Words and Music: The Secret to Writing a Great Resume

Too many old school job seekers believe that on their resume employers are interested in a summary of their qualifications, experience and job responsibilities. What they forget, or were never taught, is that as seen through the eyes of qualified HR or private recruiters and decision makers a laundry list of key words and on-the-job responsibilities are synonymous with your possessing the minimum qualifications to qualify for a new position. With the competition being what it is today, offering up only this information is not enough.

Demonstrating that you have the 2-15 years of work experience the company desires in a certain function says nothing about how well you've performed. You may have been performing at a minimal skill level for all 15 years or at the highest level of competency for 3 or 4 years. The people who matter can not determine how talented you are based on equating the number of years of experience to competence.

If you have been reading my blogs you know by now that employers are more interested in knowing about your body of work and how it relates to the job at hand, and about the individual accomplishments that will validate your candidacy.

This premise is borne out every day all over the web, and especially in the blogosphere and on Linked-In discussions. All of us new school thought leaders are telling our clients and readers that qualifying and quantifying your past in relation to an employer’s needs and desires is the # 1 difference maker on a resume, and qualifying and quantifying specific accomplishments in terms of bottom line $ / % results is a great way to do this.

You need to realize that hiring managers envision prior achievements in a similar situation as a predicator of what they might expect from you in the future, while experience and key words tell people only about what you've DONE in the past.

However, not all accomplishments matter to a hiring manager. What you consider impressive accomplishments for past employers will not impress prospective decision makers unless they accentuate proven solutions to problem they are looking to solve.
Still in the dozens of accomplishment based resumes that are emailed to me every week for a free resume critique I find the presentation of accomplishments and vital supporting information as presented by a professional and an amateur are as different as day is to night.

In the movie Eddie and the Cruisers there is a dialogue I love as Eddie Wilson, the writer and band leader tries to explain how to play a love ballad he wrote to band members who want to play it too fast and too sloppy. "Words and Music man - Words and Music... without both it aint worth playing."

The same holds true for a resume. Putting down the correct thoughts is not enough. Just as every person is different, so too should the resume that introduces them be. Just like a song, you need to know how to pace a resume. This means you need to know where to strategically place information, the order in which it must appear, and it must have the perfect combination of words and actions convincingly tell the reader what they want to hear.

The bottom line for me is a resume must paint a masterful picture with colorful imagery, while telling a mesmerizing ‘Hero Story’ that resonates with the readers. So as you write your resume remember what Eddie said; ‘Words and Music man.” Without both your resume is not worth submitting.

---

Author:

Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view his sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com, and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.

View the Original article

Resume Advice for New Grads

Now that it’s graduation season, I’ve recently reviewed resumes for several new graduates. It was clear to me from looking at these documents that many people just entering the workforce feel unsure about which rules still apply for writing resumes today. Here are some tips for those who find themselves in this situation.

What Resume Length Is Appropriate?

Conventional wisdom says that resumes should be just one page. Today, many people with years of work experience find that they can’t condense everything onto one page. That’s perfectly all right—it’s more important to make sure you include appropriate keywords and accomplishments than to stick to one page. However, if you do need two pages to fully detail your experience, make sure that your most important and relevant experience is included on the first page. The one-page rule arose because of the perception that hiring managers wouldn’t take the time to review more than one page of a resume—and some today will tell you that they still don’t.

Regardless of how many pages are appropriate to capture your experience, your resume should fill the entire page on each page of the document. So if you go with two pages of experience, make sure you have two full pages. Most recent graduates will probably not have acquired enough activities, experiences, or jobs to fill more than two pages. One exception would be a curriculum vitae for someone who had been in school for many years obtaining a Ph.D. A resume for a Ph.D. student may require more room in order to include publications and/or presentations.

How to Date Your Experience

Another trend I’ve noticed on new graduate resumes is people indicating in which semester they held a leadership position or an internship. Because companies don’t operate on a semester system, it may look more professional to date your experience with months and/or years.

Resume Objective or Career Summary?

Lastly, most student/new graduate resumes I’ve seen include an objective statement at the top rather than a summary of the job seeker’s qualifications. Companies would rather see what a candidate offers them than what the candidate is looking for. For a former student who is entering the workforce, quantifiable achievements might include things like: “Obtained at least a 3.5 GPA during every semester of college while simultaneously working 20 hours per week as a reservations hostess at a busy restaurant”. Or, “Planned a fund-raising event that raised $2,000 for a national charitable organization”. Today’s college students are multitaskers who are generally involved in things other than just their classes. Use those experiences to sell yourself as a skilled candidate—even if you’re just beginning to acquire those skills.

