6 Seconds to Impress

by Rachael Del Pino
Source: http://jobtrakr.com/2012/06/04/6-seconds-to-impress/

I recently read an article stating that Recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds looking at your resume.  As a Recruiter, I would wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

Since you only have moments to capture our attention, it seems only fair that you have some insight into which components make us want to keep reading and which will cause us to swiftly move onto the next resume in our queue.

The first thing that I notice, before I look at any of the data on the resume, is the format.  If it is clean, concise and consistent it makes it easier for me to read and consequently, makes me want to keep reading.

Fonts should be the same size and type throughout the document.  If you bold one title, bold them all; or vice versa.  Keep your spacing and section headers consistent as well.

The next place my eyes go is to your name and contact information.  Make sure you include your email address (and also ensure that it is professional) and a correct phone number.

If you are applying for a job outside of the local area (that does not offer relocation assistance), remove your address or use a local address where you might be staying if you move there.

Most Recruiters will not consider non-local candidates if there are no relocation dollars available, but if you are serious about relocating yourself, this method can be an effective work around.

The next area I scan is the summary/qualifications statement.  This section should be tailored specifically to every job you apply to.  If I read the summary statement and it appears to be totally unrelated to the job you are applying for, that is a big red flag.

The job market is too competitive to for you to appear complacent, especially in the first paragraph of your resume.  There is NO one-size-fits-all resume.

You must modify it to the job or at a minimum the industry you are applying to.  Use keywords and phrases from the job description to further impress and captivate the reader.

The next section I will look at is education or work experience, depending upon which you have listed first.  Education should be listed before work experience only if you are a recent (within the last 2-3 years) graduate.

In the education section, I’m looking for a related degree (if required) and the year of graduation so that I can determine how much experience you likely have.

In the work experience section I’m scanning job titles, company names, start and end dates for at least the last 2 positions held.  I am looking for any red flags – short tenure, unrelated jobs or industries, etc.

The technical skills section is another area that I will scan within the first few seconds, especially if I am recruiting for a highly skilled/technical role.

I want to know that the candidate has the required technical skills before I read anything else.  For these types of positions, it can be a good idea to put that information at the top of your resume (below the summary statement) so the Recruiter doesn’t have to go searching for it.

These recommendations are general guidelines to follow.   Every recruiter may give you a slightly different spin on this and certain jobs require unique resume formatting, but from my experience, this is generally how it goes.

With an average of only 6 seconds to capture a Recruiter’s attention, it is imperative that you make it easy for us to find the critical job related data and entice us to want to keep reading.

Rachael Del Pino

Rachael Del Pino has significant experience in recruiting and talent management for Fortune 100 companies, as well as a master’s degree in Management with an HR concentration from the University of Central Florida. She also owns Accendo Careers, a career development and coaching company.  She has an innate passion for helping people reach their highest career potential.

44 Resume Writing Tips

by Daniel Scocco
Source: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/resume-writing-tips/

Having a solid and effective resume can greatly improve your chances of landing that dream job. That is beyond discussion. How does one make sure that his resume is top notch and bullet proof, however? There are several websites with tips around the web, but most bring just a handful of them. We wanted to put them all together in a single place, and that is what you will find below: 44 resume writing tips.

1. Know the purpose of your resume

Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you the job (hopefully!).

2. Back up your qualities and strengths

Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up, else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.

3. Make sure to use the right keywords

Most companies (even smaller ones) are already using digital databases to search for candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. Guess what, if your resume doesn’t have the keywords related to the job you are applying for, you will be out even before the game starts.

These keywords will usually be nouns. Check the job description and related job ads for a clue on what the employer might be looking for. You can read more about resume keywords on the article Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness.

10 Foolish Résumé Mistakes That Could Cost You the Job

By: Jeanette Mulvey, BusinessNewsDaily Managing Editor
Source: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2286-resume-mistakes.html

Foolish Mistakes

Creating a résumé may seem relatively simple, but you might be surprised by some of the things hiring managers say are big no-no’s on résumés. They say they see these mistakes all the time.Here are their tips on how to avoid making a fool of yourself the next time you send out a résumé.

Too many details

Details you can leave out, according to Nancy Shuman, chief marketing officer at Lloyd Staffing, include multiple phone numbers (one is good, preferably a cell with a professional sounding greeting), reference names and contacts, salary by position, and addresses of companies or schools. Shuman said employers can always ask for this data later.

Distracting facts

“Know the line between good information and too much information,” said Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs, a job service site for finding flexible employment. “I once had a candidate apply for a job, and listed on his résumé under ‘Awards & Honors’ was ‘Pig Wrestling Champion – multiple wins in the large pig division.’ This information, while it did most definitely differentiate the candidate, wasn’t in the least related to the job at hand, and was more of a distraction than a positive addition to his application.”

