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Resume Tips |
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| Tips for Writing
Good Resumes |
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The thought of writing a resume intimidates
almost anyone. It's difficult to know where to
start or what to include. It can seem like an
insurmountable task. Here are few tips to help
you not only tackle the task, but also write a
winning resume. You can modify them according to
your experience. |
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Determine
your job search objective prior to writing the
resume |
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Once you have determined your objective, you
can structure the content of your resume
around that objective. Think of your objective
as the bull's-eye to focus your resume on
hitting. If you write your resume without
having a clear objective in mind, it will
likely come across as unfocused to those that
read it. Take the time before you start your
resume to form a clear objective. |
| Think of
your resume as a marketing tool |
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Think of yourself as a product, potential
employers as your customers, and your resume
as a brochure about you. Market yourself
through your resume. What are your features
and benefits? What makes you unique? Make sure
to convey this information in your resume. |
| Use your
resume to obtain an interview, not a job. |
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You don't need to go into detail about every
accomplishment. Strive to be clear and
concise. The purpose of your resume is to
generate enough interest in you to have an
employer contact you for an interview. Use the
interview to provide a more detailed
explanation of your accomplishments and to
land a job offer. |
| Use
bulleted sentences. |
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In the body of your resume, use bullets with
short sentences rather than lengthy
paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This
bulleted sentence format makes it easier for
someone to quickly scan your resume and still
absorb it. |
| Use action
words. |
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Action words cause your resume to pop. To add
life to your resume, use bulleted sentences
that begin with action words like prepared,
developed, monitored, and presented. |
| Use #'s,
$'s and %'s. |
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Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in
the body of a resume. Use them. Here are two
examples:
Managed a
department of 10 with a budget of
100,000,000.
Increased
sales by 25% in a 40 District Distribution |
| Lead with
your strengths. |
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Since resumes are typically reviewed in 30
seconds, take the time to determine which
bullets most strongly support your job search
objective. Put those strong points first where
they are more apt to be read. |
| Match
resume with Job Advertisements. |
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Study /review job advertisements that interest
you. Use the key words listed in these ads to
match them to bullets in your resume. If you
have missed any key words, add them to your
resume. |
| Use
buzzwords. |
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If there are terms that show your competence
in a particular field, use them in your
resume. For marketing people, use "competitive
analysis." For accounting types, use
"reconciled accounts." |
| Accent the
positive. |
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Leave off negatives and irrelevant points. If
you feel your date of graduation will subject
you to age discrimination, leave the date off
your resume. If you do some duties in your
current job that don't support your job search
objective, leave them off your resume. Focus
on the duties that do support your objective.
Leave off irrelevant personal information like
your height and weight. |
| Show what
you know. |
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Rather than going into depth in one area, use
your resume to highlight your breadth of
knowledge. Use an interview to provide more
detail. |
| Show who
you know. |
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If you have reported to someone important such
as a vice president or department manager, say
so in your resume. Having reported to someone
important causes the reader to infer that you
are important. |
| Construct
your resume to read easily. |
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Leave white
space. Use a font size no smaller than 10
point. Limit the length of your resume to 1-2
pages. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly.
Help the reader to scan your resume
efficiently and effectively. |
| Have
someone else review your resume. |
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Since you are so close to your situation, it
can be difficult for you to hit all your high
points and clearly convey all your
accomplishments. Have someone review your job
search objective, your resume, and listings of
positions that interest you. Encourage them to
ask questions. Their questions can help you to
discover items you inadvertently left off your
resume. Revise your resume to include these
items. Their questions can also point to items
on your resume that are confusing to the
reader. Clarify your resume based on this
input. |
| Submit your resume to potential employers. |
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Have the courage to submit your resume. Think of
it as a game where your odds of winning increase
with every resume you submit. You really do
increase your odds with every resume you submit.
Use a three-tiered approach. Apply for some jobs
that appear to be beneath you. Perhaps they will
turn out to be more than they appeared to be
once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you
have your foot in the door you can learn of
other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem to
be just at your level. You will get interviews
for some of those jobs. See how each job stacks
up. Try for some jobs that seem like a stretch.
That's how you grow—by taking risks. Don't rule
yourself out. Trust the process. Good luck in
your job search! |
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