I just got a new job thanks to Linkedin – Here’s how

Posted by dankeller in job hunting, job tips, Your Career | 18 comments

If you are a regular reader of my career advice blog then you know that I am a professional recruiter by day and blogger and resume writer by night (and weekends).  I have written extensively about using social media and specifically Linkedin to help you find a new job.  I am happy to say that I started a new job this week and I found it…or I should say…it found me via Linkedin.

Here is how I leveraged Linkedin to find my next job and hopefully these tips will help you in your job search.

Keyword Rich- It is very important to include your keyword(s) multiple times in your profile.  This is extremely important and will move you up in the Linkedin search results.  In my profile the word “recruiter” or “recruiting” appears over 13 times.  This is how I appeared on the first page for the search result “recruiter” in my geography.  You will not be contacted by recruiters if they can not find your profile.

When you are found, make sure your profile is complete.

It is essential to have a complete profile.  This should include a headline, career summary, specialties, work experience, and education.  Linkedin will let you know where you are in regards to being 100% complete an then provide suggestions on what you can do to complete your profile.

Here are a couple of other minor things to keep in mind and I do believe that they really helped me once the recruiter found my profile.

Attach resume – I have noticed that very few people actually have their resumes attached to their profile.  Your profile is a good starting point for a recruiter to get an understanding of your background but it is important to have your resume attached to your profile to provide a deeper insight into you experience and accomplishments.

Include your email – Again, I have noticed that very few people provide a way for a recruiter to connect with them.  In my case, I was contacted through an inmail and email but there are some recruiters out there who will not send inmails and will want to connect via email.

Include a picture -

 This adds a personal touch to your profile and helps establish a connection.  Remember this is Linkedin and not Facebook so a professional picture is required.  You do not have to wear a suit (like my picture) but it wouldn’t hurt.

There you have it – 5 tips that I am passing along that worked for me and will hopefully work for you.

I would love to here about other success stories.  Leave me a comment if you found a job through Linkedin or if you have any other tips to add.

resume myths: what is fact and what is fiction (part 2)

Posted by dankeller in Resume | 2 comments

Resume Myths

Welcome back to the second part of resume myths: what is fact and what is fiction? We discuss whether the following are fact or fiction:

- A good resume can get you a job offer without interview

- White lies are OK on your resume

- Nobody reads cover letters

- If you have the right contacts, you don’t need a resume

- You should do mass mailings with your resume

- You are the best person to write your resume

A good resume can get you a job offer without interview

It’s a fair bet that the employer who offered you a job on the basis of your resume alone would not be a very good one. The majority of employers who are offering viable jobs with decent salaries – i.e. not commission only jobs – will want to see you, ask questions to clarify points in your application, find out what you’re like as a person and how you interact with others, etc. Your resume’s job is simply to get you short-listed and provide some guidance as to areas you can be questioned on. Once you are at the interview, it’s your presence and performance that matters, and that is another marketing exercise altogether. Remember, though, that even the seemingly ideal resume may fail to secure an interview, for the employer may have other unspecified requirements, your cover letter is not strong enough, or sheer numbers of candidates mean that many applications are more suitable than yours.  And never forget that a weak resume can always lose you a job.

White lies are OK on your resume

Quite simply, no, they’re not. If you give yourself better exam results, create qualifications that you never took, give yourself promotions or create any form of fiction in your resume, you must recognize that it could backfire and that when it does, it could cost you dearly. Many employers do checks at some point and this is certainly getting easier. They don’t just take up references – many employers now simply look on the internet for informal information that might tell them a little more about a candidate.

Nobody reads cover letters

Some people seem to think that cover letters are old fashioned and unnecessary. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the cover letter has numerous functions. At the very least, it shows you can compose a formal letter and handle the language you are writing in. More importantly, it further emphasizes the connection between your experience and the requirements of the vacancy in question. It is your opportunity to really express your commitment and conviction, and in doing so get a bit more of your personality across.