A photo

“Many people make the mistake of adding a photo of themselves to their résumé, thinking that their good looks will help get them an interview,” said Brooke Bakalar Sloane of marketing agency GolinHarris. “However, a company legally cannot consider your picture in determining whether or not you are qualified for a position, and thus many companies immediately discard résumés with photos.”

Foolish fonts

“Using Comic Sans, Papyrus or any other cheesy font screams ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’” said Garry Polmateer, principal, information strategy company, Red Argyle.

Cute email addresses

Inappropriate or “cutesy” email addresses, are a no-no, say Kyra Mancine and Stacey Bershod of catalog company QCI Direct. “Get an email address that is professional to put on the top of your résumé,” they write. “Seeing ‘loverboy22@hotmail.com’ or whatever is not going to win you any points in the job search.”

Odd hobbies

“Don’t put strange hobbies or interests on your résumé,” said Kevin Spence, president of Career Thoughts, a career guidance website. “There are better ways to show off your individuality. I once had an applicant who mentioned on his résumé that he was a marionette and knife collector. Those may both be legitimate hobbies, but my ‘serial-killer alarm’ went off. He may have been qualified for the position, but he didn’t get a call back.”

Elementary school

“I don’t think you should put your elementary school on your résumé,” said Elaine Simon, assistant manager at EFA Diamonds. “Of course, I am interested in any college degrees a candidate may have, as well as any vocational training.”

Too much blank space

“I’m not saying to make it so wordy and crowded that it looks like a newspaper, but having a résumé that is only half a page tells me that you don’t have enough job and/or life experiences,” said Brenna Smith, founder and CEO of SheNOW. “Even if you’ve never had a job, you should at least have volunteer work, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, etc. Don’t submit a résumé showing only your objective and education.”

A second page

“One should not have a second page unless it’s simply listing references or is something that provides an example of what the résumé itself references,” said Sean Smith, president of advertising agency Third Street. “If you can’t get your résumé down to one page, it sends a message that you lack the ability to communicate in a succinct manner – which is becoming increasingly crucial in our bullet-point, social media world.”

“….a note from the keeper of the IB alumni blog….I’m not sure I really believe this to be true. Someone with 20+ years of work experience may not be able to fit all the details on one page”

Careless inaccuracies

“Take great care to get work dates, titles and responsibilities consistent and correct,” advises Patrick Lynch, president of career consulting firm The Frontier Group. “I have seen clients who have had inconsistencies between their résumé and LinkedIn cause them issues when interviewing. I have also seen the worst-case scenario where a job offer was rescinded because one of the candidate’s job titles was not corroborated by their past employer.”

How to Write a Successful CV

What is a CV?

Curriculum Vitae: an outline of a person’s educational and professional history, usually prepared for job applications (L, lit.: the course of one’s life). Another name for a CV is a résumé.

A CV is the most flexible and convenient way to make applications. It conveys your personal details in the way that presents you in the best possible light. A CV is a marketing document in which you are marketing something: yourself! You need to “sell” your skills, abilities, qualifications and experience to employers. It can be used to make multiple applications to employers in a specific career area. For this reason, many large graduate recruiters will not accept CVs and instead use their own application form.

Often selectors read CVs outside working hours. They may have a pile of 50 CVs from which to select five interviewees. It’s evening and they would rather be in the pub with friends. If your CV is hard work to read: unclear, badly laid out and containing irrelevant information, they will just just move on to the next CV. Treat the selector like a child eating a meal. Chop your CV up into easily digestible morsels (bullets, short paragraphs and note form) and give it a clear logical layout, with just the relevant information to make it easy for the selector to read. If you do this, you will have a much greater chance of interview.

An application form is designed to bring out the essential information and personal qualities that the employer requires and does not allow you to gloss over your weaker points as a CV does. In addition, the time needed to fill out these forms is seen as a reflection of your commitment to the career.

There is no “one best way” to construct a CV; it is your document and can be structured as you wish within the basic framework below. It can be on paper or on-line or even on a T-shirt (a gimmicky approach that might work for “creative” jobs but not generally advised!).

When should a CV be used?

• When an employer asks for applications to be received in this format
• When an employer simply states “apply to …” without specifying the format
• When making speculative applications (when writing to an employer who has not advertised a vacancy but who you hope my have one)

What information should a CV include?

Personal details

Normally these would be your name, address, date of birth (although with age discrimination laws now in force this isn’t essential), telephone number and email.

