This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Nancy writes:
Do you have any suggestions on how to explain/validate long periods of professional
work gaps in a resume? I am a stay-at-home mother and need some convincing
and creative ways to describe this recent position on my resume.
I would appreciate any input.
The Career Doctor responds:
I know I risk the wrath of some of the women reading this blog, but I
don’t really like to see resumes that under experience list something cute,
such as “Household Manager” or “Domestic Coordination Specialist,” as job
title for women who stay at home to manage their households and parent
their children. Of course, with a traditional chronological resume, if you don’t
list something for when you stayed at home, you will have huge gaps between jobs.
So, you really have three options. First, you can take the approach listed
above and make your time at home a category under experience. And while
I realize there are many responsibilities involved — I was fortunate enough to
be a stay-at-home dad for a few months a long, long time ago — I still don’t think,
from an employer’s prospective, that it qualifies to go in this section.
Second, you can consider experimenting with reorganizing your resume into a chrono-functional or hybrid resume that
is organized around skills clusters (such as communications, leadership,
organizational, etc.) rather than specific jobs and experience. Unfortunately, this
style of resume is a bit on the outs right now because employers fear you are
hiding something by taking this approach.
Third, you can look beyond your household and compile all the volunteering, freelancing, or other part-time or educational experiences you may have had and use those to show
that you were still using and perfecting your skills.
Remember that the goal of your resume is to get your foot in the door — to get you that
job interview — and once in the interview, you can decide how to position yourself — your experiences, skills, and accomplishments — in order to sell the employer on your candidacy.
Learn more about mastering resumes by using one of more of the excellent resources
found in the Resume and CV Resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- skills,
- volunteering
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
James writes:
I’m searching for a guide on how to write my resume, but I can’t seem to find
anything. If you could give me some tips, or a site that I could go to, that would
be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Can’t find anything on resumes? Wow. There’s tons of stuff available on resumes —
in magazines, books, and on the Web… but I’ll give you a quick primer.
Your resume is a critical marketing tool. Your resume has to entice a prospective employer enough — through its focus, content, and style — to first consider your
qualifications for the job at hand and then to invite you for a job interview. A resume
is a statement of your unique mix of experiences, education, and skills. You must
not lie on your resume, but you must always remember its goal.
I think the most important thing any job-seeker should do before attempting to write
a resume is to first sit down and make a list of your skills and accomplishments from
all your previous experiences (work, volunteer, school, etc.) because you will take
from this list those critical skills and accomplishments — not your duties and
responsibilities — that highlight your fit for the next job you are seeking.
The next step is researching and identifying the job — and all the requirements of
that job — that you are seeking because it is critical that your resume is focused on
specifics. You should also research the potential employers that may have jobs that
you seek so that you can incorporate some of their keywords into your resume.
Wait! Does this advice suggest that job-seekers need to have a specifically tailored
resume for every single job they apply for? Yes! There is absolutely no reason for you
not to develop a different resume for each job and employer. For most job-seekers,
this task will simply mean tweaking small parts of your resume for similar jobs.
Once you have the content down, you should focus on the style and look of your
resume. Do not use a template; design your own. Follow a consistent style. Use
normal fonts and sizes. Use bullets rather than paragraphs. Do not use personal
pronouns. Consider using a career/job objective or profile section. Always list
education and experience in reverse chronological order (starting with the most
recent stuff). Do not list any personal information (such as age, marital status,
weight). Do not include controversial information. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS,
spell-check and carefully proofread your resume for any and all errors.
Read our articles published on Quintessential Careers: The
Scoop on Resume Length: How Many Pages Should Your Resume Be? and
10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid.
You can gets lots more advice, including resume samples, resume-writing tutorial, and more, in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Resume and CV Resources.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- skills
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Shreena writes:
I am applying for a summer undergraduate work placement in a
large company of opticians. One of the questions of the application forms is as follows: “Provide details of key achievements in your
current role including facts and figures and performance targets to
indicate the business outcome that resulted.”
Do I need to write about my role as a student at university? There is
no real business outcome that results from being a student.
The Career Doctor responds:
Thank you so much for asking this question. Everyone reading
this blog who knows a college student should be sure that
s/he reads my answer.
Most college students should leave college with two types of
experience: actual work experience gained through internships
and part-time jobs and practical experience gained through
class projects and papers.
When writing their resume, most students don’t have too hard
a time describing work experience, but one of the most
common errors I see is that students often discount those
class projects.
As the application states, the company is looking for your key
achievements/accomplishments to date. If you have previous
work experiences, list those along with their outcomes. But
don’t forget about those class projects.
For example,at the university where I previously taught, many major courses
required completing a project, often with a real client. For example,
in a marketing research class, students might work with a local
business in uncovering a problem and suggesting solutions.
When describing those student experiences, remember the same
rules that apply to describing your work experiences: always try to
quantify your descriptions, focus on outcomes and project objectives.
A sample explanation of a student project:
Market Research Project for DeLand Electronics
Developed detailed SWOT Analysis
Assisted in writing survey questionnaire
Managed survey mail-out to 1,000 residents
Compiled strategic solutions based on survey results
For more information, consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers:
For
Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- summer undergraduate work placement,
- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Allison writes:
I thought I’d take a chance and see if I could have a question
answered that I didn’t find addressed on your Quintessential Careers Website. (Excellent site, by the way).
I am required to turn in a resume for a school district with whom
I am applying. I have been in the same type of position for 9 years,
doing relatively the same type of work (counseling). Since each of
the jobs I have held have virtually the same description, how do I
address that under the work experience?
I wondered if I should do a functional resume and bullet all the skills
I have acquired through the years and then just list the schools (or
districts) in which I have worked under the work experience.
The Career Doctor responds:
Kudos first for planning in advance — and for doing the research — with regard to
your resume. Resumes are extremely important documents, and I am always
amazed at how many bad resumes I see — poor focus, too wordy, ugly/boring
appearance, with typos and misspellings. Resumes are one of the main tools
with which prospective employers judge you — and help them decide whether
to call you for an interview.
The key element of resumes you are missing is that a resume is not some
statement of job duties or descriptions. A resume is about showing how you
took a job and made it your own — and helped the employer in the process. A
resume highlights your key accomplishments in every job. And even when
you have held similar jobs over a long period, you should still have quantifiable accomplishments in every position.
So, you certainly could make a chrono-functional resume, where the job-seeker chooses about three broad functional skills areas, but what would you list under the
functional categories? Not job duties. But I think a standard chronological resume
would work fine for you as long as you take the time to sit back and examine
your accomplishments in each job.
Here are some Quintessential Careers resume resources that you may find useful:
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- Accomplishments Worksheet,
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- typos and misspellings,
- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Dan writes:
I am an architect in my late 50s who is finding it exceedingly difficult even with
an exceptional work history to get any response to resumes sent to executive-search firms. This even when (1) it would seem my background would match
perfectly with senior management position requirements advertised, (2) I state
my salary is negotiable, and (3) when asked, I respond that I am open to
relocating if necessary. In a youth-oriented profession such as architecture,
is there a certain approach that should be following in submitting in seeking
a position or in the job-hunting process in general?
The Career Doctor responds:
As baby boomers continue to get older, I think we will see many changes
in how older job-seekers are viewed — and we’re already seeing some of
those changes — but perceptions are slow to change (and vary by industry
and profession).
Are you focusing all your energies on executive recruiters? And if so, why?
Recruiters can be one source of job leads — but should only be one source.
Remember that headhunters work for the employers — and not job-seekers —
so you need to be just as aggressive in following-up with these recruiters
as you would employers.
Have you been networking? I know long-time readers of my blog are
probably tired of me constantly beating the networking drum, but all studies
point to the importance and power of networking when job-hunting. And many
professional organizations also often have career and job postings on their
Websites and at conferences. Investigate all the possibilities.
One of the other things I’ve discovered about older job-seekers, especially
those who have been out of job-hunting for many years, is that they are often
weak on job-search techniques and tools. What does your resume look like? Have
you taken dates off your degrees and limited your list of experience to no more
than 20 years of work? Is your resume centered around accomplishments and achievements?
Finally, what about the resources of your alma mater? Contact the college where
you received your architecture degree and see how the career services and alumni offices can help you with your job search.
Get more help with your resume by reading numerous articles and reviewing samples
in the Resume Resources section of
Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- work history
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
SEH writes:
How do you build a ‘“good resume” if you have LOTS of gaps in your job history?
I know that in order to get in to explain to someone face to face, you need a way to get
your foot in the door, and trust me, with my resume, I’m not going anywhere!
The Career Doctor responds:
Employment gaps are always a challenge when developing a resume. Small
gaps are not that unusual anymore as the employment landscape has changed
over the last decade or so. If you have a large gap — or multiple gaps — however,
you will need to be a bit creative in dealing with the issue.
The ideal situation is when you can show you were doing something productive
during your employment gap — getting additional training, education, certifications or working part-time, freelancing, consulting, or volunteering.
If you were ill or dealing with a family emergency, or simply out of the workforce
by choice, your best bet may be to develop a functional resume. A functional
resume is organized around three or four skills areas (such as communications, leadership, customer service, project management, etc.). You then list key
accomplishments from all your experiences within each skills cluster (such as,
directed marketing campaign that doubled annual sales over a three-year period
while industry growth remained stagnant).
Be forewarned that employers and recruiters look suspiciously at chrono-functional resumes. However, for some job-seekers,
a chrono-functional resume is really the only choice; thus, the key is then developing a
superior resume that wins over even the most diehard skeptic (and keeping your chronological resume handy in case the chrono-functional version isn’t effective).
For more tips and advice, read this article from Quintessential Careers:
How to Handle a Gap in Your Job History.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- volunteering
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Janet writes:
When should you use a chronological resume? When should you use a functional resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
You’re not going to like this answer: It depends. The resume format most in favor these
days is the standard chronological resume, which is organized around a straightforward
employment history. Job-seekers with a solid employment history who are looking for
advancement within their career field typically use a chronological resume. Employers
and headhunters prefer the chronological resume because it’s easy to assess issues
such as employment history, qualifications, and career advancement by a simple
glance at the resume. Functional resumes (and I advise not a purely functional resume but a chrono-functional resume) downplay employment history in favor of
functional skills clusters, and are most used by new college grads, career changers,
and job-seekers with employment gaps.
The answer I am giving to all my clients and students is this: In today’s job market, it
is critical to have resumes for all job-search situations. Thus, I recommend developing
both a chrono-functional and chronological resume for job-seekers in situations where a
functional is typically the preferred. I also recommend having a least one electronic
version of a resume as more and more of job searching moves to computer-based
resume databases. The traditional print resume is not dead, but it is losing ground
daily to its electronic counterparts.
Remember that a resume is a statement of facts designed to sell your unique mix of
education, experience, accomplishments, and skills to a prospective employer.
On the other hand, remember that a resume is a marketing document, so do not
be modest; be clear about successes and accomplishments — and quantify
whenever possible.
So, what are the most important things to remember about resumes?
- The function of a resume is to get you a job interview, not the job.
- A resume is a statement of facts, so do not fudge dates, titles, accomplishments.
- Focus is critical; each resume should be tailored to a specific job, a specific employer.
- With employment history, focus on (quantifiable) accomplishments rather than duties and responsibilities.
- Appearances matter, so make sure your printed resume uses conventional (for your profession) fonts, colors, margin widths, etc.
- Avoid mistakes. Typos and misspellings will end the chances of even the most qualified job-seekers.
- Provide detailed contact information. Include your home phone, cell phone, and email.
Read more in my article, published on Quintessential Careers:
What Resume Format is Best For You?
You should also consider reading this article about e-resumes written by my partner,
Katharine Hansen: The Top 10 Things
You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Lynn writes:
I have recently made a slight shift in my job field. I was an administrative
assistant for more than six years and now I am working in the Accounting Department.
How do I reflect the change in duties from administrative assistant to (I don’t
really have a title now)…accounting. I have been doing this for only a month,
but I recognize that the pay is better on this side of the fence. Some of my
daily functions parallel what I was doing in my previous position. However, I
want to show progression on my resume without looking like I job hop.
The Career Doctor responds:
I am a very big proponent of keeping one’s resume current. You never
know, especially in the current economic and corporate climate, when
you’ll be in a situation where you need to have your hands on an up-to-date
resume. So, I laud your efforts.
And when you get promoted (or transferred) within your current employer,
that’s not job-hopping. In your case, it shows that your employer values
your work enough to expand your job responsibilities.
You really need a job title, so you should either ask for a new one — or
suggest one to your boss. Once you have the new job title, you can show the
progress from administrative assistant to the new position on your resume.
While it may be a bit too early in your new position to identify some of your
key accomplishments, remember that whenever you are describing jobs on
your resume you should try and identify quantifiable accomplishments rather
than list duties or responsibilities. Employers want to know how you made
the job your own — and how you excelled in it.
