According to a number of surveys, poorly executed resums are stifling the career opportunities of many employment seekers.
One survey of 200 Florida students and assorted job seekers found that 90% didn’t think their resums represented them as well as they could. One major employer in the area suggested that 85% of the resumes they viewed did not measure up to their quality standards for an interview. These types of statistics are repeated all over North America.
Here are Five Helpful Hints for Creating a Winning Resum.
1. Always have a job objective. The first line of your resum should state the position you are seeking. Your objective shows an employer that you are focused in your career goals and know exactly what you want.
2. Use powerful action words. One of the most effective ways to impress an employer is by describing the work you’ve done with strong action words. For example, instead of saying you were “responsible for” a department (passive), say you “managed” that department (active). Some of the strongest words to use on a resum are: managed, developed, authored, negotiated and conceptualized.
3. Use bullets generously. This is how you catch an employer’s eye instantly. When you use bullets to highlight your qualifications, achievements and capabilities, you force him/her to read them. Bullets also break up bodies of text, creating more white space and making your resum more visually appealing.
4. Be focused and selective. Apply for only one job at a time in your area of interest and make sure your resum includes all the information that supports your job objective. “Shot-gunning” (sending out multiple rsums to multiple employers) wastes your time and theirs.
5. Call an expert. When you don’t have the inclination or time to write your own resum, call a professional. What they can see in your experience and education will typically be broader than your subjective perceptions, and will more accurately represent your total profile than your limited view. This can translate into a Powerful, Winning Resum for you.
Maurice Turmel PhD has an established background in Resume Preparation, Cover Letter writing and Interview Coaching. Knowing what Hiring Managers want comes from 25 years experience as a therapist/counselor overseeing dozens of corporate and government Employee Assistance Programs and dealing directly with their Human Resources Departments. Curriculum Vitaes, Professional and Executive Resumes are specialty areas. His company “Your Best Resume” provides powerful and distinctive Resumes (within 48 hours or less) that consistently win Interviews. Interview coaching is also available. Online inquiries should be directed to:
