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Tag: your potential employer

  • Keeping Your Resume Short and Concise


    Appropriate resume length

    One of the most common misconception of resume writing is that a person’s entire professional history has to fit within one page of white paper; and while the resume length may seem to be a rather basic understanding of how to prepare and properly format a resume, the question which persists is, does everything have to be put on the same page? The truth is, you should present a well-written resume that is concise, and it should promote your qualifications in the best possible manner.

    That having been said, if making the very best presentation is impossible to do on a single page, by all means, extend it to multiple pages with the appropriate consideration, depending on your career level. Understanding that resumes cannot be designed in a cookie cutter fashion where one size fits all, it may be helpful to adhere to a few guidelines when preparing your own resume. Here are some helpful tips:

    Chronological Resume Template: Resume Solution, What you Need to Creat your US and Canadian Resume (Template, Resume, Functional, Jobs, Opportunities)

    A few resume-shortening tips

    Be concise – Being as concise as you possibly can is critical, and therefore you should avoid using lengthy sentences and paragraph forms to disclose your experience and education. Employers want straightforward statements that highlight your qualifications; so keep in mind that a resume is no place to showcase creative writing skills.

    Perfect your resume – Since you have only a second or two to catch your potential employer’s attention, you must make sure that your resume is properly formatted, and you are not trying to fit too much copy on a single page of paper. Create appropriate and professional sections for your resume because your potential employer is more concerned with your resume content – and perhaps its look – than with its length.

    Knock ’em Dead Resumes: A Killer Resume Gets More Job Interviews!

    Longer is not better – When you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective, don’t try to embellish the resume with irrelevant information. If you are new to the job market, changing careers, or have had only one job, stick to a one page resume; and if you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective – for whatever reason – do not apologize for it, simply do your best to highlight your transferable skills, and stick to the “short and sweet” resume version.

    Write enough to meet career objective

    Unless you are applying for an executive-level job, or are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not exceed two pages, because the purpose of a well-written resume is to sell yourself as the best candidate for the job with a confident and a straight-forward approach. Do not oversell your skills; and do not list more than three to five previous positions you’ve held. Stick to those skills and experiences that best meet the job requirements and your career objective.

    The most relevant information has to be included on the first page, and the second page should be numbered, with your contact information included as well (just in case the pages are separated when printed, you don’t want your potential employer to discard the second page of your resume completely). If you find yourself going over two pages, review your resume and make sure that you are not including information that is irrelevant to your goals or to the position you are seeking.

    Pages commensurate with history

    Make sure that your professional history warrants a resume that is three pages or longer, before you start adding information that could be viewed as an attempt to embellish. As mentioned above, unless you are a senior- or executive-level professional, or you are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not extend to over two pages; but if you have a longer resume, you will have to make sure that every statement on the resume is applicable to your career goals and objective.

    If you have had decades of leadership experience for example, demonstrate that by using the reverse chronological resume style and only list those jobs that best qualify you for the position you are seeking. If you need to include an extensive list of publications or certifications, your resume can take up more than three pages; so make sure that the important information is still listed on the first page. This includes your career objective and professional profile, and your current or most recent professional experience. All subsequent pages should be numbered, and include your contact information in the heading.

  • Making Your Resume Uniquely Personalized


    Of your resume’s uniqueness

    In view of the fact that a resume is limited to only one or two-pages in length, and yet must summarize a person’s career objectives, professional experiences/achievements and educational background, very important that you present a well-written resume that is also well formatted and free of errors. What may be as important, however, is to make it stand out from resumes of other candidates; and to do so you should consider the information in your resume carefully and make sure that it is unique to you (uniquely yours?).

    That having been said, the following suggestions are provided in the way of tips on how you can go about making your resume unique to you:

    Customize your career objective

    To best accomplish the customization of your career objective, you should think of your overall resume as a sales tool in which your career objective is your opening statement. You want your potential employer to know what you want, not just restate what other people say they want; so state your commitment to your career goal, because if you are unsure of what you want, how is your employer expected to believe that you really want the job at their organization, and not that you are just applying because you want to get out of your current work environment?

    Don’t be afraid to state what you want from a job and from an organization, because while you want to state your commitment, you also want to show that you are willing to take action to achieve your goal. Indicate what direction or action you are willing to take in order to accomplish your career objective; and be specific about what you are looking for in a work situation.

    functional and chronological resumes

    While you can say that you are looking for a “challenging” environment, this doesn’t mean anything to your potential employer, as people define challenges in various ways. So avoid using generic terms that are too broad defined. Simply state what you want, and what you are willing to do to get it, and in most cases that will be enough to give any potential employer a good enough idea of who you are and what you want.