If you have the right contacts, you don’t need a resume

Correction: if you have the right contacts, you may have a chance to be considered for a job that isn’t advertised. In most instances, the contact you’ve made through networking will still want to have a look at your background and will ask to see a resume. No matter how much they approve of you, their decision may well have to be approved by a superior or the Human Resources Department. Very, very few people ‘just walk into’ a job and you should never anticipate that happening. It would be a dreadful loss of an opportunity to successfully network your way to an unadvertised opportunity and then to be asked for your resume, only to have to admit that you haven’t got one. You will be seen as totally unprepared and quite unprofessional.

You should do mass emailing with your resume

We may live in an age of mass marketing, but unfortunately sending out an enormous amount of emails of your resume is generally a pointless and time consuming exercise. Successful resumes and applications are those that are tailored towards individual vacancies. That means spending time and effort on every application, tweaking the information here and there, rewriting your Profile to best impress the employer in question. You may even have two or three ‘basic’ versions of your resume that are altered for different kinds of jobs, or different industries.

You are the best person to write your resume

The opposite is often true – you can know yourself too well, which actually makes it very difficult to write your own resume.  Resume writing entails taking a step back to take an overview of your experience and skills, before deciding what to include or leave out. The key information must then be communicated in a strong, positive fashion to the recruiter, so that you are ‘sold’ to them as a prospective employee. So, while you are certainly the best person to research job vacancies and put together your background information, outside input is usually valuable, whether this comes in the form of using a professional service, advice from a website, or feedback from someone with experience in recruitment. This is particularly true if you apply for jobs where quite a number of people will be applying, when the professionalism of your presentation is all the employer has to go on. If your resume is letting you down and you want to substantially improve it, then please head over to my resume writing site .

Resume Myths – Don’t Believe All You Hear! (part 1)

Posted by dankeller in Resume | 1 comment

Let’s get one thing straight before we begin. Every resume is unique. Nobody has exactly the same background, knowledge, skill-set or aspirations as you. That said, there are of course many similarities between resumes, due to the standard approaches and conventions of job-hunting in different countries. Because this is the case, there are many misconceptions about the rights and wrongs involved in resume writing, formatting, styles, etc. In this article, we will lead you through some of the confusion that surrounds resume writing, specifically covering  the following topics:

- You should include all your jobs on your resume

- Resumes should only be one page long

- Employers expect to see a standard resume format

- Resumes are lists of your jobs, skills and previous duties

- You should always include your hobbies and interests

- Always end with ‘References are available upon request’

- A good resume can get you a job offer without interview

- White lies are OK on your resume

- Nobody reads cover letters

- If you have the right contacts, you don’t need a resume

- You should do mass mailings with your resume

- You are the best person to write your resume

You should include all your jobs on your resume

The most productive way to approach resume writing is to recognize that you can angle your resume to every individual vacancy, and the way in which you tailor it can involve changing which jobs you choose to include. Even if you don’t decide to omit any jobs, it is generally accepted that only jobs you’ve held over the past ten years get included in detail in your resume’s Career History or Experience section. For most people, this more recent experience will supersede jobs gained in the previous years. Therefore, more recent jobs are presented with bullet pointed sentences detailing some duties and responsibilities, earlier jobs are simply listed by job title, employer name and inclusive dates. As always, there are exceptions to this maxim: if an earlier job is more relevant than a more recent one, you can structure your resume slightly differently to encompass this. Likewise, if you have very valuable experience gained outside the workplace, this can be included, even if jobs are left out.

Resumes should only be one page long

Your resume certainly needs to be concise and to the point. Yet if you have had more than one job, it’s more than likely that your experience will extend onto two pages. To attempt to squeeze everything onto one page would be a mistake, as it would probably end up cramped, cluttered and unreadable. Exceptions to the two page maxim are people with little experience, who should aim to fit their information on one page. Some executives with several management positions behind them may need to extend their resumes to three pages. The myth of the single page resume probably arose because people have heard that most employers and recruiters make their decision on whether to shortlist an applicant before they’ve finished reading the first page. Indeed, it is said by many that you have only 20 seconds within which to impress the resume reader! For this reason, it is always critical that you include the most important points at the top of your resume, in your Profile and Achievements sections, followed by your Career History / Experience section.

