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| Tip
1 |
| With employers receiving
hundreds of resumes you must make sure
that your resume hooks an employer's
attention within a 5-second glance.
A great way to do this is to use job
titles and skill headings that relate
to and match the jobs you want. For
example, compare the headings Roger
used in his before resume to the headings
used in his after resume. |
Before
Resume:
Accounting / Recordkeeping Administrative
Computer Skills |
After
Resume:
Management of A/R and A/P Accounts
Computerized Accounting Applications
Departmental Administration /
Recordkeeping |
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Which set of headings
are the strongest for an Accounts Payable
/ Receivable Manager position?
Even though Roger's title was Accounting
Assistant, he actually managed over
1,000 A/R and A/P accounts. Using skill
headings that market the true nature
of Roger's job duties will generate
him more interviews and higher salary
offers. For more examples, like this
one and the ones discussed below,
click
on 60 Free Online Resume and Job Search
Workshops at ProvenResumes.com. |
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| Tip
2 - Use Design That Grabs Attention |
Employers make snap
judgments when glancing at your resume.
If they see unrelated job titles or
skills the likelihood is very high that
they will make an immediate assumption
that you are not qualified for the job
you want. Adding to this problem is
the fact that employers don't have the
time to read through each of your job
descriptions to determine if you have
the skills they need.
You Must Do That For Them! The design
of your resume must highlight the most
important information about your work
experience, skills and education. At
first glance this information forms
the image that employers have of your
skills and abilities. |
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| Tip
3 - Create Content That Sells |
| Resume design should
get attention but it's really the content
of your resume, the descriptions you
include of your skills and abilities,
that determine how many interviews you
generate--as well as the level of salary
offers you receive. Compare the before
and after statements from Roger's resume
shown below: |
Before
Resume:
Maintained records for accounts
receivable and accounts payable
accounts. |
After
Resume:
Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable
and payable accounts working directly
with the Chief Financial Officer. |
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| Which of these examples
presents Roger as being more qualified,
having higher skills and worth a higher
salary? As this example illustrates,
our image of Roger is changed and elevated
when we read the after example. For
more examples of how to create powerful
content click on 60
Free Online Resume and Job Search Workshops. |
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| Tip
4 - Quantify and Use Power Words |
As Roger's after statement
demonstrates, using numbers to describe
your achievements and responsibilities
can greatly expand and elevate your
image. Using numbers and quantifying
creates vivid images in our mind when
we read them, whereas general statements
like the before examples are easy to
skip over or forget. Typically the more
specific you can be in describing your
duties the better.
Another strategy that is extremely important
in controlling the image that employers
develop about you--is to use Power Words
or verbs that match the level of position
you want. For example, Roger wants to
use the experience he's gained to move
into a management position. To strengthen
his image he should use as many "management
oriented" words as possible. Which
example below do you think is the strongest?
|
Typical
Verbs:
Gave work assignments to staff
of entry level accounting clerks. |
Power
Words:
Directed workflow, supervised
and trained accounting staff performing
posting to general ledger, accounts
receivable and payable accounts. |
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| Tip
4 - Quantify and Use Power Words |
As Roger's after statement
demonstrates, using numbers to describe
your achievements and responsibilities
can greatly expand and elevate your
image. Using numbers and quantifying
creates vivid images in our mind when
we read them, whereas general statements
like the before examples are easy to
skip over or forget. Typically the more
specific you can be in describing your
duties the better.
Another strategy that is extremely important
in controlling the image that employers
develop about you--is to use Power Words
or verbs that match the level of position
you want. For example, Roger wants to
use the experience he's gained to move
into a management position. To strengthen
his image he should use as many "management
oriented" words as possible. Which
example below do you think is the strongest?
|
Typical
Verbs:
Gave work assignments to staff
of entry level accounting clerks. |
Power
Words:
Directed workflow, supervised
and trained accounting staff performing
posting to general ledger, accounts
receivable and payable accounts. |
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Tip 5 - Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify
Key Words |
Learning how to analyze
the key words that employers provide
in help wanted ads and job descriptions
is a key element in creating powerful
resumes. For example, read the ad Roger
found for an Accounts Receivable Manager
below and see how many key words, phrases,
or skill descriptions that it includes.
Accounts Receivable Manager
Seeking experienced A/R Manager to oversee
accounts, manage billing and collections,
train accounting and clerical staff,
develop status reports for management
and prepare monthly balance sheets.
