Resume Cover Letters

by Wootang01

News writing is a great way for new writers to break into the publishing world, and gain valuable experience. Straightforward to write, the goal of a newspaper article is to educate the reader by answering the important who, what, where, when, why and how questions of the story.

Written like an inverted pyramid, with the most important information presented first, and least vital facts following in successive order down the pyramid, or article body. Start with a strong opening paragraph (otherwise known as the lead), that grabs the reader’s attention, and sets the tone for the rest of the piece.

Answer the most important questions first, followed by more generic filler material, and ending with the least vital information. It is not uncommon for an editor to cut the last few paragraphs from a story when space is tight, so make sure no essential information or quotes appear near the end of the story.

The Essentials of Good New Writing:

Successful new writers are good at three things: writing clear, concise and accurate text quickly. Editors demand it. Deadlines are the tightest at daily publications, but weeklies too run at breakneck speed. Reporters are often required to cover a municipal meeting at 7 pm , and then go back to the office afterward to meet an eleven or twelve o’clock deadline. The ability to discern what’s important, and gather enough facts and quotes to write an interesting and informative article in just a few hours is an absolute requirement for the job. Accuracy is even more vital. Accidentally misquoting someone during a heated argument, or writing down the wrong tax numbers will mark you as an amateur who can’t be trusted and may likely get you fired!

The last thing most editors demand is brevity. Space is a luxury at most newspapers, so having the ability to give the reader an interesting and complete story in as few words as possible is a necessity. Don’t be flowery with your prose, and never wander or stumble in your writing. Keep it short and to the point. Use adjectives lightly. Learn to write quickly, concisely and accurately, and you just might find you have a budding career in news writing.

Features, on the other hand, give the writer the opportunity to take the time and space to really dig into a subject and develop the story in a way straight news writing doesn’t allow. Often much longer, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 words, compared to the shorter 500 to 1,500 word news account, the feature is an excellent way to spread your wings as a writer and try a new style. Most news writers get the opportunity to work on features once in awhile, so be prepared to expand your horizons when the right story comes along that deserves more thought, research and overall coverage.

Finding Work As A Newspaper Reporter:

Finding work as a news writer isn’t difficult, if you’re willing to start small and built your credentials on the local level. Most communities, no matter how small, usually have at least one weekly and one daily newspaper covering the area’s news. Weeklies are often short-staffed, and are eager to give new writers a chance to try their hand at “stringing,” or covering local meetings/events on a story-by-story basis. Pay is rather low for these publication’s, (often less than per story), but they are a great place to learn the ropes and gather clips.

Once you’ve mastered the news writing pace and style, you may want to try your hand at a larger, daily publication. The pay here is much better — (often ranging from to 0 per article for stringers, depending on the article’s page placement and length. Quality is the key at these publication’s though, so be sure you’re ready before making the plunge into daily news writing.

Both daily and weekly newspapers also offer some fulltime staff positions, but as circulations and profits continue to decrease in the print media nationwide, it’s becoming more and more difficult for writers with little or no on-the-job experience to land one of these prized positions. However, news writing remains a viable way to increase the freelancer’s income and offers the struggling writer a good opportunity to find regular assignments, and build their experience by being able to work on a lot of different kinds of projects and stories.

Tags: Article, Essentials, Good, News, Writing

by Wootang01

The good news: you landed an interview for that job you’re interested in. The potentially bad news: your prospective boss wants to conduct the interview over lunch. “Meal interviews” can come about for several reasons. Perhaps the interviewer has an insanely busy schedule and must multi-task by talking with you over lunch. Or the reason could be a bit sneakier-as in, wanting to size up not only your business credentials, but also on your table manners and ability to successfully mix business and pleasure.

This trial run is a legitimate test for candidates who may be doing a lot of these “let’s do lunch” meetings if they secure the job. But no matter the reason for the lunch meeting, the trick to mastering this specific interview is to incorporate the usual blow-them-away techniques with some tips uniquely relevant to mealtime meetings.