    Highlight best elements of your experience

    This may be the most commonly overlooked aspect of writing a resume; understanding of course, that the entire professional experience section on your resume is, and should be, unique to you so you should take advantage of that particular aspect. Also, try to use power words wherever you can to list your responsibilities, while making sure that you have a winning attitude with each statement.

    Focus on those responsibilities that best describe the skills you acquired while in each job that make you the most qualified candidate for the position you are seeking; and quantify your responsibilities when possible to showcase to your potential employer that you are driven by results, and you are capable of exceeding goals; but don’t be shy about promoting your qualifications, because you earned them with your hard work and dedication.

    Personalize your cover letter

    The biggest mistake many professionals make is not spending enough time on their cover letter; but your cover letter should receive the same attention as your resume as they go hand-in-hand. Address your cover letter to the appropriate person at the company (contact info is typically listed in the job description); and make sure to mention what position you are applying for, while demonstrating how well the information in your resume aligns with the job requirements.

    about resumes, cover letters and interviews

    Your cover letter also allows you to address any information in your resume that may raise questions; so– take the time to do it right, as you don’t want your resume discarded because you chose not to create a uniquely personalized cover letter. Overall, make sure that your cover letter supports your resume and presents you as the most qualified candidate for the job.

  • Method of Listing Publications on a Resume


    Relevance of publications to career

    There are many industries in which publication of an individual’s work is a critical part of his/her career development; and as professionals in industries that require us to actively publish research studies, essays, articles, textbooks, and other literary work, we have to find ways to account for such publications on our resumes. There are a number of things to consider with respect to publications as a resume is being developed.

    First, if you are the subject of particular resume, ask yourself how relevant the publications are to your career objective. If you have recent publications that support your career objective, make sure to create a separate heading on your resume and list the publications in reverse chronological order. Follow the AP style when listing a given publication, omitting your name from the listing if you were the only author of the text, as that is implied.

    Publications that do not support your career objective should not be listed on your resume; and while such works may be helpful to mention to your potential employer via a cover letter, it is not necessary to take up space on your resume with information that does not directly impact your career. Also, if you have a submission in progress, or you are working on texts which support your qualifications – for a particular job – that you know will be published at a later date, include them on the resume under a sub-heading of “submitted to,” or “to be published in,” (publication name).”

    A literary resume section

    However, if you decide to include works in progress, you must make sure that they will get published at some point in the future. This is mostly critical for freelance magazine, newspaper or creative writers; but do not list every article you have submitted for publication, unless you are certain that it will get published; and if your list of publications is fairly extensive, do not dismiss it completely from your resume, because you do want your employer to know that you have either published, or are in the process of publishing, your work.

    To accomplish this you could simply create a section within your resume dedicated to publications, while taking care not to go overboard with the number of publications you list on your resume. It is acceptable form to list three to five publications in reverse chronological order in the section you’ve created. This will give your potential employer an idea of your work, the publications, audiences you have reached, as well as your qualifications. At the end of your publication listing, including a statement that tells the employer a complete listing of publications can be provided upon request.

    Include publications that support career objective

    In your professional summary, or cover letter, you can indicate the total number of publications you’ve had in your career; and you can always create a separate document that includes a complete listing of your publications (if the list is extensive), following the ASP style. Also make sure that your list of publications credits other authors properly. You should have a print-out of this list, along with your resume that you can bring to any job interview, or forward to the hiring manager at their request.

    In addition, if asked about your publications, offer your potential employer a copy of any of articles you’ve written for their review. Overall, you should disclose any information about publications, if such publications supports your career objective and highlights your qualifications for the job. Review the information you list carefully and make sure that names and dates of publications are correct. Keep in mind that –even minor mistakes can raise questions about your credibility.

  • Resume Tips that Teachers May Find Useful


    Whether you are new to teaching, are returning to teaching after time off, or are leaving your corporate job for a teaching position, you will need to make sure that your resume and cover letter address the most important elements of your decision to enter the teaching field, including questions your potential employers might have like those provided in the following paragraphs.

    about resumes, cover letters and interviews

    Compelling reasons for teaching

    Why do you want to be a teacher? This question is very important and you must address it in both your resume and your cover letter. Keeping in mind that the career objective listed in your résumé should have a well-developed statement about your passion for teaching, and your cover letter should elaborate on your goals and teaching style; also your career objective should be more extensive than that of an objective found on corporate-driven resumes.

