Monthly Archives: April 2010

Examples of Keeping Your Resume Updated

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Even if you are not currently seeking out employment you should always be sure to keep your resume updated. Most people will wait until they are looking for a new job before they will go back and update their resumes.  However, it is always much easier for an individual to update their resume as they go along. This way they can be more certain that the information they are placing in their resume is accurate, and so that they can easier remember the things that they desire to add to their resume when making updates.

A common problem amongst people who set out to update their resumes is that they have waited so that they will have forgotten important information. This may include all the responsibilities they had while at the previous job or even what months and years that they were employed with past companies.  Some people will even forget what their supervisor’s names were.

Without this type of information intact, it can cause the resume updating process to be long and drawn out. Additionally, it can result in you being dishonest on your resume even when you don’t mean to. This could result in you losing your chances of gaining a specific job if an employer discovers inaccurate information on your resume. There is no denying the importance of keeping your resume updated at all times.

Another thing to consider is this: even though you may be happy in your current place of employment, you may be offered an advancement or other means of employment that is too great to pass up. When this happens wouldn’t you rather have an already updated and accurate resume to immediately submit? Otherwise you may have to quickly slap an updated resume together, which could lead to a greater chance of you providing inaccurate information to a potential employer.

What Is The Best Method Of Keeping A Resume Updated?

One interesting thing you may wish to do is keep a Word document on your computer wherein you can constantly add updates on your current job and skills. Many people will actually keep index cards available in a file which they will add important career specific information to as new information becomes available to them. They can then take this information that they have collected yearly or monthly and can then add it into their preexisting resume.

When updating your resume, you should also be aware that industry standards for the formatting of resumes changes often. Therefore, a format that you may have used years ago may no longer be acceptable. So always be prepared to completely reformat your resume from beginning to end.

There is no right or wrong way to go about updating your resume just as long as you are actively updating your resume on a regular basis. You may want to schedule yourself or set up a reminder on your computer to alert you that you need to update your resume every so often. This is a great way to be sure that you keep on top of things concerning your resume.

Resume Writing Tips: Be Honest

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One of the most crucial mistakes that resume writers make is not providing potential employers with honest and accurate information. The moment you include a false fact in your resume, you will have tarnished your entire resume from the beginning to the end. Once this lie is discovered, no matter how small it will be, you can lose your position at work or be deemed an un-honest and unreliable person by a potential employer.

You need to keep in mind that most companies will fact check the information that is provided in resumes which they receive. This means that when they contact a previous employer, they will most likely ask them how long you worked for them and from what dates. If you have lied about the extent of your employment on your resume and a potential employer discovers this, they are likely to wonder what other things you have lied to them about. This could result in an employer instantly nullifying your resume without any second thoughts.

To ensure that all the stated facts are correct, you must go to great lengths to ensure that the information you have provided in your resume is one-hundred percent accurate. You should become your own fact checker and should scrutinize your entire resume from top to bottom to ensure that everything you have said and revealed is the truth. Otherwise, you could end up greatly hurting yourself in the end.

The problem is that too many people don’t believe that most companies actually look into the information that potential applicants provide them in their resumes. These people believe that their little “white lies” will never come back to haunt them or that they will “get away” with it. Though there may be some companies who do not accurately check the information which they receive in resumes, nearly 95% of them do. Therefore, you should never even consider telling a lie in your resume.

“Honesty is the best policy” is definitely a saying that is pertinent when it comes to job applications and resume writing.

How To Avoid Dishonesty When Creating Your Resume

The best way to avoid being dishonest in your resume is to be a good researcher. If you are questioning a date or a job skill, you should simply contact the past company that you worked for and ask to speak to their Human Resources Department. This way you can obtain the factual information that you need in order to be sure that every aspect of your resume in 100% honest and accurate.

Never for a moment believe that a company will not check over the information on your resume. It is always better to be safe than to be sorry.  If you are uncertain of a detail and cannot find the factual information that you need, omit it from your resume all together and be ready to explain it to a potential employer even before they ask you about it, that way they don’t think you are hiding something from them.

Being your own fact checker is by and far the best way to avoid dishonesty when creating your own resume.

Resume Writing Tips: Leaving Out Irrelevant Information

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One of the biggest mistakes that some resume writers make is including too much information in their resumes. Too many individual become way too wordy when writing their resumes. The problem with this is if your resume is too long, it may simply bore a potential employer to tears. When this happens, the employer begins to quickly lose interest. This is why you must be concise and direct when putting your resume together. You should basically omit anything that is not needed.

