resume

Resume tip #1 picture yourself where you want to be

Your resume should read like advertising copy - not like an autobiography. Take time to mentally weave yourself towards your dream job. Take stock of all the experience you have gathered towards your goal and make it appealing to employers.

Resume tip #2 brand yourself to be in market demand

Your resume should convey a value proposition and a good fit with the company's culture. "Why hire you instead of someone else with similar skills?"

Resume tip #3 detail your contribution to the company's bottom line

People who live by key indicators will love metrics like a 15% increase in customer retention, 10% improvement in efficiency or 20% over sales target. Giving percentages rather than absolute values lets you keep your duty of non-disclosure with past employers and will be a hint about your future loyalty and discretion.

Resume tip #4 use Resume Digest's highlight section to punch your value statement

Whet the reader's appetite with three to five of your greatest strengths to communicate your brand

Resume tip #5 Match the requirements spelt out in the job posting

Highlight the must-have skills listed for the position you're applying for. If you lack a given qualification substantiate the claim that your experience is similar or better

Resume tip #6 segregate responsibilities from accomplishments

Responsibilities are what you're paid for. You're only doing what is expected of you. Accomplishments are what you have achieved above and beyond the call of duty - what you ought to be commended for. Employers like to have a self-motivated achiever on board - not a civil servant.

Resume tip #7 speak the lingo with your industry keywords

Recruiters use scanning software to search for certain keywords in a database of resumes. For human readers make those hot buttons stand out by being first in line

Resume tip #8 substantiate your characteristics

"Customer focused: appointed primary contact for key accounts" sounds much better than "good people skills"

Resume tip #9 proofreading

Aim to fit everything on one page unless you are a senior executive or an academic. Prune everything that does not support your application or worse may even detract from it.

Resume tip #10 make it appealing

Resume Digest neat layout will help in that regard. You can still copy and paste into MS Word and do your own piece of art. But do not over do it!

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