RESUME TIPS

Is Your Resume Falling Down on the Job?

By Kevin Donlin

Your resume must do two things to be successful.

Your resume must:

tell employers what you want to do for them;
prove you can do that job better than other applicants.

That's it.

Do this right, and your phone will ring with job offers.

If your phone isn't ringing ... it may be time to take a long, hard look at your resume.

To get you started, here are common blunders from actual resumes, with suggested corrections. Read on to make sure your resume is working for you and not against you.

Resume Task #1 -- Tell employers what you want to do

Some folks leave off an objective or summary statement from their resume, hoping that an employer will consider them for any job that's open.

This may work if you're hand-delivering your resume and are there in person to state your case.

But if your resume is in a pile with 220 others, about to be read by a frazzled manager trying to fill one SPECIFIC position ... don't be coy. You don't have time. Be as specific as possible about what you want to do.

EXAMPLE resume opening:

"Seeking a challenging position with a hard-working team, in which I can apply my IT experience and training."

What, you don't want a boring position? It must be challenging? A frazzled employer couldn't care less.

And you must be more specific about what exactly you want to do in IT -- do you want to be a Help Desk Technician? Software Developer? Systems Administrator?

Try an opening like this, instead:

"Seeking position in network administration where five years of experience and training will increase efficiency. Additional skills in network design and tech support."

Resume Task #2 -- Prove you can do that job better than other applicants

Don't fill your resume with a laundry list of duties and responsibilities... then expect busy employers to read between the lines and realize your value.

You have to blatantly spell out why someone should hire you.

This means you must focus on achievements and results in your resume. The more, the merrier -- but try not to exceed two pages.

EXAMPLE of tiresome duties/responsibilities:

"Addressed staffing and budgeting issues for IT/IS department for start-up firm. This included recruiting & hiring IS/IT professionals."

If you did this right, what good things resulted? Focus on those!

Try revising as follows:

"Planned and managed all staffing and budgeting for IT department. Recruited and hired 12 new IT professionals, four of whom were rapidly promoted (100% overall retention). As a result, enabled start-up to rapidly reach $1.2 million in profitable first-year revenue."

See the difference?

Telling employers what you want to do and then proving you can do it does take effort. But isn't your career worth it?

-- Kevin Donlin is the author of "Resume and Cover Letter Secrets Revealed," a do-it-yourself manual that will help you find a job in 30 days ... or your money back. For more information, please visit http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/1dayresumes.html

The Future is Now

By Kevin Donlin

Are you a slave to your past?

You may be ... if your resume focuses only on the duties you've held, instead of the results you can produce.

Doing so will limit your career progress.

Let's fix that.

Let's write a resume that makes employers pick up the phone, call you for an interview and ask: "Can you do that for me, too?"

Here's how, using "before" and "after" examples from actual resumes.

1) Start with the right opening statement.

Focus on what you can DO for an employer, not on what you want from that employer.

This "before" example misses badly:

OBJECTIVE

My objective is to find a job that is challenging, and a job that will utilize my four year degree.

Wrong. Employers don't really care if you're challenged or if you picked the right major in college.

Here's how I rewrote that opening:

OBJECTIVE

Seeking inside sales/support position where sales, client service and technical skills will add value.

See the difference? Make it bold and obvious what you want to do in your next job.

2) Most important information goes first.

As a rule, the more relevant the information is to the job you want, the closer it should be to the top of your resume.

Example: if you're a recent college grad with an MIS degree, who wants a job in computer programming, your resume could follow this order:

OBJECTIVE
COMPUTER SKILLS
EDUCATION
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you're a retail manager with 10 years of experience and a degree not related to retail, you could follow this order on your resume:

OBJECTIVE
MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
EDUCATION
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Shoot your big guns first. Never assume busy employers will read every word of your resume.

3) Make your value obvious to employers.

Here's where almost everybody could use a little help. To stand out from the hundreds of resumes most employers see every week, you MUST turn duties and responsibilities into specific results on your resume.

It's a major shift in thinking that will pay huge dividends in your job search.

Done right, employers reading your resume will think: "This person can do just what I'm looking for!"

This "before" example comes from a client who wanted a job in sales. Here's how he described his latest position, in customer service:

"This job gave me a good look at the financial aspect of customer service. I learned how to deal with volatile customers, and mastered the art of defusing a hot customer."

But what does this have to do with sales? Nothing, really.