Remember, your resume is a tool that can be used to get your foot in the door. Once your foot is in the door and you have been contacted for an interview, then you will have the opportunity to talk about yourself and your skills to your hearts intent. Until that time you should greatly limit the information which you present in your resume. You should limit this information to what is relevant and what is needed to be revealed so that you can gain an interview.

The use of irrelevant information is the best way to take a professional resume and to turn it into a complete travesty. You should only consider including things in your resume which directly act with the type of position that you are applying for. You don’t need to include an over-kill of personal information.  Many people will do this believing that the revealing of their personal information outside of work will make an employer feel closer to them. This is hardly ever the case. An employer is only looking for those skills and attributes that will serve them well in the work place and are not concerned with your personal hobbies or life.

In fact, most companies want to make sure that their employee’s personal lives and obligations don’t conflict with their work. Therefore, you should limit the use of irrelevant personal information from your resume all together.

How Do I Know If I Have Included Irrelevant Information In My Resume?

The best way to determine if you have included irrelevant information in your resume is to simply interview yourself for the position that you are attempting to acquire. Begin reading over your resume. As you read over each section ask yourself if the information provided is relevant to the position that you have applied for. If it is not, then it most likely does not belong.

Read over your resume again. Have you included any personal information about yourself that is not relevant to obtaining a job? If so, this personal information should also be removed from the resume. You may want to apply this rule to your objective and cover letter as well. Oftentimes, people use their cover letter and objective to simply talk about themselves and what this job will do for them. Instead, you should be using these sections to tell a potential employer what hiring you would do for this job. Make your resume about your employers and not about yourself.

Omit what’s irrelevant from your resume and you will have a better chance of acquiring the position of your dreams.

Checkout the CareerRush Resume Writing Tips Knowledgebase for more tips.

Resume Writing Tips: Avoiding Age Discrimination

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Though age discrimination is illegal in the United States, it is still a common practice amongst companies. This happens in part due to applicants making age specific claims on their resumes. One of the great things about resumes is the fact that you are not required to place your age or birth date on your resume. This information is generally collected on a general application.

Therefore, you can instantly avoid age discrimination while crafting your resume by not placing age specific information on your resume. This includes in the writing of your cover letter. Many older individuals will use their cover letter to tell stories from their past. They will reveal their age and will even sometimes mention the fact that many companies discriminate by age. 

This will generally be an instant “red flag” to most employers. If a potential employer sees a claim like this made in a cover letter they are less likely to contact you because you have already made your age an issue. If you are presenting potential employers with legal actions and phrases such as “age discrimination” in your resume, they are likely never to contact you out of fear that you are the type of person who will file a lawsuit at the drop of a hat.

You are not required by law to reveal your age within your resume. Therefore, you should not even make mention of your age in any way, shape, or form unless asked upfront. Even then, a company is not permitted to not hire you based on your age alone. They can only pass you over you if you are not capable completing the job for which they are hiring you or considering you for.

Isn’t Hiding My Age Against The Law?

There is a difference between hiding your age and not mentioning your age.  There is no way that you can keep your age from a potential employer.  They might not know how old you are based on your resume but the moment that you walk in for an interview they will know how old you are. 

With that in mind, you don’t want to make a potential employer think you are younger than you are when crafting your resume. Therefore, you still need to include all date specific information such as the years you attended high school and college, and what years and dates you worked for other companies.

What you should do is prove to these potential employers based on your cover letter, objective and general resume information that you are the best choice for the job for which you are applying. If you can prove this to an employer based on your resume alone, the chances of them not hiring you upon meeting you and discovering your age are slim to none. Most companies are more concerned with experience and ability then they are with the age of a person.

Just because you don’t come out and reveal your age in your resume doesn’t mean that you are hiding your age. Just be prepared for questions that may be asked of you during your interview that may be age directed.

Resume Writing Tips: Quantifying Your Achievements

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Resume Writing TipsFocusing on your achievements in your resume as opposed to focusing on your responsibilities is a great way to set your resume apart from others.  Most people will simply list all the responsibilities which they had while serving at other companies in other positions. However, if you want to truly captivate those potential employers who may happen upon your resume, then you should consider turning these responsibilities into achievements. 

A general responsibility would be as follows: “I oversaw staff.” An achievement would be “25 staff directly reported to me.” This shows that your previous place of employment trusted you with the supervising of 25 employees. This is an achievement as opposed to a responsibility. If you generally used the phrase “I oversaw staff,” you would lead the reader of your resume to wonder how many staff you oversaw. Was it one? Five? Ten? 

