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Build a Better Résumé.
Get a Better Job. |
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Build a résumé,
write a résumé,
do a résumé, or
make a résumé:
it doesn't matter how you say it. And, it doesn't matter
if you are looking for your first job, re-entering the
workforce, working toward a promotion, or changing
careers... |
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You need a résumé
that gets to the top of the short-list pile. |
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Follow these
8 résumé
tips to get yourself
closer to the job you really,
really want... |
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1.
Not your whole life story, please.
You're more likely to attract a recruiter's favourable attention when you keep
your résumé's
content
to one well-written and well-presented page.
Of course, that
doesn’t mean you should trim your résumé
to the bone; there has to be some meat for the recruiter to chew on. |
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2.
Stick to employment-relevant information.
Your
résumé is a sales tool that will simply lose its effect when it's
cluttered with too much
unnecessary information. Who needs to know your birth
date, kids’ names, or how much you weigh?
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3.
Quantify your results and accomplishments
whenever possible. Numbers get attention! Employers want
to know that you can
"Save department $3,600
annually
with revised purchasing policy"
or that in the past you’ve
"Increased
profitability by 30%."
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Click here
to see FREE sample résumés. |
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4.
Make sure your format is consistent.
When you keep your document’s format consistent, the
recruiter will find it easier to recognize things and to find information quickly. When
you make it easy for the recruiter to find information, you increase
the chance that your résumé will make
it to the short-list pile. |
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5.
Forget the fancy covers and shocking colours.
Instead, use good quality white or off-white paper for your
résumé. You
want the hiring team to pay attention to the information in your résumé – not to
the fluorescent pink paper. |
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6.
Use words that convey action at the beginning of short sentences.
Words like
advanced, built, created, documented
and
expanded
demonstrate your experience and achievements in active rather than
passive language. |
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7.
Check your spelling and grammar.
Then check it just one more time. A misspelled word can get your
résumé tossed into the reject
pile. You're right...it’s not fair. But that doesn’t keep it
from happening. |
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8.
You've been fired.
Now what?
Don’t indicate on your résumé your reason
for leaving a particular position or employer. But, be
prepared to respond when the interviewer asks you why
you left your last job—because he or she will! |
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When the recruiter does ask, keep your
explanation short, calm, and objective without pointing
your finger to blame someone else. End your explanation
on an upbeat note by stressing some of your
accomplishments and what you learned from the
experience. |
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Before your next interview, practice
explaining why you left your job. Keep practicing until
you can answer comfortably, confidently, and without
hesitation. |
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Kathleen Rake is a
professional freelance business writer and résumé writer in the
Fraser Valley, just an hour's drive outside Vancouver, BC. She'll put together a functional
résumé,
chronological résumé, or a combination that will help you get that
interview—the one that will lead you to a better job. Take
advantage of her free résumé tips and free
résumé samples or ask
about her résumé builder workbook
and guide that will help you build a
better résumé
and cover letter all by yourself. |
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Need a
targeted cover letter?
Want to send a
memo that moves?
Time for fresh and lively
website copy?
Searching for that killer
headline
or tagline?
Looking for a clear and clever way to tell your
corporate story?
Maybe it's simply time to
brainstorm
with a professional...
Click here and write to us
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