The ABC's of Resume Writing | "Y" is for YOU

XYZ: YOU Are More Important Than Your Resume.

This entire blog series has been focused on strategies for writing your resume. We all know that the resume is a very important and integral communication tool for use in your job search and sufficient attention should be given to it make sure it is well written and effective in communicating your personal brand. At the end of the day, however, remember that employers hire people not resumes and you are more important than your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "V" is for Volunteer.

V: Highlight VOLUNTEER Activities to Showcase Your Leadership Skills.

We all know that employers focus on career experience and skills when trying to decide if a candidate should be considered for an interview and ultimately employment. However, there is another area of your professional career that you should give consideration to when writing your resume: volunteer activities. Volunteer activities can be an important aspect of your professional career and there are three reasons why you should definitely list volunteer activities on your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "U" is for UNDERSTAND

U: The One Thing You Must UNDERSTAND About Resume Writing.

As I get closer to completing this series, it is getting harder and harder to come up with new and interesting subjects that are worth writing more than 300 words about. I have to admit, I struggled with today’s post. There are just not enough “good” words starting with the letter “u” that I could tie to resume writing. So I chose to go with the word understand.

In today’s career search, so much emphasis is placed on resume writing, because let’s face it, more times than not, you are going to need a resume at some point in the career search process. Even if you do not need a resume to get an interview, which happens to be the real purpose of a resume, you will need a resume during the interview so that you and the interviewer can have an intelligent discussion as it relates to your skills and accomplishments.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "R" is for REVIEW

R: REVIEW the job description for clues on tweaking your resume. 

Whenever I am giving a resume writing seminar, I make it a point to mention these two facts: one, that resume writing is an art, not a science and two, a one-size resume does not fit all. What I mean by the latter is that it is very important to revise your resume to fit the position you are applying for. Blindly applying to jobs with a single resume is not a good career search strategy. Employers are looking to hire employees to solve specific problems. They need to fit a round peg into a round hole and in this economy there are plenty of round pegs to choose from. To give your resume a chance at getting past the gate keepers, review the job description for insights into how to revise your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "N" is for NARROW

N: NARROW your focus before writing your resume.

Across the nation, there are more than 14 million people unemployed and looking for work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current unemployment rate for June sits at 9.2 percent. That means that for any job opportunity, hundreds and even thousands of people are submitting resumes and applications. Oftentimes, many of the clients are not qualified or are only loosely qualified for the position. Why is this? At some point during the job search, desperation sets in; severance may be running out and bills are coming due.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "J" is for JOURNAL

J: Keep a career JOURNAL.

We’ve all been there. It’s time to update your resume. For some, this task is not terribly difficult, especially if you do not have a long career history, or you have been keeping your resume current throughout your career. But for those of you who have not taken the time to update your resume throughout your career, it could be a very trying task to recall information earlier in your career. So what do you do? Unless you have the mind of an elephant, you next best bet is to keep a career journal. Few job seekers do this because, let’s face it, it is a task that you have to keep up with month after month and year after year. But a career journal is an invaluable tool to help you document three key pieces of information useful for updating your resume.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "I" is for INCLUDE

I: Five things not to INCLUDE on your resume.

Last week, I covered three areas that you must include on your resume in an effort to land more interviews. You can read that blog post below. Today, I am writing about what not to include on your resume. Some of you may have heard this before, for others, this may be news to you. Whatever the case may be, keep these five things as far away from your resume as possible and you’ll be destined for more interviews.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "F" is for FUNCTIONAL

F: The Functional resume…the kiss of death in today’s job market.

In resume writing, there are three standard formats that you can use to highlight your professional experience, the chronological resume, the functional resume, and the combination resume, which, as the name implies, is a combination between the functional and chronological resume. Each resume format has its merits as well as its limitations and in this job market, where the “buyer” or employer clearly has the upper hand due to the surplus of job applicants, the functional resume is a definite loser in most cases. If you are currently using this format or plan to create a resume using this format, think again, because it could cost you interviews.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "E" is for ENDORSEMENTS

E: Endorsements: The best kept secret in resume writing today!

What better way to find a service you need than to solicit recommendations from people you trust? How many times have you acted on the recommendation of a friend, colleague, or family member and been thoroughly pleased with the result? Think of that restaurant you would never have eaten at had it not been for your co-worker who had a terrific meal there and recommended the place to you. Or what about the recommendation to the automotive repair shop that came through for you with great service and a fair price that your friend has been using for years? How did patronizing these establishments feel? For most of you, I am sure your experience was great and when it comes to your job search, what better way to highlight your value than to let someone else do it for you? 

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "B" is for BUYING

B: Focus on BUYING motivators when detailing accomplishments.

In this week’s earlier post, I talked about the fact that resume writing is an art, not a science. There is not only one way to write a resume. There are strategies for each individual situation and there are three standard resume formats. In this post, I talk about employer buying motivators.

When writing your resume, keep in mind that your goal is to create desire. You must create desire for the employer to want to select you for an interview and ultimately for employment. This desire must be greater than the desire created by your competition. You may be asking “But what can I do to create desire and influence an employer to select me for an interview?”

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "A" is for ART

A: Resume writing is an Art, not a science.

Surprise! There is not just one way to write a resume. Resume writing has long been considered an art not a science. If resume writing was in fact a science, then there would not be thousands of books on the subject of resume writing and the resume writing profession would not be as prolific. If resume writing was a science, then you could just follow the prescribed steps and be guaranteed positive results. Resume writing is an art and there are numerous ways to write a resume that highlights your unique career history and defines your personal and professional brand. In fact, if you chose to have your resume professionally written by three different professional resume writers, you would certainly get three different resumes. They would be different in content and maybe even in the choice of format.

Oprah's 25-Year Career Is Foreign To Today's Younger Employees

Last week, Oprah said goodbye to her fans after a 25-year run as the host of the Oprah Winfrey Show. There was not a lot of fanfare, just Oprah on the stage, by herself, speaking as if she was talking directly to you and I.  It was really a type on monologue and at the end she gracefully walked off the stage and into the next phase of her professional life. She will now be running her OWN network full time.