Download Article Here
Creating Resumes That Work: 3 Tips for How to Do It
“If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” – Harvey MacKay
Resumes that work can open doors for those wishing to find a job or move to the next level of their career. Learn 3 tips for creating such resumes.
For years, I have been working closely with blind youth assisting them with choosing their careers. Resumes that work are a very important part of a successful career search. Unfortunately, there are many misunderstandings about what a resume should say and how it should be used. This is particularly true given that resumes are now run through computer programs in order to handle the enormous numbers of applications potential employers may receive for any given position.
Here are 3 tips resumes that work for you:
- Be painfully brief when retelling your job Many people think that a resume is a detailed list of jobs and their accomplishments. This perception is wrong for several reasons. First, resumes should hint at your experience. It should make the recruiter interested enough in you to call you in for an interview. Second, the truth is that when your resume is first submitted, the staff who first see it are looking for reasons to toss it. A resume that requires work by the reader to find the important parts will never get you into an interview.
- The resume content should echo the language of the job ad. Again, those who first see your resume will be too busy to infer that a particular experience you had in the past matches their current requirements. Make it easy for If the job requires a particular skill, your resume should have that skill and be worded exactly as it appeared in the ad.
- Your resume content should demonstrate your value. Employers are looking for people who solve problems. Is your current resume a rehash of your daily duties? Or, does it show how you stepped in and made things It is all about your value. Explicitly show how your actions made money. Remember, reducing costs or the time it took to do a task is the same as making money.
The goal of a resume is to get that interview. Your resume should make your potential employer curious enough about you to want to talk in person. Also, those who review resume submissions don’t have a lot of time to infer your qualifications. Make it easy for them by echoing their own skill requirements using their own terminology. Finally, problem solvers get hired. Demonstrate your value by quantifying your successes in terms that the employer can easily identify with. These are all of the things required to create resumes that work better for you!
Want to learn more about how you can turn your resume into the key that opens doors and gets you offers? Contact me for a free consultation at john@johnbaileyspeaker.com or call today 703-994-2040!
You may reprint this copyrighted material only if the below information is also included:
John Bailey is an internationally recognized expert who helps associations, organizations, and government agencies overcome such obstacles as leadership, change, and membership development. John does this through keynotes, seminars and personal training. He is the author of “Build Membership Mojo: 98 Proven Steps to Build, Grow, and Maintain a Thriving Membership Organization,” as well as dozens of nationally-read articles.
What can John Do for you? John can be reached at John@JohnBaileySpeaker.com or (703) 994-2040
© 2012, John Bailey Communications