Is This On Your Resume? It Should Be!

One of the most overlooked ways in using a resume to sell yourself is failing to identify the companies for which you have worked.

"Identify the companies?" You say. "But I do! How could I write my resume and not name the companies?"

Right. But unless you worked for UPS or Macy`s or FedEx, the company name indicates nothing.

The majority of job seekers neglect to describe their employers. Even professional résumé writers often fail to provide company descriptions in rewrites for their clients. And the only thing this accomplishes is to leave the interviewer with a big question mark about the context of your skills.

If you are working in a highly specialized, niche industry, perhaps each company knows the others. If you’re searching locally, a prospective employer may be aware of the company you are leaving. But don’t assume so. Your objective is to give an idea of the size of the company, what it does, and who its market is so that the hiring company can place your experience in relation to what they are looking for.

Failure to do this isn’t likely to get you screened out, as some other resume sins will. But part of the science of finding your perfect job is to stand out from the crowd. In the multitudes of job seekers who don’t provide a clue about their employers, a prospective employer will appreciate – and remember - that you did.

And if he chooses to bring you in, he won’t have to clarify the context of your previous experience - possibly finishing the interview on a courtesy basis only.

A company description should read something like any of these examples:

* Publicly held company with 400+ branch offices nationwide selling retail home furnishings

* Twelve-person consulting company serving primarily the high-end restaurant market within a 100-mile radius

* Leading manufacturer/distributor of educational toys for children with annual revenues of $1.5m

Unfortunately, inertia is often a big factor in resume screening. Contrary to popular opinion, every word of every resume is not read. First the resume gets a glance. Then it gets a skim. Then it gets a more detailed read. But every step is contingent upon the reader finding a reason to go the next one.

Here’s the truth: most hiring authorities screen out rather than screen in. Especially if they’re overwhelmed with resume responses. This means:

* if your resume looks like it needs to be deciphered – you’re out

* if they don’t see what they are looking for in a glance - you’re out

* if they don’t have all the information they need to know –you’re iffy

If you’re seeking something different, for instance a change from small to large or public to private, place the corresponding adjective in your objective, and briefly explain your reason in your cover letter. Eliminate the objection and pessimism before it arises by explaining the difference between where you’ve been and what you’re looking for – and putting it in a positive light, one that’s advantageous to the company, if you can.

Describing your previous employers is only one of easily a dozen ways to ensure your resume is read. Your resume is a screening tool, not only for the company, but for you. It’s the point man on your job search. It needs to screen you in for the opportunities you are targeting, and it needs to do that by being read, not ignored. If you want to get in the door, your resume is the only way to open it.

By Judi Perkins

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

Writing A Resume: Tips For Your Success

Writing a resume - Let's be honest-nobody loves resume writing, especially their own! It's frustrating to string together all of those life "episodes" in a way that makes sense for the direction in which we are now heading. Then there are those questions we ask ourselves that distract us from the whole point of the resume writing process, like: "How much personal information should I include? How can I make mine stand out from other resumes? Should I include a photo?"

My experience in working with job-seekers has revealed a number of interesting observations. The first is that people seem to dislike resume writing because it means they have to edit their life. They fear leaving something out that could enhance their candidacy. The problem here is that too much information could cause the hiring agent to toss that resume in favor of candidates that have less complicated resumes. Resume how to can be complicated if you read a lot of the literature out there. However, I've found that the best results come from using a one page format that includes all the relevant information a hiring agent needs without all the time wasting fluff.

What I've shared may sound like a lot of common sense, but there really is a process to creating a good resume. Streamlining work history is usually the key concern for most people. Resume preparation becomes more difficult, however, for those who have problematic situations, but even those can be resolved. If you have limited work history, making your resume appear "thin," then add or elaborate on a "Special Skills/Training" section or "Special Skills/Experience" section. If you don't have a college degree or formal education beyond high school, you can still use your graduation from high school on your resume. Include other training, as well. For those with a long military background, make sure your duties are expressed in everyday language, and show a relation between that work and your new career objective.

The most important action to take when it comes to how to do a resume is to adopt a marketing mindset. With a basic format and the right mindset, that resume headache you started out with will never haunt you again. Some people would rather avoid dealing with how to write a resume altogether and seek help. If you plan to use a service for getting help writing a resume, it is important to know who is helping you. Check their credentials and background so that you can make sure you're getting someone helping that knows what he or she is talking about. Most of these services charge a fee, and it is obviously stupid for you to pay money to someone who doesn't really know what advice to give you.

Writing a resume is not an easy task but it is crucial to your job hunting success. Stand out from the crowd and get your dream job by finding out how to build a resume here: http://www.resumehowtoguide.com.

By Jill Brennan

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy