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There are many styles
of resumes, but 99% of us need two basic types of resumes:
The
chronological is used with job prospects and recruiters while the
networking resume is used in networking situations. If you are
contacting retained recruiters you may want to develop a one-page
summary of your experience to be included in the email message (not
an attachment).
If
you are attempting to change industries or type of job, you may
want to utilize a Functional Resume, but that is not covered in
this section at this time
Your
resume is an advertisement for the product known as YOU. The goal
of a resume is to get you an interview; it won’t get you a job.
However, a poorly written resume will PREVENT you from getting the
interview and therefore a job.
Similar
to advertising, an effective resume is one that is written from
the reader’s perspective, so you need to focus on your audience.
You may need more than one version of your resume to address multiple
audiences such as CEOs vs recruiters. Some general rules on creating
a resume are:
Know your audience
- Use the language
of your audience (CEO's are different than CFO's) and avoid
acronyms unless your audience uses them
- Put in what the
reader needs to know about you
Resumes are ads,
not textbooks
- Many readers will
spend only 30-60 seconds, so you need to capture their attention
immediately
- Leave white space
and avoid very small font sizes – make it easy to read
- Analyze your achievements
and use quantifiable results wherever possible
- Every achievement
you list has to answer the question "So what?"
Stating that you "designed and implemented a new CRM application"
doesn't tell the reader why that is important.
Compare that statement to this one: "Increased sales by
10% through implementation of a new CRM application"
Make it easy &
brief
- When sending electronically,
name the attachment with your name and the year e.g. BobSmith_Resume_2003
not simply Resume.doc
- Chronological resumes
should be two pages or less, networking resumes should be one
page
Make it portable
- Save the file as
.RTF (Rich Text Format) or PDF to insure it looks the way you
want
Detailed Resume Pointers
(See Jeff Bergart Resume
Pointers - excel spreadsheet - Right Click to download)
Components of Chronological
Resume (See Sample Chronological
Resume)
Heading:
- All the contact info
should be at the top of the resume
- Include Name, Address,
Telephone Numbers, e-mail address, web site address (if applicable)
- Make your name stand-out
– larger font size and bold
- Use a professional-sounding
email address, ideally one that is permanent
- Make sure all phones
have "proper" professional sounding recorded messages
Objective/Summary:
- Optional feature
– can also be included in cover letter
- An objective describes
the work you're hoping to do. It should match the job specs if
known and be tailored to each job.
- Do not include a specific
objective if there is more than one potential position that you
are qualified for in the targeted company
- A summary is equivalent
to your elevator speech and the goal is to catch your reader’s
attention – so it has to be catchy, short and concise
- Keywords can be included
in bullet form. Many companies and recruiters do key word searches.
Work Experience
- The goal is to briefly
give the employer an overview your accomplishments
- Analyze your experience
using the PAR (Problem Action
Results) process to focus on the results you have delivered
- Focus on the past
10 years, most employers are not interested in what you did before
that
- List the company
name and position title
- List dates (years)
of employment – avoid using months
- If company has new
name (merger/buyout), show new name and old in parenthesis
- Briefly list
the job responsibilities
- Describe your work
responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements
- making certain that each bullet answers the "So What?"
question from the reader's perspective
- Quantify your achievements
in dollars/metrics whenever possible
Education
- List your most recent
degree first
- List the institution’s
name and location as well as your major
- Mention academic
honors, societies if applicable
- Don’t include date
of graduation
Components of Networking
One-page Resume (See Sample
Networking Resume)
Heading:
- All the contact info
should be at the top of the resume
- Include Name, Address,
Telephone Numbers, e-mail address, web site address (if applicable)
- Make your name stand-out
– larger font size and bold
- Use a professional-sounding
email address, ideally one that is permanent
- Make sure all phones
have "proper" professional sounding recorded messages
Profile:
- Equivalent to your
elevator speech and the goal is to give your contact a “handle”
by which to remember you – so it has to be catchy, short and concise
- Keywords can be
included in bullet form. Many companies and recruiters do key
word searches.
Work Experience Synopsis
The goals are to (a) let the networking contact know where you have
worked in case there is a linkage with them and (b) paint a brief
outline of what you have accomplished
- Focus on the past
10 years
- List the company
name and position title
- List dates (years)
of employment – avoid using months
- If company has new
name (merger/buyout), show new name and old in parenthesis
Request for assistance
- List the companies
or individuals you want help contacting
- Be as specific as
you can
Leave space for the networking
contact to make notes
Sample Recruiter Email
Resume
See Sample
Recruiter Email Resume
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