• Remember mom’s rules. The quickest way to turn off a potential employer is to appall him with your table manners. You probably slack off a bit when you’re at home, so in the meals leading up to the big interview, go back to the basics. Sit up straight, no elbows on the table, put your napkin in your lap, use the proper utensils, etc. And for heaven’s sake, don’t talk with your mouth full. If you have real concerns about your table manners, ask a good friend to dine with you and give you honest feedback.

• Choose your food (and drink) wisely. The number one rule of thumb? No alcohol. Even in the unlikely event that your interviewer makes it a martini lunch, stick with water, tea, coffee, or lemonade. Skip the soda and seltzer because belching isn’t exactly professional. When it comes to food, picking the “right” entrée is as tricky as a first-date meal selection. You don’t want to go too cheap-a salad says that you aren’t comfortable-but you also want to stay away from the priciest item on the menu. Because you’re the guest, you’ll probably order first, so you may not be able to depend on the interviewer to set the tone. The best choice is to stick to something middle-of-the-road but easy to eat. Go easy on messy pastas, sauce-covered ribs, or anything that will have a strong aroma.

• Juggle food and conversation wisely. The trickiest element of a lunch interview is the balancing act between eating and talking. You’re likely nervous and may be tempted to simply pick at your food, but you want to come across as confident, and that doesn’t happen when you’re pushing chicken around on your plate. The solution is to take small bites so you’re not stuck with 30 seconds of chew time just as you’re asked a question. It’s also wise to avoid shoveling your food in just to get it over with-that’s just begging for hard-to-hide digestive problems.

• Finish strong. Just as with a traditional, in-office meeting, let the interviewer set the pace. If she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to end the conversation after the meal, feel free to order a cup of coffee and keep talking. But pay attention to cues that she wants to wrap it up-asking you whether you have any final questions or looking around madly for the waiter and your check, for example.

Other tips for successfully navigating a meal interview:

• Be nice to your server. Your interviewer is looking at all of your behavior to determine whether you’d be a good fit for the company.

• No matter how much you dislike what you ordered-or even if you’re served the wrong dish-make an effort to go with the flow. “Unflappable” is always a good impression to give.

• Don’t ask for a box at the end of the meal. Regardless of how succulent the steak or how fresh the salmon, a doggie bag makes it hard to take you seriously as a candidate.

• Don’t suggest that you pick up the check. It’s never expected and comes off as awkward rather than polite.

• Reiterate your interest in the position as you’re saying your farewells.

• When sending your follow-up thank you note, don’t forget to thank him for the lovely meal, as well as for his time.

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Tags: Interview, Lunch, Mastering

by Wootang01

Everyday when I drive down the main street in my little town another restaurant bites the dust. These are not fast food restaurants, but mom and pop places; the neighborhood chicken wing palace that has been around for 10 years. It’s getting to the place there are no little hole in the walls left, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

The little donut shop has passed away and the rib joint has taken apple pie off the menu, they laid the baker off. What is going on?

A recent interview with Jo Lynne Lockley owner of Chefs’ Professional Agency, the oldest food and beverage recruiting specialists in the United States revealed some insightful information. These are the words of wisdom for all those culinary professions who have found themselves out of work. First, if you are in the baking or pastry profession you know those jobs are usually the first to hit the chopping block.

If you are a novice in the industry, a bit of a newbie, not a chef or head baker; but a cook or assistant; you’re competing with a lot of cooks and chefs who know more than you do, so don’t let your degree, if you have one go to your head. One of the first things you might do, if you’re in the trenches and unemployed is see if you can land a job in a professional environment, since your beginning will definitely determine your career. Your food and creativity don’t mean anything right now, we are in a serious recession, surround yourself with experience and learn from the best.

Second, you need to keep your job; that means listen more, keep your opinions to yourself, watch and focus. Expect to remain in the position for at least a year, maybe longer.  The rule of thumb is, the more demanding the environment the more valuable the learning experience. This will not be a cakewalk by any means, but once you master the initial challenges it will be satisfying; according to Ms. Lockley “satisfaction trumps passion any time.”

So what can pastry chefs/bakers do during these tumultuous times? Dig your heals in and secure your knowledge in baking and production, at least for now. “Those who heed the warning, according to Jo Lynne will be employed and those who don’t will feel the pain.” The idea of becoming a celebrity chef should fade, follow the light back to reality and leave the idea of creating dynamic masterpieces to those on Food TV Network.

