial amount of free resume resources, you should visit http://www.freeresumesites.com. They have already compiled an extensive list of hundreds of free resume databases, association websites, college resume sites, free resume newsgroups, free resume blaster sites, free job posting sites and links to pages that offer individual resumes. They charge a very minimal fee to access this list. This site can save you time and will provide you with all-of-the free resume resources mentioned in this article. Remember, the Internet is an amazing resource for recruiters and if you don’t want to spend large sums of money on useless job boards, you now have the skills it takes to find free resumes. Good luck with your recruiting efforts! Kim Proulx is a professional Internet Researcher with 10 years of experience.
Article Category : Resume Presentation, Resume Standards Looking for a job? just graduated from your studies ? if the answer is yes, you should be looking for a job at this moment. If you are looking for a job, you would need to have a resume in the first place to land yourself an interview to impress your new boss or company. At Resume Standards, I have compiled a set of free resumes template which would help you the candidate have a starting point to write your resumes. Just download the resume and edit accordingly and you are done.
Article Category : Resume Presentation May I explain what about what a red ball means to me and how I counsel others as a career coach.A RED BALL is a symbol of what you can do and want, especially in a job search. Here are some uses for a RED BALL, especially when you are stuck for ideas and resources to get your next job. 1. Play with it! Bounce it! See how high it will go. Be silly with it! (No, this is not intended as a ‘feel good’ exercise). It is a way to free your imagination for goals and ideas about what you want to do next. 2. Carry it with you when you are out and about looking for a job. If you are not afraid of risk, ask others you meet to bounce it! You’ll be surprised at how others will react. If some people think you are peculiar and don’t want to play with you, you don’t want them as RESOURCE PEOPLE who will help you as you explain that the red ball is a symbol of what you are looking for. Engage those folks in conversation, please, who want to play ball with you. 3. Keep the ball at home to look at and imagine your success, it is a PLAYFUL SYMBOL of what is waiting for you! Success as play! c, 2004-05 Marilyn J. Tellez, M.A. Certified Job & Career Transition Coach Email: doitnow@nwinfo.net Web: http://www.doitnowcareers.info
Article Category : Resume Presentation Question: How do I market myself online?Answer: With a stellar cover letter and resume. Okay, so let’s get into the meat of this. You know that you need to market yourself, and you can do that with a stellar cover letter and resume. But, why is that so important? Let’s think about this. When you apply offline for a job, you are competing with a handful of people (usually) and right there you have a better chance to get called in for an interview. Online jobs you are often competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other applicants for the very same position. In the “real world” you apply in person. Therefore, you can dress for success and put your best foot forward. You can impress them with your presence and personality. Online you can’t. What’s your “best foot forward” online? That would be your cover letter and resume ? how you present yourself on paper. Your cover letter and resume have to show your skills and your personality; it has to be your presence. How do you put your best foot forward with your cover letter and resume? A telecommuting employer (one who hires work at home employees) is looking for different things on cover letters and resumes then those offline. Let’s talk about cover letters first. If you’re not sending a cover letter with your resume then this might be one of the reasons you’re not getting hired. The cover letter is your VERY first impression. Take the time to show you’re very serious about the job they have open. See if you can find who the head of HR is, and address it to that person. Tailor your cover letter to that specific position. This is optional, but I always put where I found the position (for example, “The position I’m applying for is Customer Service, which I found at XYZ.com”). I always did that even with offline jobs, but it’s not necessary. I think some employers just like to know where you heard about their job. This is especially helpful online because jobs get passed around and around online. It could have started out on a certain website and then ended up on hundreds of others. Make sure you pay attention to the job ad. Does it say you need DSL? Does it say you will be working with certain software? Whatever the requirements, if you meet them, put that down on the cover letter. The employer will scan over your cover letter, and you want what’s on yours to stand out and grab their eye. If you have what they need, you’re going to grab their attention ? and that’s what you want! Overall, you want to pay attention to detail, outline why you’re the best person for the job (without going on too long about how great you are), and point out that you have what is required for the job. Nell Taliercio is the owner of a leading work at home mom resource website packed full of unique information for the telecommuter, business owner and virtual assistant. Visit http://www.mommysplace.net today!
