Relevance Outweighs Details Save the Whole The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap: If you asked your parents how to write a resume, they would probably tell you to list every job you’d ever had, and then detail everything you’d done at those jobs. Twenty-five years ago, when people mailed their typed resumes to the person to whom they’d be reporting, that was sound advice. If you’ve been in the workforce for a while, chances are good that you’ve had at least one job that wasn’t relevant to your overall career path. Let’s say that you’ve been in the workforce for 20 years, but you’ve only spent 10 of those years in related professional roles. The next time you encounter a recruiter, ask him how much time he typically spends reviewing a resume. Forget what your parents told you. Author: Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. Click Be Your Own Headhunter for info on my Job Search Seminar.
AvidCareerist I like the first one. Why? Because the word “use” is simpler, and easier to say, than the word “utilize.” A quick way to strengthen your resume is to search for the words “utilize” and “utilized” (Edit/Find in Word) and either swap in the proper tense of the word “use” or rewrite the sentence. Rewrite the sentence? Here are a few examples from resumes I have received: Example 1, as received Utilize my skills in a senior administrative role to provide leadership and direction for all fiscal areas as well as office administration, human resources and technology. Example 1, as re-written CFO with record of significant contributions to business operations, earnings, and growth. At the “C” level, it’s critically important to tell your reader what you can do for a company right away. Example 2, as received Over 15 years supervisory experience utilizing strong team development skills. Example 2, as re-written Example 3, as received Utilized PRISM to create modifications to contracts. Summary
How to Use Numbers on Your Resume Suppose you're a hiring manager looking at resumes. Which of the following statements would impress you more? Wrote news releases. Wrote 25 news releases in a three-week period under daily deadlines. Clearly, the second statement carries more weight. Numbers are powerful resume tools that will help your accomplishments get the attention they deserve from prospective employers. Think Money Organizations are and always will be concerned about money. Identified, researched and recommended a new Internet service provider, cutting the company's online costs by 15 percent. Think Time You've heard the old saying, "Time is money," and it's true. Assisted with twice-monthly payroll activities, ensuring employees were paid as expected and on time. Think Amounts It's very easy to neglect mentioning how much or how many of something you've produced or overseen. Don't fall into the trap of excluding numbers. Recruited 25 members for a new student environmental organization. Articles in This Feature:
Grooming Leaders to Handle Ambiguity - Scott Anthony - Harvard B by Scott Anthony | 4:00 PM July 6, 2010 How would you identify the up-and-coming leaders in a company about which you knew nothing? You’d likely start by pinpointing the executives who control the most employees or revenues. You might give bonus points to relatively young mangers. If you had consulting DNA you might create a sophisticated ratio combining the span of control and age to identify the leader in the horse race to be the next big boss. You are working off a simple hypothesis that’s right in almost every company — that size matters. This approach seems logical. But I wonder if companies might be approaching leadership development the wrong way. I’ve never run a multi-billion dollar company, but I’m willing to bet the difference in complexity between managing $1 billion and $10 billion in revenues, or 1,000 versus 10,000 employees isn’t that great. Perhaps it is time to rethink this approach.
No more weak resume words I really loved this post by the Avid Careerist, Donna Svei. She writes on one of those pesky weak resume words: “utilize.” As Donna says, we never “utilize” the word “utilize” when we speak, so why should we “utilize” it on a resume? Good point. One application I wrote a few months ago asked that the candidate have “high level legal experience.” Like Donna I have a few resume pests of my own. “outcomes” “agreed outcomes” “liaised” “in order to” “facilitate” “responsible for” “actioned” “address” “behaviours” Have a look at this post on action words for resumes, if you are in any way confused. Read Donna’s full post here Practice Your Interview Techniques in a Mock Interview As with every skill you've ever learned, you have to learn the technique and then practice, practice, practice. A mock interview will not only help you perfect your technique, but it will also allow you to get valuable feedback and coaching on your performance. Sue is an accomplished tennis player who has worked on her stroke and technique for many years. She is now graduating from college and has signed up for some on-campus interviews with recruiters. Working with a professional and getting feedback on your performance in a mock interview is similar to working with a sports coach to learn how to improve your game. Before Sue interviews with potential employers, she signs up for a mock interview at the campus career center. What Is a Mock Interview? A 30-minute videotaped session of you in an interview with a professional.A review of the tape with constructive feedback on your performance. Preparation The Session The Feedback Articles in This Feature:
The Cloud Approach To Writing Your Resume One of the hardest things about writing a resume is the process of preparing it for electronic eyes--many resumes are scanned and ranked against preferred keywords and never even reviewed by hiring managers. (I can say this frankly because I have worked as a recruiter, and have selected the keywords for positions before listing job openings. I've worked on the "other side of the process.") As a job seeker, it's important to write your resume so that you can pass this first scan test. Here's one of my favorite quick tips for assessing key words for any position: 1. 2. 4. You will now see a visualization of word highlights for your target position.
AvidCareerist If your credential has been listed as a must have, or a nice to have, in the position description, you don’t want the reader to have to work to find it. Serve it up to them front and center.When the reader knows that you have earned a credential relevant to the position they are recruiting for, they are more likely to read your entire resume and read it very carefully.When the reader knows that you have earned a relevant credential, you set up a positive expectancy. They read the rest of your resume expecting to find other qualifications they are looking for. Your credential subtly says, “I’m a player.” That commands their respect and attention.If you don’t put the credential at the top of your resume, you will likely put it at the bottom of your resume along with your education. If the reader doesn’t go past the jump, they won’t ever see it. Here are some examples of how you might present your credential(s) at the top of your resume: Two more thoughts:
Become a Resume Wizard: Customize Your Resume for Best Results You have a resume, but it's not working as well as you'd like it to. What can you do to increase the number of calls you receive for job interviews? Customize your resume. Submitting the same resume for every position can't possibly meet each employer's individual requirements. Before responding to a job posting, review the job description to see what credentials are important. The most efficient way to create customized resumes is to develop one general resume and then tweak it for each particular job opportunity. Copy Your Monster Resume Before you apply for your next job on Monster, log into your My Monster account. Title Your Monster resume title should state your career goal, along with one or two of your top credentials. Objective The purpose of this section is to show that you're perfectly suited for the open position. Qualifications Summary Job Descriptions Many employers go directly to the resume's employment history section to assess your qualifications. Skills
The Process and Pitfalls of Education Verification This is a guest post was generously provided by Gordon Basichis, Co-Founder of Corra Group ( which specializes in pre-employment background checks, business research, and corporate investigation. Corra Group services companies throughout the United States and around the world. Thanks, Gordon, for providing a very insightful post from a recruiter point of view on education! Education history, of course, outside of criminal records, is one of the more significant searches. Most notable, if a candidate lies, chances are he is lying about his education. I have often wondered why the candidate decides to select the school he has never been to. To be sure, most employment candidates do not lie about having their college degrees. There are exceptions. The wrong graduation date can cause confusion when conducting an education verification background search. Be aware of diploma mills. Diploma mills are the easy and spurious way to a higher education. Too rare.