For a free resume analysis submit your resume via e-mail to info@greatresumesfast.com or view professionally-written resume samples at http://www.greatresumesfast.com.

---

Author:

Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

View the Original article

30+ Strong Action Verbs to Spice Up Your Resume

If you use the phrases “responsible for, duties included, or worked with...” you are selling yourself, your experience and your resume short. These passive terms do absolutely nothing for communicating the value and benefits you offer an employer.

These phrases are boring and repetitive because most every job seeker uses them. Hiring managers need words that jump off the page and captivate them. Here are a few examples of my favorite action words:

Accelerated
Authored
Captivated
Captured
Championed

Consolidated
Critiqued
Directed
Diversified
Diverted
Doubled
Enforced
Enhanced
Exceeded
Pioneered
Forged
Formalized
Formulated
Generated
Influenced
Initiated
Integrated
Intensified
Leveraged
Masterminded
Maximized
Mentored
Optimized
Orchestrated
Re-engineered
Spearheaded
Structured
Proliferated
Recaptured
Rejuvenated

...And the list could go on. Don’t like these? Use the synonym feature in Microsoft Word or go to thesaurus.com. Be strategic in your action verb choice and choose strong words that convey ACTION and RESULTS to begin every sentence. These words are a key component in creating a powerful and captivating resume.

For more great resources and resume samples visit Great Resumes Fast or to request a free resume analysis send your resume via e-mail to info@greatresumesfast.com.

---

Author:

Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

View the Original article

Resume vs. Online Profile: What’s the Difference?

I was recently asked about the difference between a resume and an online career profile. Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? Are they considered in different ways? What should be included or avoided?

Good question… short answer… YES! They are different.

There are a number of things to consider when creating a professional profile online vs. creating a resume to email or present to a company, or when applying for a specific role.

Here are some thoughts that can help…

When creating a resume for a specific company or position you are pursuing, it’s critical that you tailor it for the specific recipient. Emphasize the experience you’ve had that would be most important to that particular company or position. Although your experience may be very broad, if they don’t very quickly see the direct related experience for the role, it’s unlikely you will be considered further. Using words from their job description, their terminology, and giving special attention to the skills you have that are directly applicable to their requirements is key. The extra effort involved in customizing your resume for each individual application will pay off in a greater chance at a response.

When creating an online profile, whether it be a LinkedIn profile, your personal professional website, a Visual CV, a job board, or any number of other venues online to post your information… it has to appeal to a broader audience. You won’t know who will see it, or what kind of role they have in mind when they’re looking.

Although you may be interested in a variety of opportunities when you are applying, the viewer generally only has one role they are looking to fill. Your online profile should help them understand all your experience and see the fit for multiple roles.

~ An online profile isn’t limited to two printed pages! While it’s usually not a good idea to create a submitted resume that’s more than 2 pages long, you don’t have that kind of restriction with an online profile. You can include much more information, more detail, more accomplishments, more strengths, and more keywords. Keywords are important, as that’s the most likely way they will find you. Include as many keywords as you can think of that someone might use to find someone with your background. With more detail, the likelihood of being found in a search rises, and it gives the viewer a greater chance of finding what they are looking for.

In an online profile, just as in a resume, it’s important that your information is written in short, substantive, sentences and/or bullet points. When someone is scanning your information, short lines will get read, paragraphs will not. It’s important that they grasp your experience quickly and easily, in order to gain their further interest.

~ An online profile can include testimonials! A submitted resume doesn’t generally have the space, and it’s not the best venue to include third party comments. However, an online profile can be a great place to include reference information and comments to “back up” the assertions you make about yourself in your profile. It’s great to express your strengths and accomplishments, it’s even better when someone else confirms them as well.

~ Consistency is key! It’s critically important that a resume you submit to a company, and your online profile agree with each other! Nothing will torpedo your chances for an opportunity than the appearance of an attempt to deceive. Although the resume you present may not give the entire picture of your full responsibilities in a particular position, it should never contradict the more detailed description. If your role was as an Office Manager of a small business, and your responsibilities included accounting, your resume should never make it appear as if your entire role was as an Accountant.

In today’s job market, and with easy access to search engines, it’s HIGHLY likely that somewhere in the hiring process someone at the organization you are pursuing will Google you and find your profile online. If the information you have posted there contradicts what they received from you directly, it’s unlikely they will proceed with you further. The resume and online profile can complement each other, but be consistent.

~ Links! When presenting a resume, it’s not usually easy, or necessarily appropriate to include links to websites online. An online profile is ideal for this though and can often enhance your presentation and credibility. You can include links to other professional sites where you have information posted. Link all of your relevant online presence together… LinkedIn, personal professional website, Visual CV, etc. You might also link to a professional blog you write, articles you’ve been published in, online recognition you’ve received, etc.