    Your career objective as a teacher should really provide more of a summary of your passion for teaching, as well as the qualifications you bring to the position; and your commitment to students and their education should be among your top priorities, no matter their level of academic accomplishment. These goals must be clearly communicated as are among the most critical aspects of being a teacher, and doing so can set you apart from other applicants.

    Qualifications for the position you seek

    Do you have the qualifications necessary to be a teacher? The education and certifications you’ve acquired should immediately follow your career summary statement, which of course, is the section that should be titled “Academic Credentials” and should list the various degrees and certifications which make you a qualified candidate for a teacher’s position. Having proper credentials for the job you are applying for is critical in the teaching field.

    Chronological Resume Template: Resume Solution, What you Need to Creat your US and Canadian Resume (Template, Resume, Functional, Jobs, Opportunities)

    In addition, you should point out any cluster of courses you have taken in school that makes you qualified to teach a specific subject; and if you have been published in academic journals, or have written and published textbooks, it may be a good idea to create a separate section on your resume for publications. Also make it a priority to include a comprehensive list of all of your credentials on the resume. Just don’t sell your self short.

    Comparative professional experience

    What part of your professional experience qualifies you to be a teacher? Unlike corporate-focused resumes, where jobs are outlined in chronological order, teachers have to focus on not only their experience teaching (if applicable) but on any professional achievements which make them a great candidates for a given teaching job. In other words, if you are applying for a teacher’s job, and have prior experience in teaching, you should use a functional resume resume formatted with a list that will showcase your work history.


    However, if you are new to teaching, you will need to list any experience you have that helps make you a great teacher; but don’t get discouraged– if you consider your inexperience, because you’ll find that you have the qualifications to be a teacher, as long as you just focus on those qualifications that meet your career objective. In other vwords, you should use a functional resume because that format will be more suitable for your purposes.

    Do a little research and find examples of teaching resumes that you can model your own resume after; and if you are entering the teaching field with corporate experience, list any training you have developed and taught at your company as credible and comparably suitable experience for the position you are seeking. If you have recently graduated, list any mentorship or teacher’s assistant positions you may have had, or any practical coursework you took part in.

    Knock ’em Dead Resumes: A Killer Resume Gets More Job Interviews!

    You can reference any volunteer work, or community involvement that supports your goal of becoming a teacher. For example, if you volunteered your time to an organization like Big Brother/Big Sister, and you mentored a child, note that on your resume. Utilize any experience you may have that demonstrates your leadership, passion for educating others and your ability to motivate and pass on knowledge to others.

    Sharing your professional goals

    What are your long term professional goals? Similar to requirements, concerns and information gathering in a corporation, the school in which you are interested in teaching will want to know, not only why you want to be a teacher, but what your long term professional goals are. You should make a brief mention of your long-term goals in your career summary, and your cover letter or teaching philosophy should elaborate on your long term goals.

    Will you be returning to school for a Master’s degree or a Ph.D.? Are you interested in becoming a high school dean in the next ten years, or will you want to teach more than one subject? Are you interested in teaching grade school first, and possibly teaching high school at the later time? Do you have interest in becoming a department chair at a university? If you are driven toward a long term goal, make your potential employer aware of it; but make sure you have an action plan on how to get there, one which –shows your employer that you understand what it takes to reach that goal.

    The importance of getting it right

    As important as anything else that was already said, make sure that your resume is error-free, and that you have incorporated key words specific to the teaching field; key words such as teaching jargon and acronyms. Do your research and model your well-written resume after samples of other teachers, with the consideration of their experience and teaching level. Demonstrate your passion, your commitment to education and your patience. Doing so will help schools realize how passionate and qualified you are for the position you seek.

  • Education and Skills on a Functional Resume


    Recent graduates seeking employment

    Graduating from college is one of the proudest moments an individual will ever experience. Receiving that diploma validates all the hard work s/he put into that education, including the many all-nighters s/he pulled before exams. An individual’s graduation is a measure of all the individual’s accomplishments as a student, and opens the door into a world of career choices, job searches, and 40-hour workweeks.

    Moreover, if you are that recent graduate, the realization about getting a job that requires experience, and how you will go about doing it, suddenly hits you; especially if you have no actual work experience. As a recent college graduate, you are entering the workforce at entry-level positions with almost any company that hires you, and your potential employers have very reasonable expectations; because they expect you to have graduated from college, and that your major is in line with the job you’re applying for.