You can find some great advice on writing a powerful resume — in the form
of articles and tutorials — in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
I would appreciate your help with a couple of questions. Is gray granite paper
acceptable for a resume and cover letter? As well, is it necessary to send the
resume in a large envelope so the resume doesn’t need to be folded? I have heard
conflicting opinions on whether or not to print a cover letter on personal letterhead.
What is your professional opinion on this?
The Career Doctor responds:
Resumes are one of the fundamental tools of job-hunting, and while most of your time
and effort should be focused on the content, it’s also important to discuss format issues.
Remember that the entire goal of a resume is to generate enough interest from the
employer to grant you a job interview.
But before I get to the format issues, let’s just hit the highlights of resume content.
- Resumes should be specifically focused to the job you are seeking; there is
no such thing as a “general purpose” resume.
- Resumes need to focus on your key accomplishments, not on duties and
responsibilities; employers want to see that you can produce results.
- Resumes must have zero errors; one typo or misspelling can easily be the difference between getting an interview and having the resume tossed in the trash.
- Resumes are statements of fact; do not lie or stretch the truth when writing your resume.
Back to your question about resume format. Here are some general resume rules:
- Paper: plain white is perfectly acceptable. If you want to go with a color, choose
muted colors, such as gray, beige, slate, etc.
- Printing: ideal is still a laser printer, but ink jets are fine — as long as you let the
ink dry so that the ink does not smear.
- Mailing: sending your resume in a standard size business envelope is fine, though
more and more job-seekers are using larger envelopes so that the resume does not
need to be folded.
- Style: your resume and cover letter should match — in letterhead, in type style (font),
and in paper color. And never, ever send a cover letter on company letterhead.
One final comment about resumes: Whenever possible, it’s always best to see if the employer
has a preferred resume style. Some elements of resume design are very subjective. Many
employers now list these requirements on the corporate career Websites. I have a client who
has an amazing functional resume (organized around skills clusters), but a recent prospective
employer asked her to totally rewrite and reformat her resume into a standard chronological resume because that format was preferred.
Looking for more resume help? Quintessential Careers has
resume quizzes
and an article on creating
Web-ready resumes. Go to: Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Quick question: How do you handle and resume that is now 2 pages…
no way around the second page…have to turn in Friday and I am stumped!!
The Career Doctor responds:
There is nothing wrong with established job-seekers having a two-page resume.
Even some exceptional recent college grads may need two pages to showcase
all their accomplishments, skills, education/training, and talents and abilities.
In fact, it’s much better to have a two-page resume with normal margins and font
size than to try and condense all your information onto one page using narrow
margins and tiny type, virtually guaranteeing that no employer is going to even
bother trying to read it.
Here are some rules about writing a two-page resume. First, if you need to go
to a second page, do so. Just be sure that the second page is at least half full;
anything less, and you should find a way to cut/condense to make the
information fit on one page. Second, be careful not to divide elements from page
one to page two; in other words, do not start a section on page one that carries
over to page two. Third, be sure to include a header at the top of the second page
identifying it as page two of your resume. Fourth, do not even consider going to a third page.
Some other general rules of resume-writing: focus (and quantify whenever possible) on accomplishments rather than job duties or responsibilities; showcase transferable skills when your work experience has been outside the traditional path; consider a functional style over a (traditional) chronological format when changing careers; consider leaving dates off college degrees to avoid age discrimination.
Find lots more information, articles, tutorials, and resources in the
Resume and CV
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Julie writes:
I have been unemployed for a little over a year, but I have been doing all the paper work for my husband’s business he has on the side. I also live on a farm. So I really haven’t been employed. How would I add this in my resume? If I leave it off they will think I haven’t been working.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have to remember, Julie, that you determine how you frame your experience — both on your resume and in job interviews. The employer is not a mind-reader, so unless you showcase your experience, skills, and accomplishments, you are not going to get many interviews.
So many job-seekers are in a similar situations as yours. Perhaps they worked for a family business, perhaps it was volunteer work, or perhaps it was taking a year off to go back to school…But what you and all these other job-seekers don’t understand is that all these things add up to your specific mix of skills and abilities. Employers are more interested in job-seekers that have been doing something during a hiatus from full-time, paid employment than job-seekers who appear to have been doing nothing,
What’s the answer? Don’t discount any of the year that you’ve been working on the farm and helping your husband’s business. Instead, embrace that experience. Find experience, skills, and accomplishments that you can pull from the past year’s work. If you find the experience doesn’t quite fit into a neat career path, then consider experimenting by supplementing your conventional chronological resume with a chrono-functional style. What’s the difference? Chronological resumes focus on your job history while chrono-functional resumes focus on specific (transferable) skills sets you’ve mastered. Read more in these articles published on Quintessential Careers: Should You Consider a Functional Resume? and Strategic
Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.
You can also find many more resume-related articles and tutorials in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tad writes:
What if your job doesn’t involve numbers, dollars saved. I’m a security officer. How do I write a compelling resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
Tad, kudos to you for understanding the importance of quantifying on your resume. Job-seekers must show prospective employers your accomplishments rather than simply telling them — and quantifying results is one method to do just that.
But now you have to take that understanding to the next level, because you can quantify and showcase your accomplishments in just about any job. For example, can’t you quantify the number of hours, days, weeks, etc. without incidents; the number of hours of training and professional development; the number (and types) of security devices/technology you’ve mastered; number of security investigations successfully closed; commendations (or other records of achievement) you have received.
There are really two keys to writing successful resumes and cover letters. The first key, as you know, is stating your accomplishments (rather than job duties). For an in-depth review of this issue, please read our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
The second key is researching and using job-specific keywords in your resumes and cover letters. Employers are increasingly turning to keywords to conduct searches of resume databases, and if your resume doesn’t contain those keywords the company is using, then you are pretty much dead in the water. So, how does a job-seeker know what keywords to use on his or her resume? Good question. The quick and dirty answer is that you need to study job postings and job descriptions and find the pattern of words employers use and then be sure to insert them into your resume. The longer — and
better — answer is to read the very detailed article (and sidebars) from my partner, Katharine Hansen, published on Quintessential Careers: Tapping
the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- resume databases
Don’t repeat your resume. Instead, use your cover letter to give context to the achievements and job functions listed in your resume. Frame your accomplishments with the journalism questions — who, what, when, where, why and how — and do it succinctly. Use paragraphs to tell the story (the context) and bullets for achievements (results). You can write about each experience with the formula: situation, action and results.
This tip brought to you by OptimalResume.com, a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in flexible, online solutions for resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, portfolios, skills assessments, video resumes, and professional website creation, along with options for recruiters and employers to find, screen and interview candidates online. OptimalResume.com will debut its latest software, Optimal 2.0, in July 2009.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen Danyels writes:
I’m thinking about switching jobs, but when I look at what my duties are here, they don’t sound like very much at all. My job is basically data entry and word processing. My duties include running almost all packages that go to the courthouse. These include starting evictions, running eviction packages, the Substitute Trustee, Notice of Sale, Notice of Hearing, staying in contact with the mortgage companies, ordering Title Searches, ordering Publication requests from the newspapers, Final Reports, and various other forms. I also had the highest grade in my class in editing and
proofreading, the only A in the class.
The Career Doctor responds:
Karen, you are making one of the classic job-seeker mistakes. You should not be focusing on your duties at all — you should be focusing on your accomplishments! Accomplishments are so much more meaningful to prospective employers than run-of-the-mill litanies of job duties or responsibilities. Spend some time brainstorming about your skills and accomplishments — in all your jobs and education — with an eye toward the type of job you want next. Eliminate any skills that you no longer want to perform; otherwise you will be stuck in another job doing things you no longer enjoy.
Once you have this list of accomplishments and skills, it’s time to work on your resume. One article in particular that you should find useful is: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume, by my partner, Katharine Hansen. If you need more help with your resume, go to the Resume
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Kenneth writes:
I have read numerous instructions on how to prepare a resume, use key words, proper fonts and paper, list education, etc. etc. I’m looking for a way to tell a prospective employer about my knowledge. I know a resume lists my schools, degrees jobs, job titles, etc., but I want a way to describe my knowledge gained in these studies and experiences. Preferably, I’d like to have it in database format so that a prospective employer can search it to see if I have the knowledge they want. After all we are in a knowledge age. Do you know if there is a tool or a way I can do this?
The Career Doctor responds:
I think there are really two answers for you here, Kenneth.
First, there is very trendy “Summary of Qualifications” section of your resume. (Sometimes also called “Professional Profile,” “Key Skills,” “Qualifications,” or “Key Accomplishments.”) It is in this section where you can showcase your knowledge from all your education and work experiences. I like to think of this section as an executive summary of your entire resume.
Second, you can develop a text-based resume, which is designed specifically for databases. Text resumes follow all the rules of regular resumes, but the design and format are much different, focusing on key words and jargon that may be used when an employer searches their resume database. These searches are done using keywords and phrases that describe the skills and education required for the position, thus when writing a text-based resume it is extremely important for you to use terms and familiar industry acronyms (jargon) that describe your skills and experience. Read my article, Scannable Resume Fundamentals. (Although very few resumes are “scanned” anymore, the same principles apply to text-based resumes.)
Finally, you should consider reading: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume. This is a great article for anyoneM working on sharpening and improving their resume.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
J.R. writes:
I have a 2-year employment gap on my resume. I took some personal time off for mental recuperation, but I know I can’t say this in an interview. How can I fill this gap or make it look somewhat better?
The Career Doctor responds:
I would suggest a two-pronged approach — one for your resume and one for your interviews.
On your resume: I would suggest that you consider converting your chronological resume to a chrono-functional format. Chrono-functional resumes focus on your accomplishments in key skills areas; your employment history is summarized at the end of your resume — and gaps become less apparent. You can read more about functional resumes in Should You
Consider a Functional Resume?
In the interview: It’s best to position this employment gap as time well-spent on improving or challenging yourself. If you took some educational courses (or even just read a lot), you should focus on the attainment of new skills and knowledge; if you volunteered your services, you should focus on your accomplishments; and if you did some consulting, you should focus on the gap as a time to spread your wings and try to make it on your own.
As you can tell from these examples, you need to position the gap as having some redeeming value — besides improving your mental health.
Finally, remember that while you are self-conscious about the gap, some interviewers may never even notice it … so don’t volunteer potentially negative information; wait for the employer to raise the issue before offering an explanation.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Eugene writes:
I am a student studying law, and I recently decided to apply for a position as a
paralegal with some law firms. I spent some time looking at your Quintessential
Careers website. Now, I do not doubt for a minute that much research is able to
substantiate the information that you have presented, but I find it difficult to
imagine that some of the techniques you mention do work. What immediately
springs to mind is the section on closing paragraphs: “I will call your office in
the next week to schedule an appointment.”
To me, that sounds quite unorthodox, and perhaps even pushy and rude. I
actually incorporated a line to the same effect in my cover letters after
reading your website, but now I am wondering whether it was the best thing
to do. Could you please explain to me why this works?
The Career Doctor responds:
In any job market, but especially in this job market, job-seekers need to know
how to best market themselves to prospective employers. This self-marketing strategy has several components when writing cover letters.
First, rather than saying something like “I hope you’ll find my qualifications a good
match with what you’re looking for,” you need to show — and tell — the employer that
you are a good match for the position. Describe how your accomplishments, skills, and training are a perfect match for the employer’s needs.
Second, you do need to end your letter with an aggressive stance. If you do not want
to be so aggressive as to say you will call for an interview, you can simply say you
will call to discuss the job. Employers want go-getters, not passive employees.
Third, as I have stated numerous other times, you MUST follow-up all your cover
letters and job applications. Saying you are going to call is the easy part; the hard
part is actually making the phone call. And in the phone call, you need to still be
aggressive in not taking no for an answer — just remember to stay professional
at all times — while showcasing why you are the perfect person for the job.
Find lots more helpful information and resources in the
cover letter resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Greg writes:
I am in the process of locating a position after being employed for nine years with one employer. I have my resume completed, but I need to know what information to include on my references for the interviews.
The Career Doctor responds:
References are a funny thing. Most employers ask for them, but depending upon the position, only a small percentage of employers really bother to call all the people on a job-seeker’s reference list.
Here are a couple of tips regarding reference lists:
- Never put references on your resume. Make a list on a separate sheet of paper that matches your resume (and cover letter).
- Never include references with your resume and cover letter, unless specifically asked by the potential employer.
- Choose people who know you professionally and can speak well of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Always list your strongest reference first.
- Make sure you ask people if they mind serving as a reference for you — and then contact them again when you think they may be contacted by a potential employer.
- Try to use people who know you professionally, but if you are a recent college graduate or someone returning to the workforce, you can list a personal (character) reference.
