Author: Admin

  • Being Forthright and Original in a Resume


    Honesty conveyed in a resume

    In addition to having your professional life presented in a way that reflects the best of your skills, education and other qualification elements, it is important to make sure that your resume and cover letter showcase your ethics and sincerity as well; because that resume document which you worked so hard to get right is a reflection of who you are. So when you compose your well-written resume, make sure there are no errors or gaps that would raise questions or leave open to misinterpretation, exactly what you are attempting to convey.

    Additionally, while highlighting those qualifications that present you as the best candidate for the job, make sure that you include any credentials, certificates/licenses (where applicable) or specific language which could convey to your potential employer that you are a polished, detail-oriented professional who is also trustworthy, capable and reliable. Of course, doing all these things can be a difficult task, since the conveyance of honesty coupled with good intentions in a form letter and a resume is not an easy thing to do.

    However, many employers keep a strict no tolerance policy against dishonesty, and therefore you will have to take extra care in making sure that all the information on your resume is authentic and truthful. Intentionally lying on a resume is not acceptable, but there are certain areas of your resume that may cause you to unintentionally list incorrect information; so pay close attention to the following aspects of your resume so that you can avoid giving your potential employer the impression that you are untruthful.

    Avoiding unwanted interpretations

    List your exact title under professional experience, because many professionals have titles that are company specific and therefore might not make sense outside of the organization where they work; so always list your exact title, but feel free to add a few words that explain what your responsibilities were in relation to the overall industry. This way, when your potential employer calls your employer for a reference check, they will confirm your exact title, but also understand the scope of your position as it applies outside of that specific organization.

    When in doubt do not guess, because that could lead to unwanted interpretations and conclusions by a potential employer. For example, if you are unsure when you started or ended a job due to the length of time that has elapsed since you worked for that company, simply call the company and ask about your employment dates. Do not make assumptions about dates or titles of your references; and don’t take liberties with their contact information, certification dates, or any other pertinent information. Always take the time to verify any information you are unsure of before including it on your resume.

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    Truthfully & adroitly filling employment gaps

    It makes no sense to cover up your employment gaps, so don’t commit this unforced error, since having gaps in employment on a resume has certainly been done before and is therefore something that a potential; employer will understand. Many professionals have gaps in their experience for various reasons, but they don’t try to hide this from potential employers. So simply address any work history gaps in your cover letter, and be honest regarding the reasons you were not working during a specific period.

    Be honest about your accomplishments, since it is futile to try and reinvent yourself by citing events, completed tasks and activities that never took place. Rather than worrying about the qualifications you may not have, be confident in those you do have and highlight your work experience and achievements in a truthful manner. Do not exaggerate skills, professional roles, or stretch the employment dates. Work on presenting yourself and your qualifications in the best possible light.

    What a functional resume looks like!

    Developing a comfort level with your resume

    Take the time to quantify your accomplishments, and compose a positive professional summary for your resume; and revise the document until you feel comfortable that all the information included is truthful and will not raise any questions by a potential employer that you have not addressed in the resume or accompanying cover letter. The rule is: be honest on your resume; so by no means should you include any information that breaks that rule.

  • Business Owners Should Have Resumes Too


    The business owner’s resume

    When asked to give their impression of business owners, most normal, everyday people would probably paint a picture of individuals who are always busy dealing with things that pertain to keeping their business profitable and running smoothly; and if you asked them whether or not they believe a business owner needs to have an up-to-date resume, they would probably answer with a resounding “no” which would seem, at first glance, to be the most practical answer; but when you think about it a little more the reverse is actually true.

    This is because small business owners – based on the very nature of their standing in the community, as well as the responsibilities they have undertaken – should have an updated resume so they can share their professional experiences with likely investors, potential vendors, prospective clients, and other entities they must deal with in order to operate a credible, trusted and profitable business. In other words having an updated resume is critical for any professional, even if that professional is not in search of a job.

    functional resume

    A resume for the potentially self-employed

    Consider, for example, that you have a viable business idea which might be good enough to start your own business with. In order to take the preliminary steps towards implementing your idea, it is important that you also have a polished, professional, well-written resume which you will need to present – along with your business plan – in order to secure investment dollars for your business and get started. This type of resume should be written as if you are applying to be a business owner of the organization you wish to start.

