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Articles > Job Hunt and Interviews > Resume writing tips
Resume writing tips
A sure way of getting to the first round of interview
07th June ,2007
| Not getting enough interview calls? Not happy with your resume. Read on to find out how you can improve your resume and also get a call for an interview. |
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A resume is about you, its about what the employer perceives you to be, its about what value you as a person would add to the employer's organization. A lot can be told about a person by the way his/her resume is drafted. Spelling mistakes can brand you to be a careless person, shabby presentation can brand you as a person who is not interested in progressing his career or a person who just wants a job and would not put much effort after being selected.
I hope the following tips would be useful for you to develop your resume and get you to the first round of interview...
1. Use titles or headings that match the profile you want
But, before we begin a quick revelation: "on an average, it takes only 5 seconds for an employer to shortlist a resume". Shocking but true. So, how do you avoid this short listing trap.
With so many resumes reaching the various people of the HR department who then forward them to the respective departments for short listing, how would you avoid the short listing trap? How do you make sure that the right people looking at your CV identify whether or not to invest more time on reviewing your CV further.
A great way to do this is to use job titles and skills headings that relate to and match the jobs that you want.
E.g You could be a software engineer and would also lead a team of 2 - 3 junior people under you. The title for your resume (assuming you are a Java Developer) could be "A Java developer with team leading skills"
2. Use design that grabs attention
Ever used a product with a shabby cover design? I bet your answer is "No". Why, because you don't trust the quality of that product.
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.
3. Create content that sells
Resume design will get the employer's attention, but it's really the content of your resume that will get the prospective employer to read your resume further. The descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, the kind of work that you have executed in the past, awards or recognitions that you have received at companies, any form of recognitions that you have received from your client (in the form of an appreciation letter, etc).
4. Quantify and use power words
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. Over a period of time, you would have gained sufficient experience to move to a managerial position. To strengthen this image you should use as many "management oriented" words as possible.
Before Power Words
Gave tasks to developers to complete by assisting them wherever required
After Power Words
Directed project, supervised and trained developers and ensure smooth project execution
5. 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 the 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 Rs.80,000 annually by eliminating the need for part-time word processing staff.
6. Pay attention to minor details
This includes spell checks, including/excluding miscellaneous information, systematic presentation and prioritize content of your resume.
Spell Checks
With so many word processing tools available at your disposal, checking spellings and grammatical syntax of your resume has become easy. Always run a spell check on your resume before you send your resume to the prospective employer.
Including/excluding Miscellaneous information
It is very important that you identify miscellaneous information to include and exclude. I have seen many resumes where height is mentioned, don't mention such information unless you are applying for a job where such vital statistics are important e.g. to become a Air Hostess or Model.
Mentioning date of birth is also important, some employers look for such information as they have a preset age bracket for some positions. So, by providing such information would be helpful from the very onset of your resume reaching their mail boxes.
Systematic presentation
A well written and systematic resume is highly appreciated by employers since they get the information that they are looking at in an instant. Over a period of time with experience looking at a resume employers are able to identify important sections of the resume by just having a glance at your resume and a systematically written resume is highly appreciated.
Prioritize Content
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.
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