- Make sure you completely identify each reference, including name, title, company, address, phone number, e-mail address.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Jacqueline writes:
I have a question regarding the closing, “Take Care,” at the end of business
cover letters. Is that considered “less” professional than all the traditional closings?
The Career Doctor responds:
I consider “take care” as a bit too informal for traditional cover letters. I have
seen it in email cover letters, and I find it a bit more acceptable there. When
writing conventional cover letters, I would stick with the traditional closings:
sincerely and cordially.
In the grand scheme of cover-letter writing, though, I think how you close the
letter is of little consequence compared to the much bigger issues that I list
below.
Key cover letter strategies:
- Addressing the letter to a named individual. Job-seekers must address the
letter to a person — the hiring manager. And if you make the effort to get the name,
make sure you spell it correctly. Do not write to the Human Resources department.
- The first paragraph must engage the reader and entice him/her to read more
of your letter. Do not waste this opening paragraph with the typical boring one that
many job-seekers use.
- The second and third paragraphs must show how well you fit the position you
are seeking — as well as highlight key accomplishments. Focus on what you can
do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.
- The last paragraph must state how you plan to follow-up the letter (usually
with a phone call). Be sure to give a timeframe — and then be sure to do what you
say you are going to do.
Finally, be sure also to avoid:
- Long (read boring) sentences and paragraphs;
- Letters longer than one page;
- Typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors;
- Simply rehashing/highlighting your resume
And remember to follow-up all cover letters with a phone call — showing your
continued interest in the position and the employer.
Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers:
Don’t
Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes.
And to find just about everything you ever wanted to know about cover letters, including
numerous samples, go to the Cover Letter Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Lorraine writes:
I have a query. My husband was retrenched almost 8 months ago now, and
I want to send his CV to as many printing
companies that I can find in South Africa. I also want to send a covering
letter attached with his CV explaining that he was retrenched 8 months ago and
would like to know if any of these companies have any vacancies. Please help
me with the wording of this letter as I am at a loss?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Certainly one of the key components of a job search should still be cold contact,
where the job-seeker sends his or her cover letter and resume (or CV) to companies
that might have job openings. The critical factor with this strategy is getting the
name and title of the hiring manager for your area of expertise and then writing
a powerful cover letter. Why does cold contact work? It works because of the
large hidden job market; the vast majority of job openings never get advertised
or posted, so cold contact is a way of applying for positions that may in fact be
open.
I assume that while you are writing the letters, that they will actually be signed
by your husband. The cover letter is critical — its function is to spark enough
interest so that the employer then looks at your resume (or CV). Think of the
cover letter as a sales pitch letter, where the item you are selling is yourself —
your mix of skills, accomplishments, and education. You NEVER want to put
anything negative in your cover letter. And while many folks are being retrenched
or rightsized or re-engineered out of jobs, it’s still a negative. Employers want to
see job-seekers who are (or appear) gainfully employed. So, please, say nothing
about the retrenchment in your cover letter; saying anything will only harm your
husband’s chances. Read more about writing cover letters in the Quintessential
Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.
Finally, please remember that your efforts are not complete once you mail the
cover letters and CVs to the printing companies. The last paragraph of your cover
letter should request action — an interview — and after a reasonable amount of time
(1-2 weeks), you MUST follow-up and contact each company — each hiring
manager — and ask for the interview. If you don’t follow-up, you are wasting your
time even sending the cover letters and CVs.
A note to all job-seekers: Please don’t wait eight months after being downsized to
start job-hunting. Take some time to reflect and consider whether it’s time to change
careers — but even if you get a big severance package, you should get right back out
there on the job market. The longer you wait to start job-searching, the harder it will
be for you.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Michelle writes:
I have found my dream job, but I am having a hard time writing the “winning” resume. I had average grades in school, wasn’t in any sports, and I’m not a member of anything other than a women’s club (basically I’m on a list and get a newsletter, no involvement).
I have a fairly steady work history, but all my jobs are ho-hum when it comes to accomplishments. Resume advice always says to quantify your successes. Well, I have been a pharmacy technician for 8 years … filling prescriptions and typing data into a computer — not too much to say about that. I was a data-entry person for about 1.5 years, and I don’t have a very good review from my boss in that area. I am currently an eligibility analyst (I look in a computer to see if a client’s files are loaded into our database) … Not too challenging.
The Career Doctor responds:
There are all sorts of ways to “quantify” your successes and skills, but first you need to step back and do a better job of identifying what they are. You remind me of a young woman who came to us for advice after several years as of doing clerical and secretarial work. She thought her experience and skills were not going to help her get
the job of her dreams, but she was wrong.
What you need to do is change the way you look at your experiences. I suggest you read the section on transferable skills at Quintessential Careers, starting with Strategic
Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique, by Katharine Hansen. I am quite confident that once you’ve read this section, you’ll be able to go back and write a strong resume based on your new understanding of your skills and accomplishments.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mark writes:
My past with the automotive aftermarket leads me to think I never was a true salesman. I seem to service accounts more than sell them. Could I say I was a customer relations or account manager? I sold maybe 20 percent of the time and did stock adjustment, new part numbers. and buying lunch.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have to remember that above all else, a resume is a marketing tool. A resume’s purpose is to interest the potential employer just enough to grant you an interview and help you along to the next step in the job-hunting journey.
So, my answer is yes, of course you can define your accomplishments — and your transferable skills — as you see fit. From your brief description, I would have to totally agree. And believe me when I tell you I have seen some pretty long stretches when I have reviewed resumes.
The key for you is determining if servicing accounts or account management is important. If it is, then you should certainly emphasize all the experience you have in this area.
You can read much more about resumes and find some great resources
by going to Quintessential Careers:
Resume Resources.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Maria writes:
I had been job-hunting without much success when a recruiter at a job fair
told me he thought my resume was really bad. I was shocked! I thought
I had a pretty darn good resume. What do I need to write and improve my
resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
You didn’t attach your resume, so I don’t know for sure what the specific
problem is with your resume, but I have seen enough bad resumes to know
some of the most common problems. And for a recruiter to tell you that your
resume was bad means that it must be really bad. I’m not trying to be overly
harsh, but to add a douse of realism because I find job-seekers often ask for
advice on improving their resume when they secretly love it and plan no changes.
So… here are my all-purposes fixes for resumes.
First, your resume has to have a focus. Every job-seeker needs to be a specialist,
a specialist that fits the needs of the prospective employer perfectly. Sometimes
a job objective or summary of qualifications can give you the edge you are seeking.
Second, your resume must showcase your accomplishments. Employers like
specifics. They don’t want to know you saved your former employer money; they
want to know exactly how much money you saved. They want to know the exact
size of the staff you managed, the amount you increased revenues, the level of
customer satisfaction you delivered.
Third, there is no such thing as one resume. Gone is a one-size-fits-all resume.
Every resume you send out should be different from all the others. You need to
use specific keywords and phrases that fit each employer.
Fourth, your resume has to look appealing, welcoming. Yes, it’s superficial, but a
plain resume (or worse, from a template) screams plain job-seeker. Take the initiative
to design your own resume style… or hire a professional resume-writer who can do
it for you.
For more information, check out these articles on Quintessential Careers:
Many more articles, resources, and tools can be found in the
Resume Resources section of
Quintessential Careers and in the Resume
and Cover Letters Tips Blog of Quintessential Resumes & Cover Letters.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Shawn writes:
I have worked for Wal-Mart for the past three years. Last year I was promoted to
department manager. Around that time I also started college studying software programming.
About nine months after I started the department-manager position, I voluntarily stepped down
to concentrate more on my school work. The thing is, I have a job interview coming up in my
desired field that I have been going to school for. What I was wondering was, if they ask
why I stepped down, what should I say? I don’t want it to seem as if I am not willing to “go
up the corporate ladder” within the company. I am willing to do so, it just wasn’t in my
career path to be a manager in a retail company.
The Career Doctor responds:
It’s funny, because I don’t see it as much of a problem for the interview as I do on
your resume. If you already have at least one interview lined up, then I assume
you’ve handled it properly on your resume.
In normal situations, a step backward could easily be perceived by prospective employers as being a major red flag. Many might see your situation and assume
you are either lacking the skills or the drive to be successful.
However, you can totally spin your situation into a win-win. Here’s what you have
going for you: First, you highlight your time-management skills by showcasing
how you managed to work full-time and attend college. Second, you can showcase
your loyalty to the company by voluntarily stepping down from the manager position
for their best interest — since you knew you could not do the job justice and attend
college. Third, you can discuss how retail was simply a tool to help pay for college
(while also gaining valuable experience) and that what you are studying in college
is preparing you for your future career.
Just don’t go negative. Don’t trash retail or the company. Instead, talk about some
of your key accomplishments, as well as the transferable skills you have developed
while working there. Show how the combination of your experience and education
make you the ideal candidate for the position.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Linda writes:
My husband is retiring from the service. He has made his way
up the ladder, from an enlisted personnel to an officer. He is in
the engineering field. The problem is most of the minimum
requirements for positions he is applying for require a bachelor’s
degree. He is approximately 20 credit hours away from this,
and still actively in school. What are some suggestions on
verbiage for the cover letter and resume to address this?
The Career Doctor responds:
First, kudos to your husband, both for the service to our country,
but also for working on furthering his education in preparation for
work in the civilian sector.
Your husband has three things working for him right now. First,
many employers are actively seek transitioning military veterans
because of the extensive experience and training they receive
while in the service. Second, engineering is an occupation back
in demand. Third, he is close to completing his degree.
Here’s how you address his situation on these key documents.
On the resume. The goal of a resume is to secure a job interview.
I would start with a summary of qualifications section, outlining
his three or four key qualities that make him the perfect candidate
for the job he is seeking. One of those bullets should be his
college education, the others should focus on his experience.
Since he is actively working on his education, I would list
education next, and when you list the degree he is receiving,
put the date you expect him to be done with it. Then list his
experience. I would also have a section on his advancement
from enlisted personnel to officer.
On the cover letter. Remember the key task of the cover letter is
to sell the hiring manager just enough so that he or she will
review the resume. You want to start of strongly identifying the
key strengths — and ideally tie those directly to what the employer
is looking for in a job candidate. In the second paragraph, I would
highlight some of the specific accomplishments of the work
experience, along with the number of years in the field. In the
third paragraph, I would mention the near-completed degree,
and the specific date when it’s expected to be completed.
Note: some employers will substitute years of experience for
an incomplete education. For example, college grad and five
years experience, or some college and eight years of experience.
Learn more both in the
resume resources
and the military transition
sections of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Ira writes:
I have been asked to create a brief resume for a friend who has
an extensive career history.
He has a professional background which is varied and I feel that
everything he has done is very relative to the situation he is applying for.
I feel the resume needs to combine both functional and chronological
aspects of his career and expertise; however, the same problem arises —
it ALL seems relevant.
How should I target/focus this resume? What could be deemed
unnecessary, if anything? How can I condense a 20-year-work history
and list of achievements into 1-2 pages?
The Career Doctor responds:
The No. 1 rule of resume writing is focus. You must have a focus
when you write a resume. A resume is not a work summary; it is,
however, a marketing document that clearly shows why a job-seeker
is the perfect candidate for the job.
If your friend truly has a varied work experience, you could categorize
those experiences within the resume — but why not just do a standard
chronological resume? (A side note for inexperienced job-seekers:
everything goes in reverse chronological order, with the most recent
information first.)
Also, the rule-of-thumb is that you do not want to list work experience
that is more than 15 years old, partly because you do not want to
give away information about age, and partly because technologies
in most fields have changed greatly in the last 20 years.
As for page length, you can certainly go to two pages for someone who
has that much experience, and some resume-writing experts say you
can make an executive resume as long as it needs to be.
As you are writing the resume, remember to focus on quantifiable
accomplishments.
Other key resume rules: make it perfect/avoid all errors; use traditional
fonts/sizes; avoid graphics and excess colors; provide detailed contact
information; do not include salary information, names of supervisors, or
references.
One other tip for someone who has a lot of experience. If you have done
a number of projects or consulting work, you might consider an
addendum to your resume that focuses on them specifically.
Bottom line? This resume sounds like it may be too much for an
amateur to tackle. I would probably recommend that your friend
invest in a professional resume writer.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Randle writes:
My question for you is how heavily do prospective employers consider the
fact that you have been fired? I have asked others whether I should I
remove this place of employment from my resume, and most have said
no because it will leave an unexplainable gap in my employment. I was
only employed there for 6 months and was terminated because I didn’t
fit in. I was told there was no room there for me anymore and they were
going to hire someone else.
The Career Doctor responds:
Your letter just goes to show how callous some employers can be. So sorry,
we don’t really like you and you don’t fit, so see you later. Of course, in some
ways, that employer did you a favor because it’s certainly better to find out
sooner rather than later.
