By Lily Henderson
Everyone will tell you that it is important to have a polished resume, because it is the first piece of information that an employer will see about you when considering you as a candidate for the position they wish to fill. There is a myth floating around that employers use some kind of program to quickly scan resumes, and kick out the candidates whose resumes don’t meet the criteria for the job. Well, it isn’t exactly a “myth” but so many people will spend their time loading their resume up with key words they feel this “program” will pick up and send their resume to the “interview” pile. These efforts are useless. You should worry less about making yourself sound perfect for any job, and worry about finding the job that best suits your experience, education, and skills. Looking for any job will usually result in finding the wrong job, not having the experience enough for the job you are hired for, and eventually put you back on the market looking for employment. It is worse to have a job you are not qualified for than to have no job at all. Let’s break it down, and find out what is the most crucial elements to having a resume that will have the employers calling you none-stop.
The Tale of Two Cover Letters
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times, but mostly the worse for anyone looking for a job.
Creating a polished resume goes far beyond just creating the resume. The cover letter is just as important, if not more so, than the resume itself. While it is perfectly acceptable to have just one resume, you should have a specialized cover letter for each job you are applying for. The employer can read your resume, but still not feel they know enough about your qualifications, and whether you would be a good fit for the company. A cover letter gives you the opportunity to allow the employer to obtain the information about you they cannot glean from simply reading your resume.
Not only is it crucial that you include detailed information about yourself, you must also be specific when addressing the employer. If the information is available, you need to address your letter to the person responsible for filling the position. If this information is unavailable, using the name of the company is acceptable, or addressing it to the HR department is also suitable. If none of this information is available in the job posting you may also begin with “Dear Employer,” however, I would avoid doing so whenever possible. The employer wants to know that you have taken the time to review the qualifications for the job, and are confident in yourself to be able to fulfill these obligations. To do this, you have to have fully reviewed the job post, including the information about the company; who they are and what they do, and why you feel you are a good fit for this position. Also, you need to take this time to site exactly why you feel you are qualified for this job.
Using a Resume Objective
When resumes were first utilized to gain employment, employers were interested in resume objective statements. They would primarily use this information to determine a candidate’s long-term goals. There is some controversy on whether or not to use an objective statement in the opening of your resume. Many people feel it is as important as including your contact information, others believe it is unnecessary. This is one of those things that really just depend on the employer. Some employers won’t read them at all, while others are curious, and ask you about your objective statement. Mostly, this is just useless information that the employer isn’t truly concerned with. So use your best judgment when creating your resume as whether or not to include this information. I haven’t used an objective statement on my resume for over 5 years.
Know Your Qualifications
A common mistake that people make is under-estimating their qualifications. Your previous job may have been as a telemarketer, does that mean you should only apply for positions working in a call center? No. What it means is that you know how to work in a calling center, but most likely the primary skills learned at that job were customer service, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and having the ability to redirect a customer’s thoughts to your way of thinking. These are most likely all the skills you would obtain in this line of work. So what does that mean for an unemployed telemarketer? You can branch out some from the job title you used to have. How many other positions can you think of that require customer service skills, communication skills, and/or problem-solving skills? There are so many different jobs that require these skills. But just as I mentioned before, while it is okay to look for a job beyond your last position’s title, you should still make sure it is a job for which you are qualified. Knowing what skills you obtained during your time of employment will help you in determining which information to include in your resume. When I am updating my resume I retrieve the information my employer gave me about the job description and responsibilities for my position. I post that, as well as any additional responsibilities I took on during my time in that position.
Formatting Concerns
Formatting is an issue that everyone deals with. How to include all the information without writing a book about your work history is where people go wrong all the time. First and foremost, your resume should be only one page long, two tops. This doesn’t of course include your cover letter, but all-in-all, if you send more than three pages you have sent too much. Also, play with the margins. It doesn’t have to be one full inch from the edge of the paper. I use text boxes in a word document so that I don’t have to mess with the margins of the entire page, plus this offers maneuverability for quick and easy format editing, and offers more space for crucial information. If you still struggle with fitting everything on one or two pages, remove the information from your resume and include it in your cover letter.
Professional Resume Writers
A professional resume writer, such as myself, is a person who is paid to write resumes. We know the best formatting for the type of resume you may need, we know all the key words employers look for, and we can write you a cover letter that can easily be personalized by the applicant. If you don’t have the skills to articulate how great of a candidate you are, a professional will be able to assist you with looking as good on paper as you are in person. These services range from $50-200 per resume, depending on the rates of the writer. I charge $50 for the cover letter, $75 for the first page of the resume, and $25 for each additional page. While, this may seem like a lot of money, especially for someone who is unemployed, you should consider this an investment in your future.
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This is great information! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSarah K.