Jo Lynne insists, “Pastry chefs are the canary in the coal mine, because restaurants generally look at their low to negative profit margins rather than at their advertising value.  A good pastry chef needs to sell at least 75% of the room. If not, they aren’t reading the public. To do it, you need to aim at public desires rather than your passion, and today folks want simple and nostalgic.”

So who is hiring? According to Ms. Lockley, “hotels are still hiring assistants, and production facilities are replacing restaurant chefs, so if you can’t get a job as a pastry chef in a restaurant, consider using this time to develop your volume and production skills.” It is true, restaurant pastry people are “a dime a dozen,” and it is quite difficult to find seasoned pastry bakers and quality control production directors for commissary situations. Don’t frown and squawk if you can’t get the head job, “settle for a lesser position and consider it tuition free education.”

The best way to survive the storm is to grit your teeth, bear it, and have your culinary resume ready at all times. It is far wiser to take a lesser position in a good place and avoid navigating toward a chef position in the “lower B leagues.”  Jo Lynn suggests, “If you have friends in kitchens, offer to substitute for any position. It keeps you in the loop and everyone knows how much goes over the back fence in this industry.”

Avoid being lax when it comes to your resume and remember to included: phone numbers, email addresses, your home address and assigned dates, not just the year, but the month and year. When creating your resume, leaving out the month is a red flag to employers causing you to lose the race before entering the gate.

As for education, it’s important, but Jo Lynne believes “trenches trump training every time.” Her advice is to try to avoid those fancy online portfolios, dazzle them with brilliance, skill and confidence, don’t baffle with bull. Those who can weather the storm and stand firm will see great opportunities in the future. There are a few pastry shops beginning to bloom, but opportunities for wholesale dessert and pastry production start ups won’t be back for another ten years. Don’t give up and don’t give in, just learn all you can, the tide will surely turn.

A resume summary is a direct reflection of what the applicant has done in a particular field of work, but also who they are as a person. Write a resume summary in which the name is centered at the top, and the length is three to four sentences with tips in this free video from a career adviser on resume summary writing. Expert: Pat Goodwin Contact: www.PatGoodwinAssociates.com Bio: Pat Goodwin is a certified personnel consultant and a career transition consultant who has worked with hundreds of individuals over the past 20 years. Filmmaker: Todd Green

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Tags: Culinary, Resumewords, wisdom

7 seconds. Just 7 seconds. Recent studies have shown that is all the time you have to make an impression (good or bad) on a potential employer. Knowing this, it becomes apparent just how important a good resume is. Unfortunately, many job seekers don’t realize this fact – to their own peril. During my 6 plus years of writing resumes professionally for www.Quality-Resumes.net I have seen a lot of mistakes, misspellings, missteps and miscues along the way. I can help you before you make some of them, too. There are 5 basic mistakes that every job-seeker should avoid.

The first, and most important, is also the easiest to fix: poor writing. Things like typos, misspellings, verb tenses mixed and sentences butchered. A potential employer will not struggle to get through your resume. He will simply toss it into the “circular file.” Your resume must be easy to read; 7 seconds, remember?

Second, you need to use an easy-to-scan format; something one can glance over and have key details stand out. You should limit the amount of fancy formatting you do. Just because you can manipulate all of Microsoft Word’s functions doesn’t mean you have to show it here. Keep it clean and simple. What you should have are the four standard sections: Objective, Summary, Work History and Education. Put enough detail in to sell yourself but no more.

Third, and this is closely related to formatting, do not over write. This is a trap all amateur writers fall into. The best authors know less is more, and what works for books works for resumes too. Too often I have read resumes that have huge paragraphs of text explaining every single detail about their current job or even the company they currently work for. Employers and recruiters are not going to wade through volumes of text when they have another 100 or so resumes to get through. They need to know quickly and easily what you have done and what you can do. Most often a short bulleted list accomplishes this best.

