WRITING THAT WINNING RESUME
WRITING THAT WINNING RESUME
Prepared by: Marian Lowenfish, Placement Counselor
Jewish Vocational Service of MetroWest, NJ
WHAT IS A RESUME?
A resume is a sales tool. When a person is seeking a new position, he/she
must consider many aspects of their background before actually writing their
resume. In addition, a person must know to what kinds of companies their
resume will be sent and for what kinds of positions. Just as a salesperson
must know his product and his market, a job candidate must know him/herself
and the market to which the resume will be directed.
The first task in preparing a resume is to analyze your work history. Among
other questions, write down answers to the following. Your answers will
help determine the format of your resume (more on that next). For example:
Do you have a solid work history or many short-term positions?
Have you held jobs that used a variety of skills or skills that are
closely related?
Is this a continuation of your career or change of career?
Are you newly entering the work force with little paid work experience,
or do you have existing paid work history?
Is the work you did now "extinct?" Or, has your industry
vanished or moved to a different geographic area?
TYPES OF RESUMES
Resumes generally follow one of three formats: Chronological; Functional;
or, Combination. Based upon your work history, you should be able to determine
which format will be the most effective.
Chronological: Most employers prefer this format because it most
easily presents the information they seek. Employers look for a solid work
history, relevant experience in the job to be filled and experience in their
industry. This format is simple for resume screeners because the information
can be compared to the job specifications without interpretation.
Functional: Many career counselors prefer this format because it
focuses on a person's skills up front without giving the employment history
at the beginning of the resume. It is most often recommended for persons
changing careers, because it allows a person to present the transferable
or newly acquired skills to a prospective employer. It is also effective
to use this format when there is little paid work experience, or when the
recent experience is not relevant to the job for which you are applying.
If a person has a poor work history (many short-term positions or lapses
in employment) this format works best, since dates do not stand out at the
beginning of the resume. It is possible that a prospective employer can
become interested enough from reading the skills portion, that an interview
may follow. This format points out your selling points before revealing
any negatives.
Combination: If your employment experience is solid, this format
highlights both the skills you offer as well as your work history.
Examples of all of these can all be found in the many resume books in the
library.
WRITING THAT WINNING RESUME
The following facts should help you put together a winning resume:
Decide on the format you wish to use.
Develop a summary or objective statement. The objective statement
should be brief and as clear as possible. Keep in mind what the employer
wants and eliminate objectives that only focus on your desires - i.e., "To
work for a company in which I can grow.............."
Recognize that you may want to write more than one resume, in order
to appeal to different objectives or to different industries. This can
be done by changing the objective or reversing the order of skills and/or
accomplishments.
Keep in mind that it is not the employer's job to figure out what
you want to do. This is something you must be very clear about. If you
are highlighting skills different from what the job entails, this is confusing
to the employer who will assume you are not qualified for the job.
If a former company is not well-known, supply a brief statement to
identify the business. i.e., "Fortune 500 company specializing in
the manufacture of paper products." Or, "300 bed long-term care
facility."
When describing your responsibilities or function at a company, it
may be appropriate to state to whom you reported. i.e., "Reported directly
to CFO".
Emphasize accomplishments, not job duties. Quantify accomplishments,
if possible.
Use action verbs to describe accomplishments or job functions. i.e.,
"Directed, Wrote, Created, Prepared, etc."
Plan to revise, proofread and get the opinions of people for whom
you have respect. Take responsibility for your resume even if it is prepared
or typed professionally.
FINAL TIPS
Appearance counts.
A resume cannot have any typos, erasures, white-outs, etc.
Use clear, readable type and print it on a laser printer if possible.
Leave enough white space and use a good quality paper. White or
off-white is best.
One or two pages are fine, but not more - many executives with thirty
years of experience use one-page resumes.
Put your name on the top of the second page and mark it page 2 in
the event that the pages are separated.
Place employment dates in the left margin only if they are favorable.
Dates can be put to the right of the name of the company in parenthesis.
Always write a cover letter to be sent with your resume, and use
the same paper for the cover letter as you did for the resume itself.
Good Luck!
Your next position may be just around the corner.