Resume writing to get a job.

Tips for Successfully Writing a great resume

Having a great resume is your most powerful tool for finding a job in a highly competitive city. Some believe that a long resume will impress employers, but the opposite is often true. This page provide some insight into what employers look for in a resume, and how to make your resume get you your job. Many people agonize over writing a résumé, and often for good reason. Writing an effective, creative résumé that gets you the right job can be tough. Luckily, there are some tried-and-true rules to follow that can help you transform your résumé from eh, to “wow!” Companies receive hundreds of resumes for each job offered. Your resume must be great. The time you spend or the help you get writing your resume will have a positive effect in obtaining the better jobs.

If it does that, it works. If it doesn't, it isn't an effective resume. A resume is purely an advertisement of you, nothing more. A great resume doesn't just tell employers what you have done, it sells you as a product just like all good ads do: If you buy this product (me), you will get these specific, direct benefits. It presents you in the best light. It convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this position or career. It is pleasing to the eye so the reader wants to pick it up and read it. It stimulates interest in meeting you and learning more about you. It inspires the employer to ask you to come in for an interview.

STATISTICS: Research shows that just one interview is given for every 200 resumes received. Research says your resume will be quickly scanned. Ten to 20 seconds is all the time you have to persuade an employer to read further. The decision to interview you is based on an overall first impression of the resume, thus a quick screening must impress the reader and convince them of your qualifications so an interview follows. Truth! The top half of the first page of your résumé either makes you or breaks you.

IT'S THE EMPLOYER'S NEEDS THAT COUNT, NOT YOURS

Often, the person doing the hiring is the person responsible for the project or group you hope to work with. They care how well the job will be done. You have to write your resume to appeal directly to them. Understand: What makes someone the perfect candidate? What does the employer really want? What abilities would this person have? What sets an exceptional candidate apart from good ones? In a field you know, you know what makes someone a superior candidate. If you are not 100% sure, seek hints from the ad you are answering, ask people who work in the company or the same field. Call the employer and ask them what they want. Don't make guesses. If you are not addressing the employers real needs, they will not respond.

GREAT RESUMES HAVE TWO SECTIONS Section One: You assert your abilities, qualities and achievements. Honest, powerful, advertising copy that QUICKLY makes the reader realize that you are special. Section Two: Prove it, prove it, prove it! With evidence. Back your assertions with evidence that you did what you said you did. List and describe the jobs you have held, your education, etc. Most resumes are just the evidence section, with no assertions. The sizzle is the assertions section. Resumes you have written in the past have likely been an effort to inform the reader. You don't want them simply informed. You want them interested and excited to meet you. In good advertising (your resume) it is best to only hint at some things. Make the reader want more. A bit of mystery is good. Thus they have more reason to call you. Your assertions section may have two or three sub sections. In each section communicate and assert that you are the best possible candidate for the job. Start by naming your intended job. This may be in a separate "Objective" section, or in the second section, the "Summary." If you are making a change to a new field, or are a young person not fully established in a career, start with a separate "Objective" section.

THE OBJECTIVE Your resume should convey why you are the perfect candidate for one specific job. Good advertising (your resume) is directed toward a very specific audience. Targeting your resume means you need to be absolutely clear about your career direction. If you aren't clear where you are going, you wind up losing career direction and end up wherever the winds blow you. With a vague or broad objective, the first statement you make to a prospective employer shows you are not sure this is the job for you.
Demonstrate your clarity of direction and have the first major topic of your resume be your OBJECTIVE. Suppose a printing company puts out an ad seeking an experienced printing sales person. They receive 200 resumes. Applicants will have a wide variety of backgrounds. The employer has no way of knowing whether any of them are really interested in selling printing. They know many of the resumes are from people using a shotgun approach, casting their resumes to the winds. Then they come across your resume that starts with the following:

OBJECTIVE EXAMPLE - a printing sales position, in an organization rewarding an exemplary record of generating new accounts, exceeding sales targets and great customer relations. Wakes them up! Immediately interest. This first sentence conveys important and powerful messages: "I want precisely the job you are offering. I am a superior candidate as I understand the qualities most important to you, and I have them. I will to make a contribution to your company."

How to write your objective. First, decide on a specific job title for your objective. Review your answers to the question "How can I demonstrate that I am the perfect candidate?" What are the qualities, abilities or achievements that would make me stand out as a truly exceptional for that specific job? The objective line recognizes that the employer, would be interested in candidates with the ability to generate new accounts. Remember, your resume only gets a few seconds attention! You must generate interest right away, in the first sentence. Having an objective statement that really sizzles is highly effective. When applying for several different positions, you adapt your resume to each one. When making a career change or have a limited work history, you want the employer to immediately focus on where you are going, not where you have been.