Be very conscious, and careful of your overall online presence. A racy Facebook or MySpace page can be harmful to your online reputation. Comments or less than professional pictures or articles attributed to you can damage your chances of being considered for a position further. Be sure everything you link to only shows you in the best and most professional light possible, and try to clean up anything else that may be found by Google that might hurt.


Working together, a resume and a professional online presence can be a powerful combination. However, manage them carefully!

---

Author:

Harry Urschel has over 20 years experience as a technology recruiter in Minnesota. He currently operates as e-Executives, writes a blog for Job Seekers called The Wise Job Search, and can be found on Twitter as @eExecutives.

View the Original article

3 Things You Should Never Mention on Your Resume

Many job seekers write their resumes under the belief that they have to "come clean" on everything regarding their careers, from what they have achieved, to the reasons they left previous jobs, to what they want to do well into the future.

But a resume is not a tell-all autobiography of your career triumphs, tragedies, and non-essential trivia. It's a marketing document that tries to position you as a prime candidate for whatever job you're applying for. While your long-term goal is to get the job, the resume's chief goal is short term: Showcase the stuff the employer needs to convince them to call you for an interview.

That's why you should never include these three things on your resume:

Why you left a job. This doesn't help when you're trying to market yourself effectively. The objective of any marketing project is to convince someone to buy a product or service. Rather than saying something like "Position was one of 10 eliminated as part of company-wide cost-cutting measures," focus only on what the employer is looking for: your skills and experience, and how they can benefit a new employer. You can explain the rest at your interview--if they even ask.

What's in it for you...rather than what's in it for the employer. If you open your resume with a statement that says something like "Seeking a position that can utilize my skills in accounting and help position me for an executive-level job in finance," you've stated a clear career objective. There's just one problem with that: Your next employer doesn't really care about your aspirations or what you want to be doing in five years. They want someone who can do the job they have open today, and do it effectively. Start your resume instead with a summary of the qualifications that are most likely to grab their attention.

Your college GPA...if it's been more than three years since you graduated. You may have heard the expression "experience is your best teacher." Hiring managers want to see what you've done in the workplace, and that also goes for new college graduates. Even 10 years after you received your bachelor's degree, you may still be proud of that 3.7 grade-point average. But that was a decade ago. What have you done since? If you're a recent college graduate and your GPA was at least a 3.5, go ahead and include it. If it was less than 3.5 but the GPA in courses related to your major was at or above that mark, include it.

Before you send your resume, ask yourself these two questions: (1) Does this resume effectively communicate my skills and experience and how they match the job description? And (2) Does it effectively tell the employer the benefits they would get by hiring me? If you can truthfully answer "yes" to both questions, you've given yourself a strong chance at landing an interview.

---

Guest Expert:

Rick Saia is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Content Writer for Pongo Resume, a premier, full-service online resource for job seekers. Pongo provides all the resume templates, tools, and support needed to write professional resumes and cover letters, ace tough interviews, and secure a great job. For more information, visit http://www.pongoresume.com or call 866-486-4660.

View the Original article

What Does Your Resume Say About You?

Recently, I discovered Wordle. Wordle is a toy for generating word clouds from text that a user provides. It can help you figure out your brand.

The point of the Wordle for me was to verify whether or not I am profiled or branded properly. This picture above was created from my blog. It says a lot about the way that I think, what is important to me and shows that I AM branded properly!

Job seekers can use Wordle to see if their word cloud says the right thing about their resume. Most job seekers put together a document that is actually a C.V. or curriculum vitae (vital statistics of every place that they have ever worked). Instead they should be using a resume that talks about specific experience and education. (See Wikipedia)

The biggest mistake that most job seekers make is the dump of everything, especially the non-relevant stuff into the document. They hope that the recruiter or potential employer (usually HR or the hiring manager) will sift through the mess to find out what they can possibly do. Guess what happens? When the hiring manager cannot see immediately what you can do for them or what position you are applying for, you resume ends up in the great recycling box called Resume Hell!

I was talking to a new client the other day with his resume. He had just been laid-off after 24 years with one of the large telecoms. Although he had some great qualifications, nowhere on the “resume” did I see a profile or what it is that he can really do. Was he really expecting to get some traction from a potential employer with that document?

The first cardinal rule of thumb on a resume is to create a killer profile. The profile tells an employer:

1. Who you are i.e. Senior Technical Manager. I always advise using the description from the job application.


2. What you can do i.e. Implemented complex desktop deployments for 100 users and internal customers. Tell the hiring manager what you are good at and can do for them.


