A resume is not meant to win you a job. It is to enable you to secure an interview and to remind the employer of who you are, after the interview. The resume should be a source of information and guide to opening conversation about yourself.
Keep your resume concise, clear and legible, using headings to separate distinct areas of information such as education, experience and personal details. Your resume should outline the benefits you bring to a potential employer and not merely be a list of features. For instance take list of task you regularly perform and elaborate to inform the reader how you approach these tasks or how far your responsibility and decision making extends. Most importantly do not write a novel. The average reader will only take a few minutes to look at you resume. Once you get the interview you can discuss the details. The eight tips to dramatically improve you resume are:
1. First Impressions
First impressions always 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 greatly reduced. A recruiter may have hundreds resumes to look through and probably only a couple of hours in which to make their selection.
What an employer really wants to know is why they should invite you for an interview. For this reason a short summary of your capabilities and/or a list of your major achievements can often be a good idea. This should make an employer want to invite you for an interview - but, please be careful that you don't oversell yourself.
2. Organisation of the information on your resume
If your resume is disorganised then the reader will find it hard to follow
and won't be able to build up a good picture of you quickly. Remember the reader won't spend very long looking at your resume. So if they can't find what they want they won't bother to read any further.
3. Overwritten - long paragraphs and sentences
This makes it difficult to read quickly. Try and keep your sentences short and punchy. Use bullet points in your resume to break up the information into manageable chunks.
4. Too little information
If you have included too little information or the wrong sort of information a recruiter will not be able to make an informed decision on whether to interview you or not. You therefore need to identify what an employer is looking for so that you can ensure that your resume only includes information that is relevant to their needs.
5. Not directed to the right person/recruitment agency
If you are sending your resume to a recruitment agency make sure you include a full cover letter telling them why you are writing to them and why you are the right candidate for the job. This may sound obvious to you, but you would be surprised at the number of people who send their resume off with a cover letter which literally says please find my attached resume.
Your resume should be carefully checked for errors before you send it out to
employers. Tiny errors in your resume can detract from an otherwise good resume and make you look lazy or careless. This is definitely not the sort of qualities you want to portray to an employer.
7. Resume makes you look too young/old for the job
In general being too old/young can be a real problem and a barrier to future advancement, or even to getting a job in the first place. It is therefore important that you convey the right impression and don't use words which will put off a potential employer.
8. Make your resume results orientated
You should be confident and positive about your abilities. So do shout about your achievements. Please remember that your resume is your sales document to an employer. If it doesn't tell an employer why they should employ you then it has failed. An employer will only want to employ you if they can see a benefit in it for themselves. So do tell them what you
can do for them. But, don't over do it!
Your cover letter serves as a marketing pitch while your resume backs up your testimonials with a summary of your personal credentials and history. Use this opportunity to create a good first impression as employers may receive hundreds of resume applications for one job availability. The cover letter is your chance to personally communicate with the employer so emphasize how your skills, experience, and accomplishments fulfil the requirements of the job you are applying for.If you've ever seen a batch of letters sent in response to an advertisement, you know they can be hysterically funny. A random sampling usually demonstrates every mistake in the book (like sending the letter to the wrong company). Here are eight common errors to avoid:
1. Wrong addressing letters
Addressing letters, "Dear Sir:" or "Dear Sirs:" As you know, many readers today are women. If gender is unclear, the salutation should be something like "Dear Hiring Manager," or "Dear Human Resources Manager."
2. Enclosing a photo
Skip the photo unless you're a model or an aspiring actor.
3. No signature
Even if you type your name at the end of correspondence, you should sign the page in your own handwriting to give it a personal touch.
4. Not checking grammar
One person wrote, "It sounds exciting and give me (sic) the opportunity to use my skills." Check your letters for correct sentence structure. Have friends review them too.
5. Using a post office box as an address
Except in rare cases, such as conducting a confidential job search, use a street address. Post office boxes seem "transient."
6. Writing the old fashion letter
Ending with "Thank you for your consideration." EVERYONE ends their letters this way, so please don't. Try something different, like "I'm excited about talking further," or "I know I could do a good job for you." The same goes for "Sincerely," and "Sincerely yours." EVERYONE uses them. Find something different like "Good wishes," "With best regards," or "With great enthusiasm."
7. Forgetting to enclose your resume
If you say you're enclosing one, then do.
8. The 300-word paragraph
The worst mistake in marketing is writing too long. Limit sentences to seven or eight words, and limit paragraphs to four or five lines. In letter writing, short is usually better.