When revealing your achievements in your resume, you should quantify them. You should use numbers wherever possible in order to show a potential employer your true worth in numbers. If you were a general cashier who was never over or under in your end of the night count by five cents, you should let the employer know that most employers were short upwards of “X” amount of dollars every month. This will show a potential employer that by choosing you they would save their company money due to your experience with maintaining a cash draw with a low loss.

With the use of numbers you can truly turn your experience and responsibilities into achievements that will truly captivate and encourage an employer to contact you to fill their vacant position.  Remember, your resume is your selling point. Your resume is a written commercial of yourself. Present your achievements in order to truly captivate and to encourage your audience to choose you over all others.

How Can I Successfully Quantify All My Achievements In My Resume?

First off, you should be aware that it may not be possible for you to quantify every achievement that you place on your resume. You should only quantify your achievements where they best fit in naturally. The best way to begin doing this is to simply look at each of your achievements and see if you can think of a simple way to attach a numeric value to them. If you are unable to, move on to the next one. Within a few minutes you should very clearly be able to determine which responsibilities or achievements you can turn into numeric listings.

Another thing you should consider is seeking out resume examples online.  By looking at these resume examples and examining the achievements that other people have listed you may be able to discover creative ways in which you can provide a numeric value to your own achievements. Using resume examples will make your resume writing job much easier and will allow you to complete the task much faster.

Just keep in mind that you should only assign a numeric value to those achievements that will sound natural when reading.

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Resume Writing Tips: Use Achievements Instead of Responsibilities

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Resume Writing TipsThe idea behind a resume is to show a potential employer what type of person you are and what skills you bring to the table. A resume allows you to go steps beyond a general application. With a resume, you have the opportunity to craft a ‘cover letter’ which acts as your own personal introduction to a potential employer. Your ‘objective’ is your chance to sell yourself and to show an employer why you would be beneficial to their company.

Another thing you may wish to consider to truly grab the attention of a potential employer and in order to show them what you are really made of is to use achievements rather than responsibilities throughout your resume. For instance, let’s say that you are applying for a general cashier job at a department or retail store. When you list previous cashier experience on your resume, you will have a space for entering in and listing your responsibilities. However, most cashier positions have the same responsibilities. Therefore, you can instead replace this space with your achievements while serving as a cashier.

Rather than writing things such as “responsible for breaking down my draw at the end of the night,” you could write something like “when breaking down my drawers, I have only been over or under by ten cents.” An employer who may be considering you for a cashier position at their own store is more likely to show your resume attention and contact you when you show them an achievement like this instead of simply listing a responsibility.  In this example you would literally kill two birds with one stone. You would reveal the responsibility of breaking down a drawer as well as a great achievement with the way you deal with money.

How Can I Turn My Previous Responsibilities Into Achievements?

Every responsibility that you had in a previous job can be turned into an achievement. You may just have to come up with creative ways in which to word these achievements. Most people will begin this task by simply writing down a single responsibility that they had at a previous job. From there they will begin to rewrite that responsibility in numerous ways on a sheet of paper in order to see how many different ways they can present this responsibility to turn it into an achievement.

Others will seek out the assistance of professional resume writers or will even hire a resume writing firm to do this for them. However, most people can easily accomplish this on their own, with a little inspiration. That’s where sample resumes found online can come in handy. With a quick web search you can find a multitude of online and downloadable resume examples that you can quickly use to gain ideas for how to change your past responsibilities into achievements.

With a little time and a little effort you will quickly learn how to spin your responsibilities in order to turn them into achievements, which will be greatly looked on upon by potential employers.

For more examples of accomplishments and experience on a resume, check out the CareerRush resume examples.

Explaining The Benefits Of Your Skills On A Resume

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Resume KeywordsWhen you set out to compose your resume, you are in fact creating a written representation of yourself and your skills. You must take great care when revealing your skills so that those people reading your resume can discover the benefits behind your skills. If you appear beneficial to a potential employer, they are more likely to hire you even if another individual seems to have a better prepared resume. When creating your resume you need to place a great deal of focus on revealing your skills in a unique way that is certain to prove to those reading it that they will gain some kind of benefit from hiring you for their position.

For example, when most people list a supervisory position on their resume, they will provide a listing of the experience or skills that they obtained or exhibited in this position. However, one thing that employers truly desire to know when they are reading about supervisory skills, are things such as: how many people did you oversee? Who did you directly report to? Were you able to save your company money while in this position? These are very important queries that employers want answers to so that they can see just how you would be a benefit to their company.

Additionally, most employers desire to know if you work well with other people and how you deal with supervisors. One of the biggest problems in any job is employees who clash with one another or who are on “power trips” while they are in supervisory positions. This is why you should reveal how many people you reported to or worked directly under. In your cover letter you may wish to reveal how your relationships with employees were always professional yet considerate. This shows a potential employer that you can maintain friendly relationships with other employees while at the same time being a professional.

