Bangor Michigan Works!
Telephone: 989-667-8964
Bangor
Michigan Works!
Telephone: 989-667-8964
Tips for Creating a Concise Resume
Are you asking yourself these questions: How long should my resume be, how can
I fit all my experience on one page, what can I eliminate, and what should be
highlighted? If you are, you are not alone. As millions of workers update
their resumes, one of the top concerns is length. Not long ago job seekers
followed the resume golden rule: No resume should exceed one page. However,
today’s job seekers are finding that rule no longer applies. In this time of
mass confusion, the solution is simple: Use common sense. If
you are just graduating, have fewer than five years of work experience or are
contemplating a complete career change, a one-page resume will probably
suffice. Some technical and executive candidates require multiple-page
resumes. If you have more than five years of experience and a track record of
accomplishments, you will need at least two pages to sell your story.
Your Resume is not an Autobiography--Don’t confuse telling your story with
creating your autobiography. Employers are inundated with resume submissions
and are faced with weeding out the good from the bad. The first step involves
quickly skimming through resumes and eliminating candidates who clearly are not
qualified. Therefore, your resume needs to pass the skim test. Dust off your
resume and ask yourself: 1. Can a hiring manager see my main credentials within
10 to 15 seconds? 2. Does critical information jump off the page? 3. Do I
effectively sell myself on the top quarter of the page?
The Sales Pitch--Because resumes are quickly skimmed during the first pass,
it is crucial your resume gets right to work selling your credentials. Your key
selling points need to be prominently displayed at the top of the first page.
If an MBA degree is important in your career field, your education shouldn’t be
buried at the end of a four-page resume. An effective way to showcase your key
qualifications is to include a Career Summary statement at the top of the first
page. The remainder of the resume should back up the statements made in your
summary.
Use an Editor’s eye--Many workers are proud of their careers and feel the
information on a resume should reflect all they’ve accomplished. However, the
resume shouldn’t contain every detail. It should only include the information
that will help you land an interview. So be brutal. If your college days are
far behind you, does it really matter that you pledged a fraternity of delivered
pizza? The editing step will be difficult if you are holding on to your past
for emotional reasons. If this is the case show your resume to a colleague or
professional resume writer for an objective opinion.
[top]
Eight Tips to Keep Your Resume
Concise
4. Education-New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their educational information first.
5. Work Experience-Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Use action words to describe your job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order-that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. Include:
You’ve written your resume. It’s time to have it reviewed and critiqued by a career counselor. You can also take the following steps to ensure quality:
Content
Design- These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an employer’s data base
Before mailing your next resume, check the ten resume “don’ts” below:
Make sure your resume is top-notch by avoiding the top 10 resume blunders:
1. Too Focused on Job Duties
Your resume should not be a boring list of job duties and responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:
How did you perform the job better than others?
What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results?
How did the company benefit from your performance?
Did you receive any awards, special recognition or promotions as a result?
Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements like “a challenging position enabling me to contribute to organizational goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement” are overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you’re on a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating what you do or your expertise.
Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they’ve heard that resumes shouldn’t be longer. By doing this, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. There are also candidates who ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There is no rule about appropriate resume length. When writing your resume, ask yourself, “Will this statement help me land an interview?” Every word should sell you, so only include information that elicits a “yes.”
A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no mentions of “I” or “me,” and only minimal use of articles. For example:
I developed a new
product that added $2 million in sales and increased the market segment’s gross
margin by 12 percent.
Should be changed to:
Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and increased market
segment’s gross margin by 12 percent.
Many people include their interests, but they should only include those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country skiing as a hobby. Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, height and weight, normally should not be on the resume unless you’re an entertainment professional or a job seeker outside the US.
It is irksome for hiring managers not to see the career progression and the impact made at each position. Unless you have an emergency situation, such as virtually no work history or excessive job-hopping, avoid the functional format. The modified chronological format is often the most effective. Here’s the basic layout:
Header (name, address, e-mail address, phone number)
Lead with a strong profile section detailing the scope of your experience and areas of proficiency
Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements in the past 10 to 15 years
Education (New graduates may put this at the top)
This is one of the job seeker’s greatest tools. Candidates who have done their homework will know the skills and competencies important to the position. The summary should demonstrate the skill level and experiences directly related to the position being sought.
To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse job openings to determine what’s important to employers. Next, write a list of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate these points into your summary.