Employers expect to see a standard resume format

While there are many conventions in resume writing, most of these are guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. If you have followed an idiosyncratic career path, or it doesn’t show a standard route when it comes to the job you’re applying for, it is perfectly OK to be flexible with formats to show yourself in the best light. Many people use ‘hybrid’ formats that accommodate their experience better. However, it is advisable to only divert from generally recognized formats when necessary – while you want to show your uniqueness in a resume, do not try to be individual simply for the sake of it.

Resumes are lists of your jobs, skills and previous duties

Resumes show that you know how to get results. The jobs you decide to include should be relevant to the vacancy, as should your skills and previous responsibilities. Most important, however, are the achievements you include, for these demonstrate that you are able to make a difference to your employer’s business or organization. They show that you are an individual they ought to be interested in.

You should always include your hobbies and interests

At one time, this was without doubt the conventional thing to do. Yet resume writing has moved on and the focus is now purely professional, meaning that anything you do in your time outside work is your own business, unless you specifically want to include it. You may, for instance, have identified some of your voluntary or community activities to be relevant to the vacancy in question. Even in this case, however, you may wish to include that information under the heading of  Achievements or Other Experience. The other exception is students, recent graduates, where you have so little work experience that you simply must include more information to provide an impression of yourself as an individual. However, group and sporting interests, especially those involving awards and other achievements, are always more important than solitary, more intellectual interests.

Always end with ‘References are available upon request’

Wrong. Most employers already assume that you are able to provide references. If they want you to include them at the application stage, they’ll tell you so in the job advertisement. Adding this line is absolutely pointless and is a waste of space. If you want to include a sheet carrying your referees’ details, then do so. Otherwise, don’t mention it, but instead use the space you’ve saved for more vital information that will strengthen your application.

Be sure to sign up for me email feed so you do not miss part 2 of this article, where I will reveal whether the following six resume myths are fact or fiction:

- A good resume can get you a job offer without interview

- White lies are OK on your resume

- Nobody reads cover letters

- If you have the right contacts, you don’t need a resume

- You should do mass mailings with your resume

- You are the best person to write your resume

Are you wondering if your resume measures up?  If so, email me your resume for a Free resume check up. Proreswriter (at) gmail (dot) com.

3 Tips for a Good Phone Interview

Posted by dankeller in Interviewing | Comments Off

Three Tips for a Good Phone Interview

Nowadays, more and more hiring committees are resorting to the phone interview as a way to sort through candidates they otherwise would have invited in for interviews. Companies have found that this is an efficient and cost-effective change in how they evaluate job candidates, and because of this, many applicants are often take-aback by the prospect of interviewing over the phone.

Don’t let yourself become one of those unprepared candidates. You cannot afford to risk having a poor phone interview in this current economy. You have to do your best to get by the inconveniences that go along with the interview process. The better prepared you are to handle those inconveniences, then the better chances of success you’ll have.

Cover your Bases

First, you have to cover the basics regarding how your phone works. Make sure your phone is fully charged well before the scheduled interview begins. Also, make sure your phone gets good reception wherever you plan to take the call. Don’t try to interview and do something else at the same time, like driving somewhere. You wouldn’t multi-task an in-person interview, so why would you do that during a phone interview?

Observe Phone Etiquette

Secondly, just as you would be polite when you meet your interviewer in person, so should you observe phone etiquette. When you pick up the phone, say, “Hello, [your name] speaking.” Doing so will allow your interviewer to avoid having to awkwardly ask to speak to you. Also, it shows him or her that you are prepared for the interview. Likewise, avoid speaking while your interviewer is speaking. This can be annoying in person, but it can actually create miscommunications on the phone, because you won’t have visual clues to help you understand what the other person is saying.

