Senin, 26 Juli 2010

Resume tips from an expert

When it comes to resumes one size does not necessarily fit all. Resumes and resume templates should be as diversified as the individual’s work history and experience. However, there are a few tips and basic templates that can be used and modified as necessary.

To begin with, each resume should have an objective. This is where you state exactly what type of job you are looking for. Your objective statement could read like this, “A challenging and rewarding position in the field of electronics where acquired skills, education, and experience will be of benefit.” Or, if you don’t know what type of job you want it can be more generalized, like this: “A position where acquired skills will be utilized for continued professional growth and development.” The advantage of a generalized objective statement is that you can use the same resume to apply for many different types of positions.

Following the objective on your resume is the skills or summary of qualifications section. This is perhaps the most important part of your resume because it summarizes the skills you have that make you qualified for the position for which you are applying. For example, let’s say you are applying for a front desk receptionist position. In your skills/summary of qualifications of your resume you should put those skills that make you qualified for the position. It could read something like this: Excellent keyboarding skills at 100 strokes per minute; Effective telephone communications skills; Professional front desk and customer service skills; Ability to handle multiple tasks efficiently; Polished professional attitude and appearance.

The skills, or summary of qualifications section of your resume, will probably be the hardest section of the resume to complete. It will require that you think about what skills you possess and require that you present them simply and succinctly. Again, the skills/summary of qualification section of your resume should highlight those skills and abilities that you possess that make you qualified for the position for which you are applying. However, if you do not know what type of job you will be applying for then the skills section should be an overview of all the types of skills you possess.

The next section of your resume should be your education and training. Here is where you highlight any advanced education or special training that you have received that makes you qualified for the job. However, if you don’t have any advanced education or specialized training this section of your resume can be moved to the bottom of your resume, or skipped altogether. For example, let’s say you are a steel worker, hired as a trainee, and over time promoted to journeyman. You’ve been out of high school for over twenty years, and all of your education and training was hands-on, on the job. If this is the case, then you could probably skip the education/training section of your resume all together because your hands-on experience will speak for itself.

The final section of your resume is the experience section. Here is where you list the jobs you have held throughout your work history. However, a couple of guidelines are necessary to create this section of your resume.

First, it is not necessary to list every job you’ve ever held, all the way back to high school. Only list those going back approximately fifteen years. Next, it is not necessary to put the complete name and street address of each employer on a resume. Usually the employer will ask you to fill out an application and that information can be entered on that form. Also it is not necessary to put the complete month, day, year of employment on your resume. Again that information can be provided on an application form, and it is acceptable to round off the employment dates to the year in which you were employed.

After the company’s name and the years you were employed there you should state the title of the position you last held with the company. For example, let’s say that you went to work for XYZ Corporation in 1995. You were hired as a trainee but were quickly promoted to Shift Manager. That being the case you would put down your title as Shift Manager, and state underneath that because of the quality of work you produced you were continually promoted.

In the experience section of your resume you should make sure to include any special achievements or awards that you received while working. For example, while you work at XYZ Corporation you initiated a procedure that reduced production time by 15%. You also had no sick days for one whole year. Both of these facts should be included underneath that section of your resume.

In addition, internships and volunteer work are legitimate ways of gaining experience, experience that should be included in your resume. Simply because you were not paid for the work you did does not detract from the fact that you did gain experience in whatever field you had your internship or volunteer position.

Finally, the last section of your resume should be references. Unless an employer specifically asks for references this section can be handled with a simple statement such as, “Excellent references available upon request.” Just remember that if you make that statement you should then be able to produce those references if they are asked for.

You resume is a marketing tool. You are, so to speak, marketing yourself. Therefore your resume should represent the best of your abilities, skills, and experience. It should not be too lengthy, cluttered, or wordy. It should simply state the facts as briefly and concisely as possible. In addition, your resume is often the first impression your future employer will have of you. Therefore, make sure you make a good first impression my ensuring that your resume is typed or computer printed, spell-checked, and printed on good quality paper.

Remember resumes and resume templates don’t come in a “one size fits all.” They can, and should be, modified to fit your individual employment needs in order to help you put your best foot forward and make a good and lasting first impression on your future boss.


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