Category: Resume

A resume is a one- to two-page document summarizing your career objectives, professional experiences and achievements, as well as your educational background. A job search may require the searcher to prepare and send several copies of his/her resume before obtaining the desired job.

Four Great Books On Resume Writing


Resume writing is a difficult task. While you can research information online, or seek assistance from a professional resume services, it is always helpful to have resources on hand that can assist in writing a new or rewriting your existing resume and/or cover letter. The following four books can provide you with a wealth of information on resume writing:

On resume style

The first book you should consider is called The Elements of Resume Style. It was written by S. Bennett – This book, as its cover states, will provide you with great advice on writing resumes and cover letters. Here, you will find valuable advice of working through and setting your career goals, marking your qualifications, delivering your resume to your employers and composing your cover letter. The author is not afraid to discuss the commonly made mistakes, the importance of knowing what you want to do in your career, sentence structure, and even salary requirements. This book makes for a great resource for both beginners and experienced resume writers.

Related to competency

The second book is titled Competency-Based Resumes and was written by two writers, Kessler and Strasburg – Competency-Based Resumes is a great resource for professionals that are confident in their career objective and are searching for a more targeted way to develop their resume in order to get noticed in the specific industry of their interest.

The book discusses techniques used by employers at various industries that scan resumes in order to determine applicant’s experience based on their work habits and skills. The book offers you a new and effective way to create resumes that makes your skills and your education the number one priority, and provides you guidelines of highlighting specific areas in order to create a winning resume.

Best resume ideas

The third book contains 101 Best Resumes and was written by Block and Betrus – Members of the Professional Association of Resume Writers have come together to provide 101 best resumes for this book. The sample resumes included in this book will show you what winning resumes look like, and help you in creating an effective resume of your own that will get you the interview and the job. The book discusses personalizing your resume to positions that you want, highlighting your qualifications, developing your resume and writing cover letters. In addition, you will get some great advice on what to do once your resume is ready and how to win over your potential employer in an interview.

Knock ’em dead resumes

The last book of choice has Resumes That Knock ’em Dead and was written by Yate – This bestseller will teach you everything you need to know to get started in resume writing. It is a perfect read for beginners as well as those who have not written a resume in a long time. The author discusses how to gather all the information you will need to get started with writing a resume, how to chose the verbs you include in your statements, select the appropriate format and how to go about submitting your resume via email or the Internet. In addition, this book provides a great sag-way into cover letters, and how to create one that best compliments your resume.

Each of these books can be found in your local bookstore or your library. They provide more than a great starting point; you can hold on to these books and use them as ongoing resources as you move forward in your career.

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Pros and Cons of the Printed Resume

Fashion world descends upon us

Your resume

When a printed resume is needed – Tasks pertaining to job searches and job applications by many of today’s professionals are performed primarily with the aid of Internet locations (websites of potential employers and headhunters) and email (for cover letters and other communicative formats); and as such resumes and cover letters are created to fit these electronic formats; so it is no surprise that having to print out a resume can result in errors of both the human and machine variety.

So let’s take a closer look at, and discuss circumstances when, a printed resume is needed; because although a job seeker may complete a number of job applications online, s/he still needs to have a printed resume to bring along to an interview. If, for example, you are that job seeker, it is important to keep in mind that it is very likely your potential employer will print out your resume from a job search website or from the message you sent expressing your interest in the job.

With that in mind, it is therefore very important that you print out a test copy of your resume before submitting it to employers. This way you’ll be assured that the layout is what you want it to be. As a rule, when printing out your resume, make sure to use white or ivory paper; and since you can get a stack of resume paper at any office supplies store, it should be rather easy to make your resume look as clean and professional as it can be.

Professional you!

Your neat, clean resume – What you should not do it use color paper, or change the font color in order to make your resume stand out; because your employer is more likely than not to find this unprofessional and childish, which is not the first impression you want to make. If your resume is longer than one page, print out multiple pages; but do not print on both sides of a single page. Instead, you should include headings in your resume file indicating page numbers and print each page on its own sheet of paper.

Additionally, you should not have any handwriting on your resume; but make sure that page numbers are in fact printed along with the rest of the resume content. Be mindful that you don’t grab the document off your printer in too immediately a fashion, since this could cause smudging of the ink and create a mess, especially if you are using an Ink Jet printer.

You certainly don’t want smudging any more than you’d want stains, creases or crumpling when you are handing it to your potential employer. First impressions are important –and you difinitely don’t want yours to be that of someone who is sloppy and careless.

Intact

Interviewee, resume and references – Of course it doesn’t hurt to bring multiple copies of your resume when going in for the all important interview. Some people think this is not necessary because your potential employer already has a copy of your resume. But this is a common misconception because after all, it is your resume and not the potential employer’s; therefore you should always have several copies of your resume printed out and with you when at an interview.

Often times, the hiring manager may ask another associate to meet you during the interviewing process, and s/he may not have a copy of your resume. Having extras will make you look professional, prepared and organized, which ultimately helps you set a positive, confident tone and put your best foot forward.

Additionally, it is helpful that the copy of your resume you brought along for any interview has a complete list of references. You can include the references directly on your resume (typically at the bottom of the page), or you can include a separate sheet of paper with that particular reference list. The first option is preferred, because it provides potential employers with all of the critical information about you in one place.




Take the initiative… resume style

Including your references preempts a potential employer from asking you for this information; this also shows that you are seriously interested in the available position. Having a well-formatted, clean and professional resume will go a long way in helping you make that very important first impression a great one, and help you get the job you are truly interested in. Good luck!