    You might say that this sounds a bit silly, since you would of course be working for yourself; but it’s important for the potentially self-employed to show their investors that they have the professional experience required to run a business of the type being proposed; and their qualifications, career goals, education and prior experience should all be aligned with whatever business venture they are pursuing. But that’s not all, because once you have started your own business, you will come in contact with vendors, independent contractors, and clients who will want to know what you are about before they decide to do business with you.

    A resume specific to its recipient

    While you can promote your business through a web site, or other advertising media, if you are new to what you are attempting to do, people will want to know about you; so to help convince them of your abilities, you can use a resume to apprise them of your qualifications. Of course you can use the same resume for your vendors and/or clients as you used for your investors; but keep in mind that any financial goals pertaining to the business which may be necessary for your investors, should never appear on the resume or personal letter you send to your clients or business partners.

    about resumes, cover letters and interviews

    Just take steps to insure that your professional summary is changed to appropriately show how you would service your clients or your vendors; but a statement about client satisfaction would be necessary (enough?) in a resume which you would share with prospective clients. Additionally, as a small business owner, you may have an opportunity to branch out into another business, start a new location of your existing business, partner with another company, or even have an opportunity to go work for a larger company in your field.

    Having a resume on hand

    In each of these scenarios, you may need an up-to-date resume highlighting your professional and entrepreneurial experience, so it is best to have a prepared resume; and keep updating it or customizing it for specific audiences as necessary. You really should avoid finding yourself in a position of not having a resume when one is requested, or having to develop a resume from a blank page in a short period of time, since this would tend to expose you to appearing unprofessional, and not representing yourself or your business in a professional and serious manner.

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    Make no mistake about the importance of this very real item which should be a part of your important document file; because you will definitely want to have a well-written resume that is well well-formatted and error-free even if you do own your own business. In the final analysis, marketing yourself well and marketing your business well, will assure your success as a business owner, whether it’s a sole proprietorship or a larger enterprise.

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  • Resume Review Help and Proofing Parameters


    Resume proofing: A critical task

    Anyone who has ever written a resume will agree that writing, formatting and completing such an important document is a time consuming process; and in order to ensure that a resume achieves the goal for which it was prepared, there is one important step which must be taken before it is sent to designated recipients – potential employers. However, a surprisingly high number of professionals make the mistake of not reviewing their final resume document with fresh eyes before sending it out, thereby relegating it to the recycling bin.

    That having been said, it might seem redundant to emphasize the importance of proofreading what you may believe to be a well-written resume document before forwarding it to potential employers; but reviewing, editing and perfecting such a document is a routine (or even a habit) that you – if you are a job applicant writing your own resume – should adopt, since failing to do so can have an undesired result on your chances of securing the job in which you are really interested.

    With that in mind, you are encouraged to take a look at the following concepts which we hope will help you with the final stages of perfecting your well-written resume and making sure the document is in top shape before it reaches any of the potential employers to whom you intend to send it.

    Check for grammar and spelling errors

    Proofreading your resume document is one of the most critical steps in your resume review process, because it is often hard to catch composition errors after you’ve spent hours writing and re-writing all parts of it, or any other important document; but it is something which must be done and there are two workable methods you can use to effectively catch resume errors

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    One method is to ask someone else to proofread your resume, or give yourself time between writing and reviewing it; and if you ask a friend or a family member for help, make sure that their strengths include spelling and grammar; but they should also be able to edit your resume for content and consistency in style. Asking others to review your resume, however, should be done with parameters. For example, let your friend know what you are struggling with, so that they can help you address those concerns.

    Because personal preferences can come into play when you are discussing resumes, make sure the changes you make are the kind with which you are comfortable in terms of content. Another method you can utilize in proofreading, which should be thought of as a must, is to step away from the document for a day or two, and then revisit it for a final review. This gives you some space from the content, and will allow you to review for grammatical and spelling errors with fresh eyes.

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    Printing out and emailing your resume

    So that you know what your potential employers will receive after you submit your resume, just print out the document and take a look at its appearance, or email it to yourself (if you have more than one email address), or email it to a friend or family member where you will have immediate access to the digital version. However, you must make sure to print your resume from the file in which you are emailing it to your employer; and make sure that the margins are set properly and are not cutting off any content.