With so many companies using technology to store resumes, the only hope a job seeker has of being found is to include relevant keywords sprinkled throughout the resume. Determine keywords by reading job descriptions that interest you and include them in your resume.
Employers know you have professional references. Only use this statement to signal the end of a long resume or to round out the design.
Use action words to describe your experience and accomplishments. Here are some action words to use.
| achieved | drafted | originated |
| acquired | edited | oversaw |
| adapted | eliminated | performed |
| addressed | enforced | planned |
| administered | established | prevented |
| analyzed | evaluated | produced |
| anticipated | expanded | programmed |
| assembled | explained | promoted |
| assisted | forecasted | provided |
| audited | formed | publicized |
| budgeted | founded | published |
| calculated | generated | recruited |
| centralized | guided | reorganized |
| changed | hired | reported |
| collaborated | implemented | researched |
| composed | improved | resolved |
| condensed | informed | reviewed |
| conducted | insured | selected |
| constructed | interpreted | separated |
| contracted | interviewed | set up |
| converted | launched | simplified |
| coordinated | maintained | solved |
| created | managed | surveyed |
| cultivated | marketed | staffed |
| demonstrated | minimized | supervise |
| designed | motivated | taught |
| developed | negotiated | tested |
| devised | obtained | trained |
| discovered | operated | used |
| doubled | organized |
A cover letter is an introduction, a sales pitch and a proposal for further action all in one. It gives the reader a taste of what’s to come – not by simply summarizing the resume, but by highlighting the aspects of your background that will be most relevant to the reader. A cover letter also demonstrates that you can organize your thoughts and express yourself clearly and appropriately; in other words, it reflects your communication skills and, to some extent, your personality.
Cover letters are typically one page documents. Like lots of things in life, they have a beginning, middle and end: usually an introduction saying who you are and why you’re writing, followed by a sales pitch of what you have to offer and then a closing in which you propose steps for further action. These three components often amount to three of four paragraphs, but there are no hard and fast rules about exactly how you break up the information.
1) What does the prospective employer need? Which skills, knowledge and experience would be an asset in the job you are targeting?
2) What are your objectives? Are you applying for a specific job, trying to get an interview or simply hoping to get someone to spend 10 or 15 minutes on the phone with you discussing opportunities in general at that organization?
3) What are three to five qualities that you would bring to this employer or this job? If you’re responding to a job listing or classified, then those qualities should obviously be the job requirements mentioned in the ad. If you’re not applying for a specific job opening, then think of which skills, knowledge and experience would typically be valued.
4) How can you match your experience to the job? What are at least two specific accomplishments you can mention which give credence to the qualities you identified in question number 3?
5) Why do you want to work for this particular organization or person? What do you know about them? What is it about their products or services, philosophy, mission, organizational culture, goals and needs that relates to your own background, values and objectives?
When you’ve addressed these five issues, you’re ready to put fingers to keyboard and start hammering out that letter.
If you’re bewildered by how you’re actually going to write a cover letter, it can help to break the letter down into its various parts and concentrate on just one section at a time. Here’s what goes into each of the four main sections of a cover letter:
This is where you tell employers who you are, why you’re writing and how you heard about the organization or the specific opening. The “who you are” part is a brief introduction of yourself with a phrase like: “I am a senior at XYZ University graduating in May with a major in biology.” Just mention the basic facts about you and your situation, choosing the ones that will be most relevant to the employer. The “why you’re writing” part is where you mention which position you are applying for, or what your job objective is if no specific opening has been advertised. Then be sure to tell them how you heard about the organization or the job. You might say, for example, “I saw your listing for a textile designer at the Career Development Office of the Rhode Island School of Design.” Or, “I read about the expansion of your East Coast operations in the New York Times and am interested in discussing entry-level opportunities you might have available.”
The Flattery
This is the “why them” section of your letter. It’s where you flatter the reader a bit by commenting on something positive about the organization and letting them know why you would want to work there. You might mention the organization’s reputation, sales record, size, corporate culture, management philosophy or anything else that they take pride in. Prospective employers like to know that you have chosen them for a reason and that they’re not just one of hundreds of companies you’re writing to as part of a mass mailing. (Even if you are doing a mass mailing, you must tailor each letter to “flatter” the reader and show that you’ve done some research on that organization or that person).
