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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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?
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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?
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
LaShun writes:
It seems every piece of advice about cover letters says to call the company
you want to work for to get a SPECIFIC NAME of the person who has the authority
to call you for an interview. But what if the company refuses to give that information?
Most of the companies I call say just send a resume to the HR department
at an email address or fax number but won’t give a name. And when I do get
a specific name, I’m sure I’m not the only one who called. What else can I do?
The Career Doctor responds:
I empathize with all the job-seekers who are finding it harder and
harder to get the name of the hiring manager — which is what all job
experts recommend you do. Unfortunately, companies seem to be
making it harder and harder for job-seekers to identify and follow-up
with the hiring manager.
You have several options for getting the name (and correct spelling)
of the hiring manager. You could call the human resources office, but
remember that office’s role is one of screening. So, I would avoid HR
altogether and simply call the main switchboard and ask the receptionist
for the name of the department manager for the position you are seeking.
Receptionists are wonderful sources of information — so cultivate them!
You could also default to writing to the division or company president and
hope your application trickles down to the hiring manager, but more often
than not, if it does trickle down, it goes to HR. The final possibility is
another important use of your network; contact all the people in your
network and see if anyone works or knows someone who works for the
company — and then ask that person to use internal channels to get
you the name of the hiring manager.
One final comment about the many employers who state in job ads:
“no phone calls.” This comment refers to applying by phone — but should
not stop any job-seeker who has submitted an application from following-up to check on the status of his/her application.
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:
Will writes:
I have a whole lot of experience, but not a tremendous amount of in any
one area. How could I narrow down my choices so I know what kind of job
to pursue? Also, what would be the best way to lay out my resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
There’s good news and bad news here. As employers continue to downsize
and have employees multitask by combining job functions, there is certainly
a need for job-seekers who have multiple talents and abilities. On the other
hand, job-seekers without a specific focus will rarely ever get a second look
from employers.
So, as you mention, your task is to find a way to parlay your years of
varied job experiences into some cohesive strategy that plays itself out
on your resume. You don’t want to be seen as someone who does not
know what you want to do, or one who gets easily bored.
What is it you want to do next? If you truly have no clue, take the time to
conduct some self-assessment. First, spend some time reviewing all your
experiences (work, hobby, etc.) and make two lists — one with activities you
enjoy and one with activities you never want to do again. You could also
consider taking one or more assessment tests, many of which you can find online.
Once you have a better picture of your likes and interests, the next step
is researching careers that closely match your profile. Take the time to
do this important career exploration. There are a lot of online and print
resources that can help you in this process. My favorite is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Once you’ve identified a career path (or paths), the next step is finding
employers in that field — and developing a strategy for breaking into it. In
any job market, but especially in this job market, your key to success is
building a new network for your new career. Find and join professional
organizations in your new career field, use alumni networks to find
people in your new career field.
Use the Career
Exploration Resources section of Quintessential Careers to help you.
And learn more about networking in the The
Art of Networking section of Quintessential Careers.
And all sorts of great resume-writing tools can be found 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:
Tamala writes:
I’m e-mailing you to find out if going to a professional resume writer is
worth the time and money. Right now I really don’t have the funds, but
I am desperate to find a job that I will be happy doing and making at
least $35-40K a year.
The Career Doctor responds:
You need to look at your job-search as an investment in your future. You
can do a haphazard job-search and maybe find another job, or you can
really put a lot of effort into it and find a great job and great career move.
The same holds with each tool of your job-search, and your resume is an
extremely important job-search tool. You need to make the decision to invest a
lot of time and energy to make it the best resume for you — or — you need to hire
an expert to do it for you. Either way, it’s an investment of time or money; but
either way, the payoffs should be big.
If you have the time and inclination, I suggest you read up on resume writing.
You can find some good resources online and in your local library. Most
job-seekers should have the ability to write a solid resume.
You have one other option besides hiring someone to write your resume. You
can also get your resume critiqued by a professional resume writer — usually
free or for a very modest fee. You can then make the changes yourself or hire the
expert to do it for you.
You can also find quite a lot of resume-writing advice and strategies 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:
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:
Anonymous writes:
Since 1992, I have worked for several different companies. About 3 years ago, I
switched employers and stayed there about a year before joining a start-up company.
I had been employed by the start-up for about 8 months before they were acquired
by my original employer.
I’ve been asked to take a substantial pay cut. So, I’m somewhat torn between
staying with this company and looking for new employment locally. I suspect that
even at my reduced salary I might be faring better than the local wage scale. Then
there’s also the problem of my resume. I’m concerned about how bad my resume
looks with all the moves in such a short period of time. A co-worker said that since
I was only gone for about a year and now back I started that I should just list the
current company as “1992 to present”.
The Career Doctor responds:
The current state of the economy is affecting workers and job-seekers in so
many ways, from layoffs to reduced hours to pay cuts. And everyone is frustrated,
including the employers and the employees. And you face multiple issues.
First, because you work for an out-of-state employer, I suspect your pay is much
higher than the local wage scale. But rather than guessing, I suggest you hop on the Internet and
do a little salary research. You can conduct your research by going to one or
more of the several salary Websites and/or searching for similar jobs and
comparing wage scales. Once you’ve completed your research, you need to
develop your options. If you decide to accept the pay cut, I would try to negotiate
a timeline for a return to compensation at your previous levels. I might also
negotiate an increase in other non-compensation benefits, such as more time off.
Second, please do not “fudge” your resume. There is nothing worse than lying
or providing misleading information on your resume. By definition, a resume is
a statement of facts about your educational and work experiences. In your
situation, you have solid work experience with a number of companies that shows
your ability to stay with employers for extended periods of time. But just as
importantly, job-hopping is so much less an issue than it used to be. Employers
know that numerous factors (mergers, economy, rightsizing, dotcom bust, etc.)
have led to many job-seekers having more short-term job stints than in the past.
Find more information about salary and salary negotiation tactics by going to this
section of Quintessential Careers:
Salary Negotiation Resources.
And you can get more information about writing your resume by going to 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:
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:
Laura writes:
Since moving to Daytona Beach 5 years ago, I have worked for 10 employers and also tried
self-employment. (Four of the jobs were temporary.) Only one of those employers was a good
match for me, but unfortunately, they went out of business nine months after I started working
for them. I am a highly qualified accountant/bookkeeper, but it seems this town is unwilling to
pay a decent salary to someone with my skills and more than 25 years of experience. My age (over 50)
may also have something to do with my inability to get a good job offer. I have been on several
interviews, but I seem to come in second or third choice.
The Career Doctor responds:
I think now is the time to reinforce the whole concept of a job search as a marketing
campaign. Your cover letter and resume are the key marketing promotion documents
and the job interview is the critical sales call. If you then look at yourself as a product,
it puts job-hunting in a much different light.
You have a number of issues/problems/concerns that need to be addressed. First, I let
me preface the rest of this answer with the depressing news that the Central Florida job
market is one of the weakest and low-paying that I have ever researched. So, as you’ve
discovered, job-seekers need to keep their expectations tempered.