B.A. Degree or A.A. Degree with minimum
of 2 years experience required.
Even though this ad is small it contains
12-13 key words or phrases that should
be addressed in Roger's resume. Roger
can also key words from an ad like this
to create headings for his resume such
as:
Key Word Skill Headings
Management of A/R AccountsBilling
and CollectionsSupervision of Accounting
and Administrative StaffBalance Sheet
and Management Status Reports |
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Tip 6 - Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs |
| In addition to the
skills or needs listed in the ad shown
above, the employer will have many more
needs that Roger should identify and
address in his resume and cover letter.
For example, this employer will need
someone who can deal effectively with
other departments, research accounting
issues and records to solve problems.
To beat today's heavy competition for
jobs, it's important that you identify
and anticipate the full range of needs
each employer faces and show how you
can solve those needs. |
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| Tip
7 - Sell the Benefits of Your Skills |
Most resumes provide
a list of duties that each applicant
has been responsible for--without explaining
the benefit of those skills to employers.
For example, a secretary's resume might
state she can type 80 wpm and is extremely
accurate. This statement lacks an explanation
of how her typing speed and accuracy
benefit an employer's bottom line. The
real benefit is that the employee can
produce more work and ultimately save
the employer money. A better statement
for this person's resume would be:
Selling The Benefits of Skills
Achieved top production volume by maintaining
high degree of accuracy with typing
speed at 80 wpm.
Cut labor expense over $6,000 annually
by eliminating the need for part-time
wordprocessing staff. |
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| Tip
8 - Create An Image That Matches The Salary You
Want |
As you write your resume,
keep in mind the level of job and salary
you want. Be sure to create an image
that presents you at the appropriate
level. For example, language used in
a resume for an $8 an hour position
is much different than the language
used for a $16 an hour position. I recently
met Lynn, who had held a Health Insurance
Claims Management position making $42,000
per year. She had retrained for the
accounting field and hadn't yet gained
any "direct accounting experience"
although she had prepared monthly accounting
reports as a Department Manager.
I was appalled when she shared the resume
she had been counseled to create. It
began with this statement:
Seeking an entry level position in
the accounting field.
Now what pay rate do you think this
statement would motivate employers to
offer Lynn? A much better statement
would be:
Seek an Accounting
position utilizing my experience:·
Managing a department and accounting
for up to $250,000 in monthly claims.
My goal is to help people either
stay at their current salary level or
move up--not go backwards. As you can
see, the last statement greatly elevates
Lynn's image and will be much more likely
to generate salary offers comparable
to her last pay rate. |
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| Tip
9 - Prioritize the Content of Your Resume |
Another big mistake
that job seekers make is to list very
important data in the lower sections
of their job descriptions. As you compile
statements for your resume, prioritize
them by importance, impressiveness and
relevance to the job you want. Remember
that a strong statement which uses power
words and quantifies will affect every
statement under it. Read the two examples
below. Which one has the most impact?
Unprioritized
Maintained records control, filing,
office supply purchasing and equipment
maintenance.Managed front office functions
to support the President, Vice President
and staff of 20 Sales Representatives.
Prioritized
Managed front office functions to support
the President, Vice President and staff
of 20 Sales Representatives. Maintained
records control, filing, office supply
purchasing and equipment maintenance.
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| Tip
10 - Tweak and Target Your Resumes and Cover Letters |
| You will generate many
more interviews by tweaking your resume
and cover letter so that they address
the specific skills each employer requests.
For example, Sally originally wanted
a customer service position, then found
an ad for a Retail Management opening.
How well qualified do the headings in
the left hand column present her for
the Retail Management position? Do you
think the headings in the right hand
column will generate more and better
interviews for Retail Management positions?
|
Customer
ServiceCash
Accountability
Computer Skills |
Retail
Management / Customer ServiceCash
Accountability / Supervision of
Retail StationsRetail Accounting
Applications |
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| Sally's actual title
had been Lead Cashier, even though she
managed her own retail cashiering station
in addition to 6 other cashiers and
stations. Once Sally had created her
original resume, it only took about
5 minutes to tweak and relabel her skill
descriptions to fit Retail Management
positions. This "relabeling"
is entirely truthful and is extremely
important in landing more interviews
because it allows job seekers to apply
for, and look qualified for, a wider
range of jobs. |
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