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Resume
Tips & Procedure/ Professional Template
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Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You Want
With employers receiving hundreds of
resumes you must make sure that your resume hooks an employer's attention
within a 5-second glance. A great way to do this is to use job titles and
skill headings that relate to and match the jobs you want. For example,
compare the headings Roger used in his before resume to the headings used in
his after resume.
Before Resume:
Accounting / Recordkeeping
Administrative
Computer Skills |
After
Resume:
Management of A/R and A/P Accounts
Computerized Accounting Applications
Departmental Administration / Recordkeeping |
Which set of headings are the strongest for an Accounts
Payable / Receivable Manager position?
Even though Roger's title was Accounting Assistant, he
actually managed over 1,000 A/R and A/P accounts. Using skill headings that
market the true nature of Roger's job duties will generate him more
interviews and higher salary offers.
Use Design
That Grabs Attention |
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Employers make snap judgments when glancing
at your resume. If they see unrelated job titles or skills the likelihood is
very high that they will make an immediate assumption that you are not
qualified for the job you want. Adding to this problem is the fact that
employers don't have the time to read through each of your job descriptions
to determine if you have the skills they need.
You Must Do That For Them!
The design of your resume must highlight the most
important information about your work experience, skills and education. At
first glance this information forms the image that employers have of your
skills and abilities. |
| Create Content That Sells
Resume design should get attention but it's really the
content of your resume, the descriptions you include of your skills and
abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate--as well as the
level of salary offers you receive. Compare the before and after statements
from Roger's resume shown below:
Before Resume:
Maintained records for accounts
receivable and accounts payable accounts. |
After
Resume:
Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable
and payable accounts working directly with the Chief Financial Officer. |
Which of these examples presents Roger as being more
qualified, having higher skills and worth a higher salary? As this example
illustrates, our image of Roger is changed and elevated when we read the
after example. |
| Quantify and Use Power Words
As Roger's after statement demonstrates, using numbers to
describe your achievements and responsibilities can greatly expand and
elevate your image. Using numbers and quantifying creates vivid images in
our mind when we read them, whereas general statements like the before
examples are easy to skip over or forget. Typically the more specific you
can be in describing your duties the better.
Another strategy that is extremely important in
controlling the image that employers develop about you--is to use Power
Words or verbs that match the level of position you want. For example, Roger
wants to use the experience he's gained to move into a management position.
To strengthen his image he should use as many "management oriented" words as
possible. Which example below do you think is the strongest?
Typical Verbs:
Gave work assignments to staff of entry
level accounting clerks. |
Power
Words:
Directed workflow, supervised and
trained accounting staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts
receivable and payable accounts. |
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Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify Key Words
Learning how to analyze the key words that employers provide
in help wanted ads and job descriptions is a key element in creating
powerful resumes. For example, read the ad Roger found for an Accounts
Receivable Manager below and see how many key words, phrases, or skill
descriptions that it includes.
Accounts Receivable
Manager
Seeking experienced A/R Manager to
oversee accounts, manage billing and collections, train accounting and
clerical staff, develop status reports for management and prepare
monthly balance sheets. B.A. Degree or A.A. Degree with minimum of 2
years experience required. |
Even though this ad is small it contains 12-13 key words
or phrases that should be addressed in Roger's resume. Roger can also key
words from an ad like this to create headings for his resume such as:
Key Word Skill
Headings
Management of A/R Accounts
Billing and Collections
Supervision of Accounting and Administrative Staff
Balance Sheet and Management Status Reports |
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Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs In addition to the skills or
needs listed in the ad shown above, the employer will have many more needs
that Roger should identify and address in his resume and cover letter. For
example, this employer will need someone who can deal effectively with other
departments, research accounting issues and records to solve problems. To
beat today's heavy competition for jobs, it's important that you identify
and anticipate the full range of needs each employer faces and show how you
can solve those needs. |
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Sell the Benefits of Your Skills Most resumes provide a list of
duties that each applicant has been responsible for--without explaining the
benefit of those skills to employers. For example, a secretary's resume
might state she can type 80 wpm and is extremely accurate. This statement
lacks an explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy benefit an
employer's bottom line. The real benefit is that the employee can produce
more work and ultimately save the employer money. A better statement for
this person's resume would be:
Selling The Benefits
of Skills
·
Achieved top production volume by maintaining high
degree of accuracy with typing speed at 80 wpm.
· Cut labor expense
over $6,000 annually by eliminating the need for part-time word
processing staff. |
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