1. Is the phrase "References Available On Request" printed on your résumé?
2. Do you include a "Career Objective" statement on the document?
3. Are you a professional who lists your education before your experience?
If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, your résumé could be outdated.
To bring your qualifications up to the present, delete any reference to references. For maximum impact with hardcopy submissions, type professional references on matching letterhead and paper and submit with your qualifications package.
Next, replace the "Career Objective" statement with a small paragraph describing your best characteristics and attributes as they apply to the job in question.
Last but not least, experience should always appear ahead of education for those in workforce more than one year.
These simple steps could very well make your document appear 10 to 20 years younger!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Rule of 10
Are you an established professionals with a dozen or more years of experience under your belt?
DO NOT fall into the “never ending résumé” trap.
Like it sounds, the "never ending résumé" goes on and on, listing bullet point after bullet point of job duties and responsibilities. It continues for two or more pages with little or no consideration of how past experience applies to the job in question.
Generally, it is best for experienced professionals to highlight the last ten years of career accomplishments, limiting the document to just one page.
How?
Provide a short summary your primary duties. Use the majority of the available space to communicate how well you completed them. For the biggest impact, be sure to focus on the skills and characteristics most relevent to the job you are posting to and most beneficial to the prospective employer.
Of course, as with all things in life, there are exceptions to this suggestion. For example, career changers who have experience within the industry they are applying to should consider representing that experience on their résumé. In these, and other instances, two page documents are acceptable.
This “Rule of 10” does not always apply. Highly educated professionals in medical, academic and other fields are encouraged to prepare curriculum vitae, a qualifications document for which page counts truely commiserate with experience.
For all others, use the "Rule of 10" to ensure your qualifications package is a Perfect 10.
DO NOT fall into the “never ending résumé” trap.
Like it sounds, the "never ending résumé" goes on and on, listing bullet point after bullet point of job duties and responsibilities. It continues for two or more pages with little or no consideration of how past experience applies to the job in question.
Generally, it is best for experienced professionals to highlight the last ten years of career accomplishments, limiting the document to just one page.
How?
Provide a short summary your primary duties. Use the majority of the available space to communicate how well you completed them. For the biggest impact, be sure to focus on the skills and characteristics most relevent to the job you are posting to and most beneficial to the prospective employer.
Of course, as with all things in life, there are exceptions to this suggestion. For example, career changers who have experience within the industry they are applying to should consider representing that experience on their résumé. In these, and other instances, two page documents are acceptable.
This “Rule of 10” does not always apply. Highly educated professionals in medical, academic and other fields are encouraged to prepare curriculum vitae, a qualifications document for which page counts truely commiserate with experience.
For all others, use the "Rule of 10" to ensure your qualifications package is a Perfect 10.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Ideal Hardcopy Headers
Construct a résumé that communicates your individuality and professionalism. Begin the process at the very top. Design a unique, one-of-a-kind header.
Here’s how to complete the process for one page résumés in Microsoft Word :
1. Select the “Insert” button on the toolbar
2. Select “Header”
3. Click in the text box and type the following contact information:
a. Name
b. Address
c. City State, ZIP
d. Phone Number (work number not recommended)
e. Email address
f. Website URL, when applicable
Highlight the information and play with font types, spacing, font sizes, colors (mainly gray), and justifications until the finished product is something you love. Use the “bold” and “underline” buttons to emphasize and draw attention to the header, as well as to work to separate it from the remainder of the document.
Advice on Headers:
1. Not all word processing programs contain all fonts. When attaching your résumés to emails, be sure to convert your .DOC file to PDF to ensure that the integrity of your choice font is maintained as it travels through cyberspace from your PC or notebook to your prospective employer's. There are several free online programs that provide PDF conversion services.
2. Don’t copy and paste fancy headers into online applications. Always use an electronic resume when applying online.
3. If you must copy and paste, you must do the header separately from the rest of the document. Simply click on the header, highlight, copy and paste. Then, right click in the document, choose “select all” from the window, copy and paste.
Happy header creation!
Here’s how to complete the process for one page résumés in Microsoft Word :
1. Select the “Insert” button on the toolbar
2. Select “Header”
3. Click in the text box and type the following contact information:
a. Name
b. Address
c. City State, ZIP
d. Phone Number (work number not recommended)
e. Email address
f. Website URL, when applicable
Highlight the information and play with font types, spacing, font sizes, colors (mainly gray), and justifications until the finished product is something you love. Use the “bold” and “underline” buttons to emphasize and draw attention to the header, as well as to work to separate it from the remainder of the document.
Advice on Headers:
1. Not all word processing programs contain all fonts. When attaching your résumés to emails, be sure to convert your .DOC file to PDF to ensure that the integrity of your choice font is maintained as it travels through cyberspace from your PC or notebook to your prospective employer's. There are several free online programs that provide PDF conversion services.
2. Don’t copy and paste fancy headers into online applications. Always use an electronic resume when applying online.
3. If you must copy and paste, you must do the header separately from the rest of the document. Simply click on the header, highlight, copy and paste. Then, right click in the document, choose “select all” from the window, copy and paste.
Happy header creation!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)