Three Steps to Writing Your Own Resume

While most professionals hire a professional resume writer, some draft their own resume. People who write a lot for business usually have more success in putting together a sharp, focused presentation; still, anyone can learn the basic steps to prepare his or her own resume.

There are three major differences between a "strong" resume and an "o.k." resume:

1. FORMAT AND PRESENTATION DETERMINE WHETHER THE RESUME IS READ

The average resume is scanned, not read, for only 8-15 seconds. It either creates a strong impression to the reader immediately or it is set aside. It is similar to the impression you make on the interviewer. Therefore, make sure your resume is wearing the equivalent of a "business suit" and not jeans and flip-flops!

Choose a format that complements your career goal. If you are seeking a job in your field and have experience, use a chronological resume. This resume starts with your most recent job and works backward. Conversely, if you are seeking a new type of work, you may want to consider the functional/combination resume. This style groups your skills together and includes a short chronological work history at the end.

Other ways to insure that your presentation gets noticed include:

* No errors: use spell check and also have someone review your resume for missing or misused words

Tip! On the other hand, people that have utilized my professional resume writing services have reported getting hired on average within 5 weeks.

* Use a Consistent format and use of capitalization and punctuation throughout

* Provide lots of white space to accent strong parts of the resume

* Use no more than 2 fonts

* Include your name and address, a phone and email address

* Laser print your work on quality white or cream resume paper

2. ACCOMPLISHMENTS TELL WHAT YOU'VE DONE; RESPONSBILITIES STATE WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE

Not all accomplishments have to be big, but they have to show that you got results as you carried out your responsibilities. Often, they are something you are proud of or, they can simply quantify what you have done on a daily basis. Many of your routine activities can be quantified and written as accomplishments that demonstrate your experience and knowledge, and proof of how you've HELPED the company!

Here are some things to consider when naming accomplishments. Quantify whenever possible. For instance, did you:

* save the company money? How much and how?

* help improve sales? By how much?

Tip! Free resume writing software services vary in terms of what is offered and how the information you create can be accessed. Therefore, it is extremely important that you research these factors when considering the use of any free resume writing software.

* improve productivity and efficiency?

* implement any new systems or processes?

* help launch any new products or services?

* achieve more with (same or fewer) resources?

* resolve a major problem with little investment?

* participate in any technical/operational improvements?

* exceed accepted standards for quality or quantity?

* identify the need for a program or service?

* prepare any original reports, studies or documents?

* serve on any committees? What was the outcome?

* get elected to any boards, teams or task forces?

* resolve customer problems?

* get rated as outstanding in performance reviews?

3. AVOID COMMON ERRORS IN RESUME WRITING

Many job seekers either don't know or don't understand the many items that do not belong in a resume. They include the following:

* Do not use "I", "me" or "my" statements; use the telegraphic method and drop the pronoun to make it more active. Instead of "I wrote the 40-page employee manual", say "Wrote 40-page employee manual"

* Avoid the use of the words "responsible for" and "duties included"

* Do not include personal information, such as age, health, ethnicity, marriage and family status. Employers will throw your resume out if it has such information because they could someday be accused of hiring bias

* Do not include photographs unless you are a model or actor

* Do not explain your reasons for leaving your previous jobs or employment gaps

* Don't send extra papers such as letters of recommendation, certificates or samples of your work. They clutter your presentation and are too premature. Use in the interview if appropriate

Tip! I never thought resume writing would be difficult for folks, but after 23 years as a hiring manager and supervisor of staff looking to move ahead, I was amazed by people's indifference, lack of knowledge and level of discomfort in writing their resume. Most did not have a resume, and those that did, were poorly done.

* Never include salary information

* Do not forward a list of references

About The Author

Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR-esource.com. She is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers' Association. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at careerstrides@bigfoot.com.

Writing A Great Resume, Part 1

Need a great resume to land that great job coming up? We are going to learn to create an eye-catching resume, using Microsoft Word.

First, you need to collect all the information you will need to complete your Resume (dates of employment, education dates.....).

Let's go to 'start' -- 'programs' -- 'Microsoft Word'. When the page opens, begin where the cursor is flashing and type in 'Resume'. Skip a few lines, by pressing the 'enter' key.

Type in 'Personal Details'. Give your name, complete address, phone and fax number (if you have a fax #). Skip a few more lines.

Type in 'Employment'. Begin with your last job and list the dates (from -- to) of each job, hit the 'tab' key, and enter your job title. Press 'Enter' and type the details of your duties.

Skip a few more lines and type in 'Education'. Complete this section like we did for 'Employment', only give the dates you attended school and the subject studied.

Skip a few more lines and type in 'Computer Skills'. Tell them what type of computer skills you have (ie -- PC or Mac, how long you have been working with computers and any other information about computers that you think they should know). Skip a few more lines and type in 'Hobbies and Interests'. Tell them what you are interested in and what you enjoy doing during your time away from work.

Check your Resume for any spelling mistakes, by going to the 'Tools Menu' and choose 'Spelling and Grammar', or use F7 on your keyboard to bring up the 'Spelling and Grammar'.

Let's style our Resume by highlighting the title and clicking the 'Center' toolbar button. Go to the 'Format Menu' and select 'Font'. Choose the style and size of your 'Font'. You can 'view' the style and size, in the preview window. When you have it the wy you want it, click 'ok'.

To 'save' your Resume, got to the 'Save Toolbar Button'. Give your Resume a name, 'My Resume'. Click 'save'. I suggest you save it in the Business Stationery Folder we set-up for our letterhead and business cards.

You can also use the 'wizard' to complete your Resume. This might be a good idea for the first one (so you get the idea). You will get the wizard when you first open up Miscrosoft Works. Just double-click on 'Resume' and follow the instructions.
Tip! Upper Class CV Writing & Resume Writing Ltd. - Ola Philip King is a professional CV Writing & Resume Writing Consultant and Recruiter she has helped many job seekers secure their dream post across diverse job sectors through her CV /Resume Writing Services and Recruitment activities.

About The Author

Jane Fulton is Owner & Webmistress of http://janes-place.com 'Home For Newbies & Beginning Marketers'. She has been helping them for almost 4yrs now. She publishes a newsletter, Newbie & Affiliate SOS Newsletter. It appears online twice a month. If you like these 'How To' type of articles, subscribe to her newsletter at: http://janes-place.com/sos.htm; webmistress@janes-place.com

Writing A Great Resume, Part 2

TIP: Update your resume often. Be sure to add details of any training course, new interests and areas of responsibility.

Continue to style your resume the way we did it before. Use Bold font for section headings. You might also want to underline them.

TIP: For Speed-highlight the text to underline -- go to the top toolbar. You will see a button that looks like U (with a line under it). Click that button and it will underline your text.

For each job and educational establishment, make the font of the first line larger than the lines below it. Choose a bold font style or a bolder font.

Hightlight these lines -- go to the 'Format Menu' and select 'Tabs'. Type '2in' in the box as the tab stop position. Click 'ok'. The second half of these lines will now appear above each other. It might be neccessary to adjust the spacing to suit your text.

