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 | "Q" is for QUESTION

Q: The one QUESTION your resume must answer.

Your resume should communicate to potential employers three main things: your skills, your education, and your experience as it relates to the position that you are applying for. Your goal? To get interviews that lead to job offers. Sounds simple, but just how do you go about writing your resume to communicate this information effectively? Sure, there are different resume formats to choose from, with chronological, functional, and hybrid being the most popular and there are general rules of thumb, such as omitting personal information, not using personal pronouns, and targeting the resume to the position. However, once you understand all of this what is next? To generate interviews, your resume must answer one central question.

What not to include on your resume: Advice from a professional resume writer | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

What not to include on your resume: Advice from a professional resume writer

By Bobby Sisk

Posted: Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011

Certified professional resume writer Nathan Adams is moving right along in the alphabet. On his blog, he's outlining the ABC's of resume writing.

He's up to "N," but "I" got my attention based on recent questions from readers. I'm often asked what to include and, more importantly, not include in a resume. Some of Adams' advice may come as common sense to you, but we can all use a refresher. And I found what he says about references particularly interesting.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "P" is for PRIOR

P: Bring PRIOR experience back to life.

One of the strategies in resume writing today is to highlight only your last 15 to 20 years of work experience. Experience older than 20 years is typically outdated or irrelevant to your current career path. Besides, going back farther than 20 years and listing dates of employment will definitely single you out as a “seasoned” professional and let’s face it in this competitive economy, this could be a definite disadvantage for your job search.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "O" is for OBJECTIVE

O: The best OBJECTIVE is not to have one.

Are you still using an objective statement on your resume? Do you still have a flip phone? Are you still paying your bills by mail? Are you still buying music on CD? If you are doing any of these things, then you need to come out from under that rock that you have been living under for the last 5 years and get up to speed. Most music is now purchased online, one song at a time. Bills can be paid online and most banks offer this service free, which is why the post office is losing so much money in lost stamp revenue. And if you do not have a smart phone by now, you are definitely not in the know, but I am sure that there is an “App” for that. So, when writing your resume, be advised that some things have changed here as well, one of them being the replacement of the age-old objective statement.

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 | "M" is for MIX

M: Don’t MIX responsibilities and accomplishments.

Just as oil and water don’t mix, responsibilities and accomplishments don’t (or shouldn’t) mix either. One of the worse things you can do when writing your resume is to mistake responsibilities for accomplishments. While it is true that accomplishments are the result of carrying out your duties or responsibilities, accomplishments are what set you apart from your competition.

In my resume practice, I see this all the time. Clients send me their resumes for review and in their professional experience section, they have mixed their position responsibilities with their position accomplishments. The problem with this is that accomplishments need to be separated from their lesser-known cousins, AKA responsibilities in order for you to stand out as a potential employee.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "L" is for LEAD

L: Lead Off Accomplishments With Results.

Accomplishments can make or break your resume. Accomplishments are why employers read your resume in the first place and when I say read, I really mean scan because employers do not read resumes thoroughly, at most, they give them a casual scan. Because resumes are a marketing tool, your accomplishments need to be written to sell your skills and abilities to the employer. Your accomplishments must entice them to make a purchase, e.g., to “buy” you and invite you in for an interview. You may be thinking, "What is the best way to write my accomplishments?" Of course you should start each accomplishment with a strong action verb, but there is one little trick to help your accomplishments really stand out.

The ABC's of Resume Writing | "K" is for KEYS

K: KEYS to formatting your resume.

It’s no secret that the content of your resume is very important. After all, including good content, i.e., information that markets you as a viable candidate, can definitely help you win more interviews.   Conversely, including bad content, i.e., personal information, dated technical skills, or reasons for leaving past employers (see earlier post for the letter “I”) can hinder your job search and keep your resume from making it to the top of the stack. Just as including the right content is important to writing an effective resume, the formatting of this content is equally important. A visually appealing resume is easier to read and a well formatted resume helps make information on your resume easier to locate. Keep these five keys in mind when arranging the information on your resume. 

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.