    They also anticipate that you have some experience, a summer job, or some kind of an internship; but they are not requiring years of professional experience. They would, however, like to see a few references from your professors or previous supervisors, so that they can get a better idea of your personality and work ethic. Sound reasonable so far?

    Functional resume highlights qualifying skills

    The best way to show your potential employer that you are a perfect candidate for the job is to create a functional resume, since functional resumes focus on your qualifications, not your career timeline. This style of resume will also highlight the skills you have, rather than where and when you acquired or utilized them. In other words, instead of listing your experiences by job titles, your (functional) resume will contain sections titled by your skills, such as verbal and written communication, customer satisfaction, project management, etc.

    The functional resume style is highly recommended for, and most often used by, college students seeking internships or their first jobs out of college. In structuring this kind of resume resume you begin by stating your career objective, while making sure that your career goals are personal; but your objective should be specific to the position for which you’re making application, and should convey to your potential employer how you intend to utilize your education, as well as how this position will help you develop your experience.

    Your education should be listed next, and in doing so you should list the school you attended and its location, your graduation year, and your major. It may also be helpful to include your GPA, specific courses you have taken, and/or any honors you have received while in school. Any professional skills you have acquired should come next; and this section will include sub-headings as they relate to specific qualifications you want to promote, such as communications, customer relations, managements, and so on.

    Career objective, clarity, mentor review!

    In the professional skills section you can utilize any experience you have that relates to the sub-sections, including your part time jobs, internships, volunteer positions held, community service work, or school-related activities. However, you should only include a work experience/work history section if you have held part time jobs while in school or have had internships you’d like your employer to know about. This list should only include dates, titles, companies, and locations without listing any of your responsibilities, since you will have covered them in the previous section.

    Memberships in any clubs during your school years should be included in a section for activities, in which you will list only those that support your career objective. For example, if you were an editor of your school paper, and you are trying to get a job at a publishing company, make sure you include this experience in your resume. Your last section should list references; and as a new graduate, it is beneficial to include references on the well-written resume you prepared for yourself to ensure that you give your potential employer everything s/he needs in order to consider you as a qualified candidate for the job.

    You have nothing to lose by providing this information ahead of being asked for it; but before you start applying for jobs, take advantage of your school’s career center and have one of the mentors there review your resume and help you perfect both the content and the format. Just remember that, with a well-written and appropriately styled resume, you are prepared to take the professional world by storm. Good luck!


  • The Importance of Resume Action Words


    The resume tone and style

    It is often said, and sometimes repeated over and over again, that a well-written resume is a winning resume; and some might ask, what does that mean? And how can it be determined whether or not a resume is written in a tone and style that employers will respond to? Synthesizing educational achievements, years of professional experience, the numerous qualifications acquired since entering the job market and other inherent employable skills is not easy to document, I’m sure you will agree, if you have been in the position of having to do such synthesizing.

    Every phrase or statement you write has to convince your potential employer that you are the candidate best suited for the job s/he is offering; and to do so, you would have had to use appropriate action and/or power words. Such action and power words are described as keywords (verbs) that add strength and positive implication to your job experience, performance, responsibilities and qualifications.

    That having been said, however, if you are not familiar with such words, phrases and keywords, it is important to make a note of the following: When you submit your resume to a potential employer, there are two scenarios that will occur. First, your application will be ran through a computer software program that searches your resume for key terms as indicated by that employer; and if your resume contains those key words, it will be pulled aside for further review, as it could be deemed a well-written resume per that employer’s criteria.

    Effect of action words on the resume

    Second, a hiring manager – or sometimes a human resources associate – will receive a stack or resumes and scan through them quickly to pick out those that stand out most acceptably, based again on certain key words. It seems clear, based on such computer scans and separation of certain resumes containing specific keywords, that these action words in the resume are critical to your success in obtaining a particular job.

    In view of the above you should be cognizant of the manner in which your employment history is listed on any resume document you’re sending to potential employers. In other words, your resume should list each job’s responsibilities in bullet point form with each statement starting with an action word.

    Under this scenario, the use of power verbs and/or phrases will indicate to your employer that you are the type of individual (job candidate) who is driven by action and results; and that you can effectively articulate your professional experience, thus showcasing your communication skills. Such articulation of power verbs and phrases could look similar to this small sample of action words which might be helpful when formulating your own list:


    Action words to personalize your resume

    • created
    • developed and implemented
    • managed
    • delivered
    • designed
    • facilitated
    • negotiated
    • coordinated
    • budgeted
    • acted
    • communicated
    • consulted, etc.