3. What makes you that good at what you did or can do i.e. Created quick and painless cutover by doing 3-shift per day implementation over four days. Customer had no down time which means you can save them time, money and resources.


4. Why the potential employer wants to hire you i.e. Cost saving measures of the 3-shift implementation created under budget surplus to the satisfaction of the customer, thus netting each member of the team $5,000 bonus. Pure accomplishment statements.

A great resume has a profile, NOT an objective. So many people still use the word objective on their resumes. We all know that as a job seeker you want to work in a great company where your skills are utilized, where you are challenged, and made to feel welcome. Get off the idea of writing like a 15-year old. An objective is all about the job seeker. A profile is all about the potential employer.

It’s not about the person who wants the job but about what the job seeker can do for the employer to grow the company’s bottom line. Consider putting your resume through a spit-shine to clean it up a bit. (Tim Tyrell-Smith of Tim’s Strategy)

Here is an analogy that you about someone who is thinking of buying a house. The person searches the internet for house listings. A house listing has a profile not an objective. The objective is obvious – the seller wants to sell the house. Similarly, the job seeker wants a job. The resume gets you the interview and the interview gets you the job. The house has a profile that gives a potential buyer an idea of its specs, what it has to offer, how good it will be, and how much it will cost.

A killer career solo sheet or profile says upfront what the job seeker can do. This means that your professional experience had better match up to the profile. Don’t put the company first and job title after or below the company. Employers do not care so much where you worked as what you actually did for the company. Then show the highlights of qualifications in a section just below what you can do. This is the place to demonstrate what you did, how you did it and what make you that good. Any sort of awards for cost saving measures should be listed here. If you have special technical skills or certifications or languages or security clearances, list them here as well.

Remember, the career profile (the icing on the cake) is what sells you and the rest of the resume is just the supporting data (the plain cake). A potential employer can see from your profile what you do and can do, what makes you great, your accomplishments, and how you will do that great stuff for their company. Not only will a great resume drive interviews your way, but may even land you that dream job.

So, what does your resume say about you?

---

Guest Expert:

Queen Schmooze is a Re-Positioning Strategist helping job seekers, career changers, recruiters, entrepreneurs and start-ups to gain greater market share. With 25+ years in communications in different areas including the political sphere, community and social activism, non-profits, and corporate business, Michelle J. Iseman, aka Queen Schmooze, uses branding and profiling to better position the client for their target market audience. When you want to STAND OUT in a crowd, you call on Queen Schmooze to enable them to see you. She is blunt, brutal and honest, making sure that you have a true SEO that can get you ahead.

View the Original article

Love Letter to My New Resume

Hey -

You know how when we first hooked up together, I liked you, right? You were interesting and looked OK and we had a lot in common. But now I have to say I’m like really into you in a big way!

When I really noticed this was after you got back from that long trip to London and Dubai. We went to that dinner with the CEO guy and you were wearing that great suit you got tailored at Savile Row (?!!!). I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you looked so much better! In fact, you looked great!!

You know the way your arms are kinda long? I’m not telling you anything new here. It made you good at basketball in college. But those old suits you used to wear to interview in just came up short. Sorry, but that’s just the way I feel. Nobody's perfect.

But in that new suit! I know this may sound superficial, but it made me feel proud and confident just to be with you. It made your long arms look powerful, instead of just a little weird. That new suit gave you a real aura, you know, of power or something.

You talked better too. I just got the feeling that you knew what you were doing. You sounded so sort of savvy, you know? I don’t see how that guy could not give you a job! Now you’re charas– what’s the word? Yeah, charismatic.

I feel the real you has come out and you’re so sure of yourself. Like, if I had a problem, you’d just take care of it. Anyway, to make a long story short, as I say, the way you are now - it's waaaay better -

Later, me

View the Original article

How to Shed Your Resume's Invisibility Cloak

My esteemed colleague Don Orlando recently wrote an article for the Professional Association of Resume Writers monthly newsletter that asked the question, “Does Your Resume Wear an Invisibility Cloak?”

While Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak helped him through a variety of challenging and dangerous situations, an invisibility cloak around your resume is the very last thing you want in any job market, particularly in today’s brutally competitive scene.

Long gone are the days when the resume was just a dry listing of employment dates, titles, and responsibilities. Even before the Web and digital transmission of resumes began to play an important role in hiring, resumes had evolved into powerful self-marketing tools—at least those resumes that afforded their candidates any reasonable chance of success in the job market.