A few examples "Objective" sections:

*Senior Vice president of marketing in an organization where a strong track record of expanding market share and sales savvy is needed.
*Senior staff position with a mortgage broker that offers the opportunity to use my expertise in commercial real estate lending and strategic management.
*An entry-level position in the hospitality industry where a background in advertising and public relations is needed.
*A position teaching English where a special ability to motivate and communicate effectively with students is needed.

THE SUMMARY The "Summary" consists of a few concise statements that focus the employers attention on your most important qualities, achievements and abilities. These qualities demonstrate why they should hire you instead of other candidates. It is a brief opportunity to highlight your most sterling qualities. It is your one chance to attract and hold attention,  get across what is most important, and entice the employer to keep reading. It is often the only section fully read by the employer, so make it strong and convincing. The "Summary" is the place to include professional characteristics (energetic, great at solving complex problems in a fast-paced environment, a natural salesman, exceptional interpersonal skills, committed to excellence, etc.) Gear the Summary to your targeted goal.

Common to well-written "Summaries" are:

A short sentence describing your profession
Then a statement of broad or specialized expertise
Followed by two- three statements related to any of the following:
breadth or depth of skills
unique mix of skills
range of environments in which you have experience
a special accomplishment
awards, promotions, or superior performance commendations
One or more appropriate personal characteristics
A sentence describing professional objective or interest.

A few examples of "Summary" sections:

* Highly motivated, creative and versatile consumer goods executive with six years of experience in brand development, strategic positioning and creative analysis, as well as the management of large brand portfolios. Especially skilled at building effective, productive working relationships with suppliers and staff. Excellent management, negotiation and public relations skills. Seeking a challenging management position in the consumer packaged goods field that offers extensive brand enhancement.

* Over 10 years as an automotive design consultant with a track record of producing extraordinary results for more than 10 world wide product launches. A commitment to staff development and cutting edge development. Energetic self-starter with excellent analytical, organizational, and creative skills.

* Financial Management Executive with fifteen years of experience in acquisitions and international trade, finance, investments and economic policy. Innovative in structuring credit enhancement for corporate and start-up financing. Skilled negotiator with strong management, sales and marketing background. Areas of expertise include: (a bulleted list would follow)

SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS The final part of the assertions section of your resume. Go into more detail. Write to sell yourself, not to inform them. Your summary, focused on your most special highlights. Now comes the rest of the best of your story. Tell them what results you produced, what happened due to your efforts, what you are very gifted or experienced at doing. Elaborate on the most important highlights in your summary.

THE EVIDENCE SECTION Evidence means, work history with descriptions, dates, education, affiliations, list of software mastered, etc.

EXPERIENCE List jobs in reverse chronological order. Omit details on the jobs early in your career, a quick summary is best; focus on the most recent relevant jobs. Which is more impressive? - your job titles or the firms you worked for - then begin with the more impressive of the two.

EDUCATION List your education in reverse chronological order, degrees or licenses first, followed by certificates and advanced training. Set degrees apart so they are easily seen. Don't include any details about college except your major and distinctions or awards you have won, unless you are still in college or just recently graduated. Include advanced training, but be selective, summarize the information and including only what will impress the reader.

AWARDS Put school awards under the Education section. Mention what the award was for. If you have commendations or praise from some senior source, call this section, "Awards and Commendations." In that case quote the source.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS Include only current, relevant and impressive. Include leadership roles if appropriate.

CIVIC / COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP This is good to include if the leadership roles or accomplishments are related to the job target and can show skills acquired, Board of Directors membership or "chairmanship" is good to include. Political affiliations can be risky!

COMMENTS FROM SUPERVISORS Include only if very exceptional.

PERSONAL INTERESTS Use only if personal interests indicate a skill or area or knowledge that is related to the goal.  It can create common ground or spark conversation in an interview. Include with caution! If this section truly helps the employer to understand why you would be the best candidate, include it; otherwise, forget it.

REFERENCES Most put "References available upon request". This is standard. Do not include names of references. Bring a separate sheet of references to the interview, to be given to the employer upon request.


There are three basic resume formats:

CHRONOLOGICAL

FUNCTIONAL

COMBINED

To see what these resume styles look like, get a good resume book.

Irrespective of format, your choice of words (the advertising copy) is the most important part of creating a great resume that will get you the job.

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