My opinion is that as long as this was not a dead-end job, that you should
include it on your resume.
There are several ways to judge whether you should put this job on your
resume. You need to decide how important it is to your career advancement.
If this was your first job in your field, then you need to use it to show you
have experience… If you gained valuable skills from this job, you need to
include it. And if you have solid accomplishments, you need to include
the job.
On the other hand, if you were taking classes or volunteering at the same
time as this job — and you have something to fill the gap, then you might
consider omitting it.
Most importantly, do not call attention to it. Don’t say you were fired.
Simply list it as you do any other employment on your resume. Remember:
no negative information on your resume.
Once you get to the next level of your job search — the job interview — you
will need to have an explanation about the short stint. And what employers
are looking for is not any kind of excuse; what employers want to hear is
what you learned from it, so always look for a positive lesson.
Being fired can certainly be traumatic, and job-seekers sometimes feel as
though they have been branded with a big “F” on their foreheads, but you
need to clear your head and move on, otherwise your lack of confidence
will come through in your job search.
Read more in my article, Getting
Fired: An Opportunity for Change and Growth, published on Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- volunteering
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Heidi writes:
What are some tricks to making resumes more effective? I am not having
much success in finding a new job and at least one person has suggested
my resume could be stronger. But how?
The Career Doctor responds:
I don’t know about tricks, but I can certainly give you some strategic pointers.
I am constantly amazed at how many bad resumes I see on a regular basis —
and with all the articles, books, and Web-based resources, I simply do not
understand how it is possible.
Let’s start with the purpose of a resume. A resume is a marketing document
designed to arouse enough interest in a prospective employer to call you for
a job interview. It’s a statement of facts — education, skills, and accomplishments —
designed to show how you would make the ideal candidate for the open position.
A resume should focus on the positive. It should not include any negative information.
It should also not include duties and responsibilities, salary information, names of supervisors, or references.
And a resume should be tailored to each specific job, each specific employer.
Once you have your resume written, you’ll want to modify it each time you send
it off. From the job description and from the company’s literature or Website, pull
some of their words and jargon and incorporate them into your resume.
Finally, consider adding some kind of summary at the top of your resume. You
could use a keywords section, a job title, or a qualifications summary… something
that a hiring manager will see from a quick scan of your resume.
And please do not forget that looks and writing matter. Make the resume attractive
and avoid all grammatical errors. Do not use a template, but instead create your
own format or borrow one from a resume you find attractive. And whenever possible,
have someone proofread your resume before you send it out.
For more help with resumes — from articles to tutorials, samples, and more — go to this
section of Quintessential Careers: Resume
and CV Resources for Job-Seekers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
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- education,
- employer,
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- job title,
- keywords section,
- marketing document,
- names of supervisors,
- or references,
- qualifications summary,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- salary information,
- skills
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Ashley writes:
Dr. Hansen, I have gotten several different opinions on my resume, with some saying
it’s good, and others saying I should have a functional resume. I have been to my
college’s career services and other professors. So I am not really sure which is
best for me. Should a new college grad have a functional resume? Should my
resume be limited to one page? Please let me know what you think.
The Career Doctor responds:
Several things jump at me when I look at your resume. All job-seekers should
remember that a resume is a strategic marketing document that must have two
key elements: design and content.
First, let’s discuss design. Every design aspect must be consistent on your resume
— same style of headings, same margins… a coherent and appealing look. One of
my pet peeves deals with margins… I hate unusually narrow margins. There’s a rule
of “thumb” with resumes — margins must be big enough for my (big) thumbs to hold on
to it and not cover any content.
Resumes must also be designed with some flair, and job-seekers often accomplish this style
through varying typography, font size, and font selection. Your name and major headings
should be larger, perhaps in a different font. And be sure to include as much contact
information as possible.
Second, let’s talk content. I would recommend you — and all job-seekers — use one
of the “hotter” elements in resume writing — the “Qualifications Summary,” also
sometimes referred to as “Professional Profile.” This section is what I
like to refer to as the executive summary of your resume — it may change depending
on what type of job you are seeking — but it should be the key 3-5 accomplishments
that make you better than anyone else for the job you are seeking.
And as you write about your experience, remember to focus on accomplishments, keywords, and action verbs. Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments.
As for resume length, the current rule is a resume is as long as it needs to be based
on your experience, and college grads with lots of experience can have two-page resumes.
Get more information on resumes and resume-writing in this section of Quintessential Careers: Resume and CV
Resources for Job-Seekers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
- action verbs,
- executive summary,
- functional resume,
- job-seekers,
- keywords,
- Professional Profile,
- Qualifications Summary,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume length,
- resume-writing,
- resumes,
- strategic marketing document
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Cathy writes:
For the first time in 23 years, I am conducting a job search that includes the
Internet. I understand the importance of having a resume in text format to
submit where requested.
I am also hearing that most recruiters, employers, etc. prefer resumes now be
submitted electronically. Is this true? Maybe it’s the old-fashioned marketer in
me, but my tendency is to search the web for jobs and then send my resume the
traditional way by mail so I can differentiate by different fonts, paper style,
appearance-related factors. Could this be working against me?
Â
If so, even when I am asked to attach my resume as a Word document, I fear that
various PCs will alter formats, fonts and spacing — so it’s back to the plain Jane text,
or is it?
Â
Â
The Career Doctor responds:
While I totally agree with you about the power of print resumes, I have to sadly
state that their influence in job-hunting is definitely on the decline. Job-seekers
will still need these documents for job fairs, interviews, and a direct-mail campaign,
but because the Internet has so dramatically changed how we search and apply
for jobs, you know need to focus on having a text resume.
Employers want text resumes — especially electronic versions (submitted online
or via email) — because they can easily deposit every resume into a massive
database and then use keywords to search and find the resumes that most match
their needs.
Text resumes are almost completely void of any style — and when printed, they
look pretty ugly.
So, not only are resume formats changing, but so is the content. As you work on
your electronic resume, you must be focused on keyword and keyword phrases
for your occupation and industry. Where we often avoided industry jargon in the
past, now we embrace it. Of course, accomplishments are still extremely important,
but you must now also try to phrase them the way you think a hiring manager
might conduct a resume database search.
One final thought, though. I always recommend — when possible — to follow-up an
emailed resume with a formatted resume sent through the mail. I think job-seekers
who use this combination approach have an edge over those who do not.
Read more about electronic resumes in this article on Quintessential Careers:
The Top 10 Things You
Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online. And for a
quick review of resume-writing, you might want to review this article:
Avoid These
10 Resume Mistakes.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- keywords,
- print resumes,
- Quintessential Careers,
- recruiters,
- resume,
- resume database search,
- resume formats,
- text resumes
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Amy writes:
I am writing my first resume and I am using your web site for information in
doing so. I have 7 years of experience and 3 employers on this resume.
I was at my first job 5 years and had 3 positions while I was there.
I know my whole date of employment with that employer, but I don’t know the
exact dates that I went from 1 position to another. I only have estimated dates.
How do I put estimated dates on a resume? I have been looking at sample
resumes, and I haven’t seen any with my situation. All of this will make my
resume about 1.5 pages. Is that too long? I tried to cram it on 1 page, but
the only way was to crowd it and put the type as small as 9 pt., and it was
hard too read at 9 pt. Please give me your feedback.
The Career Doctor responds:
First, kudos for thinking ahead and perfecting your resume before you jump back
into the job market. A resume of more than one page is fine for someone with
seven years of experience. A one-page resume that uses non-existent page
margins or tiny type will just not get read.
As for content… First, remember that it’s perfectly fine to develop a generalized
resume, but once you identify prospective jobs and employers, you’ll want to
customize your resume using the employer’s words and highlighting the experience
they seek.
In terms of describing your experience with your first you have two
choices. In the first approach, you list all three positions within the same company,
using the company as an umbrella. In the second approach, which is favored by
my partner Katharine Hansen, you list each job separately, which gives more
weight to each position. I also tend to favor the second approach. And if you are
unsure of your dates or exactly how to list them, contact the human resources
department of the company, thus the dates on your resume will match their
records in case a prospective employer calls to check.
Finally, some general resume rules to remember:
- Customize your resume to each position and employer.
- Focus on accomplishments, not duties.
- Design an attractive resume using normal fonts, sizes, and page margins.
- Provide as much contact information (phone, cell, e-mail) as possible.
- Avoid all errors, especially misspellings and typos.
- Keep your resume factual.
- Never include salary information, supervisor’s names, or references on your resume.
For more tips on resume-writing, including samples, go to this section of Quintessential Careers:
Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
- employer,
- employment,
- human resources,
- Katharine Hansen,
- misspellings,
- prospective employer,
- Quintessential Careers,
- references,
- resume,
- resume-writing,
- salary information,
- supervisor,
- typos
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Nancy writes:
Do you have any suggestions on how to explain/validate long periods of professional
work gaps in a resume? I am a stay-at-home mother and need some convincing
and creative ways to describe this recent position on my resume.
I would appreciate any input.
The Career Doctor responds:
I know I risk the wrath of some of the women reading this blog, but I
don’t really like to see resumes that under experience list something cute,
such as “Household Manager” or “Domestic Coordination Specialist,” as job
title for women who stay at home to manage their households and parent
their children. Of course, with a traditional chronological resume, if you don’t
list something for when you stayed at home, you will have huge gaps between jobs.
So, you really have three options. First, you can take the approach listed
above and make your time at home a category under experience. And while
I realize there are many responsibilities involved — I was fortunate enough to
be a stay-at-home dad for a few months a long, long time ago — I still don’t think,
from an employer’s prospective, that it qualifies to go in this section.
Second, you can consider experimenting with reorganizing your resume into a chrono-functional or hybrid resume that
is organized around skills clusters (such as communications, leadership,
organizational, etc.) rather than specific jobs and experience. Unfortunately, this
style of resume is a bit on the outs right now because employers fear you are
hiding something by taking this approach.
Third, you can look beyond your household and compile all the volunteering, freelancing, or other part-time or educational experiences you may have had and use those to show
that you were still using and perfecting your skills.
Remember that the goal of your resume is to get your foot in the door — to get you that
job interview — and once in the interview, you can decide how to position yourself — your experiences, skills, and accomplishments — in order to sell the employer on your candidacy.
Learn more about mastering resumes by using one of more of the excellent resources
found in the Resume and CV Resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
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- communications,
- educational experiences,
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- job interview,
- leadership,
- Quintessential Careers,
- skills,
- volunteering
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
James writes:
I’m searching for a guide on how to write my resume, but I can’t seem to find
anything. If you could give me some tips, or a site that I could go to, that would
be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Can’t find anything on resumes? Wow. There’s tons of stuff available on resumes —
in magazines, books, and on the Web… but I’ll give you a quick primer.
Your resume is a critical marketing tool. Your resume has to entice a prospective employer enough — through its focus, content, and style — to first consider your
qualifications for the job at hand and then to invite you for a job interview. A resume
is a statement of your unique mix of experiences, education, and skills. You must
not lie on your resume, but you must always remember its goal.
I think the most important thing any job-seeker should do before attempting to write
a resume is to first sit down and make a list of your skills and accomplishments from
all your previous experiences (work, volunteer, school, etc.) because you will take
from this list those critical skills and accomplishments — not your duties and
responsibilities — that highlight your fit for the next job you are seeking.
The next step is researching and identifying the job — and all the requirements of
that job — that you are seeking because it is critical that your resume is focused on
specifics. You should also research the potential employers that may have jobs that
you seek so that you can incorporate some of their keywords into your resume.
Wait! Does this advice suggest that job-seekers need to have a specifically tailored
resume for every single job they apply for? Yes! There is absolutely no reason for you
not to develop a different resume for each job and employer. For most job-seekers,
this task will simply mean tweaking small parts of your resume for similar jobs.
Once you have the content down, you should focus on the style and look of your
resume. Do not use a template; design your own. Follow a consistent style. Use
normal fonts and sizes. Use bullets rather than paragraphs. Do not use personal
pronouns. Consider using a career/job objective or profile section. Always list
education and experience in reverse chronological order (starting with the most
recent stuff). Do not list any personal information (such as age, marital status,
weight). Do not include controversial information. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS,
spell-check and carefully proofread your resume for any and all errors.
Read our articles published on Quintessential Careers: The
Scoop on Resume Length: How Many Pages Should Your Resume Be? and
10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid.
You can gets lots more advice, including resume samples, resume-writing tutorial, and more, in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Resume and CV Resources.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
- education,
- experiences,
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- skills
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Shreena writes:
I am applying for a summer undergraduate work placement in a
large company of opticians. One of the questions of the application forms is as follows: “Provide details of key achievements in your
current role including facts and figures and performance targets to
indicate the business outcome that resulted.”