TIP: When you write a letter of application to accompany the resume, use the same fonts used in your resume. That way your letter and resume will compliment each other and have a professional appearance. Your potential employer may form the opinion that you pay attention to detail.

Highlight the lines that describes what each job entails, go to the 'Format Menu' -- choose 'Paragraph' -- type in the same measurement you used for the Tab Stop Position. Type it in the 'Indentation' section of the dialogue box, beside 'left'. Click 'ok'. If you want to add page numbers, go to the 'View Menu'. Select 'Header And Footer'. Click in the 'Footer' section of your resume and in the header and footer dialogue box, click on 'Insert Auto Text', then 'Page'.

To see how your resume looks, click on the 'Print Preview' button. To increase the space below headings, press 'ESC', then highlight a heading and go to the 'Format Menu' and choose 'Paragraph'. In the 'Spacing' section, click on the uppermost arrow to the right of 'After'.

If you need to adjust the line spacing, highlight the lines to be adjusted. Go to the 'Format Menu' -- 'Paragraph' -- 'Line Spacing' section. Scroll through your options and choose the one you want. Click 'ok'. When you are happy with it, go to the 'File Menu'. Click on 'Save' -- "Print'.

After you have your resume the way you want it, I suggest you print it on a better-quality paper for the finished result.

About The Author

Jane Fulton is Owner & Webmistress of http://janes-place.com 'Home For Newbies & Beginning Marketers'. She has been helping them for almost 4yrs now. She publishes a newsletter, Newbie & Affiliate SOS Newsletter. It appears online twice a month. If you like these 'How To' type of articles, subscribe to her newsletter at: http://janes-place.com/sos.htm; webmistress@janes-place.com

10 Tips For Writing A Winning Resume

Your resume (or curriculum vitae), combined with the cover letter, are the master keys to opening the prospective employer's mind and door so that you can proceed to the next step in the process - the big interview!

RESUME WRITING TIPS AND STRATEGIES

Here are 10 valuable tips for anyone writing their own resume, or who is having someone else write one for them. These tips and strategies are an abridged version of what is contained in my new eBook, "Instant Home Writing Kit". 1. Keep It Focused and Businesslike

A resume should be specific and all business. Don't try to be too smart or too cute. After all, you are asking an employer to invest significant time and money by choosing you over many other similarly qualified people. Employers mainly want to know whether you are appropriately qualified and experienced, and if you have the ability to "deliver the goods."

2. More Than Two Pages Is Too Much
Tip! So here's how the industry works and what you should look for when selecting a resume writing service.

For students, recent graduates, or people with just a few years of experience, try to keep your resume to one page, two as an absolute maximum. Even a resume for someone with 20 years or more of extensive working experience, should not exceed three pages. In some cases, one or two "optional" pages can be referred to as "available upon request." These would be such optional annexes as a list of references or an inventory of recent projects and/or publications.

3. Get The Words and Punctuation Right

Make sure the grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your resume are perfect. Any obvious mistakes will hurt your credibility. Also, be sure to keep the language clear and simple. If you draft it yourself, have someone with excellent writing skills do an editorial review and a careful proofread of it. If a professional prepares it for you, such reviews are the responsibility of the resume preparation firm. Use an accepted English language "style guide" if you want to be sure of the finer points of word usage, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, etc.

4. Read Between The Lines

Customize the resume to match the stated requirements of the job that you are applying for, without being misleading. Review and analyze the job advertisement carefully. Look for and itemize the key qualifications, skills, and abilities the employer is seeking. Then identify certain key words that are usually repeated in such ads. Make sure that the wording and sequence of points in your resume reflect and address these "corporate terminologies" and "code words" as much as possible. When possible, study the company's annual report and Web site, and weave the themes and terms found there into your resume and cover letter.
Tip! Of course we are a little biased, so won't answer the rhetorical questions above. However, we have been doing this for a while, have many satisfied customers, are members of the Professional Resume Writing and Research Association (PRWRA), and have a genuine desire to help you get that all-important next job.

5. Make Sure It Looks Good

Use a crisp, clean, simple presentation format for a professional looking resume. Just a bit of simple line work and/or shading, done with standard word processing software will do the trick. If you don't have the aptitude for this, there is most likely someone among your friends or in your office who can help you achieve a professional presentation. If not, seek professional advice. It won't cost much for a good simple layout, but it will make a world of difference to the product.
Tip! On the other hand, people that have utilized my professional resume writing services have reported getting hired on average within 5 weeks.

6. Show What You Can Do Today

Focus, first and foremost, on your recent experience that is most relevant to the position at hand. Less relevant and/or dated experience should be either eliminated or summarized in brief point form near the end of your resume. When reviewing your resume information, a prospective employer wants to know what you are doing now, what you have done recently, and how that relates to the job requirements of the post they are trying to fill.

7. Be A Straight-Shooter

Be completely honest. When people lie or "creatively exaggerate" on their resume, they are almost invariably exposed, sooner or later. Think about it - who really wants to get a job based on a lie(s) and then have to live in fear of eventually being found out? We often read in the newspaper about high-profile folks who get caught in a resume falsehood or exaggeration, and it isn't very pretty.

8. Follow The Instructions

Submit your resume in exactly the form that the prospective employer requests. If they say e-mail or fax is okay, do it that way. However, if they ask for it by regular mail, send it the way they ask. They must have reasons for requesting it in such a form and they are geared up to process it that way. If your resume is to be sent by snail mail, use the complete address that they specify, or it could go to the wrong office, especially in a large organization.
Tip! Look for a good resume writing sample from an actual person in your field. Either online or from a person you know, find out what they have included, in what order they have included it, how many pages, whether or not they added their references, and so on.

9. Don't Get Lost In The Mail

Be careful to respect certain conventions that the potential employer may require in your resume. For example, make sure that the cover letter mentions the exact name of the specific position you are applying for, and the competition number, if applicable. Sometimes an employer will request that the job title and/or number be printed on the outside of the envelope. You would not want to miss out on a job because you didn't follow minor administrative requirements.

10. Keep The Cover Short and Focused

In the cover letter, don't repeat what is already detailed in the body of the attached resume. It is a "cover" letter. It should be short and to the point. Introduce yourself first, and then briefly summarize why you believe that you have the qualifications and experience to fulfill the duties of the position better than anyone else. Express enthusiasm about the job and the company. Close by stating how you are looking forward to hearing more from them soon, and that you will follow-up if necessary.
Tip! There are numerous resources available for you such as pre-employment counselors, the career office at your college, and a number of books on resume writing and how to get a job. Search online, the sources on the Internet are almost limitless.

The above list can be used as a "checklist" both during the preparation phase, and when reviewing your resume just before submission.