    This is a very short sampling of action words, but there are many resources on the Internet containing extensive listings of action words and phrases which can be obtained with a little research; but be careful to use only those terms that are relevant to your field of experience. Your best bet would be to locate resume samples provided by professionals in your industry.

    Review these resumes for ideas on how to list your responsibilities, but be mindful that you do not copy exact statements from another person’s resume; and while you can do your own research, you will want to make sure that your resume is personalized to your own professional experience.

    Evaluate and review your resume action words

    Also avoid falling into the trap of using the same action word(s) over and over; and if you have, in fact, managed multiple projects you may want to be a bit more specific about your role in each. For example, maybe you were the communication liaison in one project, while you were the project manager for another. If this is the case, simply begin the first bullet point with “communicated,” and the second bullet point with “managed.”

    However, be aware of the words you are using and consider their value in your resume; but do not get carried away with the use of varying terms, especially those that may change your role or your responsibilities. Additionally, you can find key action words in job descriptions. Review your resume against a job description and make sure that all required qualifications are addressed in your statements.

    The review will also help you identify action words that the employer uses, which you can in turn use to customize your resume or cover letter to that specific job. Always make sure that you are consistent in the way you list all your responsibilities and qualifications, and make sure that your statements exude positive attitude and focus on actions and results. By doing so, you are guaranteed to create a winning resume that will get you noticed.

  • Resume Design Grabs Employers’ Attention


    You, your resume and the job

    Job hunting can be one of the most exhilarating, and yet agonizing experiences in an individual’s life; and while many of us, as young adults, look forward to opening a new chapter in our professional lives, finding a way to stand out from other job applicants who are at least equally qualified for a given position, is often a difficult task. If you’ve been in the job hunt recently, you can probably relate directly to this sentiment.

    You understand that your resume is the first contact potential employers will have with you; and as such, a well formatted and well-written resume will often make a difference between getting an interview followed by getting the job, and being passed over. Most employers receive a stack of resumes from qualified candidates and scan them relatively quickly before they decide whether or not they want to read further.

    Therefore you only have a few seconds to make a positive and/or lasting impression; but don’t panic! Instead, focus on the design of your resume as it is the first impression your potential employer will have of you, whether the resume is on paper or in electronic form.

    Avoid using outdated templates

    The most commonly made mistake in resume design pertains to using ready made templates that are available in Microsoft Word. While these templates are resume tools designed for quick formatting and consisting of easy to follow instructions on how to create your resume, they are often outdated and will make your resume appear generic and uninviting. Additionally, such templates, while well formatted in Microsoft Word, will not translate well when emailed or uploaded to job search engine web sites.

    The second most commonly made mistake in resume design is the inclusion of graphics on the page. Your picture and/or other graphics are not appropriate for a resume, because including anything outside of plain text will make you stand out in a way that could cause the employer think that the seriousness with which you take yourself as a professional is sorely lacking, and this is certainly not the first impression you’d want to make.

    That having been said, however, you might wish to obtain a few resume samples which can easily be done with a quick search on the Internet under the particular industry in which you’re pursuing employment, or under the category that makes the most sense for the job you are seeking. After that you can work on a blank page to replicate the look and feel of the resume you like. Take a look at the following basic formatting rules for your resume:

    The resume features list

    • Limit the length of the resume to two pages.
    • Page margins should be one inch; top, bottom, right and left.
    • Use left justification only – as a rule, and resume content should not be centered.
    • The font and font size should be consistent.
    • Bullet points should be basic. –Use circles or squares, but never any symbols that may not translate well when sent electronically.
    • Headlines can be in all caps; but the remaining text should not have special formatting.
    • Do not underline any of the information in your resume since it could be mistaken for a hyperlink.
    • Headline font size should not exceed 14 points; and font size for the remainder text should not exceed 12 points.
    • Use the Tab key instead of your Space bar to create spaces between the text in your resume.

    Check and recheck resume for errors

    As a last formatting check point, ask your friends or family members for help in reviewing (critiquing) your resume. Simply email resume file via email to a few of your friends and– ask them to review it resume to make sure nothing seems out of place. Print out the resume and review it to make sure that margins are accurately set, and the content doesn’t appear crowded on the page. Keep in mind –that when it comes to your resume, a sleek simple appearance, and great writing will help you obtain your sought after job.