Your resume. There are a number of issues you need to deal with here. First, you need
to remove older job experience and take older dates off your experience and education
so that employers can’t easily guess your age. Next, you need to do something with all
the jobs; 10 jobs in five years is a huge red flag. I would consider lumping all your temporary
work into one grouping in a traditional resume — or consider experimenting with some sort of chrono-functional resume, in which skills are emphasized and employment history is secondary. Next, are you
current with your training/technology skills — and if so, does it come across on your resume?
So much of accounting and bookkeeping practices have changed, even in the last 10 years,
that employers may assume older job-seekers still do it the “old” way and may be resistant
to change. Your task is to not let them assume that!
In the interview. Your resume can only do so much for you — which is basically get you to the
interview. Now you need to sell yourself to the employer. Don’t go into interviews, as some
older workers do, with anything but a positive attitude — focused on how you can make an
immediate contribution to the company (rather than relying on all your years of solid experience).
Attitude, especially with older workers, is critical.
I strongly recommend that you read some of the articles and other resources in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Job
Resources for Mature and Older Jobseekers.
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:
Ben writes:
I have a question concerning submitting my cover page and resume via email. The
question is that most companies will not accept attachments so I must submit my
resume within the message body of my email vs. attachments. How do I maintain
the same appearance as the original written in MS Word?
The Career Doctor responds:
The short answer is you can’t. And while appearances are important for
traditional cover letters, the most important element is the content. The
same holds true for resumes; appearances are important for traditional
resumes, but content is the most critical element — regardless of the format.
So, how are emailed cover letters different than traditional cover letters? Let
me walk you through some of the key issues, but before I do, let me emphasize
that you should always go to each employer’s career center site and examine
the guidelines for submitting electronic documents, if they list them.
Here are the five critical email cover letter issues.
First, know the rules of writing a cover letter. If you are still writing “vanilla”
cover letters, you won’t get any employer response — no matter how you send it.
Second, keep it short. Email cover letters need to be more concise and shorter in
length than traditional cover letters.
Third, take advantage of keywords. Be sure to use all the keywords from the
employment listing — and any other important jargon or keywords from your industry —
without making the letter a string of sentences full of jargon.
Fourth, watch your line length. Some email software automatically perform line returns
for you, but I would make sure the lines of your email are no longer than 60 characters.
Fifth, take the time to send the email cover letter to yourself first — so you can see
what it looks like after transmission.
Finally, as you know, don’t even bother with attachments. Most employers don’t want them.
Instead, consider developing Web versions of your resume and providing the URL to the
employer (in addition to providing a text-based version).
Find more information and guidelines in my article,
Tips for a Dynamic Email
Cover Letter, published on Quintessential Careers. You can also find more information
about types of resumes 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:
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:
Galen writes:
I have been searching for a job for about 2 and 1/2 months. Every one I show my resume to, or e-mail/fax/snail mail to says that they really like my resume, or WOW, or this is a really strong resume.
Problem is no interviews, no follow-up calls from headhunters on-line or otherwise for jobs which I submitted my resume. Many of these jobs I am definitely qualified for, some over qualified, some under. Most, 80% fall into the definitely qualified for.
- What am I doing wrong?
- How do I get the headhunters to respond?
- etc.
The Career Doctor responds:
A key part of any job-search is follow-up. It’s not good enough just to be pounding the pavement, sending out cover letters and resumes, expanding your network of contacts, responding to job ads and postings, and contacting headhunters and recruiters. All those activities are important, but they’ll all be for naught unless you take the time to follow-up every single job lead.
No interviews is a bad sign to me. It means that there is something wrong with your job search…and probably not just your lack of follow-up.
I strongly urge you have a career professional — a resume service, a former boss or colleague, or a headhunter — carefully review your resume and cover letter. In fact, you should have him or her evaluate your entire job search plan.
I also strongly suggest you read our article, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself if You Still Haven’t Found a Job, published on Quintessential Careers. The article discusses some of the common roadblocks to a successful job-search — and how to get through them.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
If I am 40 years old. Should I leave my high school off my resume and just keep the college and special education? Or should I keep the name of the high school and just leave the year graduated off? Thanks.
The Career Doctor responds:
I have a former student — a college graduate — who was valedictorian of her high school. Quite an accomplishment — years ago — but no one cares about it anymore, yet she still clings to it on her resume (partly because her college career was less than stellar). Even in her case, I recommended removing the high school stuff as soon as she was a college student.
So, here’s the rule. If you made it into college, one can assume that you completed your high-school education in some fashion, so drop it off your resume. Why should you waste precious space on your resume on an accomplishment that is inconsequential to most employers. Note to non-U.S. job-seekers: The norm for curriculum vitaes in many countries outside the U.S. is to list your high school education, but if you’re applying for a job in the U.S., leave it off.
Why are you clinging to that high school degree? Take it off your resume!
But, you also raise an interesting question for all older job-seekers — we baby boomers and older job-seekers. At some point — probably in your 40s — I would remove dates from college degrees as a preemptive strike against the possibility of age discrimination. (Be careful, though, as some employers, and especially recruiters want to see all dates from college on.) While you’re a little young to be worrying about age discrimination, others might be interested in our growing section of Job and Career Resources for Mature and Older Workers.
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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.
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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:
Deb writes:
I am a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree, currently working on my master’s degree. I am interested in a career in pharmaceutical sales. However, all the ads state previous sales experience required. My question is whether my RN degree would carry enough weight to offset the previous sales requirement? Secondly, would it be best to apply to the companies directly or to go through a recruitment agency? Thank you for your time in replying.
The Career Doctor responds:
Logically, you would assume that a medical background is a plus in pharmaceutical sales…but the bottom line is that it is a sales job, not a medical job — and many companies want previous sales experience. Can you sell your nursing education and experience as a critical benefit you can bring to the position as a pharmaceutical sales rep? Of course you can — and in fact, some companies require some kind of medical
background or education — but you will also need to examine the traits of successful salespeople and determine if you have those skills from previous experiences.
First, in what field are you pursuing your master’s degree? If it is nursing — and you know you don’t ever want to work as a nurse again — I would seriously consider withdrawing from graduate school. But before you make such a major decision, I would suggest conducting several informational
interviews with sales managers in pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Eli Lily, and GlaxoSmithKline, among others, to better understand what these managers want in the field representatives they hire.
Second, you need to identify the skills that make salespeople successful. Obviously, they need superior communications skills — especially persuasive communications skills; they need to be “people” person — able to build and maintain relationships; they need to be highly-motivated self-starters; they need to be well-organized. You’ll be able to glean all this information from looking at job postings and from your informational interviews.
Third, you’ll need to develop a resume that portrays your mix of medical and sales skills and experiences in such a way as to identify you as an ideal candidate for a pharmaceutical sales position. You may want to try a chrono-functional resume. Read our article, Should
You Consider a Functional Resume? Be aware, though, that many employers dislike any kind of functional resume, so have a chronological version ready if the chrono-functional isn’t working for you.
Best of luck in achieving your goals.
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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:
Orlando writes:
I have recently moved to New York City. I have 4 solid years of web development/programming and design experience. I have also worked 2 years, out of the 4 years, as a web-development consultant. On top of my experiences and skills, I am still pursuing my first bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.
For some reason, I am experiencing difficulties in finding a job in New York. I have been
sending resumes for more than a month now and generated only one interview, but another candidate was selected. I was wondering if this is because I don’t have my degree yet or is it my resume? How long does it usually take, on average, for someone to hear from companies?
Please help me. I would really appreciate any suggestions you can give me on how to get interviews with companies.
The Career Doctor responds:
Job-hunting is all about marketing and selling — and being more aggressive in hunting down job opportunities than other job-seekers. One of your biggest problems is a common one among job-seekers — applying for jobs and then sitting back waiting for the phone to ring. And as you have discovered, job-hunting just does not work that way. You need to get on the phone (or via email if you applied for jobs using email) and call every company you have not heard from and see what the status of your application is — and ask for interviews where appropriate.
I don’t know what method you are using to find job leads, but if you are relying only on job ads — either job postings on Web sites or in help wanted ads in New York area newspapers — you need to move your job search up quite a few gears. Have you joined any professional or social organizations since you moved to New York? Do you have friends or family in New York? I ask because networking is the best method to find strong job leads.
Learn more about networking by going to Quintessential Careers: The Art of Networking.
Don’t get discouraged, but don’t sit at home waiting for a phone call. Pound the pavement. Make your own opportunities.
Finally, one other great source for understanding the importance of marketing in job-hunting is my article: Using Key Marketing Tools to Position Yourself on the Job Market.
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- resume,
- skills,
- web development
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:
Anonymous writes:
How do I explain to a potential employer that I was let go from my job after committing an honest mistake that I did not realize there was a policy on?
The Career Doctor responds:
Let me begin by stressing the importance of not raising this issue — ever — but especially not in your cover letter or resume. (And yes, we often come across these odd admissions.) Even in the interview, let the employer ask you why you left your last job.
Once the issue has been raised, the best answer is always the truth. Admit that you made a mistake — and, more importantly, show how you have learned from that mistake.
Read my article, Getting
Fired: An Opportunity for Change and Growth.
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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:
Kristen writes:
I had written a cover letter and wasn’t
sure where to put my name and contact information. I had originally
put it on the top of the page, in the middle so that it would match the
heading on my resume. However, my mom told me that she has never
heard of putting that information in the top middle of the page. She said
that it had to be right or left aligned or that it could be at the bottom after
I sign my name. I looked in the cover-letter resources on the website
but I am still not sure. Could you let me know if all of those are
acceptable?
The Career Doctor responds:
You know, I don’t really have anything against well-meaning parents, aunts,
uncles, cousins, etc., but unless they work in the career-management field,
they are probably not the best people to ask about these things — and I get
these kinds of comments all the time.
So, I am glad you have asked me. In the ideal situation, all of your job correspondence should look exactly the same — a matched set. The “header”
of your resume - where you have your name and contact information — should
be the same on your cover letter, as well as on your references page, salary history page, and any other supplemental pages.
It doesn’t matter if the type is centered, left-justified, or right-justified. What
matters is that you are consistent and use a readable font.
And just a reminder about what should go in the header: name, address, phone
number (home and/or mobile), email address. Provide as much contact
information as possible, but if you use an email address, be sure it’s a
professional one, not like one I received recently from “sexyprincess84.”
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
Two of my previous employers have had name changes since I last left their company. Should I use the new name on my resume or the old one?
The Career Doctor responds:
Both.
There is a very simple protocol for handling company name changes on your resume. Simply put the current name of the company, and then, in parentheses and in smaller type, put the name of the company when you worked there. So, for example, Bank of America (formerly NationsBank).
Make sure you follow all the other rules of resume-writing. Take a quick overview with Quintessential Careers: Resumes Do’s and Don’ts, or go for a more detailed review by using Quintessential Careers: Resume Tutorial.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Veso writes:
If I use a professional name, instead of my real name, which name should I include on my resume and cover letter?
The Career Doctor responds:
If you are known in your industry by your professional name, then you should use it on your resume and cover letter. There’s no sense trying to explain it or confusing the potential employer with multiple names.
Obviously, when the time is right — certainly when you are completing hiring papers, you will need to use your real name.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen writes:
I am a “non-traditional” recent college graduate. My work experience does not coincide with my degree at all. I have followed all the cover-letter and resume tips and guidelines from multiple sources and sent out close to 100 resumes. I can’t even get an interview! I know I have a lot to offer these companies but they don’t even give me a chance. Can you help????
The Career Doctor responds:
Karen, what you need to do is build a resume around your recent degree and the transferable skills you have from your previous experiences (work and school).
I assume you want to enter the field that relates to your degree. If this assumption is correct, then you need to examine the skills that employers in that field are looking for in job candidates and see if you used many of those skills in your previous jobs —regardless of the field. You can read more about how to do this analysis by going to
Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job-search Technique. Then you need to rebuild your resume around those skills, possibly experimenting with a chrono-functional
resume. You can find the best sources of information at Quintessential Careers: Resume Resources.
Now onto a possible second problem with your situation: Are you doing anything besides sending out resumes? Are you calling these companies where you sent your resumes and asking for an interview? You cannot wait by the phone expecting these employers to call you — you need to be proactive and call them! Are you taking advantage of your network of friends, colleagues, and family by trying to get job leads from them? Are you using the career services office of your college? The alumni network of your college? Are you looking online for jobs?
I think if you redo your resume to focus on your transferable skills, become more proactive in your job search, and take advantage of networking opportunities, you should find your job searching much more productive.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Michelle writes:
I recently was let go from my position at my office due to financial reasons.
How do I start off a cover letter letting the employer know this information in
a positive manner? I just need some advice on how to construct the first part
of the cover letter and I did not see that on the website. Hope you can help
and thank you for your time.
The Career Doctor responds:
Repeat after me — again and again — never ever put any kind of negative information
in your cover letter, resume, or any other job-search materials. The time to address
any of these negative issues — such as being fired — is in the job interview ONLY
after the employer raises the issue.
Your cover letter is the job-search tool that sets the tone for you as a job-seeker and
provides the critical first impression for the employer. How positive an impression is the
prospective employer going to have if your opening paragraph states, “although I was
recently let go from my previous job because the company was having financial difficulties… ”
The employer is going to stop reading before he/she even gets to the end of your sentence.
But you are not alone. In the thousands of cover letters I have seen over the years, it
is absolutely amazing the kind of negative information job-seekers put in their cover letters.
Perhaps they mistakenly think that full disclosure is necessary. Or perhaps because
professionals stress being truthful, they think this means they need to fess up to all prior
mistakes.
Please remember a cover letter is a marketing document. Its sole purpose is to entice the
hiring manager just enough to review your resume. It’s then the resume’s job to verify that
you are worthy of getting an interview for the open position.
If your cover letter is not focused, if it provides negative information, if it has typos or spelling
errors, or if it has too little or too much detail, your resume will simply not get a look
and your job prospects for the position are officially over.
Finally, let me once again stress that I am not saying to lie. I am simply saying do NOT
disclose negative information (or even too much information) until the employer asks you
about it. And at that point you need to put a positive spin on the negative information —
but only then.
I believe you need to review two key resources. First, read my article about moving beyond after
getting laid off: Getting Fired: An
Opportunity for Change and Growth.
Second, take advantage of the all the tools and resources we offer in this section of Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers.