Fourth, you need to tell potential employers what you are capable of doing. Often when a client sends me their resume for a professional evaluation, I see the job specs. Those could apply to anyone who has held that particular job. It is not singling them out as different, better and more capable than the rest. List your achievements, what you have done above and beyond, not just the job requirements.

Fifth, there is more than one type of resume. While just about every job seeker writing their own resume tries to make their professional life fit a chronological format, it simply is not the way to go for many people. A skills-based resume allows one to focus on abilities and potential, rather that just past achievements. An education-based resume allows employers to see your training in detail; this is especially useful for recent graduates. There really is a resume fit for every person. Experiment a little bit, and find the style that fits you best.

Follow these five rules to avoid the mistakes of you job-seeking ancestors. A well-written resume is your first and best chance to make a good impression on potential employers. Make yours count. Remember, 7 seconds goes by awfully fast.

Tags: Great, resume, Steps

by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

When you attempt to craft a resume, there is always the danger that you will fall in love with your own creation. While it stands to reason that you would want to produce a resume that reads well to you, your opinion doesn’t count as much as a prospective employer’s viewpoint.

As a result, it is vitally important that you turn out a resume that tells employers exactly what they want to know. If your resume is deficient in any way…if it fails to inform a recruiting manager where you worked, how long you worked there, what your educational background is, what skills you possess, and your general qualifications for a specific position…your resume will quickly end up in the waste bin.

Don’t Depend on the Interview to Make Up for Problems With Your Resume

A number of job-seekers are satisfied with producing a resume that’s less than perfect because they hold out the hope that they can make up for their resume’s flaws through a stellar performance during a job interview. The problem with this line of thinking is that, unless your resume is top-notch, it is unlikely that you will be selected for any interview at all. Therefore, it pays to devote time and attention to fine-tuning your resume so that it meets the needs of prospective employers.

Put Yourself in the Employer’s Place

In order to write an effective resume, you need to put yourself in the place of the hiring manager. The employer’s eyes may be glazing over from all the resumes he or she has had to review. As a result, the employer is probably skimming through the stack looking for potential employees who fit some key criteria: the criteria being that they will perform the job effectively and efficiently; they will benefit the company; and they will be dedicated to their position.

Be Sure to Cover the Basics

While it is certainly wise to make your resume as brief as you possibly can, it is critically important that you include the basic information a prospective employer wants to know. You might be surprised at the fact that a number of job-seekers forget to include their e-mail addresses or cell phone numbers—two key ways for employers to get in touch with them. Also, be sure to include your snail-mail address, in case the employer needs you to fill out an application or a survey.

Your resume should include a complete job history (at least, post-college), information about skills you have that are applicable to the job you’re applying for, a list of the degrees you’ve earned and the colleges, universities, and relevant training programs you’ve attended, and your references. A prospective employer wants to know what your references have to say about you—he or she doesn’t want to take the time to call you and track down names and phone numbers at the last minute. The more complete the information you provide about your references, the better. Providing reference information as an addendum to your resume is a positive option.

Indicate Why Your Candidacy is Special

Once you’ve covered the basics, it’s highly important that you provide the employer with information that will distinguish your candidacy from the rest of the job applicants. If your resume is overly broad in focus, it will not attract the interest of a corporate recruiter. Instead, consider narrowing your focus by including information about special skill sets you possess, leadership roles you’ve held, and evidence of your team-building abilities. This information, like the rest of the information on your resume, must be presented in a clear, concise manner—otherwise, the employer will simply move onto the next resume.

Don’t Forget the Profile

Employers are definitely interested in your key accomplishments, evidence of your professionalism and your pursuit of excellence. These achievements can be easily encapsulated in a profile section at the beginning of your resume. Recruiters can read through the profile quickly, giving them an immediate impression of your suitability for the position that’s been advertised.

What Employers Don’t Want to Know

It is also important to pay some attention to what employers don’t want to know—or, at least, what they would prefer not to read on your resume. While each prospective employer is unique, there are certain common viewpoints that most share when it comes to resume appraisal.

In an effort to set themselves apart from the pack of other job applicants, a number of job-seekers make the mistake of making their resumes “too personal.” For instance, one individual who was seeking a position in government tried to portray himself in a unique light by including the names of his three dogs. Rather than making him appear intriguing, his decision to include dog news on his resume proved to be a deal-ender.

