TARGET YOUR RESUME FOR SUCCESS

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TARGET YOUR RESUME FOR SUCCESS

• Betty Davis-Smith

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Agenda

• What is a Resume?
• What Should Be on the Resume?
• General Resume Writing Tips
• Resume Templates
• Popular Job Hunting Websites

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How to Build a Great Resume

• Resume RealitiesSome things to keep in mind!

• The 10-30 second rule employers will determine
  within the first 10-30 seconds whether or not to
  keep your resume.
• Employers dont want to read fluff, they want
  to read facts.
• Grammatical errors they will be noticed!
• There are many other applicants that are
  competing for the job youre interested in..

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What is a Resume?

• It Is
• Brief and to the point
• Specific to the objective
• Based on facts
• Based on Your accomplishments
• A document that can be changed and revised
• Simple and easy to read

• It is Not
• A long winded biography
• General and vague
• Based on opinions
• Based solely on your past duties
• A document that is set in stone
• A document that has clip art or pictures in it

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Pieces of a Resume?
Employers focus most on the Work Experience

• Contact Information
• Summary or Objective
• Areas of Expertise
• Work Experience
• Skills
• Education, Certifications or Licenses

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Resume Tips - Experienced Candidate

• Give a summary not an objective
• Lead with experience not education
• List your accomplishments not just
  responsibilities
• List activities that relate to your self
  improvement efforts
• Length of your resume is determined by your
  accomplishments (2 page max)
• Tailor each resume to include accomplishments

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What are Keywords?

• It is common for employers to scan resumes
  electronically to locate "keywords" that are
  specific to the job in question.
• Be prepared to revise your resume to the specific
  job of interest.
• Keywords are words taken from the employers job
  ad or position description, including job titles,
  qualifications, knowledge, and skills.

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Your email Address

• Bad email addresses
• likesbeer_at_email.com
• harleydude_at_email.com
• Crazyforcats_at_email.com
• Good email addresses
• JohnSmith_at_email.com
• JSmith_at_email.com
• Johnmsmith_at_email.com

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Summary of Qualificationsor Objective

• A Statement of Objective - specifying the
  industrial sector, profession, or occupation, and
  the level of responsibility. It is appropriate
  when youre just starting out or not established
  in your profession.
• Objective should describe your desired job/field
  and demonstrate the value you bring.
• Summary of Qualifications If you have been
  working a while and looking for a new job in the
  same field. It can be called Professional Summary
  or Career Highlights.
• This puts your most impressive and relevant
  qualifications up front.

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Example of Objectives

• Bad Objective
• A challenging creative opportunity where I can
  apply my skills in a dynamic organization with
  plenty of room for advancement.
• Good Objective
• To apply knowledge acquired through a Bachelors
  degree in Marketing and Communications and two
  summer internships at a public relations agency
  to an entry level position on the Marketing or PR
  team of a major financial institution

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Example of Qualifications Summary

• Bad Summary
• A loan and credit underwriter, experienced at
  analizing loan applications and working with
  commerical and retail loan transactions.
• Good Summary
• Accomplished loan and credit underwriter with 9
  years of experience in commercial and retail
  banking and a proven record of profitable lending
  transactions. Adept at combining in-depth
  knowledge of industry practices and legal
  requirements with analytical expertise, strategic
  negotiation, and skilful relationship building to
  secure new and repeat business. Earned top
  underwriter in the Northeast Region for past 4
  years.

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Different Resume Styles

• There are three styles of resumes
• Chronological list work experience by dates
  from most recent to oldest
• Functional focus on skills rather than work
  experience
• Combination resume combines elements of
  chronological and functional

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Different Resume Styles
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Different Resume Styles
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Different Resume Styles
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F U N N Y T R U T H
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Resume FormatGeneral Guidelines

• Font size of 10 or 12
• Perfectly typed with about a 1 inch margin
• Use only one font. You may vary size for
  emphasis, if necessary.
• Do not use different font styles. If you need to
  call attention to something, you can bold it, but
  use this sparingly.
• Avoid all-capital letters and italics as they are
  difficult to read.
• Use caution with acronyms and industry specific
  terminology

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Free Resume Websites

• www.howtowritearesume.net
• www.resumetemplates.com
• www.pongoresume.com
• www.livecareer.com/
• http//www.bestsampleresume.com/

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The Best Job Search Websites

• www.monster.com
• www.Oodle.com
• www.simplyhired.com
• www.snagajob.com
• www.TheLadders.com
• www.trovix.com
• www.careerbuilder.com
• www.ExecSearch.com

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The Best Job Search Websites

• www.usajobs.gov
• www.americajob.com
• www.linkedin.com

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Salary Comparison and Cost of Living

• Salary Calculators
• www.salary.com
• www.payscale.com
• http//www.homefair.com/real-estate/salary-calcula
  tor.asp
• Cost of Living Calculator
• www.bestplaces.net/col