Michael waits in the lobby for his interview. His hands are sticky and wet, his heart is beating faster than usual and his mouth feels like cotton. The interviewer approaches, and Michael has to wipe his hand on his pant leg before shaking hands.
This is a familiar scenario in company lobbies throughout the world. The job interview can be very stressful for most people. Since one of our top fears is rejection and one of our top needs is acceptance, it is not surprising that interviews make people sweat.
Second, think of this conversation as a two-way process. You are interviewing potential employers as much as they are interviewing you. Is there a good fit here? What looks good on paper may not be what it appears for either party. Investigate whether this company is a good place for you and whether you want to invest a significant part of your life here.
One of the best techniques to handle stress is through breathing. Take deliberate shallow breaths. Take air in through the nostrils and exhale, quietly, through the mouth. This technique should be practiced to relax before the interview.
Relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation classes are effective in overcoming extreme cases of interview fright. The interview can cause panic attacks if the fear is strong enough. Preconditioning will do wonders for this type of anxiety.
Michael has been to six interviews in the past two months. He has been runner-up for a couple of the jobs but has received no solid offers.
These are competitive times, and rejection can be expected. Competition for jobs is much keener than it was a year ago. It is important, however, to do everything possible to sell yourself by preparing for the interview. Start thinking of yourself as a product and presenting what you have to offer the company.
Can you imagine giving a performance without some practice and preparation? Wringing the interview in today’s market is a big mistake. Preparation will make you feel more confident and less anxious.
Because of the number of interviews with no offer, Michael feels defeated, and it is beginning to affect his self-esteem.
Such rejections hurts, but try not to take it personally. There are so many factors that could be affecting the offer that it is impossible to say what is happening. There may be internal candidates, relatives promised jobs, a competitor who is a perfect match for the position, a lack of chemistry or mismatch in salary needs.
When Michael has done everything to prepare for the interview and is satisfied that he has presented himself in the best light possible, the next step is to let it go. There is something to learn from each interview.
Give yourself credit for getting an interview – only a small percentage of people get this far in the process. Give yourself credit for going out there and putting yourself on the line, even though it is painful for you. Give yourself permission to not get job offers. Believe that an offer will come through when it is the right offer – the right fit for the company and for you.
[top] Questions to Ask During a Job Interview
A job interview is an opportunity for you to learn more about a potential employer. Indeed, what you learn from an interview may determine whether or not you want the job you’re interviewing for. The following are examples of the types of questions you might ask at your job interview.
[top] Handling Multiple Interviewers
It might feel like you’re facing lions and tigers and bears. There you sit along in front of the room, waiting for the pack to attack with questions. It’s really not quite that bad. In fact, there is an upside to this process. This way, you get it over all at once.
But how do you deal with so many interviewers in one sitting? The best way is to take them one at a time. The board or panel is not one entity, but several individuals coming together with the common goal of hiring the best candidate for the job. At the same time, each person has his or her own agenda or department’s interest at heart. For example, the HR manager will be checking to make sure you are a good fit with the culture and people working at this company. The hiring manager will want to know about your technical skills or business know-how. And the person from accounting will want to know if you are savvy enough to operate a business budget.
Board or panel interviews are usually rather formal and organized, using a standard set of questions for all applicants. This type of interview is typically used in academia, government or for high-level executives but can be used for any other type of position in any company.
A female client interviewed for a senior-administrator job a t a major health agency, facing a panel of 10 doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators. She felt like it was an inquisition, not an interview. But she had prepared well and was confident when she faced this tribunal. She looked at each person as he or she asked the question, and continued to look at that person for 30 seconds or so. She then shifted her eye contact to each member of the interviewing team. She made sure she made contact with each set of eyes while answering questions. She felt very much in control and her interview went well. The result was a job offer.
Another multiple-type interview is the team or “good cop/bad cop” interview. The team is usually made up of two interviewers, one who asks the questions and one who takes notes. The two typically trade roles, which can be confusing if they have different styles. In fact, one person may be kind and gentle and the other more harsh or pushy.
Just remember, these inquisitors are working together toward the same end. Treat them equally, not favoring one over the other.
Regardless of the type of interview, the best advice is to prepare and practice beforehand. When you have the script and have rehearsed your answers, you will feel prepared and more confident no matter how many people you have to face.
Updated 4/2008