    Look for spaces and adjust the text in case of any large gaps on the paper. In addition, if you email your resume to some of your friends, have them open the file and let you know how it appears on their screen, as well as how it prints out. Addressing any formatting issues before your resume reaches a potential employer is ideal, so doing a couple of test runs will only assist you in developing an error-free final resume.

    The resume-to-job requirements comparison

    When you do a comparison of your resume to a particular job’s requirements, it is important to make sure that all requirements are addressed, either in your resume or your cover letter; and a major part of such comparison is to review exactly what the employer is looking for and make sure that your resume addresses all of their needs. Keep in mind that when potential employers receive your resume, they will look for key terms from their job description in order to match your qualifications to their available position.

    If possible, use some of the same terminology on your resume as the employer used on the job description, as this will let the employer know that you are in sync with their needs, thereby making them more interested in you as the ideal candidate for the job. Ask one of your friends to review the job description and your resume as well, and give you their impression on how well the two match.

    Meticulous review = landing a great job!?

    Probably the most important thing you should take away from this article, is the fact that a poorly written and/or formatted resume will – in effect – let most of your potential employers know that you don’t pay any attention to detail; but on the other hand, taking whatever extra time that is necessary to do a final review of your resume document is one of the most important things you can do in getting an employer’s attention, thereby ensuring that you get the job you really want.

  • A Resume Specific to Health Care Professionals


    The HCP resume enhancements

    It has been said on more than a few occasions that resume writing for and by professionals in the health care industry differs from resumes of all other corporate professionals based on certain elements of professional experience and education that play a significant part in the health care industry and fundamental difference in attracting the attention of potential employers. Therefore, in order to compose winning a resume – if you are a health care professional (HCP) – you might want to take a look at and, perhaps, consider a few points from the following paragraphs.

    Indicate on your resume how many patients or clients you have taken care of; because whether you are a nurse in a large hospital, or you manage financial accounts at a small doctor’s practice, it is important to indicate to your future employer how many people you have dealt with on a daily basis, and how you have addressed any concerns that arose from taking care of people in sensitive situations.

    List all the training you have acquired, beyond your education, that makes you qualified for a specific area in the health care industry. Beyond the training you have completed that is job specific, consider listing any other training in management, communications, ethics, or other such areas. It is important to understand that, while this type of training may not be required for the job you’re seeking, it does show your potential employer that you have transferable skills, while demonstrating your interest in, and understanding of, the broad aspect of the industry.

    Demonstrate knowledge and ability

    Certifications and licenses are critical credentials of the health care industry, so make sure you list all your licenses, in addition to their valid dates. Also consider any programs, continuing education courses, or government regulations with which you are compliant, and include all such items on your resume. Keep in mind that the inclusion of such items on your resume, not only highlight your qualifications, but provides assurance to your potential employer that you meet all the required city, state and federal regulations permitting you to be employed in this field.

    Your professional summary must list a clear professional goal, as it is important that you demonstrate to potential employers that you have a vast knowledge of the health care industry, and that you also have a career path in mind. If you are new to health care, use the professional summary to highlight your education and practical work that qualifies you for the particular position you are seeking.

    Use industry jargon, but exercise caution while doing so while trying to avoid replacing certain medical terms with common phrases; but feel free to demonstrate your knowledge of the field by using terminology that is specific to health care. However, don’t over use the same terms or phrases; and don’t use jargon excessively. While you want to give an impression that you know what you are talking about, you don’t want to overuse jargon and turn off the recruiter that may be the initial contact for your resume review.

    Tech-friendly HCPs

    Technical skills are necessary, and therefore, should be listed on your resume. Indicate your skills in specific software programs, and don’t be shy about making your computer literacy known to a potential employer. Health care industry relies heavily on technology and employers actively look for candidates with specific computer skills. Make sure that your resume clearly outlines any technical qualifications you possess.

  • Listing Certifications and Licenses in a Resume


    A resume depiction

    From an individual’s education, summer internships and publications to his/her technical skills, it is extremely important that a resume prepared (self-prepared or otherwise) for that individual includes anything that would help him/her get the job in which s/he is interested.

    Let’s remember that when you prepare a resume you are actually compiling the experiences, acquired skills and relationships formed during your professional life, but somehow many professionals make the mistake of focusing only on experience and education; and as a result, they disregard any additional information that would enhance their ability to stand out from other candidates.