To see a fully-formatted "real-life template" of a resume, you can check out the following link:

http://writinghelp-central.com/resume-sample2.html

© 2005 by Shaun Fawcett

Shaun Fawcett, is webmaster of the popular writing help site WritingHelp-Central.com. He is also the author of several best selling "writing toolkit" eBooks. All of his eBooks and his internationally acclaimed f-r-e-e course, "Tips and Tricks For Writing Success" are available at his writing tools site: http://www.writinghelptools.com

Resume Writing - Get That Job

Looking for a new job, whether it is with a new company or a promotion within your own organisation, requires time and effort. To make your job search more effective you need to take five fundamental steps on the road to success:

· Analysing your skills

· Writing a winning Resume

· Managing your job search

· Coaching for interview success

· Negotiating your job offer

Step 1: Analysing your Skills

The most crucial step in the job search process is to assess what skills you have to offer to your future boss. At an interview you will have to tell your story. An interviewer will not remember your precise details, but they will remember your story, once it is filled with practical examples. This means that you have to be able to explain the four 'what's' of your job:

· What do you do?

· What skills do you require to successfully carry out your role?

· What have you achieved?

· What benefit did your company get from employing you? The answers to these questions can be used to draft a one-minute sound bite of the skills that you have to offer to your future boss. This sales pitch should incorporate details about your role, your achievements and your personal qualities and should be tailored to the position you are applying for.

For example, 'experienced Software Engineer who has worked in a multinational telecommunications environment; part of a team that developed an innovative process for a groundbreaking platform; proficient in all aspects of the development life cycle; used a variety of languages particularly C++ and Java; excellent organisational skills combined with a practical and resourceful approach to problem solving'.

Step 2: Writing a Winning Resume

This summary of your skills becomes the cornerstone of your resume. Your resume must be tailored to the needs of your future boss so customise it accordingly.

Here are some guidelines to assist you to write a winning resume: Aim for a two-page resume - page one should be devoted to how your skills match the position with a emphasis on your recent career details. Page two to your less recent career history, education, training and relevant personal details. Decide on your key selling points. Provide evidence of this experience. Include quantification - reduction in costs, increase in efficiency, improvement in processes, saving in time, etc.
Tip! Getting your resume just right for the initial shortlisting is not hard if you stick to IT resume writing basics. By following these 10 tips, you will be able to write and market your IT resume successfully and land that job.

Use simple, jargon free words - if techno speak is required, explain it! Decide on the style after the structure and content have been finalised.

Step 3: Managing your Job Search

The third step to securing your job search success is to manage the process. There are three elements to effectively managing your job search process:

· Controlling channels

· Analysing jobs

· Constructing compelling cover letters

Controlling channels

There are four distinct job search channels. Draw on all four to maximise your success:

1. Contacts - use (in a positive sense!) all of the people that you know, both professionally and personally.

2. Media - this includes newspapers (both national and local) and professional/trade magazines.

3. Agencies - access both online sources and the more traditional recruitment agencies.

4. Direct approach - get in touch with companies that require your skills set.

Analysing jobs

Each job that you apply for is different, so you have to analyse its requirements to ensure a match between you and the role. This entails assessing the job description, the person specification and the environment within which the role operates. Draw up a checklist of the skills required for that job. If you have at least a 60% match, apply!
Tip! Look for a good resume writing sample from an actual person in your field. Either online or from a person you know, find out what they have included, in what order they have included it, how many pages, whether or not they added their references, and so on.

Constructing compelling cover letters

Your cover letter (typed!) should contain three paragraphs:

· Why you are applying for the job

· How your skills match the requirements of the position

· What outcome you want to achieve (an interview!)

Step 4: Coaching for Interview Success

Your interviewer wants to know two things - can you do the job and will you fit in. Your RESUME prompts the interviewer's questions in relation to 'can you do the job'. These questions revolve around the who, what, when, where, how and why of your current job (the technical details of your job).

The issue of whether you will fit in is crucial to your interview success. You may be technically superb, but if your interviewer believes that you will 'upset the applecart', he/she will not hire you. This means that your interview preparation should also concentrate on the non-technical aspects of your role. For example, how you relate to your colleagues and boss, how you have contributed to your team, how you have resolved potential interpersonal difficulties, etc.
Tip! To help you in this task, review your resume against the following resume writing quick tips. These guidelines will help you evaluate your resume and identify those areas that may need more work.

Regardless of whether you are talking about the technical aspects of your job, or the non-technical elements, use real life examples to illustrate your point. Provide a picture in the interviewer's mind of the competent, capable person that you are.

Step 5: Managing your Job Offer

Following a successful interview, build on your success by negotiating an attractive job offer. This involves maximising your remuneration package and ensuring that your contract of employment exceeds the legal minimum. Know what you own requirements are but make sure that they are in line with the reality of today's labour market. You also need to ensure that all of your referees give you a glowing reference and that they emphasise the skills that you want highlighted.
Tip! Blindly following absolute rules. The first rule of good resume writing is that there are no absolutes.

About the Author Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice on a variety of subjects, Visit his website Resume Writing for more tips and advice.

Resume Writing - Importance of a Professional Summary

The Summary is the preview of your entire resume. This may be be the only part that an interviewer or employer might read for shortlisting your resume. This may be the only section an employer reads prior to the interview. Gear up the summary to be the show window where the goodies are lined up to entice the person into entering the shop. Include your professional characteristics like highly energetic, an ability to solve complex problems, a dynamic team player, exceptional interpersonal skills, committment to excellence etc. Describing your professioanl qualities with power words. A well written summary should include:

A powerul phrase describing your job or profession A broad statement of expertise A stement your your skills A view of multi skills you possess Range of experience and environment worked in Well documented accomplishments List of awards, recognitions, promotions, commendations on superior performance An outstanding personal trait One sentence describing your objectives
Tip! Visit his website Resume Writing for more tips and advice.

A good summary may include all of the above or some of these elements. Whatever elements you decide to include, ensure that it does not run into large paragraphs. The entire summary may at best be in 3 to 4 sentence. Write and rewrite your summary to reach a perfect statement without nnecessary words. Check a sample summary below.

Export/Import Management professional with over 10 years in the International trade and global franchise development. Highly proficient in structuring international joint ventures, quickly evaluating international procurement sources, and finacing imports and exports. Comfortable working in different cultural and ethnic environments with multiple language skills.

Note how quickly the summary establishes the experience, job objective, skills in the specific job function, expertise and additional skills of language and interpersonal skills. All these would be further supplemented in the body of the resume.
Tip! More advanced forms of free resume writing software go a step beyond and also offers suggestions and tips on wording. In addition, some types of free resume writing software may only offer one format.

R.G. Srinivasan is a Certified Trainer, Writer and Author. He also writes a regular blog on home-business resources which you may check out at http://www.home-businessresources.blogspot.com for online marketing tips, resources, opportunities and online promotional strategies

Resume Writing Tips

Resume Writing doesn't have to be a solo gig

Resume writing can be the bottleneck to advancements in your career. If you find yourself getting writer's block consider getting help. You can find experts who have written hundreds of resumes; they can help you, too. A good first place to look for help is online job search sites such as career builder or monster.com.

Get help writing resumes that will get you hired

There you'll find a number of expert writers who can provide you critiques as well as do-overs for resumes. There are some services that specialize in niche markets for executive resumes. You can also find help distributing resumes.

Even if you're a professional writer, you'll recognize that these people know their stuff. They'll help build resumes into effective marketing brochures that people can use to interviews. People often put too much or too little information in their resumes. They may not have the distance to critique their own resumes to decide what should stay in and what should be taken out.

