Learn How to Create a Resume That Gets The Interview
Even if you have a resume in place that you use for every application, you would be wise to look up information on how to create a resume. Compare the results with your resume and you will likely find places where you can make changes or improvements. The main thing about a resume is that it has to grab the reader’s attention right away. Don’t wait until the reader gets to your work experience to make that pitch. If the reader doesn’t get the sense that you would be a valuable employer right from the beginning, it is likely that he/she will never bother to read your full resume.
It is important to have a strong summary at the beginning of the resume. This is not just a summary of your skills. Here you can use bulleted points or sentences, but you do need to keep it short. The summary is a place where you can show the prospective employer what you have accomplished rather than using words that tell the employer. You do have to use words that pinpoint accomplishments. If you are having trouble writing this part of the resume, think back to the jobs you have held and ask yourself what you are most proud of in each one. This will give you the incentive you need to brag about your performance.
After you complete the summary, then you give details about your work experience. Start off with your most recent job, writing the positions in reverse chronological ordcer. Employers want to know more about your most recent job than the first one you had, especially if that was some time ago. You also need to tailor the skills to suit the job you are applying for. There may be more than one job of the same type, but it is unlikely they are all looking for the same type of skills. Therefore, you should never use just one resume for all of your job applications. A tip that could prove very useful is to have the job posting in front of you so you can refer to it making sure you have all the required skills listed in your resume.
When listing your work experiences focus on your accomplishments. Think about times when you exceeded the requirements of the position and how you preformed at these times. This is what employers want to read about. They want to see how you added value to the company because that is what they want for their own company. When describing these times, use descriptive words and phrases. Instead of saying “I was in charge of”, using words such as “directed” or “supervised” has a greater effect.
Copyright 2007 Jay Tokarz
