After attending several resume trainings, re-writing my own resume multiple times and almost always landing the interview and job, I decided to put all of my tools and tips into one place to help fellow job seekers earn that position they've been waiting for.
- Resume Parts: What to include- Top...Be sure to use your correct info. Name (no nicknames) address, phone (make sure your voicemail is professional or leave it on the standard greeting setting)/ email-be sure your email is professional, hotmuffin@gmail.com might not get you a call back... Create an email using your first and last name or 1st initial.last name / ( Summary of qualifications or objective (be Pacific....) ocean pic... /Work history & experience (Name & location of company, position title, dates worked, list of duties with emphasis on achievement)/ Other optional things to include... Education/Special skills/Awards/ professional memberships/ Professional development or training/ License & certifications/ technical skills/ Languages
- Accurate Objective Vs. Summary of strengths... Be Specific! Which ever one you choose to use, make sure you tailor it for each job you apply for... You shouldn't have a one size fits all resume when applying for multiple jobs... I have several different versions of the same resume using different key words. Be direct! Make every word count! Don't ramble or attempt to sound overly important... You'll just waste space. Objective: As an experienced professional with nearly a decade of experience in Real Estate Closings, Real Estate Law, Real Estate Finance and distressed properties, I am looking for a position where my skills and abilities will be utilized. Summary of Qualifications: A. Top-notch Real Estate professional with nearly a decade of experience in Real Estate Closings, Real Estate Law, Real Estate Finance and distressed properties. B. Licensed NC Broker, Short-sale/Foreclosure Resource, Certified Investor Agent Specialist, Certified Distressed Property Expert, Affordable Housing Specialist.
- Selecting a format: Chronological is the most common and accepted format. If you have Microsoft office you can pull different templates to see which one you like the best. Chronological, the most widely used, goes like this... A. Heading/Name, address, email and phone B. Work history listed by date in reverse order from present to past (detailed work responsibilities with emphasis on achievements C. Education D. Special certifications & awards. Another thing to consider in your formatting is font size & color. The font size should be between 10 pt- 12 pt. Always use black! Keep in mind that less is more, your resume should be no more than 1 or 2 pages and it should not go back more than 10 years. You should also use no more than 3-6 bullet points under each position when concisely listing your work experience.
- Use key words: Your work experience is where you can incorporate some of the same words used in the job description. In doing this as recruiters review potential candidates, they will attempt to flag words that identify directly with the job. According to Forbes & Psychology, another good thing to do is to look up the company and find out what their core values are and use similar words in your resume. This will show clear correlation with a candidate that matches what they stand for.
- Add your wow factor: Achievements are important! List times where you beat the competition, won a special award over an amount of participants or exceeded sales goals or other company goals by a certain percentage.
- Quantify your work with numbers: This may not be as important for some positions but it definitely counts in the banking & sales world. Show the numbers. How many did you manage? What was the size of your portfolio? How many reports did you handle? By what percentage did you exceed the sales goal?
- Use action words & verbs: Instead of saying, Responsible for billing Medicaid and other insurances... Say instead, Billed Medicaid and other insurances. Avoid using words like responsible, supported and managed unless managing a team or project.
- Show progression in your field: In the chronological format when you're listing your work history backwards, it should show that you are growing in your field with promotions & higher levels of responsibility.
- Don't attempt to mislead or lie about your work history and experience. Employers will know if you're truly knowledgeable about the area of expertise you claim to have. Do your research on the position to make sure you qualify! Other don'ts, things to leave out: Nicknames, inappropriate emails, personal information, long unemployment gaps, hobbies, first person references like I, my or me etc. Space is limited so make every word count!
- Grammar: Proofread 100x! You definitely want to make certain that you're using correct spelling and grammar. I always recommend using a second set of eyes. You know what it's supposed to say so it's easy for you to miss common mistakes.
Example of special achievements:
Helpful links:
Learn to write to avoid fallacies... Think Again, How to Reason & Argue... An online writing class offered by Duke University
Forbes Resume Blogs:
6 Secrets of Great Resumes Backed By Psychology
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2014/08/27/resumes/#679ff9b8507b
8 Critical Ways to Improve Your Resume:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2016/02/09/8-critical-ways-to-improve-your-resume/#3fe12e6d78a2