Also, for the most part, your resume does not need to explain in detail why you left a particular position. You can leave the discussion of that for the eventual job interview. It is far better to talk about the pitfalls in your job history in person rather than to try to explain them on paper.

The Intangibles

There are certain intangibles that employers want to know about you—information that you can convey in your resume. For instance, by proofreading your resume carefully and making sure that it is error-free, you are showing a prospective employer that you have a keen eye for detail. By presenting your resume in a professional, easy-to-read manner, you are demonstrating that you have excellent written communication skills. By listing your community and volunteer activities, you show an employer that you have a sense of commitment to bettering the world around you. These intangibles can often determine whether or not you are called in for an interview—or whether your resume is kept on file—never to be seen again.

This article was written by the certified professional resume writers of Resume Service. The writers at AccuroResumes will help create a perfect professional resume suited to your best needs. See why thousands of people are discovering the benefits of a perfect professional resume written by AccuroResumes.com. You are guaranteed to be 100% satisfied with your new, professional resume or, your money back. Reproductions of this article are encouraged, but must include a link pointing to http://www.AccuroResumes.com/.

Tags: Employer's, Know, Must, resume, Tell, They, Want

A resume – also called ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘CV’ is a summary of your skills, education and work experience. A good resume demonstrates how your skills and abilities match up with the requirements of a job.

A lot of job seekers do not know how to prepare a resume. They think it is just a piece of paper where they will put their personal information and work experience. Every time I look at some resume of an applicant I find it funny to see some work experiences being presented that are irrelevant to the job applied for. Basing on my experience as a member of the hiring committee before, I would love to see a resume with the following content.

1. Career objective. Although it is optional but a clear objective will let the employer know what job you want to end up with. This will show how much you have thought about your future career.

2. Personal Information. Full name, contact details such address, telephone number(s) and email address. For email address, create a good email address that is more professional. Most job seekers, especially the fresh graduates, have a bad email addresses. Email addresses like devil_me@yahoo.com, jackthewack@gmail.com and the likes are not good to the eyes of the employers. The safest thing to do is create accounts using your name.

3. Work Experience. Start with your most recent work history and work backwards chronologically, listing the name of the employer, your job title, the dates you worked there, and your responsibilities, tasks and achievements. List all work experiences that you think is relevant to the job you are applying for.

4. Skills. Enumerate your skills. I would suggest you put a simple grading system like highest – lowest (1-5) and rate your skills accordingly. Remember to enumerate the skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for.

5. Academic Record. This is very important for fresh graduates. Since they do not have enough work experience to showcase it is very important to include their academic achievements in the resume.

6. Character Reference. Personally I do not like to see a resume with “upon request” under character reference. This is an important section of the resume because employers want to know what others are saying about you.

7. Grammar and Spelling. Observe your grammar and spelling very carefully. If you need somebody to check your resume, it would be much better.

8. Presentation. A clean and good choice of font size and type is a very important. Employers looking at your resume will find you uninteresting if you don’t know how to present your resume. Unless you are applying for a graphics designer you may put some art into your resume. Always remember simplicity is an art.

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Tags: Good, Prepare, resume

by dbking

I’ve been knocking around the business world for over 20 years now and I’ve seen many, many resumes. And It never ceases to amaze me how so many of them just flat out fail! Why do you think that is?

Is it because most people simply don’t know how to put a resume together? Hmm, maybe. But most people never submit just one resume in their job search. So shouldn’t there be some improvement from one to the next?
I think there are three main factors that work against the average job seeker when it comes to building a proper resume. Think of them as three obstacles that each of us has to overcome. Here they are.

The Time Obstacle…

We live in extremely busy times. When we’re not rushing off to work, rushing home from work, rushing to soccer practice, choir practice, or piano practice, we’re trying to catch up on the bills, emails, or chores. How can we carve out the time to put together that killer resume?