Do I need to write about my role as a student at university? There is
no real business outcome that results from being a student.
The Career Doctor responds:
Thank you so much for asking this question. Everyone reading
this blog who knows a college student should be sure that
s/he reads my answer.
Most college students should leave college with two types of
experience: actual work experience gained through internships
and part-time jobs and practical experience gained through
class projects and papers.
When writing their resume, most students don’t have too hard
a time describing work experience, but one of the most
common errors I see is that students often discount those
class projects.
As the application states, the company is looking for your key
achievements/accomplishments to date. If you have previous
work experiences, list those along with their outcomes. But
don’t forget about those class projects.
For example,at the university where I previously taught, many major courses
required completing a project, often with a real client. For example,
in a marketing research class, students might work with a local
business in uncovering a problem and suggesting solutions.
When describing those student experiences, remember the same
rules that apply to describing your work experiences: always try to
quantify your descriptions, focus on outcomes and project objectives.
A sample explanation of a student project:
Market Research Project for DeLand Electronics
Developed detailed SWOT Analysis
Assisted in writing survey questionnaire
Managed survey mail-out to 1,000 residents
Compiled strategic solutions based on survey results
For more information, consider reading this article on Quintessential Careers:
For
Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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- practical experience,
- project objectives,
- Quintessential Careers,
- student experiences,
- summer undergraduate work placement,
- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Allison writes:
I thought I’d take a chance and see if I could have a question
answered that I didn’t find addressed on your Quintessential Careers Website. (Excellent site, by the way).
I am required to turn in a resume for a school district with whom
I am applying. I have been in the same type of position for 9 years,
doing relatively the same type of work (counseling). Since each of
the jobs I have held have virtually the same description, how do I
address that under the work experience?
I wondered if I should do a functional resume and bullet all the skills
I have acquired through the years and then just list the schools (or
districts) in which I have worked under the work experience.
The Career Doctor responds:
Kudos first for planning in advance — and for doing the research — with regard to
your resume. Resumes are extremely important documents, and I am always
amazed at how many bad resumes I see — poor focus, too wordy, ugly/boring
appearance, with typos and misspellings. Resumes are one of the main tools
with which prospective employers judge you — and help them decide whether
to call you for an interview.
The key element of resumes you are missing is that a resume is not some
statement of job duties or descriptions. A resume is about showing how you
took a job and made it your own — and helped the employer in the process. A
resume highlights your key accomplishments in every job. And even when
you have held similar jobs over a long period, you should still have quantifiable accomplishments in every position.
So, you certainly could make a chrono-functional resume, where the job-seeker chooses about three broad functional skills areas, but what would you list under the
functional categories? Not job duties. But I think a standard chronological resume
would work fine for you as long as you take the time to sit back and examine
your accomplishments in each job.
Here are some Quintessential Careers resume resources that you may find useful:
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
- Accomplishments Worksheet,
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- Resume Critique,
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- typos and misspellings,
- work experience
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Dan writes:
I am an architect in my late 50s who is finding it exceedingly difficult even with
an exceptional work history to get any response to resumes sent to executive-search firms. This even when (1) it would seem my background would match
perfectly with senior management position requirements advertised, (2) I state
my salary is negotiable, and (3) when asked, I respond that I am open to
relocating if necessary. In a youth-oriented profession such as architecture,
is there a certain approach that should be following in submitting in seeking
a position or in the job-hunting process in general?
The Career Doctor responds:
As baby boomers continue to get older, I think we will see many changes
in how older job-seekers are viewed — and we’re already seeing some of
those changes — but perceptions are slow to change (and vary by industry
and profession).
Are you focusing all your energies on executive recruiters? And if so, why?
Recruiters can be one source of job leads — but should only be one source.
Remember that headhunters work for the employers — and not job-seekers —
so you need to be just as aggressive in following-up with these recruiters
as you would employers.
Have you been networking? I know long-time readers of my blog are
probably tired of me constantly beating the networking drum, but all studies
point to the importance and power of networking when job-hunting. And many
professional organizations also often have career and job postings on their
Websites and at conferences. Investigate all the possibilities.
One of the other things I’ve discovered about older job-seekers, especially
those who have been out of job-hunting for many years, is that they are often
weak on job-search techniques and tools. What does your resume look like? Have
you taken dates off your degrees and limited your list of experience to no more
than 20 years of work? Is your resume centered around accomplishments and achievements?
Finally, what about the resources of your alma mater? Contact the college where
you received your architecture degree and see how the career services and alumni offices can help you with your job search.
Get more help with your resume by reading numerous articles and reviewing samples
in the Resume Resources section of
Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- salary,
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- work history
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
SEH writes:
How do you build a ‘“good resume” if you have LOTS of gaps in your job history?
I know that in order to get in to explain to someone face to face, you need a way to get
your foot in the door, and trust me, with my resume, I’m not going anywhere!
The Career Doctor responds:
Employment gaps are always a challenge when developing a resume. Small
gaps are not that unusual anymore as the employment landscape has changed
over the last decade or so. If you have a large gap — or multiple gaps — however,
you will need to be a bit creative in dealing with the issue.
The ideal situation is when you can show you were doing something productive
during your employment gap — getting additional training, education, certifications or working part-time, freelancing, consulting, or volunteering.
If you were ill or dealing with a family emergency, or simply out of the workforce
by choice, your best bet may be to develop a functional resume. A functional
resume is organized around three or four skills areas (such as communications, leadership, customer service, project management, etc.). You then list key
accomplishments from all your experiences within each skills cluster (such as,
directed marketing campaign that doubled annual sales over a three-year period
while industry growth remained stagnant).
Be forewarned that employers and recruiters look suspiciously at chrono-functional resumes. However, for some job-seekers, a chrono-functional resume is really the only choice; thus, the key is then developing a
superior resume that wins over even the most diehard skeptic (and keeping your chronological resume handy in case the chrono-functional version isn’t effective).
For more tips and advice, read this article from Quintessential Careers:
How to Handle a Gap in Your Job History.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
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- recruiters,
- training,
- volunteering
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Janet writes:
When should you use a chronological resume? When should you use a functional resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
You’re not going to like this answer: It depends. The resume format most in favor these
days is the standard chronological resume, which is organized around a straightforward
employment history. Job-seekers with a solid employment history who are looking for
advancement within their career field typically use a chronological resume. Employers
and headhunters prefer the chronological resume because it’s easy to assess issues
such as employment history, qualifications, and career advancement by a simple
glance at the resume. Functional resumes (and I advise not a purely functional resume but a chrono-functional resume) downplay employment history in favor of
functional skills clusters, and are most used by new college grads, career changers,
and job-seekers with employment gaps.
The answer I am giving to all my clients and students is this: In today’s job market, it
is critical to have resumes for all job-search situations. Thus, I recommend developing
both a chrono-functional and chronological resume for job-seekers in situations where a
functional is typically the preferred. I also recommend having a least one electronic
version of a resume as more and more of job searching moves to computer-based
resume databases. The traditional print resume is not dead, but it is losing ground
daily to its electronic counterparts.
Remember that a resume is a statement of facts designed to sell your unique mix of
education, experience, accomplishments, and skills to a prospective employer.
On the other hand, remember that a resume is a marketing document, so do not
be modest; be clear about successes and accomplishments — and quantify
whenever possible.
So, what are the most important things to remember about resumes?
- The function of a resume is to get you a job interview, not the job.
- A resume is a statement of facts, so do not fudge dates, titles, accomplishments.
- Focus is critical; each resume should be tailored to a specific job, a specific employer.
- With employment history, focus on (quantifiable) accomplishments rather than duties and responsibilities.
- Appearances matter, so make sure your printed resume uses conventional (for your profession) fonts, colors, margin widths, etc.
- Avoid mistakes. Typos and misspellings will end the chances of even the most qualified job-seekers.
- Provide detailed contact information. Include your home phone, cell phone, and email.
Read more in my article, published on Quintessential Careers:
What Resume Format is Best For You?
You should also consider reading this article about e-resumes written by my partner,
Katharine Hansen: The Top 10 Things
You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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- Katharine Hansen,
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- misspellings,
- new college grads,
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- resume,
- typos
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Lynn writes:
I have recently made a slight shift in my job field. I was an administrative
assistant for more than six years and now I am working in the Accounting Department.
How do I reflect the change in duties from administrative assistant to (I don’t
really have a title now)…accounting. I have been doing this for only a month,
but I recognize that the pay is better on this side of the fence. Some of my
daily functions parallel what I was doing in my previous position. However, I
want to show progression on my resume without looking like I job hop.
The Career Doctor responds:
I am a very big proponent of keeping one’s resume current. You never
know, especially in the current economic and corporate climate, when
you’ll be in a situation where you need to have your hands on an up-to-date
resume. So, I laud your efforts.
And when you get promoted (or transferred) within your current employer,
that’s not job-hopping. In your case, it shows that your employer values
your work enough to expand your job responsibilities.
You really need a job title, so you should either ask for a new one — or
suggest one to your boss. Once you have the new job title, you can show the
progress from administrative assistant to the new position on your resume.
While it may be a bit too early in your new position to identify some of your
key accomplishments, remember that whenever you are describing jobs on
your resume you should try and identify quantifiable accomplishments rather
than list duties or responsibilities. Employers want to know how you made
the job your own — and how you excelled in it.
You can find some great advice on writing a powerful resume — in the form
of articles and tutorials — in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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The third paragraph of a cover letter should fill in the blank in this sentence, says Deborah Brown-Volkman in an article on Quintessential Careers: “Here are relevant examples of what I have done that match with what you are looking for…”
“In this paragraph, discuss your accomplishments or highlights that you want to showcase or have the employer locate quickly,” advises Brown-Volkman. “Bullets work well in making your accomplishments easy to read.”
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
I would appreciate your help with a couple of questions. Is gray granite paper
acceptable for a resume and cover letter? As well, is it necessary to send the
resume in a large envelope so the resume doesn’t need to be folded? I have heard
conflicting opinions on whether or not to print a cover letter on personal letterhead.
What is your professional opinion on this?
The Career Doctor responds:
Resumes are one of the fundamental tools of job-hunting, and while most of your time
and effort should be focused on the content, it’s also important to discuss format issues.
Remember that the entire goal of a resume is to generate enough interest from the
employer to grant you a job interview.
But before I get to the format issues, let’s just hit the highlights of resume content.
- Resumes should be specifically focused to the job you are seeking; there is
no such thing as a “general purpose” resume.
- Resumes need to focus on your key accomplishments, not on duties and
responsibilities; employers want to see that you can produce results.
- Resumes must have zero errors; one typo or misspelling can easily be the difference between getting an interview and having the resume tossed in the trash.
- Resumes are statements of fact; do not lie or stretch the truth when writing your resume.
Back to your question about resume format. Here are some general rules for “print” resumes — those you use for networking, interviews, and the rare occasions when you still send a resume and cover letter via postal mail:
- Paper: plain white is perfectly acceptable. If you want to go with a color, choose
muted colors, such as gray, beige, slate, etc.
- Printing: ideal is still a laser printer, but ink jets are fine — as long as you let the
ink dry so that the ink does not smear.
- Mailing: sending your resume in a standard size business envelope is fine, though
more and more job-seekers are using larger envelopes so that the resume does not
need to be folded.
- Style: your resume and cover letter should match — in letterhead, in type style (font),
and in paper color. And never, ever send a cover letter on company letterhead.
One final comment about resumes: Whenever possible, it’s always best to see if the employer
has a preferred resume style. Some elements of resume design are very subjective. Many
employers now list these requirements on the corporate career Websites. I have a client who
has an amazing functional resume (organized around skills clusters), but a recent prospective
employer asked her to totally rewrite and reformat her resume into a standard chronological resume because that format was preferred.
Looking for more resume help? Quintessential Careers has
resume quizzes
and an article on creating
Web-ready resumes. Go to: Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Quick question: How do you handle and resume that is now 2 pages…
no way around the second page…have to turn in Friday and I am stumped!!
The Career Doctor responds:
There is nothing wrong with established job-seekers having a two-page resume.
Even some exceptional recent college grads may need two pages to showcase
all their accomplishments, skills, education/training, and talents and abilities.
In fact, it’s much better to have a two-page resume with normal margins and font
size than to try and condense all your information onto one page using narrow
margins and tiny type, virtually guaranteeing that no employer is going to even
bother trying to read it.
Here are some rules about writing a two-page resume. First, if you need to go
to a second page, do so. Just be sure that the second page is at least half full;
anything less, and you should find a way to cut/condense to make the
information fit on one page. Second, be careful not to divide elements from page
one to page two; in other words, do not start a section on page one that carries
over to page two. Third, be sure to include a header at the top of the second page
identifying it as page two of your resume. Fourth, do not even consider going to a third page.
