Writing a Career Change Resume Is Easy, Just Follow These Helpful Tips! (Part Two)

Make Your Writing Effective:
The following list of resume tips, focuses on how to make your experience and qualification stand out and make an impression.

• Describe accomplishments, not responsibilities. What you have done in the past gives employers clues and expectations about what you can do for them now and in the future. Use action verbs like Led, Designed, Implemented, Managed, etc.
• Include RESULTS. What impact did your action have? Ask yourself "so what?" Quantify your accomplishments. Use numbers, dollar figures, and percentages to dramatize accomplishments and convey significance. Describe revenues, profits, savings of costs or time, number of projects, number of people managed or team members, etc.
• Don't use I or any other pronouns in writing your resume. You can also eliminate a, an, the, etc.
• Use short, bulleted statements that pack punch and can be easily absorbed by the reader. Don't use twenty words when ten will do.
• Make sure the writing in your final version is perfect. There's no excuse for typographical errors, etc. Have someone else proofread it.. and again.
• Produce your resume on a computer and print it using a quality printer. • Print on a high-quality paper. White, Light Gray or Ivory only.
• If you have less than five years in the workplace, use one page. If more than five years, two pages. NEVER more than two!
• Use Times New Roman or Anal type font, 11 or 12' point type.
• 1/2" to 1" margins. Leave some white space. Double space where appropriate. Make it easy to read. Don't strain the reader's eyes!
• Use full justification, left and right.
• Remember your resume is a work in progress. Don't hesitate to revise it but don't have too many versions or you will confuse yourself and others.

Resume Mistakes to Avoid

• Don't include an objective. Your objective is to get the job that you're sending that resume for!
• No need to state the obvious.
• Don't label your resume with the word resume. Your reader knows what it is.
• Don't include salary history or information.
• Don't include personal statistics other than contact information.
• Don't include references, or write that they are available on request. That's obvious.
• Don't include testimonials or tributes from others.
• Don't include your photograph unless you're an actor or a model.
• Don't include hobbies or interests unless they support your job objective. Save these for networking and interviews and use them to enrich your conversations.

Executive Resume Writing Service Tips
Sometimes and executive resume writing service may be the best way to get a great resume that speaks to your experience and skills. Here are some key things to remember when choosing an executive resume service.
Choose your keywords. If you've ever conducted a Google search, you know what a keyword is. It's the specific word or phrase that someone uses to find something on the Internet. The same applies for resumes--which increasingly are sent and received over the web. But however you plan to submit your resume, use keywords to showcase your skills and talents. Translate your military background by relating your skills to the requirements of the private sector organization you're applying to, and use keywords or terms that are known and used in that environment.
Format for emphasis and readability. Use strong visual aids in your resume, like bullets, headlines, and indentation to grab the reader's attention. You can assume that there are a number of resumes that this reader has to review. In fact, when writing your resume, assume that your readers are actually looking for a reason to not read it, to put it aside and move on to the next one. Don't let them! Stop them in their tracks with relevant content and a high-impact presentation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6313943

Read more »

Writing a Career Change Resume Is Easy, Just Follow These Helpful Tips! (Part One)

General Guidelines:
You know you need a resume, but you may not know how to get started. A clear set of resume writing tips will help you create a professional, high-impact resume with ease.
Let's get started.
Tip One: Remember What a Resume is Supposed to DO You will use it in several different ways, and with different contacts and you may tailor it as you move forward in your search.Resumes have three purposes:

• A focus document for you
• A marketing tool, and
• A response to a specific job opening.

An employer wants to know...and quickly...what skills you bring to the table and how you have used them. In other words, are you qualified to do what the employer needs done or not?
Tip Two: Less is More.
Your resume is a synopsis of your career, not your autobiography! It doesn't have to be the ultimate document, just enticing enough to be a conversation starter. It's a tool. It alone will not get you a job! But it should open doors and stimulate enough interest to meet you in person. Think about it as an ad for you. If the ad prompts a prospective buyer to check out more about the product (you), it's done its job.
Tip Three: Keep it Real
This may be most important resume writing tip of all. Make sure you are very familiar with what you include in the resume. In a personal conversation or interview, your resume will serve as a roadmap, providing a context for the conversation. You should be able to describe details and finer points about the highlights in a colorful, animated way. When you are asked questions about your resume, be enthusiastic and informative when answering.
Tip Four: Be Flexible
Here's the real truth about resumes. There-is no single formula for representing yourself in a resume. Basically, your resume is a document that showcases you and your career achievements. It should also capture and reflect some hints about your personality.
Tip Five: Grab Attention
Your resume has to work fast! Create quick and lasting impressions. You can do this through the vocabulary you use, the length or brevity of the document, design, layout, how information is organized and presented. Whatever you do, think about ways to set yourself apart without reflecting poorly on your qualifications for the job or you personally.
Be original. Review a number of samples and approaches to get a feel for what others have done. Always ask yourself, if you were a hiring manager, would this resume say something to you?
Tip Six: Don't Forget the Essentials.No matter what format you choose certain elements are required.
Optional Sections of a Resume.
1. Contact Information
* Name
* Mailing address
* Phone (work, residence, wireless, fax)
* E-mail address (if you don't have one, get one)
2. Qualifications Summary. This will tell a potential employer what you are functionally (IT professional, communications executive, operations manager, etc.) and what skills you possess that qualify you for the position. It is one of the most important parts of the resume.
3. Work History or Professional Experience - On a chronological resume, this will contain the name of the companies or organizations you worked for, the dates you worked there (years only) and the titles you held. It will also list ACCOMPLISHMENTS (how you used your skills) under each job (See examples in the Appendix). The accomplishments are the backbone of your career. They prove that you can do a job in the future because you have done similar tasks in the past.
4. Education and Training - This section follows the body, and concludes the resume. It provides information about your formal education and/or professional training.
* List your highest level of education first, and work backward.
* If you have specialized or professional training that relates directly to your job objective, list it.
* If you've gone to graduate school, include it.
* If you have a college degree, do not list your high school credentials.
5. Optional Sections of a Resume
* Certificates and Special Training - include them if they enhance your stature or positioning the job marketplace.
* Professional Affiliations - include current, not past memberships. Be very selective about the associations you list-avoid controversial groups.
* Awards and Recognition - don't go overboard. It's nice to be singled out but you don't want to appear super-human.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6313912

Read more »