Well, the hard truth of it is there’s no special pill you can take to create more time in your life. If you want time for something, you’ll have to take it away from something else. And that’s usually a painful choice. My advice would be to start small and try to do it in small increments. For instance take a little bit of your lunch hour to do something related to your resume. If you stick with it for a few days, it will get to be a (good) habit. Once you’ve gotten it going, look for another place you can expand it. You’ll be surprised at how those little slices of time add up into achievement.

The Skill Obstacle…

Writing a good resume takes certain writing skills that aren’t really learned in school. Even people with true writing talent struggle with resume writing so don’t feel bad. This is one skill you have to learn by doing.

I’ve picked up my resume-writing skills over the last 20-some years by writing, reading, and being exposed to perhaps thousands of resumes. If you have some natural writing skill, take a shot at writing your resume…work through it…you’ll get a little better with each draft. But if you can’t “write your way out of a paper bag,” then you need to get some help.

Get your hands on some resume templates and try to squeeze your experiences and achievements into their formats. Purchase an inexpensive resume builder to get you going. Ask an experienced friend or family member to mentor you. In other words, “reach out” for help…you’ll be amazed how many people will want to give you a hand.

The Dedication Obstacle…

Writing resumes, sending them out, tracking them, and following up on them is real work! It’s a shame we don’t get paid for it. Hey, wait a minute…we do get paid for it. Because if we stick with it, we get the job.

Try not to get discouraged. Finding a job is a numbers game. The more resumes you put out there, the better your chances. Get in the habit of “doing the next one.” Even if you’ve landed an interview…especially if you’ve landed an interview! Keep cranking them out, getting better with each one, and one day…POW…you’ll have that job offer. In fact, I’ll bet that if you get into the “crank-em-out” mindset, you’ll get more than one job offer.

Good luck with your job search and thanks for reading

Tags: Fail, Resumes

by Wootang01

When 1 goes for a job interview, the probable employer has no idea of who the applicant is. In some cases, the particular person applied towards the ad while other people employed a headhunter or occupation website on the internet and matched their credentials for the position.

The initial impression employers usually look at is one’s resume. Given the a lot of that apply, this generally takes about 30 seconds and so with the limited words, 1 need to be certain that the resume is properly written and grammatically correct.

The resume ought to say nearly everything about the man or woman. This need to generally start with pertinent details just like the person’s name, age, address, contact quantity and social security amount. The details here are needed so if 1 is considered to be a prospective employer, it will be quick for your firm to obtain in touch with the applicant and be scheduled for an interview.

Next will be the career objective which is the reason why the applicant wants to apply to the position. By putting a strong goal in your mind and not a general a single, the employer will see that this man or woman has a direction which is why that individual wants to work for your company.

The next section ought to include the appropriate abilities and knowledge one particular has had inside the current and previous jobs as well as highlighting one’s major accomplishments. By putting in detail the things 1 has done in that position and experiences learned from it, that data is already basis for your employer to see the prospective beginning has for that position. It shows the qualities a single possesses as well as the advantages one particular can contribute towards the further growth on the organization.

After that, the resume ought to show one’s educational background. Some organizations prefer somebody with a degree in a particular field, a licensed professional to do the job or one particular who possesses a master’s degree. By showing one’s credentials, it is a great indicator in the kind of training one particular has possessed in school as well as the accomplishments a person has achieved inside the course of one’s career.

The latter section should supply details just like hobbies, interests and character references. Employers look at probable applicants who not only have the qualifications for that employment but also those that also those that are properly rounded. Being active inside a particular organization and be seen as a leader in a group shows one’s social skills with other people. Character references do the same and give men and women an idea how a single performed working with that individual.

There’s no ideal resume. It depends on the career. It really is an critical step one particular ought to pass prior to getting called for that initial interview.

For a lot more facts about Resume Writting, check out Job Finding Tips

Tags: Perfect, resume

by Looking For Fish Tacos At ELI 2006

Building your professional free resume can be as easy or as hard as you choose to make it. Ask anyone what it takes to get a good job and most people will answer, “A good quality resume!” Now ask them if they have a resume or if it has been updated recently and they will almost certainly groan in reply. This is where a resume builder can make life a little easier. Using quality resume building services is like having a professional guide to building your resume at your fingertips– at a fraction of the cost of most professional services.