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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:
Francis writes:
I have been scouring the Internet for some guidance concerning cover letters when responding to ads for jobs from web sites like Monster, Yahoo Hot Jobs, etc. The current thinking is that you should always respond with the name of a person. If this is the case, no one seems to advocate not applying for a job using one of the above sources to submit a resume since many times there is no name given.
My experience is limited in calling to find out who to send the resume to. One time I called and was told “we don’t give out names” when I asked for a contact.
Would you tell me why this is so? Is it because it could be financial suicide if this type of advice were given?
Thanks for your time. I have found you web site very helpful.
The Career Doctor responds:
There are critical differences between traditional job-hunting and job-hunting on the Web — and you’ve discovered a big one. An emailed cover letter, while having the same job-search function, is quite different than a traditional cover letter. An emailed cover letter needs to be shorter and more concise, needs to grab the attention of the reader more quickly, and needs to focus on keywords.
An emailed cover letter is generally no more than three paragraphs. The first paragraph identify the key benefits you can offer the employer — in a dynamic and inviting style. The second paragraph provides the details that support the benefits you mention in the first paragraph. The third paragraph must close the deal by asking for the interview.
You should still try and identify the hiring manager for the position if it is not listed in the job posting. Contacting the company and asking for the name of the hiring manager will work for many organizations, but some may have privacy policies — or concerns about getting deluged with responses. Alternative solutions include “Dear Hiring Manager” or skipping the salutation completely and just starting the letter with “Re: Job Posting XX7783Y.”
You can get much more tips and advice about writing email cover letters by reading my article, Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter.
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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:
Judy writes:
I have worked information systems in many different industries and am attempting to streamline my resume to each company’s “buzz words” or keywords. Do you have
access to or can you refer me to site to find these words?
The Career Doctor responds:
Keywords are nouns and phrases that employers use to search internal and external resume databases when searching for job candidates. While this practice started in the technology industry, it has certainly spread to many other industries, and more and more job-seekers are placing keyword sections on their resumes to strengthen their chances of being selected. (See our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume’s Effectiveness, for more details.)
The best way to develop a list of keywords for your resume is to first examine your accomplishments and skills areas. Second, examine the type of job you are seeking to move into. Third, conduct some job searches at our job board and some of the other major job sites and make a list of the keywords from the job postings (using, for example, job title, job description, qualifications, skills, software, industry jargon, etc.). You might also consider searching the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for keywords.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Kris writes:
Should I have a cover letter to accompany my resume when I go for an interview on Tuesday?
If you can assist me in any way I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
The Career Doctor responds:
The main purpose of a cover letter is to entice a prospective employer to review your
resume in consideration for a job interview, and since you have cut through the process
and already have an interview, a cover letter seems unnecessary at this point.
Do make sure your resume is sharp in appearance and directed specifically at the job
you are seeking. Just as you would write a different cover letter for each position, so
too should you tweak your resume for each position.
Instead of the cover letter, if you have a portfolio of samples of your work experience,
bring it along to the interview. And be sure to bring multiple copies of your resume.
And before the interview, be sure to brush up on the types of questions you are expecting
in the interview. You don’t want to memorize your answers, but you do want to have a
basic story prepared so that you will showcase your experience and fit.
Let me just add a final comment about cover letters. First, when you are applying for
any position — unless the employer specifically requests you not send one — you should
always send a cover letter and resume as part of your job-search package. Your cover
letter should be brief and specifically address why you are the perfect candidate for the
position. Cover letters should be no longer than 3-5 short paragraphs — and never
longer than one page.
You can read more about special
cover letter formats that grab employers’ attention, as well as find lots more articles and
tools in the cover letter section of Quintessential Careers.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Rajan writes:
I have a resume that has large employment gaps. This may be OK for females, but for males, it is a no-no. I have tried different types of resume styles. Nothing.
I don’t get interviews. Is there any way to increase the number of interviews?
How should I explain my resume? At one time I stopped looking for work for about 1.5 years, the biggest gap to explain.
Then I did telemarketing and took a course in it. Telemarketing is not for me. I have stopped again for about 10 months. I don’t want to sit around. Right now I am looking for work as a network administrator. I have a background in hardware and software development, but I can’t move. In this area there is not much call for tech work.
The Career Doctor responds:
The first rule of job-hunting is never expose a weakness to the employer — and never do it before you’ve had a chance to have an interview and build a case for yourself. Yes, employers do worry about employment gaps — for both genders — but you can do some things to make the gaps less obvious and to project yourself in a better light.
First, I would recommend you experiment with a chrono-functional resume that focuses
on your technical achievements and skills. If you already have one, then I suggest you ask a professional colleague, mentor, or resume professional to evaluate and critique it for you. My guess is that you are so focused on these gaps that this weakness comes through on your resume.
Second, plan a strategy for explaining these gaps. Were you doing volunteer work? Were you taking classes? Were you working part-time or as a consultant? You will need to fill these gaps with something so that it doesn’t seem as though you were just sitting
home all that time (even if you were).
Third, are your technical skills current? If not, you might want to take a course or two to make you more marketable.
Fourth, once you have a professional resume and feel more confident about yourself, you need to go back into the job market. And don’t worry so much about location, as there are definitely high-tech jobs where people work from home at least some of the time. Use all the tools available to you to find a job — your network, the Internet, etc.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Diane writes:
I would like to send my resume with a cover letter to recruiters/employment
agencies. The career development office I’m working with advises that it is
better to have someone’s name to address the cover letter to. Since it would
require a great deal of time to try and get a staff member’s name for each
agency, would it be acceptable to use a generic salutation, such as Dear
Recruiter?
The Career Doctor responds:
The rules of cover-letter writing are a bit different when writing letters to
headhunters than when writing letters to employers, but the one rule of
all cover letter writing is that the job-seeker must — as best as possible —
address the letters to named individuals. Think about it, when was the last
time you read (junk mail) addressed to “Dear Homeowner” or “Dear Pet
Owner.” If you don’t read these kinds of letters, why should busy professionals?
Job-seekers must always take the time to get names and titles for cover letters.
Before I get to the differences in content, let me also address one other red flag
in your question. Why would you be sending off so many letters to recruiters?
Take the time to research the recruiting agencies that specialize in your field
and in your preferred location — and contact only those recruiters. Don’t waste
your time — and the time of those recruiters — by writing to recruiters who don’t
work in your area.
One other comment about strategy. The majority of recruiters say that the resume
is the single most important document they look at when evaluating job-seekers;
cover letters are a distant second. The message here? Make sure your resume is
exceptional.
Your cover letter to a recruiter should focus on these elements:
- Contact information
- Why you are on the job market
- Job titles and industries of interest to you
- Salary history and salary expectations
For more information about this topic, please read the article published on
Quintessential Careers written by my partner Katharine Hansen:
Cover Letters
to Recruiters Require Special Handling.
You can also follow this link to a
sample cover letter to a recruiter.
And don’t forget to follow all the other guidelines for good cover letters —
especially avoiding typos and misspellings and always being truthful. Find
more resources in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Cover Letter Resources.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen writes:
My sister has a bachelor’s degree in sociology (or is it social science?) with a specialization in archeology. (She wanted to become an archeologist, but the college she went to didn’t offer it as its own major, but instead as part of another major.) After she graduated, she worked a few years of archeology “construction detail,” and then gave it up.
