Five Biggest Resume Mistakes You Can Fix Yourself
|
A career consultant can diagnose and overhaul a troubledresume. But you can check off the basics yourself.
Mistake #1. "The mystery applicant." No contactinformation.
Fix: List a daytime phone number and email address, right atthe top of the page. Create a professional-sounding messagefor your answering device.
Mistake #2. "The scrunchie." Loads of detail crammedtogether in eight-point type.
Fix: Add lots of white space, avoid tiny type and use bulletpoints instead of long paragraphs. If you've got a story totell, most reviewers will happily turn to a second page.
Mistake #3: "List of tasks and duties." Obituary of a boringemployee.
Fix: Sell yourself by focusing on accomplishments.Demonstrate the impact of your achievements. Describeactions, not obligations.
Mistake #4: "The expressionist." Sets off alarm bells.
Fix: Choose chronological rather than functional form,especially if you use traditional job-hunting sources: HRdepartments, recruiters, and advertisements. Off the beatenpath, use a sales letter or network your way to in-personpresentations.
Mistake #5: "Creative language." Spelling, grammar andpunctuation errors.
Proof-read and ask a friend to help. Computerized spellingand grammar checks won't catch everything. Acarefully-prepared resume will stand out more than you canimagine.
About The Author
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.
"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com
Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294
|
|
|
Is Your Job Search Guided By The Controller Or The Controllee?
I'll define what I mean by these terms."The Controller" is a job seeker that is ruled by doing everything right. He/shehas read all of the appropriate books,done a good job composing a resume,but is still unemployed."The Controllee" has also read all of thebest books about the job search, hasa credible resume, but is still without work.What can each of them do to make theirjob search campaign: WORK.The person who is controlling what theythink is a good campaign is not stoppingto: Polish and have great inter-personalskills; doesn't send a thank you note anddoesn't ask for the job.The person who is being controlledby the process needs to assess their campaign and see what they are leaving out. Is their networking going well,is their sufficient follow-up? Is there roommade for th...(related: Employment)
Career Change: Success Tips
Successful career change is based on first making an honest assessment of your skills and experiences. Then you match them against the current market conditions. Finally you set realistic goals. Here are five strategies to keep in mind when changing careers:
Creating A Winning Resume
Preparing your resume can often seem like a daunting task. You've done your research, but there is so much information, and how do you pick from the countless formats?!Writing you...(related: Employment)
Job Search: Age-proofing Your Resume
Older job hunters fear interviews where their age cannot be concealed and where an initial response of dismay on an interviewer's face, quickly hidden, confirms their anticipation of discrimination. The mature job seeker often prefers the anonymity of mailed resumes, e-mailed inquiries, internet applications, and telephone contacts.Interviews, however, are the goal of everyone who wants to work. There is so much pre-selection ...(related: Employment)
Building Your Army Of Supporters: How To Build Strategic Relationships In The Work Place!
Once you have accomplished your task of getting in the door and getting the job the real job of career advancement begins!You will soon learn (if you haven't already elsewhere) that corporate politics are ALWAYS su...(related: Employment)
Ten Things To Do If You Really, Really Hate Your Job
1. Begin focusing on what you want instead of how much you want to escape. When you find yourself sharing the latest horror story, stop in mid-...(related: Employment)
Staying In Shape
Why Lawyers Should Eat Bananas by Simon Tupman is a book that caught my eye both because of its unusual title and because I coach lawyers who are growing their practices. The book cover says it gives "Inspirational Ideas for Lawyers Wanting More Out of Life"Much of what Mr. Tupman writes about is appropriate career advice for anyone, lawyer, business person or manager . He is an advocate of "Working smarter not harder" and so am I. I really liked his list of attributes for smart workers and number 8 on the list particularly appealed to me because it underscores much of what I say to my clients.Numbe...(related: Employment)
Using Journal To Support Your Job Search
Are you searching for a job? Here are some tips on how youcan use journaling in that pursuit.It is important to know what we are looking for in aposition and company. Normally, we can write a long list ofstuff we don't want, but what do we want? We hear all thetime from career coaches and professional development gurusthat we need to define our ideal job. But golly gee,getting past the mindset that we deserve our ideal job andthat the ideal job...(related: Employment)
How To Survive In Business Long Enough To Win
As a former human resources professional it has always intrigued me as to why people were more 'successful' than others. By 'successful' we are referring to an innate ability of some people to set and achieve ...(related: Employment)
Kick-in-the-pants Job Search
Believe it: three obstacles will hold you back from your ideal job -- your résumé, you, and your job-search methods. There's no hidden formula; there's no bribery needed; there's no one standing in front of employment - other than YOU!You've probably heard all the excuses, or used them yourself. The job market is bad; technical jobs are going overseas; those thousands of manufacturing employees had to go somewhere ? of course, these excuses are only the tip of the iceberg.Look at the job market as challenging. Who doesn't love a good challenge? The current state of the market means that you must job search smarter. Do you have something against learning? We are always overcoming obstacles in our personal and professional lives, so why should today be any ...(related: Employment)
How To Find A Job Writing Grant Applications
Do you have what it takes to land a job doing grant writing? Many people are looking for ways to develop a freelance business, but unless you know what it takes to do so, you might as well stop trying. There are several fields in which you can learn and have many jobs waiting for you. But, in others, you will need to properly be prepared for them before they pass you by. Here, we will talk a little about how to find jobs in grant writing.First, we would like to touch...(related: Employment)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Employment