Writing Better Resumes

Many books are written on the subject of resumes. Much of it is either confusing or contradictory.  In an ideal world, your resume can act as your calling card, win you an interview, and land your name on top of the "possibles" stack.

In short, it can sell you.

But of course, there is another story:

In the real job search world of today, most resumes will never make it past a computer database, never to see the light of day. When they do, they'll be too quickly tossed aside onto the "reject" stack. So much for the resume books.

Why the difference?

Partly, because today resumes have become cliché. Having been so overused, they've long since lost the importance they once had. There is also a certain cynicism that has crept into the staffing and job search industry as to the truthfulness or validity on the part of their authors. Another reason is that the job search world has changed. Employers and recruiters, in an effort to "cut to the chase", use resumes as a "screen-out" tool. Of the resumes that even get "flagged" by a computer for human review, most are rejected out of hand within a few seconds because they don't contain a certain keyword skill, knowledge, product, talent or some other pet buzzword being sought. Include too much information about yourself, and your resume can also unwittingly end up in the trash bin. And for those who can't write a succinct Objective, state a personal brand using a Unique Selling Proposition or enunciate Clear Benefit Statements...

Welcome to the backwaters of Resume Hell.

With the odds clearly stacked against you, let's focus on the ways you can shuffle the deck more in your favor.

First, ask yourself this question: "What’s My Desired Outcome for sending my resume to any person or company?"

It’s really very basic. You want a phone screen or interview. You want a representative for the particular company or organization to pick up the phone and call you. The purpose is to pre-qualify you and decide whether to either schedule a time to call you back and interview you more at length, or say "Thanks, but no thanks".

To get to this step, you need to overcome two hurdles:

1. Get your resume flagged by a computer and read by a corporate decision-maker.

2. Have the decision-maker call you for an interview.

Resume Basics

So let's get started. To build your resume, you need to first deconstruct your professional career. First answer these questions: What is your current job title? What are other titles used to describe this position? Then write down all the job functions under the subject of job description.

Next, prioritize and write the most important function. Now, under the function, think of what skills you have or have acquired to be able to achieve this function. Make a list of everything you can think of. Here is where we need to build keywords that a computer will search on and a hum will read. The more the better as long as they are relevant.

Finally, list the particular achievements that you accomplished doing this particular function. Think ROI (Return on Investment), if you can monetize it (that means putting a dollar value on it), so much the better. Think the way a company does: employees either make money or save money for a company. Know which type of employee you are and be ready to back this up with proof. Don’t exaggerate and do give credit where credit is due. If you were part of a team, say so.

With this basic work done, decide what basic resume format to take. There are three basic types of resumes:

1. Chronological – This is the most common. This is simply listing you work history from your present job and working backwards listing the dates, companies, and job responsibilities for each.

2. Functional – This is typically the favored format when you are changing careers, there are large gaps in your work history, you are just entering the job market after a long absence. This concentrates on skills and responsibilities that you learned, acquired and performed, with the most relevant skills listed toward the top. This de-emphasizes job titles, dates and specific companies, usually listing them at the very end of the resume with little elaboration

3. Combination – This combines the two above, usually starting with a brief summary, then further lists and summarizes particular skills you have acquired and excelled at. The rest of the resume continues much as a chronological resume, listing dates, companies and titles with a brief description of the responsibilities of each job. This format can be useful when you have a steady work history within a particular industry or profession.

See Sample Resumes section for further clarification.

Now that you're ready to actually write your resume, here are 7 quick pointers...

Don't Sweat Writing a Great Resume... 

Can your resume sell you in 20 seconds or less? 

More than ever, your resume must accomplish more in less time to stimulate the desire button and get employers to make that call.

Regardless of how great your background is, if your resume can't sell you in 20 seconds or less, you may have no chance of success. Otherwise, your resume is just another reject.  

Why not let Joe Turner, the "Job Search Guy", Write it For You.   Click here for full details.

Have you checked out the Job Search Guy Blog?  You can get the latest tips, tricks and techniques  to win your dream job presented by Joe Turner, "the Job Search Guy".  Also, find out what others are doing and saying about how to succeed in today's job search scene.  Do you have a job search or interviewing question? Post it here.

Have a Killer Job Search!!

Best Regards,

Joe Turner
"My Goal is Getting You Hired Faster"