Three Guides to Improve Your Resume
Sometimes your resume can hurt more than help you.  In
today's job-search market, you are often competing against
large numbers of applicants, and your resume has to be good
enough to make it past the first screening.
 
The first people to view your resume are often lower-level
staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of
consideration.  You can minimize the chances of your resume
being eliminated during this round by following three
simple rules.
 
LESS IS MORE
 
Don't tell too much. A good resume should leave the
prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to
know more. They will be likely to call and phone-screen
you.  So don't fill in all the details just yet. Save that
for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who
you are and what you can offer.
 
For example, you may have worked several years at your
present employer. Certainly you could fill up several
paragraphs with all that you've done.  Instead, think of
the one or two most critical projects, duties or functions
that you provide.  List the most important and give them no
more than a sentence or two each.
 
Here is an example:
 
EXPERIENCE: Mar 2003 to Present: XYZ Company, Their City,
CA Senior staff design engineer. Products designed/Projects
involved: A, B, C. Description of Most Important Project
and why Description of 2nd most important project and why
 
Skip the hobbies and personal info.  Avoid mind-numbing
detail that will cause a reader's eyes to glaze over. One
page is ideal -- two pages only if you are a 15- to 20-year
veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.
 
MORE KEYWORDS
 
You want the computers to flag your resume for closer
examination.  Do this by including as many keywords as
possible that are relevant to your job and your job skills,
as well as specific industry words that may be appropriate.
  A convenient method to accomplish this is to include a
separate "Keywords" section on your resume just below the
"Objective".  Think of this as an important catchall
specifically for the computers to "see".
 
Here is an example from a candidate employed as a medical
quality assurance auditor:
 
KEYWORDS: Quality System, QA, QS, Audit, Good Manufacturing
Practices (cGMP), International Standards (ISO), Corrective
and Preventive Action Programs (CAPA), training, QSR,
Medical Device, calibration, 510K, TQM, PMA, FDA.
 
Also, include the names of major companies you worked with
or for, as this often is important to employers. Include
those in the "Experience" section.
 
BE SPECIFIC
 
Don't just tell them what you did. Move beyond that and
tell the benefit of your accomplishment.  A good way to do
this is to include several specific ways you helped your
employer make money or save money. Remember, the only
benefit you can bring to the table is past performance.
When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what
will be discussed.
 
Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples
of some of your best work. How can an employer think of you
as a problem solver?  If at all possible, try to "monetize"
your accomplishments (state them in terms of money).  At
the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these
successes.
 
SUMMARY
 
Building an effective resume dosen't have to be drudgery.
Using the above three guidlines will keep your resume lean
and to the point standing a greater chance of landing on
the "to call" stack and getting you a phone screen.
 
 
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As a recruiter, Joe Turner has spent the past 15 years
finding and placing top candidates in some of the best jobs
of their career.  He makes it easy for anyone to find and
land the job they really want all on their own in the
shortest time possible. Discover more insider job search