Since all sales managers want sales reps who are competitive and beat goals, I rewrote that description with his desired sales job in mind, like this:

"Regularly exceeded goals by providing service during 80% of available time, ranking in top 10% of employees for efficient handling of inquiries."

(He left his bank teller job and got a great position in sales last month, by the way.)

You can do this, too.

By focusing on what you can do, putting the elements in relevant order, and proving your value with specific achievements, your next resume could be your ticket to a new and better job.

Cover Letter Q & A

By Kevin Donlin

How to write a cover letter is a baffling topic for many job seekers.

Are you struggling to put one together? Keep this in mind -- your cover letter is one long answer to this question: "Why should I read your resume and call you for an interview?"

Here are four ways to answer that question and get called for an interview.

1) Build rapport.

Cover letters are read by people, so address yours to a person. NEVER start your cover letter with such cliches as "Dear Sir or Madam" or "To whom it may concern."

Take that extra two minutes to call the employer and get the recipient's name. Ask the receptionist, "I'm writing a letter to the person who manages (your target department). May I have the correct spelling please?" This will set you apart from most applicants.

If that fails, begin your letter with, "Dear Employer." It sounds confident and will stand out.

2) Avoid stating the obvious.

We know you're a quick learner, honest and hard working. So are the other 500 applicants who want this job. Don't waste precious space in your cover letter saying so.

Instead, use the cover letter to display your knowledge of the company, the industry and even to share specific recommendations you have for problems or opportunities you've researched.

Example: "With 10 years of retail management experience and a record of rapid advancement, I have found at least three ways to increase sales at your Edina, MN location by $250,000 -- or more -- this year. May I discuss them with you?"

3) Stick to one page in length.

Doing this proves you can prioritize your thoughts and present them concisely -- both admirable qualities. Also, it shows respect for your busy reader, who may have hundreds more cover letters and resumes to wade through.

The cover letters I write for clients have an opening paragraph, three or four fact-filled bullet points to build the reader's interest, and a closing paragraph.

This usually comes out to five or six paragraphs that never exceed one page.

4) Get input from friends ... and strangers.

When you finish your one-page masterpiece, give it to three friends and ask for their first impressions and overall opinion. Their advice is important.

Then, ask your friends to show it to three people you don't know. The feedback you get from these strangers will be as important or more so, since they won't be concerned about hurting your feelings.

Resume and Cover Letter FAQ

By Kevin Donlin

Here are four of the most frequently asked questions I'm hearing, with answers based on my 13 years of writing and hiring experience ...

Q. The job posting asks for a salary history. Should I send one?

A. No -- that's a job interview question.

This is a bit controversial, but I say "No." Reason? Salary is a job interview question. Employers will ask you for a salary to see if you're overqualified (making too much) or under-qualified (not making enough). So answering this question will only put you OUT of the running for some jobs. Although some employers may pitch your resume and cover letter if you don't answer their salary questions, those aren't companies you really want to work for, in my view.

If your resume paints a picture of you as someone who delivers tremendous value on the job, salary will become a secondary consideration to employers.

Q. How important is a cover letter? I normally don't include one when emailing resumes.

A. Some hiring professionals place great emphasis on the cover letter and some don't. To be safe, it's a good idea to include a cover letter, whether you're e-mailing, faxing or using traditional mail to deliver your documents.

Your cover letter should quickly make it clear that you have the right skills and experience for the job, especially you're coming from another industry.

(Side note: if you're really hot for a job, consider sending your resume and cover letter by FedEx -- it's the only envelope in the history of the world that is ALWAYS opened by its intended recipient.)

Q. How can I e-mail my resume correctly?

A. For best results, send your resume INSIDE and ATTACHED to your e-mail. That way, even if you have Windows and the employer has a Mac, for example, you're sure that your documents can be read.

Follow these steps before e-mailing your resume to employers:

copy and paste the text of your resume and cover letter into the body of an e-mail;
attach the document (in Word or WordPerfect) to the e-mail;
send a test message to yourself and a friend, to see how the whole thing will look and print -- if it's a mess, adjust and test until it works.

Q. How long should my resume be? One page or two?

A. There's no law against two-page resumes, especially for folks with 10 or more years of experience, or those in highly technical careers. I've done two-page resumes for recent college grads who had to list computer languages, certifications and other details.

But if your resume is two pages long, it should be a compelling read. Put your most valuable selling points near the top of page one. Summarize as needed and remember that you can always elaborate during a job interview.

There you have it! Four of the most commonly asked questions on resumes and cover letters in today's job market.