    Any professional certifications and licenses that impact your career and the ability to do a job satisfactorily, or even exemplary, should be listed on your resume. This concept is especially relevant for those professionals who cannot actually perform their jobs without having a license to do so; jobs for teachers, real estate agents, medical professionals, and other such licensees.

    The professional credentials section

    So if you are in a profession that requires a special kind of certification and/or license, your resume should contain a section specific to this type of information. The heading of such a resume section should be “Professional Certifications” or “Professional Licenses” and you should list, in reverse chronological order, any certifications and licenses you have acquired throughout your professional experience.

    about resumes, cover letters and interviews

    That having been said, it is a lot harder to consider this information and include it on your resume if your professional field does not require any certifications or licenses. For example, having a certificate from a seminar on managing multiple projects may not be required in order for you to do your job effectively.

    However, such a certificate can be very helpful in virtually any field and, if included on your resume, it can help you stand out from the crowd of other professional candidates and catch the employer’s attention; and while it is important to consider any courses or training seminars you attended in your professional career, you need not forget to include the courses you may have taken as part of the training at a current or previous job.

    Highlighting your strengths

    One example is if you have completed a course on using Microsoft Access Database as part of the training on your current job, and you know that you will be required to work with this program in a new position you are seeking. Simply treat the list of licenses and certifications as you do your professional experience; and make a list, in reverse chronological order, while paying special attention to which of those listed items are most relevant to your professional goals and objective.

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    Your resume should have no more than five most recent certifications and licenses with the date you obtained the certificate or license listed appropriately. If you took a course over time, for example, indicate the completion date in form of month and year only; and the exact title of the certificate or license should also be listed, along with the issuing organization.

    No additional information is necessary for this area of your resume, but make sure to highlight any certification and licenses in the cover letter if they promote your qualifications for the job you are seeking; and if the listing of licenses or certifications is lengthy you can include the related information on a separate sheet of paper.

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    Important use of your cover letter

    However, make sure to always list a few of the most recent items; and if the listing exceeds five items let the potential employer know that additional information is available upon request. Your resume or cover letter can refer to this information, as well as highlight those elements – and only those elements – that promote you as the candidate best suited for that job.

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  • Buttress Your Resume with a Cover Letter


    Importance of the cover letter

    Most of us, when preparing a resume, devote a lot of time to making that resume the very best because of its significance to, and representative of us as individuals and potential employees of the company to which the resume is sent. What some job seekers fail to do however, is to send a cover letter along with their resumes; and while the reasons for excluding a cover letter may vary, such exclusion often reduces the chances that your well-formatted, well-written resume will ever get reviewed.

    We must understand the importance of having a cover letter for the simple reason that without one, we defeat the purpose of preparing and sending out the resume in the first place. It is a known fact that job seekers who omit a cover letter from their job applications appear unprofessional to potential employers; but those who include a well-written, personalized cover letter allow potential employers to get an insight into who they are, how they communicate and how they present themselves as professionals.

    Buttressing your resume

    If you are in search of a particular job or position and sending your resume via email, the cover letter can be included in the body of the email or sent in an attachment, if the employer accepts such attached documents (most employers prefer not to receive attached documents), but the important thing to do is make sure a cover letter is sent along with your resume; and even if you are faxing or sending your resume by regular USPS mail, make sure that the cover letter serves as an introduction to the resume.

    While cover letters can take various forms, there are a few basic guidelines that should be adhered to when preparing one for yourself. Please continue.

    Knowing the goal of your cover letter

    Know what the goal of your cover letter is, and express it clearly and concisely. Sell yourself in the best possible light; make sure also, that you sound confident and professional in your cover letter. Concentrate on the positives while highlighting those qualifications that make you a perfect candidate for the job; and even if you feel insecure about your qualifications, or think that you may be slightly under-qualified for the job, use your best interpretation of the qualifications.

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    Addressing and customizing the cover letter

    Address your cover letter to the appropriate person. The biggest mistake some professionals make is not taking the time to address their cover letter to the appropriate person, such as the recruiter or the hiring manager. Take the time to address your cover letter to the appropriate person; if the job description does not include a person as a contact, take queue from the text and address the letter to the team listed as the contact. Using generic lines, such as “To whom it may concern,” is not acceptable on a cover letter.

