Resume Samples Don't Hurt

Resume Samples

What’s the right resume style to use? Which fonts work best? What format should I use? How do I make sure the format stays the same when I upload it online? How does the rest of my industry style their resumes? These are just some of the questions you face when writing your resume. Resume samples are a great answer.

What ever the job you are going for, whatever the industry, you can find resume samples online. Just put the phrase “resume samples” in your search engine. There are free resume samples, software that offer resumes samples and even membership sites where you sign up and have access to resume samples.

Many of the same sites that offer resume samples will also have tips on writing resumes and what to watch out for, what to include, and what employers are looking for when they review your resume. Their samples will also give you the appropriate wording.

Things you probably want to look for are resume samples with both an objective and a summary of your skills. Follow the wording style that the resume samples use to write your objective. Compose a different objective for each job for which you apply. Use the employer’s wording and add some value or benefit in hiring you. For example, “Objective – sales director position with a focus of new business development. This shows the company that you plan to add value to them.

The Summary is your place to toot your own horn. Resume samples will give you the style of wording to follow. Do not make this a summary of your skills; make this a summary of your accomplishments. Let the potential employer know what you’ve achieved all the while focused on what their job specifications are. Ask yourself the question, “How and where does what I’ve achieved in the past add value to the company I’m applying for?” and write the summary from this perspective.

As for fonts and style, look at the resume samples. There seems to be some argument about whether to use Times Roman, or a san serif font like Arial or a different font such as Georgia. Here’s where the resume samples in your industry can help. Look at what’s being done in your industry. Formatting is important too, especially if it’s being uploaded. Sometimes when you use tabs, they aren’t read correctly and your formatting will turn out a mess. Better to use spaces. Better still, follow the relevant resume samples.

Copyright 2007 Jay Tokarz

Create A Resume

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

How to Create a Resume

When you want to apply for a posted position, you want to know how to create a resume that will get you the interview you need. First of all, you have to grab the reader’s attention. If you already have a resume written, you should review it according to resume writing guidelines to make sure you have everything included in the resume that a prospective employer would be looking for.

Your resume should begin with a summary of your accomplishments. This should be wordy. Choose words that give the full effect of your accomplishments without being lengthy. You can showcase two or three accomplishments by using either bullets or by combining sentences – whichever you think would provide the greatest effect. This way you will show the reader that you are good at what you do instead of just saying that you are good.

The next section of your resume should deal with your experience at this type of job. List your work experience in chronological order starting with your most recent position. Most employers are more interested in your most recent experience rather than what you did when you first entered the job market. You also need to tailor the experience to the duties that would apply to the job you are applying for. Therefore, you should avoid including unnecessary details that employers for a particular position would not be interested in.

If there are two or more similar jobs posted, you should not submit the same resume for each position. It is unlikely that all of them will require the same skills, so you have to tailor each resume to fit the job posting. It is beneficial to have the job posting in front of you as you create your resume so that you can include all the skills that the position requires, that is, if you have these skills.

Focus on details that highlight your accomplishments in this type of work. Don’t focus on what your responsibilities were in the job, as this doesn’t tell the employer how well you preformed. They want to know what value you added to the company in your work. Ask yourself what you did in this position that you are proud of and this will give you an idea of what details to include in your resume. Try to think of times when you went above and beyond what was expected of you.

When describing the details of the duties, use descriptive nouns and verbs. Don’t say things like “I was in charge of”. Instead use words, such as “directed” or “supervised”. They have a greater effect on a resume.

Copyright 2007 Jay Tokarz

Using Resume Examples

When you want to apply for a job, whether it is your first or your fifth, you should look at examples of resumes to help you write the perfect one for you. Make sure that you include a cover letter, because this is an important component of any job application. It tells the employer the specific position you are interested in. Look at examples of resumes to find what other job applicants have written and emulate the ones you think are the best.

Finding an example of a resume to use as a guide is important. If you have used the same resume for years, and just add work experience to it, the employer will notice this fact. A resume is a chance for you to show off your skills and talents, so don’t be modest or humble when you write yours. Write a short introduction of 1 – 3 sentences detailing your greatest strengths. This will catch the attention of recruiters and prospective employers. It will give the reader a snapshot of you that will make them want to read on and call you for an interview.

If you have been employed at several companies, use subheadings for each one. Under each subheading, use bullets to highlight the work that you did for each company. Don’t forget any volunteer work you do because you can gain valuable work experience by volunteering in your field. Even the fact that you did volunteer work is impressive because the employer will see that you are willing to go the extra mile.

While there are many types of examples of resumes you can look at, you have to look at your individual experience and skills and build this into your own resume. You have to highlight your strengths and make note of any accomplishments you are proud of. Think of the answers you would give to these questions if you are having difficulty coming up with solid accomplishments that you can include on your resume:

• What impact did I have in my last job?
• Would another person have the same impact?
• What part of the job I did makes me proud?

Use any job evaluations where employers made positive comments about you. You can specify that you have these evaluations for the prospective employer to read or you can copy phrases from them to show the good work you did and can do.

Copyright 2007 Jay Tokarz

Resume Writing Help

Need a Free Resume Outline?

When writing a resume, it is very helpful to use a free resume outline. There are many sites on the Internet where you can get such a free resume outline to show you exactly what you need to include in your resume. Many of these sites have free resume templates that you can download to your computer and then just fill in your unique information. They have preset margins the correct font size to use and loads of other useful information for you to use. All you have to do is search for a free resume outline and you will have thousands of resources to choose from.

When you do find a site with a free resume outline you can use, you can choose a functional, chronological or keyword based resume template. Each of these resume types has their own purpose. You would use a functional resume if you have a limited amount of work experience or if you are changing careers. For those transitioning out of the military to the civilian work force, this type of resume is beneficial because it allows them to highlight aspects of their duties that are relevant to a particular job. In a chronological resume, you list all your work experience in a time frame. You can start with your first job and list all the positions you have held until the present. You can also do this in reverse order, if you think the prospective employer will be more impressed by the latest job you held rather than the previous ones. Keyword based resumes are used when posting your resume online. You use strategically placed keywords related to your skills and experiences so that recruiters will pick up your resume when they scan the list of job applicants..

Now let’s get to the basics of a resume outline. The top of the page should contain your name and full contact information. Next you write your objective, which is a summary statement of why you are writing this resume. When you have this in writing, you can include a general statement of your qualifications for the position, but this is optional. The next part of the resume deals with your education. List all the universities and colleges and the degree or certificate you obtained. If you have additional training or certificates, you would list these next.

Your work experience makes up the next section of the resume outline. Here you will list the titles of the positions you held and brief outline of your duties in each. You also need to give employers a snapshot of you as a professional and the way to do this is to include the names of any associations or organizations to which you belong, any awards or citations you have received and any special skills you have that will give you an extra edge in being hired for this position.

Keep your details brief and it is best to list them in bulleted points. From the free resume outline you will see that the resume should only be about 1- 2 pages in length. You have to provide just enough information to make the employers notice you enough to call you for an interview, where you can then discuss your skills in greater depth.