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Post by Marnie Winters on Jun 20, 2017 9:33:02 GMT
This specific spot is for resume information and questions. The resume is an extremely important tool because that is the first step in getting hired. A poor resume means the Human Resources representative won't call you. Make sure to deliver a resume that will have the HR representatives calling you. The ultimate goal is to have your phone blow up with requests for interviews.  |
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Post by Marnie Winters on Jun 24, 2017 13:31:27 GMT
There are many different types of resumes and I will eventually get into those one by one. For now, though, I'll just give some basic, overall resume info. The basic purpose of a resume is to show the employer your employment history, your education, your skills, and how you are qualified for the job you are applying for.
You may need to submit different resumes to different employers. It isn't uncommon. The reason is because different jobs require different skills and education levels and you want to submit the resume that is going to put your best foot forward. You want to showcase your skills, your education, or whatever it is the company is looking for. You won't need to write an entirely new resume each time. What you should do is write a template and update it each time you send it to an employer. You want to make sure to send in a resume that gets noticed; show you have the skills the employer is looking for; show you have the education (if required) that the company wants. The skills and qualifications will differ for each company and you want to make sure that you are showing them that you have what it takes to be successful in that position. You want to send different resumes to highlight your best qualities and skills and not make the hiring individuals have to sift through a lot of information that they don't care about.
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Post by Leigh B on Jun 27, 2017 21:23:58 GMT
I've changed careers mid-stream (by that I mean mid-life !). My new career path uses the skills I've obtained from a life-time of work, but I'm not sure how to present that in a CV. I'm thinking of trying a CV that is organized by skills rather than a chronological list of past jobs (that are unrelated to the new career). Great advice about personalizing the CV according to the employer !
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Post by Marnie Winters on Jun 27, 2017 22:38:30 GMT
That is an excellent question, Leigh! And, it is one people run into often. In this situation, creating a resume with a Summary of Qualifications or a Summary of Skills heading, followed by your lifetime of skills (in bullet format) will be very appropriate. This area should come first on your resume, right after your name and contact information, of course. Here is an example:
Jane Doe
123 Main St.
Anywhere, USA 12345
(123) 456-7890
Summary of Skills:
*Word Processing
*Types 75 WPM
*Expert at Microsoft Office suite
*Proficient with multi-line phone, fax, printers, scanners
*Computer literate
*Skilled with graphing calculators
*Skilled with Adobe Acrobat, managing and creating documents
The skills summary gives you the opportunity to list all of the skills you want taken into consideration when applying for a new job, but eliminates the need to tie those skills to a specific job or assign them a specific date. The potential employers/interviewing managers will get to see all of the skills you have built over your lifetime, that are important for the jobs you are applying for, and you don't have to provide a specific example of when and where you learned that skill.
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Post by Marnie Winters on Jul 6, 2017 10:22:10 GMT
When you create your resume, leave the job objective statement off the resume. If you don't know what a job objective is, it is a one or two line statement at the beginning of your resume that tells the HR Department and hiring team members what kind of job you want and what your career goal is. When people apply for a job, they generally rewrite the job objective every single time, and write it specifically focused on each single job they are applying for. For example, a person applying for a job as a third grade teacher would write something like, "My goal is to work in an elementary school teaching third grade students."
I cannot stress this enough: Leave...it...off!
Here is why you should leave it off:
First, obviously your career goal at the immediate moment is to have whatever job you applied for. It it wasn't your career goal, you wouldn't have applied for it in the first place. And, if your career goal is something else besides the job you are applying for, and this job is just a stepping stone, you don't want the people in charge of hiring you to know that because it means you probably won't get hired.
Second, you will need to change it with every single job you apply for and make sure it is written based on the job you are applying for. If you forget to change it once, and the job objective is a complete mismatch for the job you applied for, then the HR Department and hiring managers may wonder why on earth you applied for that job. You may not get hired because the members of the organization will think you don't understand what kind of job you just applied for.
Third, if you put the job objective on the resume it could trap you. The HR Office may think you specifically only want that job. They may want to hire someone else for the job you applied for and may want to offer you a different position in the company and it could be a higher level position with more money, or something that is truly matched up with your own personal career goals. But, they may not offer the position to you because your job objective indicates you want something else. Your job objective could talk you directly out of a better job, or even a job at all.
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Post by Marnie Winters on Jul 9, 2017 1:13:55 GMT
If you have a sample resume you are using as a guideline in order to complete your own resume, you may see a line at the bottom that states: Resumes Provided Upon Request
There is no need to include this statement. Leave it off your resume. It is an old, outdated practice. It is a given that if a potential employer asks for references, you will provide them with a list. Including that line is considered worthless and wasted space. Instead, allow yourself that space someplace else in your resume to sell yourself on why you are the best candidate for the job. Use it to mention skills you possess or to enhance your job duties at your most recent job.