Be Prepared

Finally, have a plan in place in the event of an emergency or sudden disconnection. Try to establish as early as possible that you will immediately call back if your phone loses its signal or if the other person drops. By agreeing on a plan, you can avoid the awkward and frustrating phone-tag that might ensure if both of you tried to call each other at once.

Other than these few tips, you’ll want to treat a phone interview like a regular in-person interview. This means that you should come to the interview prepared to answer a variety of questions. Do research on the company and the position, noting down any questions that you have. Be sure to ask questions. Act relaxed and comfortable; be yourself. And finally, leave the interview with an understanding of the next steps in the process; you want to know what to expect once you hang up the phone. Oh, and good luck!

This guest post is contributed by Alisa Gilbert, who writes on the topics of bachelors degree.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alisagilbert599@gmail.com.

Better networking tool for job seekers than Linkedin?

Posted by dankeller in job hunting, Your Career | 1 comment

We all know that Linkedin is an awesome networking tool and an indispensable resource for job seekers. But what do you do if you are in job search mode and do not want your entire network and their network to know about it?

This is a very common occurrence and I can say that if I were looking for a better job, I would not want to put this out to my network because it would take less than a second for my manager to find out. Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a networking tool that leveraged your social network but allowed you to control you gets notified? This is the very problem that a new start-up company called StartWire is attempting to solve. The company, which launched yesterday is attempting to change how job seekers collaborate with their social network.

Here are some details:

• The job seeker will sign up, create a profile and submit their resume.  The user will also select certain parameters like location, job title, and keywords.  Job listings from Indeed.com are then listed for perusal.
•  The next step is to connect to your various social networking websites.  You are given the option to load all of your contacts or you choose which contacts to select.  The decision on who will be invited to assist you in your search is in your hands. 
•  Your contacts then are given the option to join StartWire
• When you see a job that appeals to you, you can flag it, and create a message and ask your contacts for assistance.
•  Your network can also make job suggestions or provide advice. 

Another cool feature of ShareWire is their “Expert Advice” tab.  This tool will allow job seekers to connect with professional career advisers and get their job questions answered.  Of course you can always get in touch with me any ask me any career related questions as well.

It is hard to predict if this site will take off or just fade away.  Let me know what you think about this new tool?

Targeting Specific Job Types with Your Resume

Posted by dankeller in Resume | Comments Off

Imagine you’re selling a cookbook at a local farmer’s market. You have chosen a recipe that you think is a winner, and are selling the 5 necessary ingredients on the table along with your cookbook (you’re giving the recipe away for free). Your table is swarming with interested customers, and you’re selling ingredients so fast, you can’t keep up. In addition, the employee you brought along to help you had to leave due to a personal emergency, so you’re juggling everything on your own.

You pay someone $50 to go find vendors at the farmers market who also sell your ingredients, and convince them to come sell them at your table. Four of the 5 vendors show up and start selling, but without the fifth vendor, customers are starting to walk away. Several vendors have come over to help, but they just don’t sell the right ingredient, or sell it poorly. Just when you think you’re going to have to send all those customers away, a vendor shows up with just the right combination of ingredients and sales ability! Because of that last puzzle piece, you’re able to make record sales every day for the rest of the season.

Every potential employer is looking for that necessary cog in the machine – a candidate that brings exactly what they need to keep things moving in the right direction. The more that you can demonstrate that you’re that ideal match, the more likely you are to get the job you seek.

Here are 6 steps to tailor your resume in order to communicate how well you suit an opportunity.