As online job boards and candidate sourcing became the rage, as Don so aptly put it, “the digital dump truck backed up to the hapless employer’s email and overloaded him with résumés still stuck in the past.” Those whose resumes sold the employer on what could be delivered by that candidate afforded some advantage, but suffered along with the rest—covered in the invisibility cloak provided by hundreds if not thousands of other submissions.

Harris Interactive’s poll of employers in June of 2009 indicated that a whopping 45% of employers now use social networking sites to source job candidates, completely bypassing the traditional post a job, then weed through the resumes submitted or found by keyword search scenario. This is a huge increase from 22% only one year previously.

So it would appear that the key to what is termed “digital visibility” is not just to post your resume on the Web, but to build a presence spanning social media, industry association, and topical forum websites—“hang out” where your colleagues and superiors in your field do. Comment on relevant blogs, and/or maintain your own blog. Engage others (including recruiters who lurk on these sites) in meaningful conversations, and at some point you will be asked to provide your resume, blissfully free of its invisibility cloak.

View the Original article

3 Steps to Taking Your Job Search Into Your Own Hands

Tired of searching endlessly through online job boards and employment Web sites hoping to find a position that matches your background and criteria? I think it’s time to take matters into your own hands. One of my colleagues was kind enough to pass along a YouTube video called The Google Job Experiment. I watched the one-minute video and thought it was ingenious! Here’s the link in case you haven’t seen it yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRwCs99DWg.

Talk about “thinking outside the box” to get the job you want! I have a feeling it’s going to catch on; all of a sudden, we’re going to start seeing ads, springing up everywhere, targeted at well-positioned executives and hiring managers saying, “Hire me”. The concept itself to me is inspiring and creative, and had me thinking...

Well, for those of us who may not be as creative and “outside the box” as others, I’ve put together a list of tips on how to get started:

Step 1: Research – The easiest place to start is the company Web site. Check out the about us page or any other pages that would have information concerning those personnel in key leadership positions. This is the most logical place to start. Next, I would go to LinkedIn. Look up the company by name (assuming you know exactly where you want to work—just like this guy did), and then scroll through the results to find matches. Look for those people who are in positions with decision making abilities and who are most relevant to your industry. Can’t find them on LinkedIn or the company Web site? Then turn to Google. I use Google for everything (I probably earn millions for them every year). If I have a question, I Google it. Want to know who the “so-and-so” person is at Microsoft? Google it. I’ll bet you can find some information somewhere on which person does what. It’s just a matter of investing some time to conduct the research. When all else fails, pick up the phone and call the company. Tell them you’d like to mail a letter to the advertising director (or other head honcho of your choice) but need his or her name in order to address the letter. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t provide you with it. And be sure to ask for the correct address for your specific letter; the person to whom you are writing may prefer to receive mail at the office, but there is a possibility that he or she prefers the company’s post office box or e-mail correspondence. Don’t make any assumptions about this. If they aren’t willing to provide an address then back to your best friend Google. More about what to do with this information is included in step 2.

Step 2: Make Contact – The most obvious way to do this is to submit a LinkedIn connection request. This opens the lines of communication to some extent; and then you can begin to identify the areas that you have in common and potentially open a dialogue about employment opportunities. Outside of LinkedIn, you can find them on other social networks and contribute to discussions they’ve initiated, or you can reach out by sending a letter. If you made contact with the organization during step one, you will have the name of the person you need to reach out to, as well as the company’s address. I recommend sending your resume and cover letter in an envelope that doesn’t look like it would contain a resume/cover letter. I also recommend addressing the envelope by hand and, if possible, use a thank you- or greeting card-sized envelope. Who doesn’t love getting a thank you card in the mail unexpectedly? Plus, it’s guaranteed they’ll open it. Then your resume/cover letter will have about five seconds to make a great first impression (so insert awesome, professionally written, and branded resume here).

Step 3: Follow up – Take the time to make a call. And ask for the person by name. If he or she is not available, leave a voicemail indicating that you sent a copy of your resume last week and you are following up to ensure it was received. If you’re a connection on LinkedIn, you may be able to see the person’s work e-mail address on his or her profile (some users include it, but not all). I wouldn’t go overboard and e-mail daily, but one e-mail just to state your case or follow up once you’ve forwarded your information is acceptable in my book.

It’s not about stalking the person who has the decision making ability; it’s about making a connection, doing your research, and potentially opening a door that previously was closed. From here you can find all kinds of creative ways to get the person’s attention—much like the Google campaign that one creative job seeker used to land himself an interview—and a job. Your imagination is the limit. All I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to conduct your job search “outside the box”.

---

Author:

Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

View the Original article