Resume Writing

In our current economy, having a quality resume is more important than ever. Because so many prospective employers place a great deal of emphasis on the first impression, this document can make or break your chances of even getting an interview. You could be the most qualified person in the world at what you do, but if your resume is bleak or disorganized, it might be tossed in the trash before you can say "hire me."
  

Rules for Writing a Resume

1. BE SPECIFIC
Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not write a generalized resume. Resumes should be specific to the industry and job you are applying for. With employers sorting through hundreds of resumes, you need to make sure that it grabs their attention. The best way to do this is to use job titles or headings that relate to the job you want. For example, say you are applying for an Office Manager position, a resume with big bold letters that read “Office Manager” under experience shows right away that you are an experienced candidate.

2. DO NOT USE RUN-ON SENTENCES
"I was the Office Manager at XYZ Company and handled all the incoming phone calls, data entry, and invoices while making sure the executives schedules were all planned and executed in an orderly fashion and controlled the customer service sector." This sentence is way too long and disorganized. It is vital that you be direct with each of your skills.

EXAMPLE:

10/20/08- 3/04/09 Office Manager, XYZ Company. Danville, CA
. Handled all incoming phone calls, data entry, and invoices in regards to vendors.
. Planned and scheduled all of the executive's schedules and appointments.
. Maintained a superb Compliance and Customer Service Department by implementing quality control methods.

3. POWER WORDS
Using numbers, percentages, and power words to describe your past responsibilities and achievements can strengthen your image.

(Numbers)
Instead of: “Handled Invoices”
Say: “Managed over 100 invoices a week while working directly with the Accounting Manager.”

(Percentages)
Instead of: “Reduced Budget”
Say: “Reduced our tax and expense budget 17% by implementing a new cost saving strategy.”

(Power words)
Instead of: “Assigned work tasks to our entry level sales team.”
Say: “Supervised and trained our sales team performing aggressive outbound marketing and quality control calls.”

4. NOTHING NEGATIVE
You never want to include negative information pertaining to previous jobs or experiences. If you have had a personality conflict and are bad-mouthing a previous employer, why would the interviewer think you would not do the same to them if things do not work out in the future?

5. ANALYZE JOB DESCRIPTION
Collections Manager
Company seeking Collections Manager to oversee several high profile accounts, develop expense reports, handle invoices, and implement an outbound call strategy.  Must have experience in Credit and Commercial Collections and a minimum of two years experience.

Although this is a short job description it is very important that you identify the key words so you can create your headings appropriately.

Key Words:
 . Supervision of staff
 . Expense reports
 . Invoices
 . Outbound call strategy
 . Credit and Collections

6. SELL YOURSELF
The majority of resumes that potential employers read have a list of duties and skills the candidate performed but do not explain the benefit of those skills. You need to let the employer know that your skills can benefit them in a specific way.
               Example:
                           a. Over 8 years of QuickBooks experience.
                           b. Implemented our payroll and expense reports into a QuickBooks                                system and eliminated the need for a part time payroll clerk. 

7. DO NOT EXCEED TWO PAGES
When employers have hundreds of resumes sitting on their desks, they are not interested in reading a book on your employment history. The ideal resume is one complete page, but it is okay to expand beyond that if necessary. Anything beyond two pages bores the reader and most likely will not earn you an interview.

8. SALARY/RELOCATION INFORMATION
It is recommended that you do not include this information unless requested. This might “price fix” you and the employer could think that you want too much money or you are not qualified, based on your previous salaries. If the employer does request this information it is best to put it in the cover letter or a separate letter. NEVER put this information on your resume unless specifically asked.

9. HOBBIES/AWARDS/HONORS
If your hobbies are business related then putting them on the bottom of your resume may enhance your chances. Being involved in hobbies, clubs, and activities that relate to the business you are applying for show that you have more to offer and are a better-rounded individual then just the particular skill set they are looking for. If your hobbies are not related, then it is recommended that you do not include them in your resume. Also make sure any hobbies you list are professionally appropriate.

Example:
Instead of writing: “Enjoy partying with my racquetball intramural teammates”
Write: “I enjoy playing team sports”

If you have any distinct awards and honors then it is definitely recommended you include them.
  
Examples:
Eagle Scout Award
Finalist for National Leadership Competition
   James C. Merriman Scholarship Recipient

10. NO MISTAKES!
It is absolutely critical that your resume contains ZERO mistakes. Once completed, read it at least three times to check for grammatical and typographical errors. After you have read it a few times, have someone else proofread it as well.

Resume Styles

1. TRADITIONAL:
   The traditional resume style should be utilized by an individual applying for a job in the same field he or she was most recently in, or in the same field he or she has a lot of semi-recent experience in. The job history should be listed from most current, down to the least recent. This type of resume usually states an objective, includes educational institutions attended, and describes previous positions and employers. It should be easy to read and clearly formatted.

FUNCTIONAL:
   The functional resume style caters to an individual applying for a job in a field different from what they have recent experience with. For example, say you were an accountant for five years, but have been out of the industry for ten years. Instead of listing your experience chronologically, you could list it functionally. Title one section “Accounting Experience,” then list all of your experience in accounting related positions underneath it. You sections should be listed in order or relevance. For example, first list all of your accounting jobs, then all of your finance jobs, followed by your administrative positions. This is effective because it highlights skills more than most recent experience.

COMBINED:
   In a combined resume, you want to include features of both the Traditional and the Functional forms. You should still list your job experience chronologically, but write more details under the titles of the relevant positions. This is effective because the positions that catch the reader’s eyes are the larger and more detailed ones, so you can maximize your strengths while not getting too detailed about things that are irrelevant.