Some other general rules of resume-writing: focus (and quantify whenever possible) on accomplishments rather than job duties or responsibilities; showcase transferable skills when your work experience has been outside the traditional path; consider a functional style over a (traditional) chronological format when changing careers; consider leaving dates off college degrees to avoid age discrimination.
Find lots more information, articles, tutorials, and resources in the
Resume and CV
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Julie writes:
I have been unemployed for a little over a year, but I have been doing all the paper work for my husband’s business he has on the side. I also live on a farm. So I really haven’t been employed. How would I add this in my resume? If I leave it off they will think I haven’t been working.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have to remember, Julie, that you determine how you frame your experience — both on your resume and in job interviews. The employer is not a mind-reader, so unless you showcase your experience, skills, and accomplishments, you are not going to get many interviews.
So many job-seekers are in a similar situations as yours. Perhaps they worked for a family business, perhaps it was volunteer work, or perhaps it was taking a year off to go back to school…But what you and all these other job-seekers don’t understand is that all these things add up to your specific mix of skills and abilities. Employers are more interested in job-seekers that have been doing something during a hiatus from full-time, paid employment than job-seekers who appear to have been doing nothing,
What’s the answer? Don’t discount any of the year that you’ve been working on the farm and helping your husband’s business. Instead, embrace that experience. Find experience, skills, and accomplishments that you can pull from the past year’s work. If you find the experience doesn’t quite fit into a neat career path, then consider experimenting by supplementing your conventional chronological resume with a chrono-functional style. What’s the difference? Chronological resumes focus on your job history while chrono-functional resumes focus on specific (transferable) skills sets you’ve mastered. Read more in these articles published on Quintessential Careers: Should You Consider a Functional Resume? and Strategic
Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique.
You can also find many more resume-related articles and tutorials in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tad writes:
What if your job doesn’t involve numbers, dollars saved. I’m a security officer. How do I write a compelling resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
Tad, kudos to you for understanding the importance of quantifying on your resume. Job-seekers must show prospective employers your accomplishments rather than simply telling them — and quantifying results is one method to do just that.
But now you have to take that understanding to the next level, because you can quantify and showcase your accomplishments in just about any job. For example, can’t you quantify the number of hours, days, weeks, etc. without incidents; the number of hours of training and professional development; the number (and types) of security devices/technology you’ve mastered; number of security investigations successfully closed; commendations (or other records of achievement) you have received.
There are really two keys to writing successful resumes and cover letters. The first key, as you know, is stating your accomplishments (rather than job duties). For an in-depth review of this issue, please read our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
The second key is researching and using job-specific keywords in your resumes and cover letters. Employers are increasingly turning to keywords to conduct searches of resume databases, and if your resume doesn’t contain those keywords the company is using, then you are pretty much dead in the water. So, how does a job-seeker know what keywords to use on his or her resume? Good question. The quick and dirty answer is that you need to study job postings and job descriptions and find the pattern of words employers use and then be sure to insert them into your resume. The longer — and
better — answer is to read the very detailed article (and sidebars) from my partner, Katharine Hansen, published on Quintessential Careers: Tapping
the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen Danyels writes:
I’m thinking about switching jobs, but when I look at what my duties are here, they don’t sound like very much at all. My job is basically data entry and word processing. My duties include running almost all packages that go to the courthouse. These include starting evictions, running eviction packages, the Substitute Trustee, Notice of Sale, Notice of Hearing, staying in contact with the mortgage companies, ordering Title Searches, ordering Publication requests from the newspapers, Final Reports, and various other forms. I also had the highest grade in my class in editing and
proofreading, the only A in the class.
The Career Doctor responds:
Karen, you are making one of the classic job-seeker mistakes. You should not be focusing on your duties at all — you should be focusing on your accomplishments! Accomplishments are so much more meaningful to prospective employers than run-of-the-mill litanies of job duties or responsibilities. Spend some time brainstorming about your skills and accomplishments — in all your jobs and education — with an eye toward the type of job you want next. Eliminate any skills that you no longer want to perform; otherwise you will be stuck in another job doing things you no longer enjoy.
Once you have this list of accomplishments and skills, it’s time to work on your resume. One article in particular that you should find useful is: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume, by my partner, Katharine Hansen. If you need more help with your resume, go to the Resume
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Kenneth writes:
I have read numerous instructions on how to prepare a resume, use key words, proper fonts and paper, list education, etc. etc. I’m looking for a way to tell a prospective employer about my knowledge. I know a resume lists my schools, degrees jobs, job titles, etc., but I want a way to describe my knowledge gained in these studies and experiences. Preferably, I’d like to have it in database format so that a prospective employer can search it to see if I have the knowledge they want. After all we are in a knowledge age. Do you know if there is a tool or a way I can do this?
The Career Doctor responds:
I think there are really two answers for you here, Kenneth.
First, there is very trendy “Summary of Qualifications” section of your resume. (Sometimes also called “Professional Profile,” “Key Skills,” “Qualifications,” or “Key Accomplishments.”) It is in this section where you can showcase your knowledge from all your education and work experiences. I like to think of this section as an executive summary of your entire resume.
Second, you can develop a text-based resume, which is designed specifically for databases. Text resumes follow all the rules of regular resumes, but the design and format are much different, focusing on key words and jargon that may be used when an employer searches their resume database. These searches are done using keywords and phrases that describe the skills and education required for the position, thus when writing a text-based resume it is extremely important for you to use terms and familiar industry acronyms (jargon) that describe your skills and experience. Read my article, Scannable Resume Fundamentals. (Although very few resumes are “scanned” anymore, the same principles apply to text-based resumes.)
Finally, you should consider reading: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Resume. This is a great article for anyoneM working on sharpening and improving their resume.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
J.R. writes:
I have a 2-year employment gap on my resume. I took some personal time off for mental recuperation, but I know I can’t say this in an interview. How can I fill this gap or make it look somewhat better?
The Career Doctor responds:
I would suggest a two-pronged approach — one for your resume and one for your interviews.
On your resume: I would suggest that you consider converting your chronological resume to a chrono-functional format. Chrono-functional resumes focus on your accomplishments in key skills areas; your employment history is summarized at the end of your resume — and gaps become less apparent. You can read more about functional resumes in Should You
Consider a Functional Resume?
In the interview: It’s best to position this employment gap as time well-spent on improving or challenging yourself. If you took some educational courses (or even just read a lot), you should focus on the attainment of new skills and knowledge; if you volunteered your services, you should focus on your accomplishments; and if you did some consulting, you should focus on the gap as a time to spread your wings and try to make it on your own.
As you can tell from these examples, you need to position the gap as having some redeeming value — besides improving your mental health.
Finally, remember that while you are self-conscious about the gap, some interviewers may never even notice it … so don’t volunteer potentially negative information; wait for the employer to raise the issue before offering an explanation.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Eugene writes:
I am a student studying law, and I recently decided to apply for a position as a
paralegal with some law firms. I spent some time looking at your Quintessential
Careers website. Now, I do not doubt for a minute that much research is able to
substantiate the information that you have presented, but I find it difficult to
imagine that some of the techniques you mention do work. What immediately
springs to mind is the section on closing paragraphs: “I will call your office in
the next week to schedule an appointment.”
To me, that sounds quite unorthodox, and perhaps even pushy and rude. I
actually incorporated a line to the same effect in my cover letters after
reading your website, but now I am wondering whether it was the best thing
to do. Could you please explain to me why this works?
The Career Doctor responds:
In any job market, but especially in this job market, job-seekers need to know
how to best market themselves to prospective employers. This self-marketing strategy has several components when writing cover letters.
First, rather than saying something like “I hope you’ll find my qualifications a good
match with what you’re looking for,” you need to show — and tell — the employer that
you are a good match for the position. Describe how your accomplishments, skills, and training are a perfect match for the employer’s needs.
Second, you do need to end your letter with an aggressive stance. If you do not want
to be so aggressive as to say you will call for an interview, you can simply say you
will call to discuss the job. Employers want go-getters, not passive employees.
Third, as I have stated numerous other times, you MUST follow-up all your cover
letters and job applications. Saying you are going to call is the easy part; the hard
part is actually making the phone call. And in the phone call, you need to still be
aggressive in not taking no for an answer — just remember to stay professional
at all times — while showcasing why you are the perfect person for the job.
Find lots more helpful information and resources in the
cover letter resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
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- accomplishments,
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- skills,
- training
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Greg writes:
I am in the process of locating a position after being employed for nine years with one employer. I have my resume completed, but I need to know what information to include on my references for the interviews.
The Career Doctor responds:
References are a funny thing. Most employers ask for them, but depending upon the position, only a small percentage of employers really bother to call all the people on a job-seeker’s reference list.
Here are a couple of tips regarding reference lists:
- Never put references on your resume. Make a list on a separate sheet of paper that matches your resume (and cover letter).
- Never include references with your resume and cover letter, unless specifically asked by the potential employer.
- Choose people who know you professionally and can speak well of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Always list your strongest reference first.
- Make sure you ask people if they mind serving as a reference for you — and then contact them again when you think they may be contacted by a potential employer.
- Try to use people who know you professionally, but if you are a recent college graduate or someone returning to the workforce, you can list a personal (character) reference.
- Make sure you completely identify each reference, including name, title, company, address, phone number, e-mail address.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Jacqueline writes:
I have a question regarding the closing, “Take Care,” at the end of business
cover letters. Is that considered “less” professional than all the traditional closings?
The Career Doctor responds:
I consider “take care” as a bit too informal for traditional cover letters. I have
seen it in email cover letters, and I find it a bit more acceptable there. When
writing conventional cover letters, I would stick with the traditional closings:
sincerely and cordially.
In the grand scheme of cover-letter writing, though, I think how you close the
letter is of little consequence compared to the much bigger issues that I list
below.
Key cover letter strategies:
- Addressing the letter to a named individual. Job-seekers must address the
letter to a person — the hiring manager. And if you make the effort to get the name,
make sure you spell it correctly. Do not write to the Human Resources department.
- The first paragraph must engage the reader and entice him/her to read more
of your letter. Do not waste this opening paragraph with the typical boring one that
many job-seekers use.
- The second and third paragraphs must show how well you fit the position you
are seeking — as well as highlight key accomplishments. Focus on what you can
do for the company rather than what the company can do for you.
- The last paragraph must state how you plan to follow-up the letter (usually
with a phone call). Be sure to give a timeframe — and then be sure to do what you
say you are going to do.
Finally, be sure also to avoid:
- Long (read boring) sentences and paragraphs;
- Letters longer than one page;
- Typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors;
- Simply rehashing/highlighting your resume
And remember to follow-up all cover letters with a phone call — showing your
continued interest in the position and the employer.
Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers:
Don’t
Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes.
And to find just about everything you ever wanted to know about cover letters, including
numerous samples, go to the Cover Letter Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Ruth writes:
I’m seeking an administrative assistant position and I’m confused as to whether my
current job title falls into the category. My current position is operations coordinator,
which focuses in the area of fleet services, warehousing and other duties. I possess
the skills of the administrative assistant, but wasn’t quite sure if these two titles could
be interchangeable. Thanks for your help.
The Career Doctor responds:
I think job-seekers sometimes get too carried away with job titles.
It really doesn’t matter what your current job title is — as long as you
have the skills necessary to succeed in the job you are seeking, in this
case, as an administrative assistant. Employers do look at your past job
titles, but what counts is not the title, but the experience and the accomplishments.
My advice is for you to get the job listings/descriptions of administrative assistants
from a couple of different employers. Examine the qualifications they seek from
prospective employees and be sure your background, accomplishments, and skills
are a good fit.
Next, develop a solid cover letter and reputation that showcase the unique set of
skills, accomplishments, and experiences that make you an ideal administrative
assistant.
Then, when applying for these jobs, be sure to speak to the specific requirements
of each employer, showing how you meet or exceed each requirement. You should
be well on your way to an administrative assistant position.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Lorraine writes:
I have a query. My husband was retrenched almost 8 months ago now, and
I want to send his CV to as many printing
companies that I can find in South Africa. I also want to send a covering
letter attached with his CV explaining that he was retrenched 8 months ago and
would like to know if any of these companies have any vacancies. Please help
me with the wording of this letter as I am at a loss?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Certainly one of the key components of a job search should still be cold contact,
where the job-seeker sends his or her cover letter and resume (or CV) to companies
that might have job openings. The critical factor with this strategy is getting the
name and title of the hiring manager for your area of expertise and then writing
a powerful cover letter. Why does cold contact work? It works because of the
large hidden job market; the vast majority of job openings never get advertised
or posted, so cold contact is a way of applying for positions that may in fact be
open.