Education and qualifications

Some employers may spend as little as 45 seconds skimming a résumé before branding it “not of interest”, “maybe” or “of interest. BI Business School

Your degree subject and university, plus A levels and GCSEs or equivalents. Mention grades unless poor!

Work experience

• Use action words such as developed, planned and organised.
• Even work in a shop, bar or restaurant will involve working in a team, providing a quality service to customers, and dealing tactfully with complaints. Don’t mention the routine, non-people tasks (cleaning the tables) unless you are applying for a casual summer job in a restaurant or similar.
• Try to relate the skills to the job. A finance job will involve numeracy, analytical and problem solving skills so focus on these whereas for a marketing role you would place a bit more more emphasis on persuading and negotiating skills.
• “All of my work experiences have involved working within a team-based culture. This involved planning, organisation, co-ordination and commitment e.g., in retail, this ensured daily sales targets were met, a fair distribution of tasks and effective communication amongst all staff members.“

The Horror of the Resume

This is a guest post by Howie Appel, Executive Director of ProNet Career Resources.

The three common horror stories I hear are:

1. 12 people have helped me with my resume and I’m STILL not getting interviews…what now?
2. I spent over a $1000 on my resume last month and no interviews came as a result of my meeting with a “professional”.
3. I wrote my resume because I know my self!! I had mom, dad, brother, and sister along with Uncle Joe review it and they said it was fine….how come no interviews?

People approach me all the time with these questions and I felt that it’s “high time” to give you my thoughts as to why these events are not leading to a new position.

Number 1: relates to both biases and opinions. These 12 people…what are their backgrounds? Have they done recruiting? Have they reviewed and revamped resumes for a long time? Have they “read up” on the latest trends in resume construction? I have read article after article on peoples’ attitudes toward resumes. In all honesty, the only ones that make sense are those who have engaged in the actual work of recruiting. If all of these people have been in this field, then chances are, most of their suggestions should be similar.

Number 2: relates to those, again, who claim to be “close” to Human Resource recruiters. They may, indeed, have their credentials and feel that the time they spent and the monies they spent to get their certifications enables them to justifiably charge this type of money. That’s a hard “pill to swallow” in this economy. Many resume writers are coming down in their prices. Some even do it for free. Bear in mind the old saying, “you get what you pay for”. I’ll cover that in the next paragraph.

Number 3: finally, relates to having a resume reviewed and revamped for free. It’s not costing you anything, so why not? Again, the concept is simple, if the person with whom you’re dealing is knowledgeable in the current practices and what should and should not be on a resume and they opt to rewrite yours for free….then good luck….my guess is that they will help you by ensuring there are no typos or other “red flags”. They have no “stake” in your future, they are just trying to help…..and that is completely understandable. Many come to me and say, after much frustration, my spouse looked at this and said it was fine. I went line by line, only to find various “red flags” which were pointed out.

Bottom line

This is your resume. It needs to portray you. One typographical error could separate you from your peer who opted to spend some money and have a professional review it. What does it take? It takes the formulation of phrases, it takes a first and second draft. It also takes open-mindedness on your part. It takes accepting the fact that some terms are old and should not be used. One should never give a resume to a writer and say”do your stuff and then get back to me”. Collaboration is the key here. If you do not have MAJOR input into the making and building of your personal portfolio, then it is not yours but that of the writer.

In the interview, you will be tested on every word on the resume. If you felt comfortable that the writer knows what they’re talking about, then good….but is he/she coming to the interview with you? Horrible things can happen if you leave out vital information that could lead to your being a “notch” higher than your competition.

Resumes must be chronological in that the reviewer wants to know where, when, what, and how. They want to see quantitative information. They want to see action verbs. Finally, they want to test your memory and your knowledge of yourself. Does that sound weird? No, it is just that you must tell the recruiter/hiring manager about yourself using short, succinct and action phrases that will make him want to know more.

How long should your resume be? Obviously, it depends on YOU!! Here are some general rules of “thumb”: Recent college graduates need only assemble one page. College graduates with 10 years experience need a 2 page resume. Have a Masters degree? You will probably short circuit yourself with a 2 page resume. Font should always be 12 font….I don’t want to take out a magnifying glass and then a microscope to read the resume….I’ll just pass and move onto the next one.

Don’t Miss:  A Month by Month Guide to Your Career in 2012

Howie Appel

Howie is the Executive Director of ProNet Career Resources, Inc.  He has been a corporate and agency recruiter for 25 years.  A member of the CFEC Resume Critiquing Team at their Job Fairs, he is also an expert resume writer with a passion for helping succeed in their search for the position they desire..

Source: http://jobtrakr.com/2012/02/01/guest-post-the-horror-of-the-resume/