March 8, 2012

Blog  RSS

5 Tips to Draft an Impressive Resume


 

 

5 Tips to Draft an Impressive Resume
By Jennifer Joe Parker

Paper resumes gave way to online applications in the last decade. The new trend settling in this decade is to create your own resume website. One thing remains constant throughout the years in all forms of job applications – resume. You are free to adopt any method of job application as long as you are equipped with an impressive resume. Here are the 5 tips to draft an impressive resume and use it to present hard copy or add it to the resume website.

1) Use titles and sub headings

Organize the content under suitable titles. It is important to sort data and club relevant information under one heading. This helps to present a well structured resume that makes it easy for the reader to find out required information. Also, it breaks the monotony of reading vital chunks of information in one go.

For example: Common titles used in resume are career objective, work summary, experience details, educational qualifications, achievements, personal details, references etc

2) Professional Format

Whether you send a hard or soft copy, make sure the resume is designed professionally. Use white for background and black for the wordings. Using Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial of 12 font size is considered ideal for resume writing. Most resumes should be limited to 2 pages to keep the interest of the recruiter intact. However, executive resumes can go up to 3 pages. Do not use any pictures within the resume. Those planning for a resume website are allowed to be creative and use pictures or colorful backgrounds as long as it is professional.

3) Keywords Usage

Using keywords is essential to make your resume noticeable. Most recruiters adopt the practice of searching candidates based on the certain keywords. The computerized systems select only those profiles that contain the buzzwords. Hence, make sure the words are well placed within the objective and responsibilities segments.

For example: The buzzwords for an accounting profile would be accountant, bookkeeper, accounts receivable, accounts payable, benefits specialist, and payroll specialist

4) Quantified Terms + Action Words

Quantify your achievements to give an exact idea of the work performed to the recruiters. Instead of putting a generic description, mention the actual quantities of work performed. Make use of action words to present the facts. Common examples are implemented, improved, practiced, formatted, devised, trained, conducted, etc.

For example: One may say… ‘Improved the quarterly sale turnover significantly’. A better form of expression would be to say…. ‘Implemented policies that increased the quarterly sales turnover by 10% from the past quarter’.

5) Targeted Resume

Update your resume every few days and add details of the advancements of your career to the resume. Tweak the resume contents to match the job requirements. Drafting a resume relevant to the recruiter’s expectations will certainly improve your job prospects. You can alter your career objective and role as per the requirements. Tweaking a resume is about emphasizing certain details of your career more prominently than rest of the information. It does not include providing false information.

For example: As per the recruiter’s requirement, you can name your profile as customer service executive, customer attendant, client coordinator, retail management officer, etc to describe your profile.

We hope these resume tips help you draft an impressive resume.

Read Jenny on resume website and top resume website

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Joe_Parker

http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Tips-to-Draft-an-Impressive-Resume&id=6791989

 


 

Standing Out From The Crowd As A Student Or Graduate

Students and new grads in Lansing – Check out this article!

Standing Out From The Crowd As A Student Or Graduate

By Gavin F Redelman

When you dedicate the vast majority of the first quarter of your life to schooling (plus the costs involved in getting an education) it is imperative to ensure that you make the most of your education and begin to set yourself up for the “real world”. In order to take advantage of the skills that you have learned, there are a various extra-curricular activities you can do to ensure that you get the most out of what you have paid for. Internships, part-time jobs and volunteer work are the best ways to not only benefit yourself long term but you cannot go wrong with having a little extra “coin” in the pocket right now.

Internships:

Professional internships are often one of the best ways to further educate yourself about your specific field and to gather an abundance of reputable networks for potential future jobs. It goes without saying that having internship will look good on your resume and instantly impress potential employers. Internships are also a great way to get a shoe in the door into a particular company. Going forward, as you have already gained first-hand experience of the business and its culture, you will have a huge advantage over your competitor’s when the time comes to hire new graduates. Which would you prefer – blindly applying for the role with potentially hundreds of other candidates or being able to reach out to one of your contacts within the business?

Part-Time/ Casual Jobs:

Generally speaking most university students will aim to work part-time during their studies. Not only will you learn real life experiences and grow your networking contacts, it is also possible to make a reasonable income which will help in creating a more balanced approach to your university life. It goes without saying that if you can get a job in your chosen field, this can certainly benefit you going forward. However, any type of job will still be considered as work experience to future prospective employers.

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work is extremely popular amongst graduates. It can be a way of making a difference in the world whilst accumulating experience. It also looks impressive on a resume. Performing volunteer work can teach you an abundance of life skills and provide you with the opportunity to help those in need or to raise funds for a cause that you feel strongly about. In the cut throat world of job seeking, having volunteer work on your resume is always a positive and portrays a positive image and good first impression to the hiring manager.

Does Your Resume Stand Out?

When applying for graduate positions the more value added experience you can include on the resume the greater your chance of finding success. By performing extra-curricular activities, working part time or volunteering your time, will give you an edge over other job candidates who only share similar educational backgrounds to yourself. Remember that as a graduate you need to distinguish yourself from the crowd and brand yourself as a well-rounded job candidate.

Resume Writing – During the last decade, RedStarResume has successfully written hundreds of professional resumes for candidates across the globe. From the student or entry level position to the CEO, our unique, custom-made resumes are written specifically to match the goals and desires of our clients and to help them land jobs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gavin_F_Redelman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Standing-Out-From-The-Crowd-As-A-Student-Or-Graduate&id=6799180