She’s not interested in that career field or type of work anymore and has been in career limbo for about two years. She’s currently working at a store in a local mall and is very unhappy. She told me that she since she earned a college degree she’d like to be using it. However, she has no idea what kind of jobs she might be able to get! What sort of jobs are available for someone with her qualifications?
The Career Doctor responds:
I think it’s great when family members help each other out, so kudos to you, Karen. At this point in your sister’s life, the degree is of more importance than her major to employers… thus, her career options are almost limitless. She’s also not alone — I’ve met too many store clerks with a bachelor’s degree who dislike their jobs and wonder about the value of their education.
I suggest that your sister first take some time to think about the things she likes to do — what activities, skills, etc., does she enjoy? If she needs help with this exercise, she may want to try out some of the resources available at Quintessential Careers: Career Exploration Tools. Then she needs to find the types of jobs that use those skills. She may need additional training or education, but it totally depends on what she discovers.
Finally, she is going to need to work on her resume — perhaps changing the format to a chrono-functional rather than chronological — to stress the value of her transferable skills.
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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:
Anonymous writes:
I have a question that is plaguing me. I published several research works under my married name and now I am divorced. I need to list my publications on my new resume (or CV) and the names do not agree. Moreover, i am loathe to disclose my former marriage. Can I use my maiden name in my publications? It is, after all, me. Or must i use a one-liner disclosing my prior name? If so, where do i do this?
The Career Doctor responds:
Please, whatever you do, do not change your name in your publications to your maiden name because if a potential employer were to look up the article and find a different name, the immediate assumption may be that you are lying on your resume or vitae, and that’s the end of your chance with that organization.
I suggest one of two simple remedies. First, and perhaps the easiest, is to simply include your maiden name in parenthesis, so, for example, if you were Mary Smith when you published those research works and you now go by Mary Jones, simply add the Jones on your vita, such as Mary (Jones) Smith. Second, you could do the same thing on your resume as you would if an organization you worked for changed its name. Under your name at the top of your vitae, you could place, in smaller type, your former name … thus Mary Jones in large type, (formerly Mary Smith) in smaller type directly underneath.
Employers have no reason to ask you about the name change, so I think you are worried for nothing. Just make one of the simple changes mentioned above and be done with it.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Shannon writes:
I would like to type a new cover letter for a couple of job openings. However, I have an unlisted phone number and would prefer not to put it on my resume or cover letter. I found the last time I applied for a new job that the companys had sold my resume to other companies, and I began receiving several unwanted phone calls. How would I handle something like this? I do work full-time and will list that number in the cover, but I am very reluctant to give me home number.
Someone at my work suggested using an e-mail address instead of a phone number. Is this the way to go? How would I word that into the cover letter?
The Career Doctor responds:
I can’t believe that any company would sell your resume to other companies — unless it was not a legitimate business or some kind of unethical recruiter.
Regardless, I think most experts would agree that when you are job-hunting, you cannot place any obstacles in your path, and while I am a big proponent of email communications, I believe that if you leave off your phone number you risk missing out on some opportunities.
If you are concerned about unwanted phone calls, you may want to get a screening device, such as an answering machine or Caller ID.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Michael writes:
How much of an effect does the number of schools a student attends have on prospective employers. I transferred from my first college after my freshman year because it didn’t offer the major I was interested in. I am currently majoring in electrical engineering at Bradley in Peoria, Il. Due to financial problems, I might have to change schools again, but I’m really worried that won’t be very attractive to prospective employers. Another reason I am thinking of transferring is that the usual class schedule was changed while I was away on an internship, so I missed some important prerequisites and would have to stay in school an extra year at least. Do I have reason to worry about transferring again?
The Career Doctor responds:
I would not worry at all about the number of colleges you end up attending. The key is the degree, and as long as you are satisfied that the final college you may be attending is a solid and legitimate college, then transfer if you need to do so.
And the only way a potential employer might know you attended several colleges is if you volunteered that information for some reason or they requested a copy of your transcripts. There is no reason to put all the colleges you attended on your resume — the only one that matters is the one that grants you a degree.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Jim writes:
I was wondering if you could advise me on how best to prepare a resume when you have gaps in employment so as not to magnify the gaps and disadvantage yourself.
The Career Doctor responds:
Let me start by saying you are wise to think about this issue. A resume is basically a marketing tool whose purpose is to help get you an interview. Thus, given this focus as a marketing tool, your goal in writing a resume is to make it a positive and informative selling tool.
There are two basic formats for resumes: chronological and functional.
The typical resume is a chronological one, which shows your employment history starting with the most current and working backward. This type of resume works best when you have a specific career path and each of your jobs shows progression along that career path.
The functional resume is often used when you have employment gaps or when you are trying to make a change from one field to another and you want to emphasize your transferable skills, not your old career path.
Consider trying a functional resume, or better yet, a chrono-functional resume organized around skills clusters but including a bare-bones job history. Sit down and
analyze the key skills you have developed and honed from your previous employment and use these skills sets for the bulk of your resume. Toward the end of your resume show an employment history, but you can do it in such a way as to de-emphasize the gaps. Note that even chrono-functional resumes carry some risk as many employers and recruiters don’t like them and suspect the job-seeker is hiding something. It’s best to experiment with a chrono-functional version, but be prepared to return to the chronological format if the chrono-functional doesn’t seem to be working for you.
And please be prepared to answer the question at the interview. Employers will want to know why there were gaps.
Finally, to get more information, links, and books about resumes, please visit Quintessential Careers:
Resume Resources.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Bill writes:
I’ve sent out 175 resumes. Some I’ve received an email acknowledgments and others I received snail mail acknowledgments, but the rest I’ve received neither. How should I handle the no replies? Should I send another resume — or email or phone them?
The Career Doctor responds:
Bill, okay … I am assuming you sent out cover letters with your resumes, and I am further assuming you followed the proper cover letter techniques — specifically, writing to a named individual, requesting an interview, and promising action — I would strongly suggest that you put all those recipients into a spreadsheet and start contacting them right away. You should never expect employers to respond to your inquiries, and as you have discovered, very few do so.
Not knowing how much time has elapsed, you may need to send out another cover letter and resume once you’ve spoken with the people. If that’s the case, then send those people your resume and cover letter and follow-up about a week to 10 days later with a phone call.
If you did not write a cover letter, or you did not follow the cover-letter rules — and the biggest no-no is not addressing each letter to a named individual — then you might as well start all over again because the likelihood that your cover letter and resume are still somewhere in the employers’ offices is pretty darn slim.
You can read more about cover letters and job-hunting at Quintessential Careers:
Cover Letter Resources, which includes a link to the cover letter tutorial.
Follow-up is crucial in all aspects of job-hunting.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Karen writes:
I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and have not gone back to work yet. I will not be done with my 33 radiation treatments for several more weeks. How do you suggest I update my resume for the time I have not worked?? I have NO IDEA what to do about this situation. Do you??
The Career Doctor responds:
Well, most importantly, I hope you have fully recovered from the cancer and the treatments you have received because of it. Discussing job-hunting almost seems trivial next to the ordeal you have been through.
Remember that job-hunting is all about marketing … all about giving the potential employer all green lights and no speed bumps when evaluating your potential performance.