Article Category : Resume Presentation A winning CV has 2 objectives: To illustrate your strengths and maximise your chances of getting through to interview and to put factual information, such as dates, places, names together in a presentable and readable form. Focal Point Presentation Once you have compiled your draft copy you must edit it. Headings Employment History Qualifications Interests Finally Copyright 2005 CVwriting.net
Article Category : Resume Presentation Gone are the days of the bland, generic one-page resume. Employers these days are more impressed by a resume that is customized and they tend to give jobs to interviewees that have a bit of knowledge about the company.By doing your research, you’re showing initiative, which impresses potential employers. It will also help you decide whether or not you would feel comfortable working for the company, and would fit in with others at the office and the overall atmosphere. Researching the company can also help you ace the dreaded job interview, since it will give you an idea of what you want to communicate, and how you can incorporate that sentiment into the company philosophy. Overall, it will decrease stress levels because you’re already just a bit more prepared than the average applicant. So relax? and start your research! Here are five tips to customizing your resume: 1- Visit the company’s website: read past the obvious introductory pieces. Pay special attention to the layout and design- they should give clues as to the type of company it is. If possible, familiarize yourself with the key players in the company. 2- Go beyond the company site: Google the company name, and read some of the recent news articles, annual reports or any other relevant information you can find. 3- Seek out the competitors: talk to anyone you know who works for one of the competitors to find out how your potential employer is viewed in their industry. 4- Inquire around the water cooler: ask your friends and co-workers what they know about the company. 5- Pick up the phone: call the company, and ask the receptionist their views on the company, including dress code, organization, leadership style, and overall office atmosphere. About The Author Jessica Klein is a member of the ‘Mount Real Research Team’, whose aim is to seek out and distribute business information to the virtual public. She is a freelance writer based in Montreal, Canada who loves writing about anything from accounting to zebras. For more info about Mount Real, visit www.mountreal.com.
Article Category : Resume Presentation Good News for Employers wishing to change the terms of employment of employees, however, employers must still take care.In Scott & Co v Richardson [2005], the Dependant, Mr Richardson, who worked for a Scottish firm of debt collectors, refused to accept his new terms of employment which required him to visit defaulting debtors during the evenings. Mr Richardson agreed to work evenings but only if this would continue to attract overtime payments as had previously been the case. Scott & Co tried for seven months to persuade Mr Richardson to change his mind but he refused, finally issuing an ultimatum that his employer should either accept his position or dismiss him. They chose to dismiss him. At first instance, Scott & Co claimed that the change in working conditions was required to bring the company into line with new market practices and to allow them to plan work more cheaply and effectively. Mr Richardson argued that Scott & Co had failed to prove that there were advantages to the new working arrangements and that the real reason for the changes was to save money in overtime payments. Mr Richardson succeeded in his claim for unfair dismissal and the Employment Tribunal held that it did not appear that the imposition of the shift system was of such discernible advantage that the only reasonable thing to do was to terminate the employee’s contract unless he would agree to the new arrangement. On appeal the EAT overturned this decision and held that:- A Tribunal should not ’second guess’ an employer’s business decision; A Tribunal should evaluate whether dismissal was due to the employer’s reasonable belief that the contract changes had advantages; and The employer did not need to prove that those advantages objectively exist. This is good news for employers who can rely on the principle that the tribunal must respect their commercial decisions in assessing whether a fair reason for dismissal has been shown. However this must be tempered by another EAT decision in Forshaw and others v Archcraft Limited [2005], where the EAT relied on its own assessment that the clause in question was unreasonable and found that the dismissal was unfair. In Forshaw the EAT said that while the tribunal generally will not re-open the commercial decisions of an employer’s management, however, a reason which is genuinely held but is trivial or unworthy or whimsical will mean that the dismissal is unfair. Comment: Provided that care is taken, changes to employment terms which are supported by sound commercial reasons will be acceptable under the law. If you require further information contact us. Email: enquiries@rtcoopers.com ?RT COOPERS, 2005. This Briefing Note does not provide a comprehensive or complete statement of the law relating to the issues discussed nor does it constitute legal advice. It is intended only to highlight general issues. Specialist legal advice should always be sought in relation to particular circumstances. Employment solicitors, employment law, employment lawyers, employment law firm, redundancies, unfair dismissals, breach of contract, workplace disputes, TUPE Transfers, drafting employment contracts, grievance procedures, disciplinary procedures, maternity rights,discrimination, employment Disputes, suspensions, wrongful dismissal,equal pay, media copyright. Contact us at enquiries@rtcoopers.com or visit our website at http://www.rtcoopers.com
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