Online job search sites have a number of sources that you can use for your career search. Getting help writing resumes is just one of them. You can also pick up interview tips, learn about career fairs, and get the low down on continuing education. Not only can you learn how to improve your interview skills, you can also learn more about hot careers. Resume writing tips for the Internet

You need resume writing tips for the Internet because not all resumes are created equally. Sometimes employers will want their resumes in ASCII format only. That means you produce something in Notepad, not Word. You can write your resume in Word but then you make sure you save it in Text format. You'll lose a lot of formatting when you do this so keep the resume simple and check what it looks like in Notepad.

Getting interviews depends on submitting the right kind of resume

The usual reason why an employer wants the resume in ASCII format is that they scan the resume into their resume bank. This way you might get a call for an interview when you're not actively looking because your resume was scanned in to the employer's database of resumes. Here are some tips to help improve how scannable your résumé is:

• Employ ample use of keywords in your resume when you write it. The recruiter uses keywords to search through the database to find resumes.

• Use a simple font, one that doesn't have curly shapes to it. Look for sans serif fonts; Arial is a good one to try. This is so that the letter shapes don't confuse the OCR software.
Tip! Upper Class CV Writing & Resume Writing Ltd. - Ola Philip King is a professional CV Writing & Resume Writing Consultant and Recruiter she has helped many job seekers secure their dream post across diverse job sectors through her CV /Resume Writing Services and Recruitment activities.

• Avoid bold or italic font. It's harder for the OCR software to read the text that way.

• If you are using snail mail to get your resume to the company, don't fold it. Folds in the paper can obscure the writing on your resume.

• Don't use columns for your resume. It doesn't get picked up that well by the OCR scanner. Use a single column table format instead.

Consider safeguarding your identity when posting resumes on to the Internet. Minimize personal identifying information on your resume. Create a job search e-mail that you shut down when you don't need it anymore.
Tip! On the other hand, people that have utilized my professional resume writing services have reported getting hired on average within 5 weeks.

If you enjoyed this article, visit my website Get-A-New-Job

A site devoted to all the things you need to get a new job...education, resume writing tips, interviews, and career strategies.

http://www.get-a-new-job.com

Electronic Resume Writing Tips That Boost Your Interview Appointment Success

Electronic Resume Writing Tips That Boost Your Interview Appointment Success

Before you write your resume in a word processor, print it, and hand out copies to prospective employers, you should consider formatting it for easy scanning and retrieval from a computer database.

As you can imagine, dozens, maybe hundreds of resumes bombard employers for a position they would like filled. To sift through each of these manually would probably be too time consuming even for the largest of organizations. To make the search for ideal candidates more efficient, some employers scan and store resumes into a computer database. From there, employers can search the database to retrieve the name of individuals whose resumes contains the keywords or terms they are looking for in a candidate.

How to Get Employer's to Read Your Electronic Resume

The element of your resume that makes it easy to find in a computer database is the keywords written on it. The particular keywords that should be on your resume are the ones that your prospective employer will use to find you in their database.
Tip! * You can devote several days to the resume writing process (research, preparation, writing, and editing).

A little research will help you determine the right keywords. Scan a few of your targeted job descriptions from online job sites. These online postings are loaded with the keywords that should be on your resume.

The hiring manager probably wrote those job descriptions and he will probably be the same person who searches his database of scanned resumes.

Some general examples of keywords most employers will search on are "education," "skill-set," "experience," "talents and abilities."

Successful Electronic Resumes Includes These Elements

Beyond the importance of having the "right" keywords on your resume, the other words on your resume are also important.

For instance, your resume should contain nouns. Your resume should have descriptive words like software programmer, project manager, or Acme Corporation.

Try not to use abbreviations of words if it is not common. For example, you could assume people know that BA spelled out means Bachelor of Arts.

When you write your resume, be sure it contains words most people will understand. In other words, write it using normal language.

Successful Electronic Resumes Follows These Formatting Guidelines
Tip! Upper Class CV Writing & Resume Writing Ltd. - Ola Philip King is a professional CV Writing & Resume Writing Consultant and Recruiter she has helped many job seekers secure their dream post across diverse job sectors through her CV /Resume Writing Services and Recruitment activities.

You understand what your prospective employer is looking for in a job candidate and you have loaded your resume with targeted keywords that should turn up on a search.

However, you still need to make sure your resume is easy to scan and OCR software can capture the data accurately. OCR or Optical Character Recognition software extracts the words off a scan of your resume. The computer database stores the scan results.

Here are some resume formatting tips for the best scans:

- Avoid using fancy style fonts that some OCR software may have trouble interpreting. In other words, stick with conventional fonts such as Times Roman.

- Resist the urge to emphasize words using underlines or italics. Those words may show up as gobbledygook.

- OCR software reads text and not graphics, so do not include anything too complicated like tables and leading dots.

- Use white space between sections of your resumes so the OCR software can determine the start and the end.
Tip! Free resume writing software services vary in terms of what is offered and how the information you create can be accessed. Therefore, it is extremely important that you research these factors when considering the use of any free resume writing software.

- Make sure you include a separate line that has your name first, then your contact information.

After you have incorporated the formatting suggestions listed above, print your resume with black ink on either white or beige colored paper for the best scan result possible.

Last Thoughts

You might be the most qualified candidate for a job opening, but if your resume does not meet the standards of an Electronic Resume, your prospective employer will never read it. Do your self and your prospective employer a favor by making your resume scanner friendly and he will discover that you are the perfect candidate for the job.

To learn more about writing resumes that grab the employer's attention, visit: http://www.How-To-Write-Impressive-Resumes-and-Cover-Letters.com

Copyright © 2005 by NetEzShop - All Rights Reserved.

Leroy has built websites since 1997. Visit his latest site: http://www.How-To-Write-Impressive-Resumes-and-Cover-Letters.com

Why Use a Resume Writer or Resume-writing Service?

Here are some of the questions we have been asked by our clients or potential clients in the past, together with our answers to them. We hope you find them useful, and that they help you to make an informed decision.

However, it may be that you have a question we have not answered. If so, then please contact us (mailto:info@top-pro-cvs.com) to discuss it. Just give us your first name and an active email address to respond to. Finally please note that the terms Resume and CV (or Curriculum Vitae) are interchangeable for the purposes of this article. Resume is the norm in the US, Australia and elsewhere, while CV is the widely accepted document in UK.

Questions:

1. Why have my resume written by somebody else? I know what I have done and where I've worked, so why go to a third party?

2. Surely I can just list my achievements, qualifications and experience. Isn't that enough? 3. I have registered with an agency. They have offered to write my CV free of charge. Why should I pay for one?

4. I have seen a CD-ROM based programme for producing resumes. Why not use this?

5. My friend has just got a job with a CV he wrote himself. I can probably do the same, can't I?

6. Why use Top Professional Resumes Limited?

And the answers to those questions:

1. Why have my resume written by somebody else? I know what I have done and where I've worked, so why go to a third party?

