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