1. Obtain a job description – It’s important to have a copy of the job description which describes responsibilities and requirements. If you are working with a recruiting or placement agency, you may need to ask for one. If one isn’t available, you can look up other job descriptions with the same title, or use Salary.com’s Salary Wizard to gain insight into standard job skills for most jobs.
2. Compare skillsets – Take a minute to review your background and skills in comparison to the responsibilities of the desired job. Look for similarities, even if what you did was called something different, or was for a different purpose. Identify the needs they have, and where your skillset seems to clearly fit the bill.
3. Consider transferable skills – Don’t hesitate to consider skills you have that most employers find useful, even if they didn’t include them in the job description. Examples are training, report writing, problem-solving, budget management, working with vendors, representing departments on committees, database work, research, negotiation, hiring, supervising, customer service, technical support, planning, project coordination, and familiarity with industry-standard software. Including these will help give them a sense of how you might be able to grow the position, assist other departments, and move up in the company.
4. Match their language – The job description may use terminology specific to the industry or company. Check on the definition of any term that isn’t familiar, and use words that they use when describing your skills (only when you can do so confidently). This highlights where you might be a good match, especially for recruiters and HR staff who may not know what some of the job requirements mean. It also incorporates keywords that employers use to search resumes, so that when you post a resume online targeted towards this kind of job, potential employers will be more likely to find you.
5. Include a Skill Summary – Instead of an objective statement, use the top section of your resume to summarize your skills in 3-6 bullet points. Highlight skills that best match the job requirements, listing areas of most relevant experience first. At the bottom of the list, include 1-4 links to portfolio samples, if applicable.For example, if the job description is for a Marketing Coordinator and the job description says:Primarily responsible for all details relevant to scheduling, preparing for, and implementing marketing events. Daily tasks include working with vendors, coordinating sales staff schedules, collateral designing and copywriting, updating company website, ordering promotional materials, preparing PowerPoint presentations, and traveling to trade shows and conferences for booth setup, tear down, and on-site coordination.

   Your skill summary’s bullet points might include:

   • Over 3 years experience in event coordination of campus job fairs, including working with vendors, setup and tear down, and arranging travel for employer representatives.
   • 5 years experience in copywriting marketing collateral; intermediate PowerPoint skills; 1 year of design using Adobe Photoshop to update website and design collateral
   • Competent in use of SalesForce client management system
   • Designed and implemented www.marketingblog.com using WordPress; coordinated submissions from company staff
   • Portfolio: www.samples.com
6. Emphasize relevant accomplishments – In the work experience section of our resume, highlight work successes that are relevant to the targeted position. Use measurements and statistics whenever possible. For example, “Proposed, created, and managed online job availability submission form and database for hiring employers; trained office staff in use of database. Reduced department’s time spent in managing employer data by 80% in one month.”

Using the steps above to target your resume for a specific position effectively does the work for the prospective employer. You make it easy for decision makers to reach the conclusion that you’re worth considering, which is what a good resume is all about.

Ellen Berry writes about careers in graphic design, among other topics, for BrainTrack.

5 more resume mistakes to avoid to land that job in 2011

Posted by dankeller in Resume | 2 comments

Last week I revealed 5 of the most serious mistakes that people  make when they produce their own  resume.  Here is a link :

Resume mistakes to avoid

In the second part of this report, I will uncover another 5 serious mistakes that you may make, which may cause your resume to be rejected by an employer.

Overwritten – long paragraphs and sentences

If you have very long sentences / paragraphs in your resume, this makes it very difficult to read quickly. Time is of the essence if you want to impress the employer and gain an interview. Always try to keep your sentences short and punchy. Use bullet points and ‘white’ space in your CV to break up the information into manageable chunks.
Too much detail or too little information

 
Remember, that you have to impress the reader in just 10 to 20 seconds. If you have included too much detail on your resume then an employer may struggle to gain a quick understanding of your experience and capabilities, and simply reject your resume. Including too little or the wrong sort of information on your resume will mean that an employer won’t know whether you have the relevant experience and skills to do the job. They will quickly move on to the next resume in the pile. You need to identify exactly what employers are looking for, ensuring you have included the right sort of information about your current and previous jobs, and detailing your relevant experience, abilities and achievements.