    Customize your cover letter to the position you are applying for. It is very important that your cover letter address why you are the best person for the job you are seeking. This includes indicating the job title in your cover letter. Generic statements, or statements indicating that you are interested in any open position with the company, make you appear unprofessional and unprepared.

    A strong close to your cover letter

    Answer these two questions: why do you want this particular job? And, what can you do for the company? These two questions must be addressed in the cover letter in order to let your employer know that you are serious about your interests, and that you have considered the opportunity, how it fits with your professional goals, and what you are willing to bring to the table in order to benefit the organization you want to work for.

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    Proof your cover letter. Errors and misspellings leave a poor impression on any employer.

    Close the cover letter by indicating to your potential employer when you intend to follow up on your application. Do not end the letter with a statement that leaves it up to the employer to call you at their convenience. Let the employer know that you want to follow up, when you will follow up, and how you will do so. This confirms your interest in the position, and your professional etiquette. Note, you must follow up when and how you indicate on the cover letter.

  • How to Make Your Resume Scanner-friendly


    Resume meets scanner

    In this era of technology-driven industries and speedy, high powered communication tools, most job applications are done electronically, and most employers – no matter the job level – request a resume from job applicants. That having been said, we must be mindful of the extremely time consuming task these employers have in reviewing so many resumes. However, when we learn that employers don’t actually review every resume they receive, it begins to make sense that they would want to review resumes from various candidates for their job offers.

    In this day and age companies use various types of software to scan the resumes they receive for key words and content specific to their available positions, especially the first round of resume review. In other words, if you are a job applicant who submit a resume to one of these employers, your resume must first make it pass a computer-generated scan before it can into the hands of a hiring manager, or other decision-making department head. So the number of resumes submitted to that potential employer is less problematic than we think.

    Now that we’ve settled that question, think about your own well-formatted, well-written resume to which you’ve devoted so much time in perfecting. There is one more question you have to answer about your awesome resume: Is it scan-friendly? The answer to this question may lie in the number (or lack) of calls you’ve received from from potential employers, despite your excellent qualifications for the job. Put another way, your resume might not be scan-friendly; so take a look at the following tips for making your resume scan-friendly:

    Making the resume scanner-ready

    Special Formatting – Any kind of formatting that is not standard could cause certain letters to touch and blend into one character. This is especially true if a word is bold or italicized; so make sure that you review your resume and revise any parts where letters are joined together, so that the words can be scanned.

    Font Type and Size – Since the type and size of your fonts are very important for both your printed and electronic resume when being scanned, it is important that the font is recognizable by the software; so stick to basic fonts, such as Ariel and Times New Roman. Also use standard font sizes such as 10 or 12 point.

    about resumes, cover letters and interviews

    Underlined Words and Phrases – In an electronic format, underlined words/phrases implies links to other documents and/or a web sites. Another feature that must be avoided is lines in the resume that touch the text, as this will prevent your resume from being scanned properly.

    Alignment – All the text in your resume should read from left to right so that your resume can be properly scanned. Your should also avoid special formatting such as tables and columns within your electronic resume document.

    Fine tuning resume before submission

    Special Characters – Special characters may not be recognized by scanning software and could therefore render your resume useless to the employer. Special formatting such as bullets, use of ampersands, percent signs, copyright signs, or any other characters that may not be easily recognizable by scanning software should be removed. If you are quantifying information on your resume, make sure to spell out the percentage instead of using “%” as you are indicating increase in sales, for example. Whenever possibly, avoid using signs or special characters in your resume.

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    Numbered Pages – Even if you submit a printed resume, the document may still be scanned for key words to match your qualifications with available positions, so it is very important that your submission is on plain white paper and in basic font type and size. If you are submitting multiple pages, make sure that all the pages are numbered, and have your name in the top left corner. Do not staple multiple pages, because doing so will prevent all pages, except the top page, from being scanned.

    Keywords and Power Words – The most important element of a scan-friendly resume is the selection of active keywords and power words. Do your research and make sure that you use the appropriate keywords which are relevant to the position you are seeking in your resume. Having appropriate keywords throughout your resume makes it easier for the software to find matches when scanning the document.

    Research and review

    Helpful tip: review the employer’s job requirements for keywords, and find out what the required qualifications for the job are, so you can make sure that your resume contains the same terminology as that on the job description, without direct copying from the text. When your functional resume is scanned the software will pick up these key words and you will be one step closer to landing your dream job.

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