This is probably the most frequently-asked question we get. There are a number of reasons to have your CV or Resume written by a professional. Firstly, the majority of people cannot be objective enough to do it properly. What you regard as your greatest strength or achievement may not be relevant to the target employer or job you are applying for, and you will almost certainly not appreciate the degree of weighting to apply to those strengths and achievements if they are relevant. Unless you keep abreast of changing trends in presentation and format, the layout and emphasis on the various aspects of the information you give will be "hit and miss" at best.
Tip! 5) Check out their resume writing process and make sure you get to speak to someone. A good resume cannot be written just from a questionnaire, and a good resume writing firm will insist on speaking to you.

Secondly, with specific regard to format. Selectors and HR Professionals carrying out the recruitment process expect the CV's or Resumes they receive to be in a "standard" format. This allows them to quickly sift and prioritise those individuals they want to interview and discard the rest. This format needs to be known and fully understood so that within this fairly narrow benchmark the Client can be best presented so as to stand out from the crowd. Having said that, a good resume writer will be able to write the Resume in such a way that the relevant strengths and skills are maximised, while any weaknesses are minimised or eliminated, and encapsulate all of this within a format that is calculated to maximise the chance of selection for interview.

Which brings us to the third point, which is that none of us can be good at everything.
Tip! Resume service is split into distinct categories like professional resume writing, sales resume writing, executive resume writing, IT resume writing, and teacher resume writing. The resume writing services provide resume editing and tailoring services.

Whatever our strengths or skill-set, that's why the majority of people use a solicitor to draw up contracts, a builder to carry out structural work to their homes or offices, an accountant to minimise their tax liability and a mechanic to fix the car. They employ professionals.

Because we can all operate a word processor many of us think we can therefore write a Resume or CV for ourselves. While it is undoubtedly true that we can list achievements, qualifications, previous employers and so on, and maybe have a flair for artistic layout (which is incidentally the WORST thing you can apply to a CV), only a Professional has the ability to collate this information and present it in such a way as to get you through the door with a head start on any competition.
Tip! So here's how the industry works and what you should look for when selecting a resume writing service.

It would be folly to entrust something as critical as getting you your next job or career change to anyone other than a Professional.

2. Surely I can just list my achievements, qualifications and experience. Isn't that enough?

This is really linked to, and partially explained by, the answer to Question 1. But to elaborate a little, this is like saying that it is sufficient to present the specifications of a new car to a prospective purchaser and expect that alone to sell the product.

Compare a Hyundai motor car with a Mercedes. Both have engines, a gearbox, 4 wheels and internal upholstery for the driver and passengers. Both will get you from where you are (geographically speaking) to where you want to go, and in the same time if you obey the speed limits. However there is a massively different perceived value between them, which accounts for the huge price differential. That price differential and difference in perceived value is derived primarily from the way the vehicles are marketed and sold, rather than any real physical disparity. It is almost certainly true to say, I think you will agree, that most people, if all other things such as price, were equal, would prefer and buy a Mercedes. This buying decision is made based on the benefits of the product (reliability, comfort, kudos) rather than on the features or specification (4-cylinder engine, synchromesh gearbox, 16 inch wheels etc).
Tip! A resume writing service is not the type of business that has many repeat customers. (Actually, a repeat customer in this business is kind of a bad thing.

It is just so with a professionally-written CV or Resume. All other things being equal, do you think your future employer would prefer a Mercedes or a Hyundai? The only way he will perceive any difference between two candidates he hasn't met before, particularly if their qualifications and experience are similar, is by comparing the look and feel of their Resumes. Unfortunately this initial appraisal is over in approximately 8 seconds, so he or she needs to be sold the relevant factors in that brief interval. In Sales language, the selector needs to be presented with the benefits of employing you rather than just the features of your previous experience and qualifications.

Your Resume is your Sales and Marketing Document; your Product Brochure. Just as all cars are not created equal, neither are two individuals. However, unless the benefits to the organisation of employing you rather than the next person in the pile, are presented quickly and credibly to the "buyer", then he won't even consider the features.
Tip! - A strategic way to format your resume writing would be to list your resume in order of achievement. Whether this was accomplished in the field of education, previous employment, etc.

3. I have registered with an agency. They have offered to write my CV free of charge. Why should I pay for one?

Agencies exist to provide a steady stream of traffic to interviewers. It makes no difference to them whether the company placing the vacancy with them hires you or the next person they send. The agency doesn't care - they get paid anyway. With regard to the Resume or CV they produce for you, the quality will reflect this "scatter-gun" approach. Usually you will fill in a form or have a brief interview, and that information will be inputted by a data-entry clerk into a software package or word-processor. A document purporting to be a Resume will then pop out of the printer. Then the process is repeated for the next candidate, and the next, and so on.

Agencies might "handle" hundreds of new candidates in a week, all of whom need to be processed and have a CV "written". Compare the resumes produced by any agency and they will all look almost identical. How will that help you, as an individual, get through the door? It's more likely to be chance and good fortune than design. With your Resume, like most other things in life, you get what you pay for. As the saying goes:
Tip! Rather, this article focuses on making your resume stand out among thousands of other resumes that employers see. You should follow the basic rules of resume writing, and then use the following tips for giving your resume that unique twist.

"The bitter aftertaste of poor quality lingers on the palate long after the sweet taste of low cost (or no cost) has gone forever"

Are you prepared to leave such an important issue as getting your next job to a mass-produced, unfocussed and indiscriminate word-processed specification sheet?

Or would you prefer a targeted, tightly-focussed, purposeful, dynamic and relevant Personal Sales Brochure?

4. I have seen a CD-ROM based programme for producing resumes. Why not use this?

Today there are more software tools for automating and labour-saving processes (labor-saving if you're from the other side of the "Pond") in the marketplace than there are computers - and that's a lot! They are almost all of value to somebody, and Resume-Writing software is no exception. If you have the expertise and objectivity to write your own CV (but see the answer to all 3 earlier questions also), then such software can make the job easier. They will give you a choice of formats or layouts (do you know whether to use a Chronological or Functional format, and in what circumstances), and will inject pre-formatted and pre-written blocks of text describing generic jobs or tasks etc etc.
Tip! The Internet is a wonderful thing, but it has allowed anyone to offer resume writing services, regardless of their background. Use this 10-point checklist and you will be guaranteed to choose the right resume writing service for you.

At a price.

However, what none of these packages can do is take your personal qualities, experience and circumstances into account. They will not - cannot - be objective with regard to the preferences and aspirations of the Client or the target employer. They will not have industry-specific terminology built into spell checkers, and cannot give advice on which skill-set to highlight, which weakness to minimise or eliminate (and these can be particularly problematic or subjective, dependent on the position applied for ), nor can they help you get around periods of unemployment or similar "blanks".

For these you need human intervention - the services of a Professional.

5. My friend has just got a job with a CV he wrote himself. I can probably do the same, can't I?

See the answers to all of the above !

Either he was lucky, or he had the expertise. Give us his contact details - he can come and work for TPR!

Ed - one of our writers came to us in exactly this way, which is why we included the question. You never can tell . . . . . . ;-}
Tip! Louise Fletcher is President and Co-Founder of Blue Sky Resumes and is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of career marketing. Her innovations include developing the PerfectPositioning™ resume writing system, launching an innovative line of web portfolios, and creating the industry's first widely syndicated blog.