Resume doesn’t directly target the job you are applying for

When you are sending your resume to a company or a recruitment agency, always make sure you include a covering letter.
In the letter (or more likely an email nowadays) you must tell them why you are the right candidate for the job and why they should employ you, rather than all the other people who have applied. This may all sound rather obvious to you, but you would be surprised at the number of people who send only the briefest of cover letters that merely says, “Please find enclosed my resume”. Too many people send a resume to a company without any thought for the person who will be reading their resume. You may also want to make changes to your resume, so that it more closely matches the job that you are applying for. The closer your resume and cover letter comes to matching an employer’s requirements, the more likely you are to be offered an interview. However, don’t just use the exact same words and phrases from the job posting. This is a recipe for disaster, as it may lead the employer to reject your resume, because they will think that you are a
‘fake’ who has simply copied their posting. If you are making a speculative application, you will need to write
a particularly good cover letter to make the company sit up and take notice of you.
Misspellings, typographical errors, poor grammar

 
It is said that over half of all resumes contained spelling and grammatical errors. Keep in mind that recruiters are looking for reasons to reject the applicant, and bad spelling and grammar are near the top of  the list. As soon as the recruiter can reject those not suitable, they can spend more time reviewing candidates that have prepared a good quality resume. If a candidate can’t be bothered to check their spelling, then they are not going to be bothered to do a good job for the company. Errors in your resume can detract from an otherwise good resume and make you look lazy or careless – not the sort of qualities you want to portray to an employer. This may give an employer just the excuse they need to reject your resume. You should carefully read through your resume, checking for errors and do run your word-processor’s built-in spelling and grammar checker. You should also get several other people to check your resume too, because a spelling and grammar checker won’t find every error.

Test, test and test again, to get that interview

 
If you’ve produced your own resume, then you can’t expect it to be 100% successful the very first time you use it to apply for a job. Let’s look at an analogy in the car industry. When a new model of a car is first manufactured, it is rigorously road-tested to improve the car and ensure that every component works correctly, both individually and together. Components are replaced when they fail, don’t work correctly or when a superior alternative becomes available.  Just like a car your resume needs to be thoroughly road-tested and the bits that aren’t working correctly need to be fixed, replaced or
improved. You should thoroughly check your own resume and then show it to friends, colleagues, family members,  recruiters and employers. Does your resume pass the 20 second test and grab the reader’s attention? What do people like? What don’t they like? How can your resume be improved? The only real test, of course, is to actually use your resume to apply for jobs. If your resume has been unsuccessful, try and get feedback from the employer or recruiter and then rework your resume accordingly.

Are you looking for an expert to review your resume?  Send me an email – proreswriter (at) gmail - and I would be happy to conduct a thorough resume evaluation for Free.

Best Career Advice Posts of 2010

Posted by dankeller in Your Career | Comments Off

I know it has been a tough year for many job seekers out there and I am very happy that through this blog and my resume writing company I have been able to help thousands of folks navigate the career waters in 2010.

I have dozens of new posts and ideas lined up for this career advice blog in 2011 but before diving in I thought it would be valuable to take a look back at some of the best career advice posts of 2010.

Top 10 Career Advice Posts of 2010

Most overused corporate buzzword of 2010 – the results are in!

Posted by dankeller in Your Career | 4 comments

Several months ago I wrote a blog post asking -What is the most annoying corporate buzzword going to be for 2010? -

I took to my Twitter account and my Linkedin Groups and asked the same question.  I was flooded with responses (over 1,000)  and I have spent the last couple of hours tabulating the results.

Here are the results counting down from 10 to 1, with 1 being the:

Most overused corporate buzzword of 2010

10. Value add

9. Leverage

8. Bandwith

7. Paradigm shift

6. End of the Day

5. Reach out

4. Synergy

3. Think outside of the box

2. Low hanging fruit

and the # 1 Most Annoying and Overused Business Buzzword of 2010 is:

1. Transparent

What do you think of the results? 

Please feel free to use the comment section to share the buzzwords and corporate jargon that annoys you the most.

Avoid these 10 Resume Blunders and land that job in 2011

Posted by dankeller in Resume | Comments Off

This is the front end of a two part post that will provide ten tips to help improve your resume and help you land that job in 2011.