The truth is most people don’t have the patience to apply to resume building and would much rather pay a professional resume writing service to do it for them. Why? Either it seems like to much hard work organizing their resume or they find it difficult to sell themselves. What words should you use to describe your abilities, what should be excluded and are you giving too much or too little information? These are all questions that start to confuse you when building your resume for the first time. Using a professional free resume builder helps you to go right to the heart of the matter.

So what factors are important when building your professional resume? Every day employers receive dozens of poorly written resumes. How will you make yours stand out? There are criteria that simply must be included in any resume. When considering your resume ask yourself the following questions:

• Are my main credentials and accomplishments accessible within 10 to 15 seconds?
• Does important information make itself clearly noticeable?
• Have I sold myself and my skills within the first quarter of the first page?
• While building your professional resume have you taken steps to ensure you are marketed as the most desirable candidate for the job you want?

If you answered yes to these important questions then you have an effective resume. If you answered no to one or more questions you need help building your resume. Using a resume builder or resume writer package such as Resume-Builder.net will help you to make a good first impression. Without the tools to sell yourself you probably wont make it onto the shortlist. Avoid falling prey to the ‘cant even get an interview’ phenomenon by making sure your resume gets you in the door. Start your professional resume with Resume-Builder.net today!

Tags: builder, Create, Guide, Online, Professional, resume

by Central Historian

Writing a resume is a process of self-discovery in many ways. You have to market yourself to your potential employer, which is a very difficult task because we have to walk the fine line of objectivity and self-promotion.

Your resume must summarize your educational achievements, professional experience, and qualification in a way that best meets your career objective.

Composing your entire professional history on one or two pages can be time consuming; thus, we sometimes spend hours and days writing and re-writing our resumes in order to perfect the content and the format before it reaches our potential employer.

However, after looking at the same content over and over, it becomes easy for us to miss very simple typos or grammar errors, or even poorly written statements that may raise questions in the eyes of the hiring manager. Before posting your resume on job search web sites, or submitting it to companies you are interested in, it is in your best interest to have someone else review it.

This can be a scary thought while you may want help and feedback from your friend, you are concerned they will dislike something aesthetic and you’ll feel the pressure to make formatting changes. And since you have already spent a lot of time on your resume, you don’t want to have to start over.

Since you know you can benefit from having someone else review your resume, the key is to set some boundaries and goals for that review. Ask about specific things that are of the concern to you if you know that grammar isn’t your strength, ask your friends to proofread the content. If you have gaps in your work history, ask your friend to act as a potential employer and review the resume and cover letter together.

Do they have any questions about your work history, or have you addressed everything in your cover letter? Accept feedback about content, but make sure that your friends are raising valid questions about the statements you are making. If they suggest that you change an action word, can they give you a valid reason behind the change, or is the reasoning based on their personal preference?

Don’t get into an argument over formatting do your research ahead of time and know what the acceptable resume style is for your field. It is also beneficial that you have more than one additional person review your resume before you send it to your potential employers.

This helps you in recognizing if the feedback is based on personal preferences or professional concerns. Ideally, the person you ask for help has experience in your field, and can help assure that the action words or phrases you have chose are appropriate for your industry and position level.

If you are unsure that you are even on the right track with your resume, and you feel that the research you have done is overwhelming and not helpful, seek assistance from a professional resume writing service. A professional resume writer should be able to help guide you in the right direction, revise your current resume or create a new resume for you.

Make sure that the professional you are working with can provide you with references and samples, and that they are versed in writing resumes for professionals in your field of work. While this option requires you paying for someone’s assistance, it can prove to be a more beneficial one in the long run.

You can always serve as your own resume editor. Step away from your resume for a while; give yourself some time, usually a day or two, between writing the resume and reviewing it. This allows you to be more objective as you review the final draft of your resume, because you are not as intimately involved with it at the moment of review (the way you would be immediately after completing the draft).

No matter what option of review you chose, make sure that you do in fact review your resume before submitting it to your potential employer. You don’t want your hiring manager catching your mistakes, do you? A well-written, error-free resume is more likely to get you noticed, and get you the job that you want.

Tags: Help, Professional, resume, Seek, Time, Writing