I assume that while you are writing the letters, that they will actually be signed
by your husband. The cover letter is critical — its function is to spark enough
interest so that the employer then looks at your resume (or CV). Think of the
cover letter as a sales pitch letter, where the item you are selling is yourself —
your mix of skills, accomplishments, and education. You NEVER want to put
anything negative in your cover letter. And while many folks are being retrenched
or rightsized or re-engineered out of jobs, it’s still a negative. Employers want to
see job-seekers who are (or appear) gainfully employed. So, please, say nothing
about the retrenchment in your cover letter; saying anything will only harm your
husband’s chances. Read more about writing cover letters in the Quintessential
Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.
Finally, please remember that your efforts are not complete once you mail the
cover letters and CVs to the printing companies. The last paragraph of your cover
letter should request action — an interview — and after a reasonable amount of time
(1-2 weeks), you MUST follow-up and contact each company — each hiring
manager — and ask for the interview. If you don’t follow-up, you are wasting your
time even sending the cover letters and CVs.
A note to all job-seekers: Please don’t wait eight months after being downsized to
start job-hunting. Take some time to reflect and consider whether it’s time to change
careers — but even if you get a big severance package, you should get right back out
there on the job market. The longer you wait to start job-searching, the harder it will
be for you.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Michelle writes:
I have found my dream job, but I am having a hard time writing the “winning” resume. I had average grades in school, wasn’t in any sports, and I’m not a member of anything other than a women’s club (basically I’m on a list and get a newsletter, no involvement).
I have a fairly steady work history, but all my jobs are ho-hum when it comes to accomplishments. Resume advice always says to quantify your successes. Well, I have been a pharmacy technician for 8 years … filling prescriptions and typing data into a computer — not too much to say about that. I was a data-entry person for about 1.5 years, and I don’t have a very good review from my boss in that area. I am currently an eligibility analyst (I look in a computer to see if a client’s files are loaded into our database) … Not too challenging.
The Career Doctor responds:
There are all sorts of ways to “quantify” your successes and skills, but first you need to step back and do a better job of identifying what they are. You remind me of a young woman who came to us for advice after several years as of doing clerical and secretarial work. She thought her experience and skills were not going to help her get
the job of her dreams, but she was wrong.
What you need to do is change the way you look at your experiences. I suggest you read the section on transferable skills at Quintessential Careers, starting with Strategic
Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique, by Katharine Hansen. I am quite confident that once you’ve read this section, you’ll be able to go back and write a strong resume based on your new understanding of your skills and accomplishments.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Elaine writes:
I am seeking help with my cover letter. I have a basic resume, but would like to improve it. I need help. I currently quit my eight-year-long job and went to work in an environment I am very unhappy in.
The Career Doctor responds:
You are right to want to try and make your cover letter and resume as strong as possible. Your resume, especially, should be polished regularly.
Let’s start with your cover letter. Your cover letter is a marketing document — in which you are trying to spark the interest of the potential employer. I am amazed at how many cover letter “experts” advise people to waste their first paragraphs — which are the most important part of your cover letter. In this first paragraph, you need to attract the interest of the potential employer, not simply state that you are applying for a job.
You can read more about the Dynamic Cover Letters Cover Letter Formula or visit the Quintessential
Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.
Now to your resume. Resumes have not changed all that much over the last few years, with the exception of text-based resumes and the move toward using keywords or skills summaries in resumes. You should make sure your resume includes strong action verbs to describe your accomplishments (not your duties). You may also want to read up on transferable skills. All this resume information can be found at Quintessential Careers:
Resume Resources.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mark writes:
My past with the automotive aftermarket leads me to think I never was a true salesman. I seem to service accounts more than sell them. Could I say I was a customer relations or account manager? I sold maybe 20 percent of the time and did stock adjustment, new part numbers. and buying lunch.
The Career Doctor responds:
You have to remember that above all else, a resume is a marketing tool. A resume’s purpose is to interest the potential employer just enough to grant you an interview and help you along to the next step in the job-hunting journey.
So, my answer is yes, of course you can define your accomplishments — and your transferable skills — as you see fit. From your brief description, I would have to totally agree. And believe me when I tell you I have seen some pretty long stretches when I have reviewed resumes.
The key for you is determining if servicing accounts or account management is important. If it is, then you should certainly emphasize all the experience you have in this area.
You can read much more about resumes and find some great resources
by going to Quintessential Careers:
Resume Resources.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Aldon writes:
I read your website with great interest and was thinking you could help me in my situation.
I’ve resigned my job of 2.5 years looking for a better opportunities and prospects. I
found a new job about 2 months ago. However, I feel that the way the management
manages the company is very unprofessional, and I was never paid for my very first
month. (Basically, this company has cash-flow problem, so I can forget about my
bonus!) I have decided to resign during my probation period. I need to look for a new
job, however, I don’t know how I should indicate this job of 2 months on my resume.
(I like this job scope but I do not see my long term growth and prospects in this
company.)
If I do include the job, how should I do it such a way that I do not reduce my chances
of securing an interview? And, during interview, how should I explain to prospective
employer of my plight?
The Career Doctor responds:
Remember when developing your resume that the resume is not a depositary
of all your experiences and accomplishments — just the ones that will help you
attain your next position. Note: I am not advocating adding material that is not
true to your resume, but rather editing it to contain only the most important and
relevant information to the position you seek.
That said, in most cases, I would be tempted to not include the most recent job.
Your time there is too short and it sounds like you only have negative things to say
about the company — and you never want to say those things when you are trying to
explain why you only stayed with the company for 2 months.
In today’s job market, many people go much longer than 2 months between jobs, so
keep it off your resume. If you do decide not to include it, you may need a story about
what you have been doing since you resigned your previous job.
Your situation is also a good lesson for other job-seekers to understand: when job-hunting
you must learn as much as you can about the companies where you interview — including
the corporate culture, management style, financial stability, and growth prospects.
It’s also important that the company you work for respects your values. For help identifying
some of these values, go to this Quintessential Careers assessment:
Workplace Values
Assessment: Do You Know the Work Values You Most Want in a Job and an Employer —
and Does Your Current Employment Reflect Those Values?
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- accomplishments,
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- management style,
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- prospective employer,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Bonnie writes:
I just read Getting Fired: An
Opportunity for Change and Growth. You say that If you are fired in a job within 3 months
you should not list that on your resume. Can you tell me why I should not list that employer?
The Career Doctor responds:
A resume is a critical marketing document that you construct to convince a prospective
employer to invite you for an interview and then, ideally, offer you a job. It is not meant
to be an all-inclusive document of your entire life, nor your entire work history.
A resume should ONLY contain the relevant information that is going to get your foot in the door.
If you were fired from your last job after only three months, but you had some amazing
accomplishments and the work you performed is extremely relevant to the job you are
seeking, then you can certainly consider including it on your resume.
That said, anytime an employer sees a short tenure on a resume it begs the question —
why is this person looking for a new job after only such a short time on the job? And that
means if you actually get the interview, you’ll need to be prepared to explain why you
were fired.
Thus, unless the job is extremely relevant to the position you are seeking, it’s better to
have an employment gap on your resume than have to explain why you were fired.
Get lots more resume tips, tools, and samples in the
Resume Resources
section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Vince writes:
I have a question about resumes. I am a manager with several years of
experience with one company. I have been approached about a couple of
interesting job opportunities that I want to explore, so I am working on my
resume. I am having a hard time keeping my resume to one page and I was
wondering if you could tell me whether it was OK to go to two pages. Thanks.
The Career Doctor responds:
It used to be there was a hard-and-fast one-page resume rule,
but no longer — and especially not for someone with your experience.
Better than cramming all your information on one page, go to a second
page. I recently saw a resume that was written in 9 point type (very
small) with almost no margins… it looked like some densely worded
document (which it was) that no one would want to read.
So, revert those page margins back to standard levels, and push that
type size back up to normal viewing (typically 10-12 pt.), and go to a
second page. Just remember two rules about doing so. First, make sure
you have a header on the second page that identifies that is your resume
(Vince Smith, p. 2) and make sure that you use at least half of the
second page.
In fact, some resume experts now say that a resume should be as long as
necessary, and the more senior a job-seeker, the longer the resume.
Other resume tips:
- If you are a seasoned job-seeker, remember that you should really
not include work experience older than 12-15 years. While the experience
is valuable, the process to do the work has probably changed dramatically
in that time.
- You do not need to include every single work experience you’ve ever
had; instead, showcase the experiences that best showcase the skills/accomplishments
for the job you are seeking.
- Always focus on accomplishments and how you contributed to the employer
rather than on your duties and responsibilities. And quantify those accomplishments
whenever possible.
- If you’re a new college grad, a two-page resume is acceptable if you have a
lot of internships and other work experience, although I still prefer to see most
new grads with a one-page resume.
You can find lots more suggestions, tools, and helpful advice about resume
preparation in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Resume and CV Resources.
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- accomplishments,
- Carteer Doctor,
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mark writes:
I have been with a company for 6 years, in which time the owner has made
frequent changes to the direction of the company. I have had 4 job/titles and
assignments during this time. I would like to leave this company, but I am
concerned that a potential employer will negatively look upon the frequent
changes in job assignments/title. My title has always included the word “manager”
of such-and-such program, but my assignments were very different.
I have wrestled with how to best portray this “busy” work history with this
company on my resume. Can you offer any advice?
As a side note, I was with another company for over 20 years prior to taking a job
with this company. In those 20 years, I held 3 positions.
The Career Doctor responds:
I would not worry at all that prospective employers might think twice
about your different job titles. Over the last couple of years, many organizations
have reorganized at least once, and numerous workers have had new or
multiple titles to compensate for employees who were fired and not replaced.
I think your resume will show two strengths: the first that you are someone
whom management at your two employers greatly respects, and the second
that you are a loyal, long-term employee.
The only problem I see with your situation is that your resume might look a
little cluttered if you are not too careful. You have two options. You can have
separate bullet points for each of the four job titles you have held with your
current employer, or, you can simply show the different job titles and do one
set of bullet points for your entire tenure there. The method you choose will
depend on how different the jobs are — and how different the work and
accomplishments are.
You can also showcase your versatility in a qualifications summary section
that goes at the top of your resume (after your contact information). The
qualifications summary includes the three or four things that make you a
better candidate than anyone else — your competitive advantage. I like to think
of the qualifications summary as the “executive summary” of your resume;
another way is to think of it as your key selling points.
Finally, remember that someone with your experience can obviously have a
two-page resume. And remember to leave off the dates from your education,
and do not include any other job or employer other than these two — because
they are already dating you.
For more resume advice and tools, go to this section of Quintessential Careers:
Resume and CV Resources
for Job-Seekers.
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- employee,
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- resume,
- two-page resume
If you are an entrepreneur transitioning back to the workplace, make the most of your resume
by emphasizing the entrepreneurial transferable skills that apply to the type of job you’re targeting.
Many employers, for example, seek candidates who can handle startup and turnaround situations.
They’re also looking for professionals with experience in asset and liability management, budget development, building strategic alliances, business plan development, capital equipment budgets, competitive analysis, costing and budgeting, financial strategies, market strategy, profit and loss management/direction, new business development, operations management, research and development, return on investment, and strategic planning direction.
Focus also on your entrepreneurial successes and accomplishments; avoid conveying any impression
that you are leaving the entrepreneurial life because you didn’t succeed at it. Read more in our
Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.
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- accomplishments,
- asset and liability management,
- budget development,
- business plan development,
- candidates,
- capital equipment budgets,
- competitive analysis,
- costing and budgeting,
- employers,
- entrepreneur,
- entrepreneurial successes,
- entrepreneurial transferable skills,
- financial strategies,
- market strategy,
- new business development,
- operations management,
- profit and loss management,
- research and development,
- return on investment,
- startup,
- strategic alliances,
- strategic planning direction,
- turnaround situations,
- workplace
Gwen Martin, managing partner for NumberWorks, a Minneapolis firm specializing in placing accounting and finance consultants, has seen hundreds of resumes and offers guest tips for today, Job Action Day. The idea behind the day is to encourage workers and job-seekers to take at least one proactive step toward shoring up and improving their jobs or careers. Implementing Martin’s tips represents one of the steps you can take on this day:
- Always have an updated resume. So often, people tend to modernize their resume only when they are seeking employment. In reality, you should always be adding any professional accomplishments as they happen to ensures that you won’t forget about the thousands of dollars you may have saved the company, or any processes you improved — saving the company time and money.
- Use spell check. It is amazing how many resumes come across my desk that will have a misspelled word.
- Make your resume easy to read. Hiring managers look at resumes like drivers going past a billboard. They don’t “read” it. They look them over at a high-speed glance. Use bullet points and leave white space so it is easy on the eyes to read. You can always elaborate on your accomplishments in your interview.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Theresa writes:
I am a high-school student in my senior year. I was wondering if you
had any examples or formats of resumes for high-school students entering
college. If you do it would be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Resumes for high-school students are definitely a little different from adult
resumes, so I am glad to offer some assistance. Let me say that just having
a resume as a high-school student will make you stand out — both for college applications as well as for part-time or summer jobs.
