If you’re re-entering the job market, or perhaps looking for your first job, you may feel overwhelmed about creating a resume. You may wonder, “How can I guarantee that the hiring manager calls me for an interview?”
Well, unfortunately, there are no guarantees. However, there are some tips that can increase your odds of landing an interview:
• Tip #1: Accept the fact that the “one size fits all” approach is obsolete, thanks to the “Great Recession.” Career experts strongly recommend that applicants customize their resumes for each position.
As recently as five years ago, for example, an accounting manager who applied to any and all “Accounting Manager” openings without closely examining the details would, nevertheless, land a position —eventually. Employers enjoyed larger staffs. They could afford to manually review dozens of responses and were even willing to consider applicants who lacked a key qualification or two.
In today’s economy, a single opening generates hundreds of responses. Many employers use automated systems to screen resumes against the position requirements. If an employer’s system cannot determine a near- exact match, it rejects the applicant’s submission. This is why customization is critical. If an opening lists five criteria, for example, compare your background against the position’s requirements. If you are a match, show that you clearly meet those five criteria. Customizing for each position takes more effort, but this extra effort increases your chances of winning an interview. This article can only acquaint you with customization. If you’d more information, as well as examples about this crucial strategy, please visit a career site, such as http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumes/u/resumesandletters.htm.
• Tip #2: Understand that you’re creating a marketing tool, not an exhaustive work history. If you’re a worker with 20 or more years of experience, it’s acceptable to cover only the last ten to 15 years of your work history. The details you include serve a two-fold purpose: to present you in the strongest possible light and to demonstrate that you can solve the hiring manager’s problems. Choose your details carefully. There is no room for wasted words.
• Tip #3: Limit yourself to two pages or fewer. If you have an impressive career spanning decades, this might prove difficult. Consider this: no one enjoys listening to a long-winded person, right? Well, no hiring manager enjoys reading a “novella,” either. Remember, less is more.
• Tip #4: Ensure that you demonstrate results. Results help the hiring manager visualize your effectiveness. The best way to demonstrate results is to quantify, or describe numerical impact, wherever possible. For example, if the position you’re applying to requires telephone skills, stating that you “fielded 100 calls a day from customers across the country” sounds stronger than “answered phones.” A search engine can help you locate more examples of quantifying your resume.
• Tip#5: Take care of the details! You want to avoid sabotaging your hard work through carelessness, don’t you? Spelling matters. Consistent formatting matters. For example, bolding your title in one plac,e but not another, is inconsistent. And it may surprise you to learn that applicants forget to include a phone number or email address. Please don’t be one of them.
These tips are by no means comprehensive, but they do provide you a foundation to craft a compelling document. You can do it!
