26. October 2007 | Show Originial
The authors of Resumes From Hell, Jon Reed and Rachel Meyers, said, "If the resume is a sling shot, the cover letter is a hand grenade." Last week we worked on making sure your cover letter was the perfect complement to your resume, and did not work against you by blowing you out of the water. So once you have got that under your belt, you have pinpointed a few employers of interest and you are ready to work towards the interview, your next step is to put together your resume.
To quote The Employment Guide®'s 2007 Job Seeker's Survival Guide, "Your resume provides a snapshot of who you are to a potential employer." If you were going on a blind date, this would be when your mutual friend shows the other a picture of you - just a brief snapshot of a moment, but you want it to sell you well enough that you will get the date, or in this case, the interview.
Along those same lines, there are some cosmetic guidelines you should stick to when building your resume. It should always begin with your contact information: full name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address. Always use an easy to read font at 10-12 point size. We recommend using Arial or Times New Roman, which are standard to any word processor.
Just like you tell your date where you are going before dinner, you should always state a clear objective at the beginning of the resume stating what it is you are hoping to accomplish with the resume. If you are hoping to land a job as personal assistant to The Employment Guide®'s Job Spot Blog's writer, then you would say something to the effect of:
Objective: To secure a challenging position as Assistant to the Job Spot Blog Writer where I can utilize both my research skills and my knack for the English language.
Sounds good to me.
Next, you will need to list your work experience. List in reverse chronological order the names and locations of employers, dates of employment, job titles held, description of duties and responsibilities, skills demonstrated, and accomplishments while on the job. It is important to be clear and to the point here, using action verbs and industry buzz words. Always list at least three positions held in the last ten years that will be relevant to the position you are applying for.
Experience
10/04 - Present, The Editor, Norfolk, VA
Assistant to the Editor
- Helped increase readership by 15%.
- Developed research database for use by the writing staff.
- Received The Editor's Award two years in a row.
7/03 - 10/04, Red Rover Primary School, Orient, OH
Teacher's Assistant
- Helped pass 85% of students in the English SOL tests.
- Created a grading rubric adopted by the school's English department.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully impart the English language on students.
4/00 - 7/03, The Daily Crier, Orient, OH
Copy-writer
- Wrote copy for client advertisements.
- Increased advertiser accounts by 10%.
- Winner of numerous in-house sales contests.
Once you have painstakingly listed everything that could possibly sell you to the hiring manager, your next step is to tell them where you learned it all. List your education starting with your university, college or community college first, and working your way back. It is not necessary to list dates attended or dates of degrees.
Education
South Ridge Community College, Orient, OH
- B.A., English Literature, 3.75 GPA
South Ride High School, Orient, OH
- HS Diploma, 3.5 GPA, top quarter of graduating class
And that is that. There is no need to list all of your many impressive hobbies. In fact, telling your hiring manager that you like to jump out of planes is more likely to keep you from getting the interview than getting in good with management. Just like it is fun getting to know your date while actually on the date, you need to save a bit of yourself for the interview. Always, always make sure you use spelling and grammar checks - especially if applying to be my assistant.*
Be sure to check back next week for Part 5 of our Preparing for the Job Search Series, Acing the Interview. We have also got a very exciting interview coming up with the writers of the hilarious and informative, Resumes From Hell, Jon Reed and Rachel Meyers.
From Chapter 13 of their book, "Language Gaffes":
Rachel,
I enjoyed the wonderful interview you mailed us this week and keep getting more and more enlightened by your tit bits!
Also let me know if position #SW02493 would work for me - I am very interested.
Thank you!
Mahendra
Again, please remember to read through your resumes for spelling and grammatical errors.
*Purely for my entertainment purposes only. Flattered you'd want to be my assistant, though!
To quote The Employment Guide®'s 2007 Job Seeker's Survival Guide, "Your resume provides a snapshot of who you are to a potential employer." If you were going on a blind date, this would be when your mutual friend shows the other a picture of you - just a brief snapshot of a moment, but you want it to sell you well enough that you will get the date, or in this case, the interview.
Along those same lines, there are some cosmetic guidelines you should stick to when building your resume. It should always begin with your contact information: full name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address. Always use an easy to read font at 10-12 point size. We recommend using Arial or Times New Roman, which are standard to any word processor.
Just like you tell your date where you are going before dinner, you should always state a clear objective at the beginning of the resume stating what it is you are hoping to accomplish with the resume. If you are hoping to land a job as personal assistant to The Employment Guide®'s Job Spot Blog's writer, then you would say something to the effect of:
Objective: To secure a challenging position as Assistant to the Job Spot Blog Writer where I can utilize both my research skills and my knack for the English language.
Sounds good to me.
Next, you will need to list your work experience. List in reverse chronological order the names and locations of employers, dates of employment, job titles held, description of duties and responsibilities, skills demonstrated, and accomplishments while on the job. It is important to be clear and to the point here, using action verbs and industry buzz words. Always list at least three positions held in the last ten years that will be relevant to the position you are applying for.
Experience
10/04 - Present, The Editor, Norfolk, VA
Assistant to the Editor
- Helped increase readership by 15%.
- Developed research database for use by the writing staff.
- Received The Editor's Award two years in a row.
7/03 - 10/04, Red Rover Primary School, Orient, OH
Teacher's Assistant
- Helped pass 85% of students in the English SOL tests.
- Created a grading rubric adopted by the school's English department.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully impart the English language on students.
4/00 - 7/03, The Daily Crier, Orient, OH
Copy-writer
- Wrote copy for client advertisements.
- Increased advertiser accounts by 10%.
- Winner of numerous in-house sales contests.
Once you have painstakingly listed everything that could possibly sell you to the hiring manager, your next step is to tell them where you learned it all. List your education starting with your university, college or community college first, and working your way back. It is not necessary to list dates attended or dates of degrees.
Education
South Ridge Community College, Orient, OH
- B.A., English Literature, 3.75 GPA
South Ride High School, Orient, OH
- HS Diploma, 3.5 GPA, top quarter of graduating class
And that is that. There is no need to list all of your many impressive hobbies. In fact, telling your hiring manager that you like to jump out of planes is more likely to keep you from getting the interview than getting in good with management. Just like it is fun getting to know your date while actually on the date, you need to save a bit of yourself for the interview. Always, always make sure you use spelling and grammar checks - especially if applying to be my assistant.*
Be sure to check back next week for Part 5 of our Preparing for the Job Search Series, Acing the Interview. We have also got a very exciting interview coming up with the writers of the hilarious and informative, Resumes From Hell, Jon Reed and Rachel Meyers.
From Chapter 13 of their book, "Language Gaffes":
Rachel,
I enjoyed the wonderful interview you mailed us this week and keep getting more and more enlightened by your tit bits!
Also let me know if position #SW02493 would work for me - I am very interested.
Thank you!
Mahendra
Again, please remember to read through your resumes for spelling and grammatical errors.