SHAMELESS MARKETING PLUG!

6. Why use Top Professional Resumes Limited?

There are many other resume or CV writing services around today, which gives you, the customer, a great deal of choice.

We would always recommend a potential client has a look at them before making the obvious selection

However, we feel we give a service that is second to none, and our clients endorse this. At the end of the day you basically have to decide on just two things:

A. Who do I feel will do the best job and get me an interview quickly?

B. Which organisation, having evaluated all the options available, represents the best value for money? As with all things, the cheapest is seldom the best!
Tip! When a person needs to write a resume they need to use an outline. The outline of a resume is the blueprint to resume writing success.

Of course we are a little biased, so won't answer the rhetorical questions above. However, we have been doing this for a while, have many satisfied customers, are members of the Professional Resume Writing and Research Association (PRWRA), and have a genuine desire to help you get that all-important next job. If we can be of any assistance with any aspect of your quest, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

We would obviously prefer you to become a valued client. However, should you for any reason decide not to use our services, please take a few minutes to complete our feedback form so that we might improve our services to others. Who knows, you may come back! The website (http://www.top-pro-cvs.com) also gives a lot of extra detail if you have not yet been there yet.
Tip! Resume Services provides detailed information on Resume Services, Customer Resume Services, Resume Writing Services, Professional Resume Services and more. Resume Services is affiliated with Resume Writing.

Good luck with your job-search. I hope this article has been useful to you.

Copyright Top Professional Resumes Limited 2005

Stephen Thompson is an HR professional and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Top Professional Resumes Limited (TPR), a company registered in England which specialises in Resume and CV Writing Services, Career Guidance and Interview Preparation. Its Clients are mainly drawn from the professions (accountants, lawyers, engineers, teachers, board-level directors etc.).
Tip! Visit his website Resume Writing for more tips and advice.

TPR has been around for just over seven years but has just (in February of this year) launched a website (http://www.top-pro-cvs.com/warning.html) to market its services on the internet. TPR are members of the Professional Resume Writing and Research Association (http://www.prwra.com) and Stephen Thompson is an Authorised Administrator with Profiling Pro (http://www.profilingpro.com), who provide online individual Behavioral Analysis reports for individuals wanting to better understand themselves and their relationships with others

Resume Writing Tips & Ideas

Make sure that your resume is up to date with your latest job experience and educational accomplishments. Have a friend or relative evaluate your resume to see if it is clear, consistent, and fairly represents your skills and experience.

Is your resume in a high impact format?

Be sure to do a spell check on your resume. Misspelled works can reflect negatively on you and diminish your prospects. Many companies have a form on their web sites for submitting electronic resumes. Have a version of your resume that you can cut and paste into submittal forms. Create one that doesn't have columns and indents as these do not work well when pasted into a form.

Let your family, friends, alumni groups, and industry contacts know you are looking for a job. Send them your resume. Many jobs are unadvertised and these people may know of potential openings. Also many employers would rather hire someone suggested to them by a person they trust.
Tip! So here's how the industry works and what you should look for when selecting a resume writing service.

Summit your resume electronically to companies rather than via paper if possible. Check out their web sites to see if they have a resume submittal form. Submit it through the form, if not send them an electronic version in Word or as a text file. Many large companies put electronic resumes into a database which then can be searched by managers looking to hire additional people. Using the database managers can do keyword searches to quickly find candidates. Most managers do not want to take the time to wade through hundreds of paper resumes looking for candidates. Most paper resumes never even get looked at in some of these large companies. A local large airplane manufacturer and a local large software company rely heavily on their resume database for new candidates.

Post your resume to resume databases. Generally the posting is free. This is a lot more cost effective then spending hundreds of dollars in printing and postage costs blindly sending out resumes to companies. Recruiters search these databases looking for candidates to fill positions..
Tip! Upper Class CV Writing & Resume Writing Ltd. - Ola Philip King is a professional CV Writing & Resume Writing Consultant and Recruiter she has helped many job seekers secure their dream post across diverse job sectors through her CV /Resume Writing Services and Recruitment activities.

A potentially even more effective approach is to use a resume distribution service. For a small price you can blast your resume out to 1000's of recruiters. This can be more effective than waiting for a recruiter to stumble across your resume in a database. It also only costs a fraction of the amount it would for printing and postage to do a mass mailing of your resume. Most of these services give you some control over what industries and geographic regions your resume is sent to.

Many jobs are unadvertised as employers don't want to be bombarded by thousands of resumes. Therefore it is important for you to get your resume in the hands of your contacts. Also get your resume into the databases that potential employers can search.
Tip! A resume writing service is not the type of business that has many repeat customers. (Actually, a repeat customer in this business is kind of a bad thing.

Look in the job databases for potential openings. You can search through thousands of potential jobs using field and location selection criteria.. Many local employers post job openings in this database because the state does not charge a fee for the service.

If you are in college or have graduated from a local college check out their career services department. Many have web sites with links to recruiters, upcoming recruiter visits, job postings, and much more.

Most major and even local newspapers have online editions with help wanted sections. These can be superior to paper editions because you can often do keyword searches allowing you to zero in on potential jobs. This is much more efficient than reading hundreds of job ads in paper editions.
Tip! A resume writing service can provide anything form helpful tips to actually forming your resume. They offer professional staff members, ones accustomed to catching the attention of employers.

Landing that first job can be hard. Many employers look for "experienced" candidates.

If you have had internships be sure to emphasize them in your resume.

If you have assisted a professor in research or teaching emphasize that in your resume.

Many of your smaller companies feel they don't have the time or resources to train you. They need someone that can be productive now!

Generally your larger companies have resources and internal training programs to get inexperienced employees up to speed. Your may have a better chance getting on with a larger company.

Your first job may not be your "dream" job. Look for one that can give you experience and make you attractive to an employer a few years down the road.

Large companies are often a great place to start because they tend to be the most willing to hire and train new graduates. Unfortunately they are often not the best place to have a career. Many large companies are stagnant or grow slowly. Promotions and career growth is often slow and you have to wait for someone ahead of you to retire. If you go to work for a large company do it for a few years to get some practical experience to add to your resume. If your career has not advanced significantly after a few years look for new opportunities. It is often easy to get stuck at a large company because they offer stability, decent salary, and good benefits.
Tip! The first thing to realize when embarking on a proactive job search campaign is that it all starts with your resume writing skills if you are going outside of your immediate 'friends & family' business contact network.

Once you have some experience look for a young fast growing company to join. Often you can ride their success upwards to a much higher position and salary compared to staying with an older slow growth company. Look at what happened to the people that joined Microsoft early on. If you have visions of having your own business some day find out who is the best company in your industry. Go to work for them and learn what they have done to be successful. Also look for how you could do things better than they do. Then after a few years take the plunge and start your own company.

Josh Nay Employment Solutions 4u

Resume Writing - Tips and Advice

Job-hunting is not the most exciting thing in the world but you can make it easier. The key is organization. Keep a record of companies you have applied and any contacts that may or may not have with them. One of the first things you need to do be creative in your resume writing. The appearance of your resume is of paramount importance. The most obvious fact is it needs to be neat and all items must be spelled correctly. Correct information is of paramount importance especially if the interviewer decides to check out your information. The format should be simple and plain. It should highlight your accomplishments.
Tip! To read more about resume writing, click here..