Thus, as with any major medical problem in which you are unemployed for a long period, you may want to consider switching to a functional resume from a chronological resume. A functional resume focuses on the key skill areas and successes you have had in your career and de-emphasizes your actual work experience until the end of the resume where you list the places, job titles, and dates relating to your past employment. You can find some helpful hints by visiting Quintessential Careers: Resume Resources.
You will have to face the issue of an employment gap at some point, but hopefully not until you are in the interview and can give a quick explanation of a medical condition (you do not need to go into details) while showing that you are in good health now.
Again, best wishes for a return to full health and a full life, as well as a successful job search.
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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:
Jill writes:
I recently graduated with a BS in social psychology at 41 years of age. The past 10 years I have been in the clerical field and now more than anything want to work with teenagers. In my cover letter and resume how do I relate my past experiences with the changing career choice I would like to make? Any information would be appreciated.
The Career Doctor responds:
There are a few keys to making the successful transition. In terms of your cover letter and resume, you need to sit down and think about the skills you have learned and used and how they can apply to your new career field. For example, organizational skills are extremely important in the clerical field, and working with teens requires organizational skills as well. Read more about the topic by visiting Quintessential Careers:
Transferable Skills.
The next key to success is to review the job descriptions of the types of jobs you are considering. How does your education and experience match up with the requirements? Can you position yourself to fit these requirements? If not, you may need to take some additional courses or look at different types of jobs.
Finally, I would encourage you to talk with people who currently have jobs that are similar to what you want to be doing or are supervising people who are doing the type of job you want to be doing. We call these informational interviews, and they are an extremely valuable resource for gaining knowledge, making contacts, and networking. Get the scoop by visiting Quintessential Careers: Informational Interviewing Tutorial.
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In response to a question about common mistakes in cover letters, Phyllis Korkki said, “A cover letter with typos, misspellings and poor sentence structure may take you out of the running for a job. If you cannot afford to pay someone to review your cover letter and résumé, enlist a friend or a family member with good language skills to do it instead.
Korkki continues:
Another misguided thing people do is to make the cover letter all about them: “I did this, I’m looking for, I want to … I, I, I.” Structure your letter so that it stresses the company and what you can do to help it reach its goals, [experts] said.
Korkki cites well-known career-management expert Wendy Enelow for the advice to avoid including too much information — for example, very specific salary or geographic requirements. Enelow also told Korkki that it is also unwise to point out that you do not meet all the criteria in the job description. You can deal with that later, if you get an interview. Hiring managers are looking for ways to exclude you as they narrow down their applications. Do not give them that ammunition.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
JoAnn writes:
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Need info on sending resumes over the net on e-mail. What about cover letter and the best format to use?
The Career Doctor responds:
The thing to remember when doing any kind of job-seeking activities is to make whatever you do easy for the employer. If the hiring manager has to spend more time on your application than on others … guess what? He or she won’t; he or she will simply move on to the next applicant.
With those words ringing in your head, let me suggest that with sending cover letters and resumes over the Internet, you want to make it as easy as possible for employers to consider your application.
Thus, I suggest that you always send your cover letter and resume as unformatted text within the email message as well as formatted as attachments. Otherwise, you risk not being considered because some employers only want text, some only want formatted, some don’t open attachments for fears of viruses or other security reasons, and some may not be able to open your attachments because of software incompatibilities.
As with everything else, there are guidelines to follow when doing a text-based resume. I encourage you to read my article, Scannable Resume Fundamentals: How to Write Text Resumes. (Note that “scannable” resumes are rarely used anymore, but they are fundamentally the same as the text resumes employers prefer.)
You might also want to read my Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter.
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In the June 1, 2009, Business Communication Quarterly, (Vol. 72, No. 2, pages 163-176), authors Nancy M. Schullery, Linda Ickes, and Stephen E. Schullery, report on survey results on “Employer Preferences for Résumés and Cover Letters.”
Here’s the abstract of their article:
This article reports the results of a survey of employers’ preferences for résumé style, résumé delivery method, and cover letters. Employers still widely prefer the standard chronological résumé, with only 3 percent desiring a scannable résumé. The vast majority of employers prefer electronic delivery, either by email (46 percent) or at the company’s Web site (38 percent), with only 7 percent preferring a paper copy. Cover letters are preferred by a majority (56 percent). Preferences regarding résumé style and cover letters were independent of national (USA) vs. multinational geographic range, company size, type of industry, or respondent’s job function. Smaller companies prefer résumé delivery by email, and human resources workers prefer delivery using the company’s Web site.
Keep in mind that academic research is often outdated because the publication cycle is so long; this abstract does not state when the survey research was conducted.
You can access the full article in a library or an academic library database.
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In a guest blog posting on All Moms Work, Debra Wheatman of Resumes Done Right (www.ResumesDoneWrite.com and ResumesDoneWrite.blogspot.com) offers this tip for increasing the chances that your cover letter will be read by a hiring manager: Include it in the body of your email and attach your résumé. That way the hiring manager will have to open one one attachment and can quickly read the cover letter when opening your email.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Leona writes:
I am currently job hunting in a new city. I have no formal training, but a lot of work experience in different areas. In my old resume I included phone numbers of past employers; is this necessary? Currently, my resume is three pages. I have a lot of experience and I am not sure how to go about condensing it. Would you be able to give me some ideas? How far back should I go with my work history? Do I give dates of time
employed, and do I give the name of my supervisor of each employer? I am at a loss. I haven’t written a resume in a few years.
The Career Doctor responds:
Ouch … sounds like you have fallen into the trap of putting way too much information on your resume. Your first step has to be revising your resume, so let’s begin there. Are these jobs you have related in any way? Have you used similar skills? To identify employers, simply list a company name and city, state. You do not need addresses
or phone numbers. If a former supervisor has offered to be a reference, then that information would go on a separate references page.
You can get more information about resumes, as well as links to other resume resources, by visiting Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
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In a guest blog posting on All Moms Work, Debra Wheatman of Resumes Done Right (www.ResumesDoneWrite.com and ResumesDoneWrite.blogspot.com) notes that your cover letter is part of the résumé package.
She writes:
The package is not complete without the cover. Will everyone read the cover? Probably not. While I haven’t done a full study of how many hiring managers read them vs. those that don’t, I can tell you this: when I worked in human resources I ALWAYS read them. I gained a better understanding of the candidate, what underlying skills he [or she] possessed and how he [or she] might contribute in the organization I represented.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Hollie writes:
I am wondering what are your three best pieces of advice for someone fresh out of college starting a resume?
The Career Doctor responds:
I like a challenge — and believe me, holding me to just three pieces of advice is a challenge for me! So, here goes.
First, get a hold of as many resumes of recent college graduates as you can get your hands on. Looking at these resumes will help you decide what you want to do with your resume. Your college’s career-services office should be able to help you get a hold of some samples.
Second, get some expert career advice. Again, you can start with your college’s career-services office, which probably has some handouts on resumes. You could also visit some resume Websites. My Website, Quintessential Careers, has a list of the best resume sites in our Resume Resources section. Finally, you could also go out and either buy a book or go to your local library and borrow a book on resumes. A good one for recent grads is
Resumes for College Students and Recent Graduates (VGM), but there are plenty of others.