Resumes that create no immediate impact end up in the bin

First impressions really do count, if your resume doesn’t grab the reader’s attention in the first 20 to 30 seconds then your chances of obtaining an interview are dramatically reduced.  Let me explain further. An employer may have 100, 200 or more resumes to look through for each job vacancy and only an hour or two in which to make their selection of who they interview. You must make an employer want to invite you for an interview. If you can’t tell them quickly why they should do so, then they will move quickly on to the next resume. The first you know is when you receive a rejection letter or, worse still, hear nothing at all.  So, don’t put irrelevant details on the first page of your resume, such as personal details (marital status, date of birth, etc), educational details from years ago, or a list of your hobbies. What an employer really wants to know is why they should invite you for an interview. For this reason, a summary of your capabilities in the form of a short profile at the top of your resume, followed by a list of your major achievements, will really grab an employer’s attention.

Poor visual layout / organization of information

The visual layout of your resume is very important. Even though the wording you use may be correct, if people can’t find the information they want quickly enough, they will move on to someone else’s resume. It is usually best to use a fairly straightforward layout, using plenty of ‘white’ space and appropriate headings and section breaks. Don’t try to use fancy borders or graphics, as these often make the file size very large, causing problems when you try to email your resume or print it out. Plus they may detract from your resume’s content. You should normally break your resume down into a number of separate sections, as this makes it much easier for the reader to find information quickly. Typically, you might have the following sections:

1. Profile (or Summary).

2. Major Achievements.

3. Career History (or Work Experience).

4. Education / Qualifications (this may go before the Career

History section if you are still studying or have recently left

education).

5. Training (may be combined with Education, depending on space).

6. Language Skills (optional).

7. IT Skills (optional).

Please treat the above list as a guide rather than a fixed formula. What works best for one person may be inappropriate for another.

Overlong resume

It is usually best to try and keep your resume to two or three pages, unless someone specifically asks you for a longer version. If you can’t keep your resume to this length, then you probably haven’t understood what an employer is looking for. Employers don’t want to know your whole life history – just enough to decide whether they want to interview you or not. Employers usually only spend 20 to 30 seconds reading each resume during their first pass through a pile of resumes, so simply won’t have time to read a 10-page resume.

No Profile section or a poor Profile section

Your Profile should be the first section on your resume. It should give a short summary of what you have to offer an employer, focusing on your key skills, strengths, talents and experience. Not having a Profile section at all is a major missed opportunity, because it is your chance to sell yourself to an employer. However, having a poor profile is almost worse than not having a profile at all. If you get your Profile wrong then this can cause your resume to be rejected almost immediately by an employer. Your Profile needs to sell, sell, sell, but in a believable manner. If you oversell yourself, then your resume may be rejected as being unbelievable.

No Major Achievements section or a poor Major Achievements section

After the Profile section, you should have a Major Achievements section, which must highlight your best and most relevant achievements. This should make an employer really sit up and take notice of you. This section must focus on what specifically you can do for an employer. If you don’t have a Major Achievements section, then you’ve missed a real chance to shine and connect with an employer. Employers want employees who get things done. Highlighting your achievements will show them that you are this type of person. A Major Achievements section also tells an employer why you should be offered an interview, rather than all the other job applicants. Just as a poor Profile may put an employer off, a poor Major Achievements section will also have the same effect. You must think about what you have achieved in your current and previous jobs. For example: What results have you achieved? What have you changed or improved? Some people feel that they don’t have any Major Achievements, but in my experience as professional resume writer this is just modesty on their part. All you need is someone to tease these achievements out of you. You must only include achievements that made a real measurable difference, and don’t include irrelevant stuff from a long time ago. Nobody wants to hear about the school swimming certificate you got 20 years ago!

That’s all for now. Make sure you sign up for our feed by clicking here so you do not miss the secong part of this post.

If you would like a free resume check up – email me at proreswriter@gmail.com