Resume Writing Advice - To Secure That New Job!

You need to look closely at the job requirements, and then emphasize those very skills in your resume.

Keep It Short

Keep your resume short and easy to comprehend - after all, you will give a detailed explanation of it during your personal interview. Employers have to go through many résumés to find the ones they find interesting, so make yours stand out from the crowd.

A typical employer is likely to spend little more than half a minute on each resume. That's why perfecting yours is a must; it should be short, eye catching and promising enough to get them to call you.

Clearly State Your Objectives

Your objective is your 'goal statement' - it should be brief, but strong enough to keep the reader interested in reading further. Objectives should be written from the employers' perspective, detailing how your past experience, skills, and educational qualifications will benefit their organization.

Highlight Your Skills

Broadly outline your skills; keeping it brief will enable you to put your strongest points first. Include soft skills like effective communication, being a team player, and leadership qualities. Also include your technical skills, mentioning how you acquired them.

Highlight your functional area of expertise. Mention any special skills and certifications earned. All of your computer skills are important, as they indicate how versatile you are. However, list your skills sets in the order that meets profile of the position you are seeking.

Any accomplishments that you mention should be supported with documentation. Be prepared to bring proof of anything contained in your resume if you are granted a personal interview.

If you are applying for your first job, you may not have much past experience to list on your resume. However, that does not mean that you should entirely forgo creating a resume.

When writing your first resume, your greatest asset is your education. You may be a recent graduate, whether from high school, college or a vocational school. No matter which, you've spent years honing specific skills. Beyond listing the schools you've attended, list the skills you've learned.

Another potential starting point for skills is your hobbies. Do any of your hobbies require a special talent? Even video gamers have some skills that an employer would find useful: most have experience with using computers and other equipment. Make a list of the skills you have learned in the course of your hobbies, and add that to your resume. However, you probably don't need to include a specific hobbies section: most hiring managers aren't especially concerned with them.

More and more educational programs are requiring some sort of volunteer work from students these days. If your school is one of them, you have a leg up when writing your resume. Even if you did not earn money for your work, you can list volunteer work on your resume, if only to prove that you have some experience working with others. If you have worked with a specific organization long term, you may want to emphasize that point - many employers worry about first time employees' abilities to commit to a position.

Other activities can also provide a good starting point for a resume. If you've been involved with group activities, whether at school or outside it, some of those activities may be able to show an employer that you have potential as an employee. The best activities to list on a resume are those that demonstrate leadership and commitment.

With your first resume, your cover letter takes on added importance. The cover letter is your chance to convince a potential employer to take a risk on you - that, despite your inexperience, you will make a good employee. While your resume is just a list of skills, your cover letter should be persuasive. Explain what about your abilities set you apart from all the other applicants out there. If you are trying to be hired for something more than an entry level position, you will also need to justify your application and show an employer that your lack of experience will not make it harder for you to do a job.

If you maintain a relationship of some sort with your school, you may be able to get help writing or reviewing your resume through your school's career counseling department. Most schools help current students with job placement issues, such as resume writing, and many extend the courtesy to past students as well.

Most resume writers ask you only one question to determine whether you need a professional resume writer: are you getting interviews for the types of jobs you want when you submit your resume? If you aren't, most resume writers say that you need to call in the professionals.

However, a resume writer's services can be quite expensive, so you may want to consider a few other factors before hiring help.

Check if there are any basic improvements you can make. If you haven't had a chance to proofread your own resume yet, do so. Just double-checking your spelling and grammar may be enough to catch the reason that you aren't getting many callbacks.

Make sure that your resume is geared towards the type of career you want. Especially if you are changing careers, your resume may reflect skills and a work history that doesn't focus on the type of job you are looking for now. Consider making a list of the ideal abilities of someone in your dream job, and then reworking your resume to show that you have these skills.

Focus on describing your accomplishments. Your accomplishments will set you apart from other applicants, and can clearly show a potential employer why they should hire you.

If you are still having trouble, though, it may be time to seek professional help. Many resume writers can truly improve your resume and help you find the job that you want. However, keep in mind that paying a professional resume writer doesn't guarantee that your resume will land the perfect job. Instead, a good resume is just an edge in your competition with other applicants.

There are also, unfortunately, plenty of individuals who look for work as resume writers but cannot provide you with the help that you need. It can be hard to find a reliable resume writer. While professional services may seem high, using a low-priced service can actually be a problem. Extremely inexpensive resume writing services may be little more than scams. At the minimum, you want to work with a resume writer who is easy to contact, can provide you with samples of both resumes and cover letters, and provides their costs in writing ahead of time. You may also want to work with a resume writing service that offers additional services, such as job search consultation and interview preparation.

You might want to consider choosing your resume writer through PARW (the Professional Association of Resume Writers). PARW maintains a list of certified resume writers, and their certification has come to be considered the industry standard. Whether or not you work with a certified resume writer, check the reputation of the service you plan to use. Even a simple Internet search can help you determine whether you want to work with a company.

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