Third, remember the purpose of your resume as you are writing it. A resume is a document that describes your work experience, your education (and any special training you have), and your skills. What makes an excellent resume, however, is marketing. You have to consider yourself a product, with the employer as the buyer … why should the employer buy (hire) you? Your resume is a key marketing tool in your employment search. You can read more about resumes — as well as the keys to a successful job search — by reading The Job-Search Domino Effect.
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In a guest blog posting on All Moms Work, Debra Wheatman of Resumes Done Right (www.ResumesDoneWrite.com and ResumesDoneWrite.blogspot.com) notes that your cover letter is an opportunity for you to highlight certain things that you might not have been able to include in the résumé.
She writes:
For example, perhaps you have been designing model houses since childhood, but have worked in another industry and now want to enter architecture. A cover letter would be the optimal place to discuss such information and provide specific examples of what you have designed. Or, maybe you have been cooking gourmet meals and regularly have dinner parties at your house and your friends’ houses. If you were applying for a position in a test kitchen, the cover letter would be the appropriate place to reveal this information - especially if you currently work in a more traditional business role.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Tanisha writes:
Do you know of a web site where I could look up a sample resume for an automotive technician/mechanic? I haven’t been too successful on my own.
The Career Doctor responds:
You’re certainly right there is not much out there on the Web about blue-collar resumes. My sense is this is because blue-collar jobs have lagged behind technology and other white-collar jobs in reaching the Net. The best bet for you is the late Yana Parker’s Website offering her book, Blue Collar & Beyond: Resumes for Skilled Trades & Services. You can find the site here. She lists an example or two at the site, but you might just want to go to your local library or invest the approximately $10 to buy the book. I totally believe Yana was a resume guru.
For more general information about resume formats, you can certainly look at my article, Fundamentals of a Good Chronlogical Resume.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Nancy writes:
Hi, I have a question on present vs. past tense of strong verbs used for listing skills on your resume. I always thought you used present tense for resumes, but a career -development teacher checked my resume and said to use past tense. Just wondering what you thought or know employers prefer or what is the correct tense. Example:
- supervised…
- coordinated….
The Career Doctor responds:
Strong verbs, or action verbs, are a vital part of a good resume. For your current position, the verbs should be present tense (negotiate, resolve, conduct, provide, etc.). For all your past positions, the verbs should be past-tense (monitored, researched, collected, etc.). Another key issue besides action verbs is that you should list achievements or outcomes of your positions, rather than simply duties. You “achieved a $100,000 increase in sales” rather than “managed client relations and sales.”
For a pretty complete list of action verbs, visit Quintessential Careers:
Action Verbs.
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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:
Mike writes:
No too long ago, I used one of your samples for resume and cover letter writing.
I must say, they really helped me.
The Career Doctor responds:
OK. So technically there is no question here, but I wanted to address this
issue because I had been recently interviewed on the subject of job-seekers
borrowing too heavily from samples found on job-search Websites and
books. And by the way, I am not saying that Mike did anything wrong; I
am assuming he used the samples correctly.
Why do career professionals provide samples? I know I do so as a learning
tool. I want you to be able to see what a good resume, cover letter, thank-you letter, etc., looks like. I have seen so much poorly written job-seeker
correspondence, that I thought it important for you to see good examples.
But I do not expect job-seekers to copy phrases or sentences word-for-word
in academic circles, we call that plagiarism, and if I were a hiring manager, I
would call it a reason not to interview or hire you. Borrowing someone else s
work brings into question your ethics — and work ethic.
So, please use the samples you find as guidelines for what your resume or
cover letter should look like and sound like, but do not lift whole chunks and
use them as your own. And be sure to read the accompanying articles that
describe in detail how to develop your job-search documents.
One final point. Someone raised the question of the difference between
borrowing a sample resume versus hiring a professional to write the resume
for you. The difference is one is stealing someone else’ s work (that may not
even apply to you) and the other is paying a professional to develop a
document specifically for you.
For those interested in samples, check out the many sample job-search
materials we have in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Job-Hunting
Samples and Examples.
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- career professionals,
- cover letter,
- cover letter writing,
- hiring manager,
- job-search documents,
- job-seekers,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- sample resume,
- samples,
- thank-you letter
“Cover letters accompany your resume when you can’t,” says Mary Jeanne Vincent in her WorkWise newsletter.
“They introduce you to your potential employer. Effective cover letters identify the position you are interested in by referencing the job title and the requisition number. They add value to your resume by highlighting your specific qualifications as they relate to the position for which you are applying.”
“There is no such thing as a good generic cover letter! If it is generic, then it isn’t effective,” Vincent emphasizes.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Anonymous writes:
I don’t think its smart to have my resume for all to review, how I can I post my resume and keep it confidential?
The Career Doctor responds:
There certainly is validity to wanting to be discrete about job-hunting when you are currently employed — you wouldn’t want your current employer to do a search for a position and get your resume from one of these job sites.
The good news is that many job boards now offer you a confidentiality option — thus your resume is still out there getting viewed, but you control who actually knows it is your resume. There are a few other job sites that even allow you to block your resume from going to certain companies, thus allowing no chance that your current employer will see your resume. You can search through a list of The Top 10 Job Web Sites.
And one final warning. Please remember that job-hunting on the Net should only comprise a small portion of your overall job-hunt — a little larger for people in technical and computer fields. You’ll do much better taking advantage of networking and other more traditional job-search techniques, but I also understand the value of the Web in a passive job search — putting your resume online and seeing what kind of responses you get, even when you are fairly happy with your current position.
confidentiality, employer, job board, job-hunting, resume, Top 10 Job Web Sites
Use Resume and Cover-Letter Samples Carefully
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Mike writes:
No too long ago, I used one of your samples for resume and cover letter writing.
I must say, they really helped me.
The Career Doctor responds:
OK. So technically there is no question here, but I wanted to address this
issue because I had been recently interviewed on the subject of job-seekers
borrowing too heavily from samples found on job-search Websites and
books. And by the way, I am not saying that Mike did anything wrong; I
am assuming he used the samples correctly.
Why do career professionals provide samples? I know I do so as a learning
tool. I want you to be able to see what a good resume, cover letter, thank-you letter, etc., looks like. I have seen so much poorly written job-seeker
correspondence, that I thought it important for you to see good examples.
But I do not expect job-seekers to copy phrases or sentences word-for-word
in academic circles, we call that plagiarism, and if I were a hiring manager, I
would call it a reason not to interview or hire you. Borrowing someone else s
work brings into question your ethics — and work ethic.
So, please use the samples you find as guidelines for what your resume or
cover letter should look like and sound like, but do not lift whole chunks and
use them as your own. And be sure to read the accompanying articles that
describe in detail how to develop your job-search documents.
One final point. Someone raised the question of the difference between
borrowing a sample resume versus hiring a professional to write the resume
for you. The difference is one is stealing someone else’ s work (that may not
even apply to you) and the other is paying a professional to develop a
document specifically for you.
For those interested in samples, check out the many sample job-search
materials we have in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Job-Hunting
Samples and Examples.
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.