The quality of the paper you use to send out resumes should be of professional quality. Most job seekers use a paper that is not glossy and is a 20-weight paper. You should use the same paper for your resume, your cover letter, and the envelope. It comes across as being more professional.

The font should be clear and easy to read. The size of the font is important. Personally I prefer a font of 12. It is clear and the letters are not blurry as they can be with some fonts. The suggested font to use in your resume is a Sans Serif font such as Arial or Verdana. They are clear and stand out better in faxes.
Tip! You need resume writing tips for the Internet because not all resumes are created equally. Sometimes employers will want their resumes in ASCII format only.

When describing your skills in particular, use strong action words. Instead of starting a sentence with a noun use a strong verb. When using numbers use percentages, dollar amounts when describing money, and the number of people you supervised if this is applicable.

Your resume should be one page only. The information should be presented as concisely as possible. There will be a place in the cover letter and possibly an interview to expound on your skills. Resumes that are too long are often put aside because employers simply don't have the time to read through lengthy dissertations. If it doesn't fit on one page try paring it down to the bare minimum. The information must be relevant to the position you are applying for. Do not forget to attach your cover letter.

There are two types of resume formats that are used. The functional format will put your skills into categories. Your titles are listed on the bottom. This format is used by people who are changing careers and who don't want to draw attention to gaps in employment or a possible lack of direct experiences. The chronological format is used by those on a career path. Your employment and education are listed in reverse chronological order. Outline your skills to show your best accomplishments. The categories that you include on your resume must be relevant to the position for which you are applying.
Tip! Jennifer Anthony is the Director of ResumeASAP, offering professional and affordable resume writing services. If you have comments about this article, or if you are interested in learning more about professional resume writing, please contact Jennifer Anthony by e-mail.

Your resume will be different if you are fresh out of college and unemployed, if you have been out of the work force for an extended period of time (i.e. to raise your kids), or if you are a teenager going for the first job. A resume is one the most important tools you have to use in your job search.

The categories will be similar for all manner of people seeking employment. The purpose of your resume is to give employers the maximum amount of information in as few words as possible. Some companies receive hundreds of resumes at any given time. Your resume should standout but not be outlandish. Professionalism is the key. Below is a figure showing what a professional could look like. Remember the information is to be clear and concise. It should be easy on the eyes and professional.

JANE DOE 5 Main Street Anywhere, Any state 00000 jado521@anysite.com (000) 111-2233

Job Objective: to obtain a position as (name the position)
Tip! A resume writing service can be a helpful thing; it can also be an expensive one. Rates vary and cost changes from service to service, but the basic principle remains: you are not going to get something worthwhile for a little price.

Education: Any School University B.S. in Anything 2000 -2004 111Any Road Any-town, USA 88888

Somebody High School High School Diploma 1995 -1999 East Highway Road Anywhere, USA 88888

Employment: Here list your employers putting the current one first. If you haven't had experience let them know that. If you were a babysitter you can add that to your resume. It at least will show them your work ethics.

Skills: List some of the thing you do reasonably well that are relevant to the position. Are you going for a position as a teacher's aid? List your duties you had in baby-sitting or if you tutored anybody, list those duties as well
Tip! To help you in this task, review your resume against the following resume writing quick tips. These guidelines will help you evaluate your resume and identify those areas that may need more work.

Related Volunteer Experiences: Here be as descriptive as possible and be as descriptive and exact as you can. Remember be descriptive but concise.

References: Will Be Furnished Upon Request (Be prepared with a list of three to five people that have consented to give you a recommendation. Include who is familiar with your work as it relates to the position.

Finally the resume is about selling yourself. Give them just enough information to have them come back and want more details. Good Luck!

About the Author Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice on a variety of subjects.

Visit his website Resume Writing for more tips and advice.

Resume Writing - Things to Consider

You are looking for a job and you are out to land the job of a lifetime. It can happen! Before you consider want ads, job websites, or making inquiries of companies you are interested in, you will need a resume. Your resume writing can either make or break a job opportunity.

The first thing your resume must be is functional. It is to give the employer the most information possible in one page. Resumes that are longer than one page are often put aside. Employers just don't have the time to read every page. At best many just scan your resume and count on your cover letter and maybe an interview to glean anything else about you before you are considered for hire.

In order for your resume to be functional you group your skills into different sections and your titles at the bottom. This is the format people who are changing careers typically use. They don't want to draw attention to gaps in employment or their lack of direct experience.

The chronological resume is well organized listing of skills, education, and employment in order from the most current experience backward or reverse order. The categories of your resume should be concise and relevant to the position for which you are applying. If you are fresh out of college and unemployed put your education first, directly below the letterhead. You will list your school, your degree, your major and your graduation date. If space allows you can list your relevant course work, related academic awards, and/or your grade point average.

Other categories include relevant work experience, volunteer experiences and other skills such as computer skills, any publications you may have written or contributed to, and language skills as they might apply to the position.

Finally, you will list your references or make the statement "References will be furnished upon request. Let me give you important advice about references. Do not list someone as a reference unless you have obtained his or her consent to do so. You will want the person you ask for a reference to be a former boss, teacher, long time friend who is familiar with your abilities, and possibly your clergyman.

The appearance of your resume is very important. The font you use should be clear and easy to read. The suggested font for a resume is a Sans Serif font like Arial or Verdana. These fonts come out more clearly in faxes.

The format of your resume should be simple and plain. It should showcase your accomplishments. The prospective employer should be able to scan the page and get a good grasp on whether or not you would be good for the position.
Tip! Of course we are a little biased, so won't answer the rhetorical questions above. However, we have been doing this for a while, have many satisfied customers, are members of the Professional Resume Writing and Research Association (PRWRA), and have a genuine desire to help you get that all-important next job.

Another important consideration for your resume is the type of paper you use. The most acceptable colors are white, cream, off white, and gray. They are easiest to read and the font will stand out nicely. You should use the same type of paper for your resume, your cover letter, and your envelope. Many stationery stores have sets of paper and envelopes for your resume. Go in and consult with a sales person to find out what they have to offer. You could always put it on a disk and bring the disk to a printer and have it professionally done.

When describing you're skills, your education, or your experience. Use action words. Instead of starting a sentence with a noun use a strong verb. When you need to put in numbers use percentages, and dollar amounts. List the number of people you supervised as well.
Tip! - A strategic way to format your resume writing would be to list your resume in order of achievement. Whether this was accomplished in the field of education, previous employment, etc.

Keep the length of your resume to one page. As has been stated employers do not have the luxury of spending a lot of time on the resumes they receive. Some companies can get a great number of resumes and most of the time they scan the resumes. Include only the most relevant information. You can fill in information in a cover letter or an interview.

An important piece of your resume is the job objective. Are you going for a teaching position? Your resume should reflect your teacher training, your scores on specialty tests. If you were applying for a job in a department store you would list your babysitting experience. It's all relative.
Tip! Resume Services provides detailed information on Resume Services, Customer Resume Services, Resume Writing Services, Professional Resume Services and more. Resume Services is affiliated with Resume Writing.

