I Am A Terrible Writer!

Well, obviously, I am not saying that I am a terrible writer. . .however, I titled this post that way because - by lunchtime today - I had already heard this from three different clients. (You may be interested to know that that is slightly below average around here!)
Now, I love to "teach people to fish" - you know - show them all of the ins-and-outs of how to write an amazing resume. I give tips, advice, and reviews of resumes for free every day! But, more often than not, what I hear people say is that they just do not have the inclination to do it for themselves.
Well, If you are one of those "terrible writers" ~ have no fear! There are those of us (who despite how boring it may seem) love to write and thrive off of being able to make what others want to say jump off the page.
So, send an email to find out how you can have the best Response Resume
that you can write can be written for you!

Top 8 Resume Writing Tips

These Top 8 Fundamentals are the foundation for any great resume. If you miss the mark on any one of them - you're doomed!  Well, maybe not doomed, but you are definitely in need of a Professional Resume Consultation.

# 1 ~ When it comes to your name and contact information (always listed at the top) please, please - BE PROFESSIONAL! You can be sure that every HR Manager will toss your resume in the "round file", if your name is listed as "Big J Stephenson, email: bigjlovestheladies@youremail.com"! Instead, opt for the more acceptable: James Stephenson, email: jstephenson @youremail.com".

# 2 ~ Sell Yourself! You must use your Introduction/Summary/Overview section at the start of your resume as your Marketing pitch. This is your moment to grab their attention by showcasing yourself as the solution to their "problem". Make sure you know what they need from an ideal candidate, and present yourself as having what they need - and more.

# 3 ~ Leave some space! There should be enough "white space" on your resume that it looks clean and easy to navigate. Your resume does not need to be a detailed history of your life and career. Think of it, instead, as a place to get them interested in you and as a tool to give inspiration during an interview. (You want them to be able to say: "Can you tell me more about this project. . .") Plus, overwhelming the reader with too much text, is a sure fire way to have them skip your resume, altogether!

# 4 ~ List experience back 10 years. Along the same lines as number three, above - to not overwhelm the reader, you need only go back ten years on your resume. If there is something you are especially proud of at the twelve year mark - by all means, include it. But, remember, unless the experience is directly related to the position you are seeking, listing anything farther back is not necessary.

# 5 ~ Use KEYWORDS! In an earlier post, we talked about keywords. The importance of using these cannot be stressed enough! Always review the job posting to find the words and phrases that your desired company uses to describe what they need. Once you identify these words, make sure they are listed in your resume EXACTLY as they are used in the job posting. For example: if they say: "Administrative Professional", and you usually say "Administrative Assistant" - change your resume to say it their way.

# 6 ~ My second favorite saying, after "Sell Yourself", has to be this: "BE QUANTIFIABLE"! This means: give numbers - such as: "managed 27 technicians", or "increased profits by 47%", or "saved organization $11 million over 5 years" The more you can relate your accomplishments to numbers they can quantify, the more they will be able to see YOUR value.

# 7 ~ References ARE required. However, do not list them on your resume! A small note at the bottom that says "references are available upon request" is sufficient.
*A side note on this - please be certain to inform the people that you have used as a reference, that you have done so. There is nothing worse than the hiring manager calling a reference and having the person on the other end of the line say: "Who? Oh, yeah, Um, I guess I remember them. Wow, I haven't thought of that person in years!" or worse - having them give you a poor review. So, choose the people you give as references carefully, and call each and every one of them ahead of time so that you KNOW what they are going to say about you.

# 8 ~ P R O O F R E A D!!!! Read your resume forward and backward a few times yourself. Then, ask at least two other people to do the same for you. The mind often sees what it thinks should be there - especially after reading, writing, and re-reading and re-writing something multiple times. And, when it comes to "Spell Check", we all know it does not catch mistakes that are words spelled correctly - even if it's the wrong word. (Check out the earlier "Resume Blunders" post!) Do yourself a favor and make proofreading a priority.

Sell Yourself!

The idea that you must always "Sell Yourself", is the most important part of my resume writing philosophy. You are a brand - and learning to market yourself as such, is the key to your success in finding a job and in continuing to have success in your career. The concept is widely used, but I find that clients often ask what exactly it means. To start, you must first know what it is that you have to offer. Do you have technical skills and certifications that make you valuable? Do you have people skills and leadership capabilities that really set you apart? Well, then - sell those abilities in your resume. If identifying these is a struggle for you - don't fret. You are not alone. It is the number one reason why job seekers contact a Professional Resume Consultant.

10 Classic Resume Bloopers

10 Classic Resume Bloopers

What is a "Response Resume"?

To get the ball rolling here, we need to discuss what a "Response Resume" is. Well, it is - as the name suggests - a resume that you write in response to something. That something is the job opening you are hoping to get hired for. The reason that this type of resume is so much more successful, is two-fold. First, it takes into account that many job resources require posting resumes online. When this happens the first thing your resume will be subjected to will be a computer program that has been formatted to scan your resume in search of "Keywords". These keywords are the terms or phrases that most closely fit the hiring requirements for that specific job. So, when the system - let's call him "The Robot" scans resumes, he filters to find those that contain the specific words that best fit what the company is "looking for". A properly written Response Resume has utilized the most likely keywords from the job posting as well as the research done on the desired company, and is therefore, selected. The second reason that a response resume is the BEST way to resume - is that once it has been chosen by "The Robot" - it will be read by a hiring manager - you know, a real person. This person will want two things - first: to see that what is written in the resume fits exactly what they need in an employee and second: a good cup of coffee. Okay, well, they really just want your resume to be perfect - so they can stop looking for an employee and hire one to get to work!