- career professionals,
- cover letter,
- cover letter writing,
- hiring manager,
- job-search documents,
- job-seekers,
- Quintessential Careers,
- resume,
- sample resume,
- samples,
- thank-you letter
This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Glenis writes:
I read your blog regularly, but recently it has become of more interest
to me because my son is job-hunting. He has been a financial-aid counselor
at two universities, having moved to take the position at the last one
because it was a career advancement. Unfortunately his position was
eliminated due to budget cuts.
After being unemployed for a 6 months, he decided to take whatever
employment he could get just to help pay the bills, which happened to be
at minimal pay. He has not included this employment history on his resume
because he feels it would not look good. He has interviewed with 2-3
universities but so far no offer of employment.
Do you think the lack of employment information for the last year is affecting
his chances of being hired?
The Career Doctor responds:
I hope by the time you are reading this column that your son has a
new job in his career field, but if not, let me make a few observations.
I think there is a possibility of three things happening here that your son
needs to address.
First, the stigma of being fired. We can call it something prettier — his job
was eliminated — but the bottom line is that he was forced to leave his place
of employment. He needs to focus on this issue and make sure he is totally
over the trauma of the experience — especially since he was let go through
no fault of his own. He obviously has valuable skills since he was able to
move forward in his career.
Second, he needs to deal with his resume — and the reality he is living. A
lot of displaced job-seekers in this current economy have been forced to
take survival jobs so that they don t end up homeless and bankrupt. Most
prospective employers would rather see an applicant that has been doing
something productive — even if outside his or her field — than a large gap on
the resume. Of course, if he has been doing any kind of consulting or
volunteer work in his field, he should put that on his resume.
Third, perfect interviewing skills. If he has gotten a few interviews, then at
least some of the colleges are not bothered by the gap on his resume
enough to not interview him, so if he is not having success in the interview,
then he is either not interviewing well or not following-up his interviews. He
may want to conduct a mock interview with a career professional to judge
the quality of his interviewing skills.
I suggest he read, Getting
Fired: An Opportunity for Change and Growth, published on Quintessential Careers.
He may also want to read this article on Quintessential Careers:
The Pros
and Cons of Taking a Survival Job. What Should You Do?
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- career advancement,
- career field,
- employment,
- employment information,
- interviewing,
- interviewing skills,
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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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Bill Belknap and Helene Seiler, in the excellent book For Executives Only, describe a case study in which a client wrote a targeted letter to a hiring decision-maker after already having sent one in response to a job posting for the same job. The authors write:
She tracked down who the hiring manager was and wrote him directly. The hiring manager was impressed enough to ask HR to pull her resume out of the stack, and she was interviewed within a few days.
The candidate began her targeted letter by noting that she had applied for the position through the employer’s Web site. Her next paragraph expressed her understanding of the key requirement of the position. Then, she included a bulleted section recapping significant, relevant career accomplishments. She concluded with a proactive paragraph asking for an interview and noting that she would call the recipient’s assistant to schedule an appointment.
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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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Here’s a point not often raised in the ongoing debate on whether to send a cover letter with your resume:
Bill Belknap and Helene Seiler, in the excellent book For Executives Only, note that a “key advantage of the cover letter is you can focus the reader exactly where you want [him or her] to focus. With just your resume, you are never quite sure of where [he or she] will focus.”
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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.
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Heather Eagar of www.ResumeLines.com cautions job-seekers to ensure that employers know how to contact you. Eagar asks: “Have you ever left off your contact information from your cover letter? Job-seekers believe that if they include it on their resumes, they’re set. Sadly, they’re mistaken.”
She explains one of the reasons to include contact information:
When there is a job opening, all kinds of paperwork is flying around the office. A cover letter and resume can get separated from one another and sometimes get lost all together. It’s always best to have all your contact information on both your resume and cover letter so that no matter which document the employer has, you’re covered.
One way to ensure contact information is on your cover letter is to use the same “letterhead” for both resume and cover letter, a technique that also creates a consistent, branded look for your documents. It doesn’t hurt to also repeat your phone number and e-mail address in your final paragraph.
Eagar concludes with these words about cover letters:
Cover letters can be tricky; even what you deem as insignificant can have a major impact on your ability to get interviews. What may seem as unimportant to you may end up making the difference between waiting for an interview and actually getting one.
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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.
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Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.
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Heather Eagar of www.ResumeLines.com advises using your cover letter to point out the highlights of your resume. Says Eagar: “Sometimes employers get so bogged down with resumes that they resort to weeding them out rather quickly. The first thing they read about you comes from your cover letter. Be sure to look at the job description for which you are applying and make a point to highlight them in your cover letter.”
She continues with a technique for making this information easy to read:
One of the most effective ways to do this is by using bullets. The reader might only spend 20 seconds on your resume package before deciding whether or not to read the entire document. You don’t want to go through all that work only to have him or her believe you’re not qualified (when you really are). By making your cover letter easy for the reader to skim over while picking up on all the important information, you’ve just made the hiring manager quite pleased. And if your qualifications are indeed a good fit, then you have a great chance of being moved into the ‘interview’ pile.
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This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:
Stephanie writes:
I am currently employed, full-time, with a sales agency. I have been employed
with this company for five years. Recently, I obtained a part-time position with
a reputable salon and day spa in the area, while my husband finishes his
degree. I am putting my resume together to pursue other avenues and am
wondering if I should include my part-time position on my resume. AND in
what order I should place my experience. I do not want to seem overworked;
however, I know that the salon and day spa will give me an excellent referral.
If you could offer any advice, I would certainly appreciate it. Thank you.
The Career Doctor responds:
You might be surprised to learn that there are a large number of folks
doing the same thing you are doing — working one job and moonlighting at another.
People have all sorts of reasons for taking a second job. Some do it as the
beginning of a career-change move, gaining experience in a new career field
before making the full switch. Others work multiple jobs to simply meet living
expenses. Still others do it (usually on a temporary basis) to earn extra money.
Finally, others do it because they simply enjoy the second job.
What’s your reason for moonlighting? Your answer will affect whether you should
bother putting the salon on your resume.
For example, if you are attempting to move out of sales into customer service, then
the salon job could showcase your customer-service skills.
But if you worked at the salon simply because you needed extra money or
something to fill your day/week, then I would probably leave it off your resume.
Even though more and more job-seekers are moonlighting, there are also more
employers who are implementing or considering implementing guidelines for
when (and where) employees can work second jobs - and as a job-seeker, you
don’t want to hurt your chances of getting an interview based on a
unimportant job listed on your resume.
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Jimmy Sweeney, president of CareerJimmy and author of the www.Amazing-Cover-Letters.com, advises sending an e-mail (as one option) to follow up if you haven’t heard from an employer within 10 days of applying with a resume and cover letter. Says Sweeney: “Professionals … often prefer e-mail for quick messages. Use this effective means to your advantage. Follow up your original cover letter with an e-mail reminder.”
Here’s the sample wording Sweeney suggests:
Dear Mr./Ms. Jones:
On January 23 I submitted a cover letter and resume to apply for the position of general accounts executive at Capricorn Enterprises, Inc. I appreciate the fact that you have many applications to read. However, I am committed to showing you that I am well qualified to fill this opening. Would you have 30 minutes available for an interview this week or next? You choose the date and time, and I’ll be there prepared to talk and listen. Thank you for taking the time to read my request. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you in person.
Joe Job Seeker
joejobseeker@xyz.com
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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?
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?
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?
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