Some of the basics are the same: the top part of the resume contains all your
contact information (name, address, phone(s), email). If you use an email
address, just make sure it is professional and not something like “prettyprincess.”
Because you may not have much work experience, I think you should focus
your resume with both an objective and summary of qualifications. For example,
if you are attempting to get a job in retail, a simple objective is: “Seeking
part-time retail sales clerk/cashier position with XYZ Company” — where you
replace XYZ with each company’s name.
The summary of your accomplishments should be attributes that will help sell
you to a potential employer or college… such as soft skills (writing, talking,
listening), level of responsibility and maturity, and any hard skills you have.
An example would be: “Energetic achiever and communicator, with strong listening skills”
The remaining parts of your resume should deal with your education — and awards
and honors you have received — and any previous work experience you have,
including jobs like babysitting.
Finally, remember the cardinal rules of resume-writing: no lying or exaggerating
and no spelling errors or typos.
Find lots of resources for teens in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Job and Career Resources for
Teenagers.
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- accomplishments,
- Career Doctor,
- college applications,
- high-school student,
- Quintessential Careers,
- Randall S. Hansen,
- resume,
- spelling errors,
- summer jobs,
- typos,
- work experience
 Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch
Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume contains personal information. Mature job-seekers may remember a time when including
personal information on a resume was standard practice. This information often included height,
weight, birth date, social security number, marital status, children, and health status
(as if anyone would admit on a resume to health that was less than excellent). Today’s hiring
managers do not want to see this information because it raises discrimination
issues. Doreen Perri-Gynn, associate vice president of human resources at Yang Ming (America) Corp.,
doesn’t want to know “if you have three children and your wife is a happy homemaker or your husband an
accountant. This is extraneous information that may prevent a manager from hiring you because he/she
wants to keep his benefits budget down.” Since this type of information is still often included on resumes
and CVs outside the U.S., Perri-Gynn advises Europeans when applying in the US to “kindly leave off the
picture, and family information. We do not require your children’s names, ages, schools, wife’s maiden
name and who her parents are. The U.S. bases hiring criteria on skills and accomplishments.”
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves
1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and
executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.
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Today’s posting is a guest entry from the “Career Doctor,” Randall S. Hansen, PhD
Jeff writes:
Recently I was terminated from a sales position after two months. I am considering
whether or not to include the employment on my resume. My employment gap will
only be two months if I exclude the position.
Would it be better to list the position and use the term downsized? Or should I
use terminated?
Any advice or tips will be greatly appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
Let me reiterate a critical point about resumes that all job-seekers should tuck
into the back of your heads: A resume is not an all-inclusive job history. Your resume
is a marketing document. You tailor the facts in your resume to fit each job with each
employer. Notice I did say facts. I am not advocating lying on a resume; I am advocating
making your resume a unique document for each opportunity you seek.
And here is a second point about resumes. Never provide unnecessary information. You do
not need to make any mention on your resume why you left a particular job — simply put the
start and end dates. You should also NOT put your supervisor’s name, your salary information, or phone numbers. For each job you have held that you wish to include, you should list your
job title, the organization’s name and location (city, state), dates of employment, and your
key accomplishments.
You don’t say why you were terminated so quickly, but two months is such a short stint that
I would never recommend including it on your resume. And you’re right, two months is not
much of a gap, especially in the current job market.
Regardless of how you handle this job on your resume, however, you will need to have some
sort of story to tell in the job interview — either about why you only lasted two months on the job
or why you have a two-month gap on your resume. In terms of lingo, downsized usually results
from budget cuts and does not reflect on the quality of your work while terminated says your
work was no longer needed (or was bad, ineffective, etc.).
If you are working on your resume, visit this section of Quintessential Careers for
much more resume advice, tips, and samples: Resume
and CV Resources for Job-Seekers.
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- accomplishments,
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- employment gap,
- job history,
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- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- salary information,
- supervisor's name
Our colleague, Barbara Safani of Career Solvers, wrote yesterday:
I recently sat in on a panel of staffing professionals representing such prestigious companies as Microsoft, Starbucks, and PacSun. One of the questions that came up in the audience was "Do you read cover letters?" All three representatives of these companies said they do not. But is this representative of most recruiters and hiring authorities? I decided to conduct my own informal survey and quickly realized that people's reactions to cover letters are all over the board. So here are my conclusions:
- Half the people you send your cover letter to will probably read it and the other half will not. Since you can never be sure who your audience is, it is best to cover your bases and send a cover letter. [Editor's note: Studies such as this one suggest the number is higher than half, but it's certainly true that not all recipients read cover letters.]
- A strong cover letter might distinguish you in a sea of mediocrity. Most people's cover letters fail to convey a message of value to the employer. But a strong cover letter can help you customize your resume and grab the attention of a hiring authority.
- A resume is fairly formulaic; a cover letter is not. Cover letters can be used to communicate interest, passion, and enthusiasm regarding a job opening. They are often used to build the initial rapport between the job-seeker and the employer.
- Specific action-oriented cover letters work better than generic ones full of fluff. Showcase strong accomplishments that are relevant to your reader and use metrics whenever possible to validate your competencies. Stay away from tired cover-letter phrases such as team player, strong communicator, or detail oriented. Hiring authorities assume you have these competencies. Leverage accomplishment statements to prove your success across these competencies.
You can contact Safani here.
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- accomplishments,
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- resume,
- staffing professionals,
- Starbucks
Has this ever happened to you? You’ve been instructed to list your career accomplishments, and you can’t think of
any. Or you’re asked in a job interview, “What accomplishments are you most proud of?” — and you freeze up. You
know you have had accomplishments, but you just can’t dredge them up. The inability to come up with accomplishments
happens to lots of job-seekers. We know because we ask our resume and cover-letter clients to list accomplishments
as part of the process of preparing their job-search documents. Although we stress that accomplishments are far
more important than duties and responsibilities, a surprising number of clients are unable to articulate beyond
the day-to-day tasks they performed in their jobs. Accomplishments are the points that really help sell you
to an employer — much more so than everyday job duties, and you can leverage your accomplishments for job-search
success at all stages of the process: resume, cover letter, interview, and more. Find out more about why and
how to use your accomplishments in our article,
For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments.
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Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch
Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume language is replete with “fluff,” flowery words, and “resume speak” instead of specifics. Your
resume “needs to have good factual information and be clear as to what it is that you actually do; it
doesn’t need to be fluffy and overwrought,” said survey respondent Thomas Burrell. Meg Steele, director
of recruitment and employment mobility at Swedish Medical Center in the Seattle area, decried the lack
of specifics in resume language: “The most irritating characteristic on senior-level resumes is an overuse
of flowery language without substantiation,” she said. “I want to see actual accomplishments, not summary
statements that imply an understanding of functional areas that reported up to the individual. A good leader
knows enough about what his or her people are doing to speak intelligently about the problem that was
being solved by this or that initiative. So, if [candidates] say ‘oversaw development of strategic solutions,’
they should have some more specific examples of said ‘strategic solutions’ and what the impact was
to the business [and] the employees.” Agreed survey respondent Alison: “Weed out the garbage and
tell me what you made, saved, achieved and make it quantifiable.
Characterized as “resume speak” by survey respondents were words like “visionary,” “thought leader,”
“evangelist,” “innovative,” “motivating,” “engaging.”
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves
1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and
executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.
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One paragraph in your cover letter should discuss your accomplishments or highlights
that you want to showcase or have the employer locate quickly, writes
Deborah Brown-Volkman, president of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a career, life, and mentor coaching company.
“Bullets work well in making your accomplishments easy to read.” Brown-Volkman suggests thinking of this
paragraph as filling in the details of this sentence: “Here are relevant examples of what I have done
that match with what you are looking for…”
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Here are ways to consider sharpening the focus of your resume:
- Use a branding statement or headline or both atop your resume.
- Add a profile/qualifications summary with keywords relevant to the job you seek.
- Add a keyword section relevant to the job you seek.
- Beef up portrayal of accomplishments and transferable skills. Be sure to spotlight
skills that apply to what you want to do next.
- Use our Cover Letter and Resume Customization Worksheet to help you sharpen your focus.
- For college students and new grads: Consider adding class projects in your major
(or other classes) that are applicable to what you want to do upon graduation.
Riskier options for sharpening your focus:
- Consider a chrono-functional format. Organize your resume around skills
clusters that directly apply to the job you seek.
- Use an objective statement.
Read more in our
Frequently Asked Questions About Resumes: The Complete Resume FAQ.
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- accomplishments,
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- college students,
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- Cover Letter and Resume Customization Worksheet,
- graduation,
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- new grads,
- objective statement,
- profile,
- qualifications summary,
- resume,
- transferable skills
Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch Executive Resumesidentified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume content lacks results. Hiring decision-makers want to see the results you attained
for past employers, what you accomplished, the value you added, and how you made a difference
in your past jobs. They want to gain a sense of the complexity and significance of what you’ve done.
Some recruiters recommend a bulleted list of key projects indicating accomplishments and results.
As many achievements as possible should be measurable, especially quantifiable. One recruiter advises metrics
or results for at least 40 percent of your bullet points for each job. “Anytime you can quantify your accomplishments,
you give them more credibility,” said another. Among measurable items employers want to see are sales volume
(and ranking in comparison with peer and compared to previous periods, percent of quota), number (and titles)
of direct reports, number of people you’ve hired, size of teams you’ve led, your position within the team,
amount of money you’ve saved, success in completing projects, initiatives that result in revenue-generation, process-improvement, and cost-containment.
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves
1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and
executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
- accomplishments,
- achievements,
- cost-containment,
- direct reports,
- hiring decision-makers,
- initiatives,
- key projects,
- metrics,
- past employers,
- past jobs,
- percent of quota,
- process-improvement,
- projects,
- results,
- Resume Pet Peeves,
- revenue-generation,
- sales volume,
- Top Notch Executive Resumes
The most important things to remember about writing an effective resume
can be encapsulated in a six-letter acronym, FAKTSA, in which the letters stand for:
- Focus
- Appearance
- Keywords
- Transferrable Skills
- Accomplishments
Get more details about these elements in our article,
FAKTSA:
An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers.
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In your resume and cover letter, “weave in past accomplishments that highlight your soft skills in action,”
writes Peggy Klaus in her article for Quint Careers,
Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills?
“If you are having a hard time coming up with specifics, ask yourself: What have I done that demonstrates my
problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities or my ability to lead and motivate others, especially under
challenging circumstances? Try to recall a time when a supervisor or colleague complimented you on how you handled a situation,”
Klaus writes.
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Accomplishments are the points that increase reader’s interest in your resume, stimulate a request for a job interview, and really help sell you to an employer — much more so than everyday job duties. In a study by the former Career Masters Institute (now Career Management Alliance), content elements that propel employers to immediately discard resumes include a focus on duties instead of accomplishments, while documented achievements were highly ranked among content elements that employers look for.
Don’t isolate accomplishments in a section by themselves. Everything on your resume should be accomplishments-driven, and isolating accomplishments suggests that the other things you did in your jobs were NOT accomplishments. For more about how to identify your accomplishments, see our article For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments and our Accomplishments Worksheet to help you brainstorm your accomplishments.
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Differentiate your resume from the crowd, writes Deborah Walker in her article for Quint Careers,
Is Your Resume Lost in the Great Internet Void?.
Dozens of fast-food restaurants sell hamburgers and fries. How do you choose
which one you want? Chances are, one of those restaurants has a differentiating edge,
something that you like better than all the others. The job market is the same way;
it’s flooded with choices, so you have to make your resume stand out from all the
competition. The best way to differentiate your resume from others is with
accomplishments. And those accomplishments really stand out when:
- They are measurable. Can you define how much you accomplished in
dollars saved, contracts won, or percent changed? [Editor’s note: See our article,
For Job-Hunting
Success: Track/Leverage Your Accomplishments.]
- They support your transferable skills. Can your skills be used by this company,
even if your job experience is in a different industry? What skills will transfer from
one job to another? [Editor’s note: See our article,
Transferable
Job Skills — a Vital Job-Search Technique.]
- They connect to corporate bottom-line objectives. How can you help them save time, save money, increase their profit margin, improve sales, or increase revenue?
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document?
Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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The Quintessential Guide to Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates, published by the trusted career experts at Quintessential Careers, provides seven chapters that will help you pack punch into your resume and cover letter and then gives you two chapters of tools — worksheets and samples to guide you to applying what you’ve learned from the book to creating surefire career-marketing documents.