While the cover letter is not a resume, it does give you the opportunity to expand somewhat on the information you put forth in the resume. Here again use strong action words and strong descriptions. Be sure all information in the resume and the cover letter is as accurate as it can be.

There are numerous resources available for you such as pre-employment counselors, the career office at your college, and a number of books on resume writing and how to get a job. Search online, the sources on the Internet are almost limitless. If necessary go to the human resources department of a business that is similar to the one you are interested in.

About the Author Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice on a variety of subjects, Visit his website Resume Writing for more tips and advice.

Three Myths About Resume Writing

Your perspective on resumes - what they are and how they function - will doubtless influence how well you can write your own. To create an outstanding resume, begin by questioning and replacing some of the commonly held assumptions about resume writing.

ASSUMPTION: "A resume is a personal history, and prospective employers will read it primarily to learn about past jobs and accomplishments."

Replace with: A resume is best thought of as a proposal, rather than a history.

Although a resume does primarily include information about your personal history, its chief aim should be to convey this information in a way that is highly relevant to the job in question. Thus, the key question to address is: How are you uniquely qualified to do well in the position for which you are applying? Writing to answer this question can turn a dry personal history into an attractive employment proposal.

ASSUMPTION: "My resume probably won't be that important anyway - it's connections and luck that will get me a job."

Replace with: Revising and improving your resume can play a central role in landing your next job.

No reasonable person would deny that connections and luck help. Nevertheless, not everyone has or finds the right connections, and not everyone wants to wait on luck. Take the initiative, instead, to craft a strong job-search strategy, and include revising your resume as a central piece of this process. Doing so, at a minimum, will accomplish three things: 1) you will gain clarity on your strengths and all that you have to offer in your next job, 2) you will have an important vehicle for introducing yourself to potential employers, and 3) you will have a springboard for a strong interview.

ASSUMPTION: "The previous version of my resume was good enough, and probably needs very little done to it."

Replace with: Just about any resume, even one used with success before, can benefit from careful scrutiny and periodic revision.

Your resume should evolve as you do. In addition to acquiring new skills, experiences, and accomplishments, you may have shifted in your professional focus or interests. Perhaps you have gained insights into what employers are really looking for in your line of work.

Above all, your resume should be revised so that it is tailored to the employer who will receive it. Even if you have little to add in the way of content, you can always improve your resume by refocusing it on the specifics of the position you are seeking, and by strengthening its wording and overall appearance.

THE BOTTOM LINE (A Winning Perspective):

Take on the task of writing or revising your resume with the conviction that any resume can be made stronger, that you have an important employment proposal to bring to the eyes of potential employers, and that doing so can be the avenue for landing the job you want. It is with this perspective that you will produce a resume good enough to open doors!
Tip! What we need is to educate people who prepare their own resumes that when Resume Writing they need to be in the proper state of mind and Clear Thinking. They need to be accountable for their actions and they need to know that misrepresentation on applications is fraud and it is dishonest and unbecoming of even a pesky little human.

© 2005 Ruth Anderson

About the author:

This article is excerpted from the eBook "WRITE RESUMES WITH CONFIDENCE: How to Create Outstanding Resumes and Have the Confidence to Use Them with Success." Learn more about this book and about Ruth Anderson's coaching and consulting services -- including the INTRODUCTION TO COACHING and JOB SEARCH TUNE-UP programs -- at http://www.vantagepointcoaching.com or write mailto:ruth@vantagepointcoaching.com.

Free Resume-Writing Tips

With the growing number of free job sites on the Internet, plenty of opportunities appear to be available to the qualified candidate. Essential to clinching that dream job is the way an applicant's resume is put together. Using free resume-building websites and examining free online job descriptions will help hone resume-writing skills.

To write a resume, the job applicant needs to give a sub-title to each part of their education and work experience, followed by a more in-depth description of their skills. Focus also must be given to explaining extra-curricular activities, as sometimes the employer may be looking for a person with additional qualifications. This must be accomplished in a logical order; such a well-structured resume gives all the meaning the candidate wishes to convey to their prospective employer. This resume should make the employer want to select the candidate immediately over all the others.

The resume should be cross-checked for any spelling mistakes, as these make a bad impression. Free resume tip websites or resume-builder websites can also be explored. These sites provide a wealth of information to job seekers on how to improve their resumes for submitting them to the employers. Once the information is checked, the job seeker must include a solemn pledge that the contents are true, and they must clearly mention their stated objective in sending their resume to the employer. The free job descriptions contained in the resume-builders help young people to highlight some of their skills that they might otherwise fail to give prominence.

Jobs that are being advertised on the Internet get lot of attention from job seekers. Online advertising makes it possible for many to apply instantly. But job seekers do not know how many others will be applying for such jobs or what their qualifications are. Since the Internet is an open platform, job seekers must explain their level of awareness about the job, educational and other qualifications, and their willingness to take up the task seriously.

Presenting a true, detailed, well-structured resume to an employer will catch their attention, and should get the immediate response it deserves.
Tip! 5) Check out their resume writing process and make sure you get to speak to someone. A good resume cannot be written just from a questionnaire, and a good resume writing firm will insist on speaking to you.

Job Descriptions provides detailed information about job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is the sister site of Personal Time Management.

Resume Writing - 3 Do's and Don'ts

1) Include a powerful, concise and persuasive objective or summary.

How do you do that? Well there are many different ways to grab an employers attention with an objective or summary - some much better than others - but here's a general rule.

State exactly what you want to do for the employer (you could give the position you are seeking) and what you have to offer them. (3 years experience, expertise in skill X) 2) Use a bulleted list rather than long, redundant paragraphs.

Seeing a long list of paragraphs is intimidating. Employers don't have time to read through so much information - they want the facts and they want them quickly. Break up your paragraphs into a bulleted list of accomplishments.

3) Organize it.

Make your resume look good! A page full of texts "blobs" will turn off any employer. Break it up into organized sections with bold headings and include plenty of white space to create a calming, peaceful effect.
Tip! People who work for resume writing services are not in the habit of reading minds.

Don't:

1) Include your references with your resume. This isn't necessary - when you come in for an interview you can bring them.

2) Include any information that doesn't contribute to the job.

For instance, many 'professionals' will tell you to include your interests or hobbies in your resume.

Why? Why would the employer want to know that you like to go rock climbing if you're interested in an accounting position? If your interests or hobbies contribute to the job you are seeking - GREAT! Include them. Otherwise leave them out.

3) Include a list of mundane(and obvious)job duties that employers don't care about.

Employers already know the duties that a bookkeeper or car salesman has. Giving them a list of your duties doesn't make you stand out.
Tip! A resume writing service is not the type of business that has many repeat customers. (Actually, a repeat customer in this business is kind of a bad thing.

What they want to know is how your past experience and accomplishments can contribute to their company.

Found your dream job but can't get an interview? Need a powerful, effective resume NOW? Visit http://www.resumesecretsexposed.com to grab your free 7-Day e-course plus learn how you can write a powerful, eye-catching resume in 7 easy steps!