Resume writing is not about rehashing your past history and listing what you've done and where.
Resume writing is about writing to the future, to the job that you want or the career path that you wish to pursue. This is a critical consideration throughout every phase of writing your resume and conducting your job search. Clearly define your objectives, identify the skills and qualifications you've gained through your past experience that support your current goals.
Focus on these elements throughout your search. Don't position yourself as someone who wants to be a sales professional; rather, position yourself as someone who is a well-qualified sales professional with excellent skills in delivering presentations, negotiating and closing deals, planning incentives, and more.
Tips For Resume Writing
- Create Three Versions of Your Resume. In today's world of electronic job searching, you must have three distinct versions of your resume-a Microsoft Word version, an ASCII text version, and a scannable, or printout, version. You'll use the Microsoft Word version whenever you're submitting your resume via snail mail or as an attachment to an email message. You'll use the ASCII text version when completing online applications or when you know the company will not open a Microsoft Word attachment. And finally, you'll use the scannable version when employers request one, which they will scan into a resume database.
- Proofread.When you submit a resume with errors, you've almost certainly eliminated yourself from consideration. Your resume demonstrates the quality of work that you can produce. If you want someone to extend to you an offer for an interview and then a job, you had better be sure that your resume is 100 percent accurate and indicative of the quality of work you will perform for that company.
- Make your resume inviting to read. Use plenty of white space on your resume, use boldand italics to highlight important information, write in short paragraphs for a "quick" read, and use bullets to showcase your achievements. In addition, consider using a typestyle other than Times Roman, which is the most widely used of all fonts. Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Garamond, or any one of a number of other typestyles are clean and crisp, yet they give your resume a unique appeal. These visual factors are important for you to consider when preparing your resume. Not only must your resume contain solid content that clearly communicates your value to a prospective employer but the visual presentation must be sharp, professional, and easy to read.
- Sell Yourself. Resume writing means selling-pure and simple. You have a product to sell-yourself, and you must create a resume that highlights both the features (responsibilities) and benefits (achievements) of that product. To accomplish that, change your resume-writing mind-set. Instead of simply telling your readers what you have done, sell them on how well you've done it.
- Create your own personal brand. The latest and greatest strategy for successful resume writing is the concept of personal branding-creating a brand that is unique to you and your specific skill sets. For example" "finance executive who has delivered double-digit gains in productivity, quality, and cost reduction in operations worldwide." By incorporating this statement at the beginning of a resume, this individual has immediately communicated who they are and the value that they bring to a prospective employer in the civilian marketplace.
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