When you do your reference list, you will want to have between 3 to 5 references. Include a few basic pieces of information:
-The person's first and last name
-An address
-A phone number and/or an e-mail address
-Your relationship to this person
If the person you are using as a reference doesn't want to provide an address, it is understandable. It can be a safety and security issue. They don't have to give their home address. Instead, use a business address or a college address. If you work with the person, use the address of the building where you work. If the person is an instructor, use the college campus address. These solutions are perfectly appropriate. Hopefully, the reference will give you a phone number. If they prefer not to give out their personal phone number, it can be a work phone number or an alternative phone number-just so long as it is a phone number where they can be reached at on a regular basis. If they absolutely refuse to provide a phone number, then get an e-mail address from them. Your future employer will need to have some way to contact the reference. The e-mail can be a personal e-mail or a work e-mail. If the individual refuses both the phone number and e-mail, you'll need to find a new reference. It isn't going to be a good reference for you if the person is unable to be reached. Finally, indicate your relation to the person. The HR Department and the hiring managers will want to know who they are talking to prior to calling the person. It helps them with their line of questioning. Are they going to be speaking to a former or current supervisor? A colleague? An instructor? An academic advisor? A person who was in charge at the place where you volunteered?
This basic information will look professional. Make sure to list each piece of information on its own line and include a space in between each reference.
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Post by Marnie Winters on Jul 18, 2017 10:38:23 GMT
Choosing the right format for your resume will be important. It is a way of putting your best foot forward and getting the attention of Human Resources professionals and hiring managers. There are four types of resumes: chronological, functional, combination, and targeted.
A chronological resume is geared for individuals with a long work history. It lists the job you are currently working in now, or your most recent position held, and then lists all the other jobs you have held in reverse chronological order. You only need to go back as far as about 10-15 years, unless you held a position of particular importance prior to that timeframe, that will significantly help you get the job you are applying for now. Since this type of resume is geared for individuals with a long work history, individuals who are in the beginning stages of their employment career may benefit better from a different type of resume.
A functional resume focuses on your skills and accomplishments, instead of your work history. The first area that should be listed is a "Skills" section of an "Accomplishments" section, where all your skills and/or accomplishments are listed. There is usually very little information in the work history section. Functional resumes are appropriate for individuals who are changing careers, have gaps in their employment history, and are new to being employed and have a minimal work history.
A combination resume is a mix of both a chronological resume as and a functional resume. It will list the skills or accomplishments area at the top of the resume, and a small to moderate work history. The primary focus is still usually the skills and accomplishments.
A targeted resume is a resume that is written specifically for the job you are applying for and it shows that you have the skills, education, and experience that the employer is seeking. The resume will differ for each job you apply for, since you will have to write a new resume to highlight your skills, education, and experience. It can be a functional, chronological, or combination resume. I recommend writing a targeted resume for each job. If you have a general, generic resume and submit it to an employer, they will know. If, however, you write a targeted resume, they will know that, too. Someone writing a targeted resume will likely be called in for an interview before someone who submits a generic resume. The reason is because the employer will know that the person writing the targeted resume spent a lot of time writing that resume and is indicates that the person is more serious about the prospective job, is prepared, is a hard worker, is detail-oriented, and is thorough. That is the kind of person an employer wants to hire. If someone submits a generic resume, it shows they have put minimal effort into applying for the job. It hasn't shown how the job candidate is the best candidate for the job. The hiring manager wants to hire the person who put a lot of work into their resume, not the person who couldn't be bothered to put a few extra details into their resume. After all, once a person gets into a job and gets comfortable, their effort may drop, and you don't want to hire the person who may already be performing at a low performance. They want the higher functioning person. At least that is the person I would want to hire if I owned my own business--the one who will get results--and not the one whose performance may drop off. Wouldn't you make the same decision if you were a business owner? Think about it.
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Post by Marnie Winters on Aug 1, 2017 23:54:02 GMT
My name is Marnie Winters and I am the administrator for this particular forum. I would love to field your questions. If you have a question, please feel free to ask. If there is a topic you would like to see discussed, please post it. If you want to remain anonymous or don't want to register with the forum to ask a question or request a topic, please e-mail me at FindingMyPath@hotmail.com. I check this e-mail frequently and would be more than happy to address the question or topic for you. I really am receptive to hearing from you and hope to hear from you soon.
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