Another thing to consider is your resumes references. You should consider listing the names of people who you professionally worked alongside and also people you worked under. This shows a potential employer that you are proud of your relationships with these individuals. This will put you one step ahead of the rest of your competition.

What’s The Best Way To Go About Presenting My Skills As Benefits?

You should first make a list of each skill that you have. Then consider every job that you have worked in and create a list of your responsibilities while serving in these positions. Once you have done this, you need to simply begin considering how each of these skills could be fashioned into a benefit.  You may have to be creative with some of these changes, but most of them can easily be switched around in wording to present them as benefits instead of simple skills.

Additionally, you may wish to view resume samples online in order to see how other professionals took their general skills and turned them into benefits in their own resumes. These examples can greatly assist you in doing the same for your own resume.

To see examples of how to present your skills as well as use resume keywords and phrases, check out the CareerRush resume examples.

Resume Writing Tips: Don’t State the Obvious

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Resume Writing TipsThere are a few mistakes that people commonly make when they are putting their resume together. One such mistake is stating the obvious throughout their resumes. With a resume you want to limit the amount of words that you use. If you are constantly stating the obvious throughout your resume, it will appear unprofessional. Being aware of common obvious phrases that individuals use when writing their resumes will help you avoid falling into the same pattern.

I am “Available for the Interview”

Far too many applicants tend to use the phrase, “available for an interview” in their resume. In fact, many people will use this phrase more than just a couple of times in their resume so as to emphasize the point. However, the fact is, you don’t need to.

With a statement like this you are simply wasting space and boring potential employers by telling them the obvious. When you submit a resume to a company, they are already aware that you are “available for an interview.”  The simple fact that you presented the company with a resume is proof enough that you are interested in the position and are available for an interview.

Though phrases like “available for an interview” may seem needed by you, they are not! You need to avoid using these types of phrases so that a potential employer does not become annoyed with the obvious. These phrases simply waste the time of those reading them. You want to be direct and concise with the content of your resume and want to provide potential employers with information that they are not aware of.

This means you should be focusing more on the content that appears in your cover letter and objective. The things that you place in these two important sections of your resume are much more important than obvious statements.  However, most people who make these types of mistakes do so in their objective and in their cover letter.

When reading over and writing your resume, you need to ask yourself if what you are placing in your resume is necessary. If the details you are writing can be determined without reading them, then you should omit these words. There are more important aspects of your resume that you should be focusing on; such as the things that employers are not aware of. One of these is your special skills and job history. These are elements that a potential employer will not be aware of until you have revealed them to them.

How Can I Be Sure That I Am Not Stating The Obvious?

The best way to ensure that you are not stating the obvious is not to be personal within your resume. This means that you should only be providing content that is based on professional aspects of yourself and the job that you are applying for. You need to focus on providing facts based on your past work history and not on the type of person that you think you are or want to be.

Stick with the facts and keep it simple! If you do this, you can be certain that you are not stating the obvious throughout the resume. This will increase your chances of getting a call-back and will ensure that your resume is 100% professional in nature.

More Information: Our resume samples can help you get a better idea of how your resume should flow.

Resume Writing Tips: Defining Your Goals

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Resume WritingWhen writing your resume, you are ultimately defining your goals. Your resume will feature goals that you have already accomplished in the form of past work experience and special skills but it should also feature future goals. You want a potential employer to look at your resume and see that there are still things that you wish to accomplish. This will prove to a potential employer that you will bring a strong work ethic to the positions which they have open, for the simple fact that you have goals you wish to pursue in these available positions.

If your resume lacks definite goals, an employer will not be able to tell you apart from other applicants. Therefore, you must present your goals to potential employers so that they can see the worth in actually calling you in for an interview. If you lack these types of goals in your resume, you are not likely to gain the feedback and attention that you so desire. You are also less likely to be called in for an in person interview.

Keep in mind that the majority of companies in the world are not looking for “warm bodies” to fill their positions with. Instead, they are looking for individuals who are excited and interested in excelling at the jobs for which they are applying for. With a lack of goals in your resume, you are simply telling these potential employers that you are just another “warm body.” This is why you must go to great lengths in order to reveal your goals in your resume in an effective and professional manner.

Where Can I List My Goals In My Resume?

There are two very distinct places that you can list your goals on your resume. The first place is in your cover letter and the second is in your resumes objective.

Keep in mind, you should not simply create a section where you bullet-point your goals. Instead, you should include your goals in the general text of your cover letter or objective. Or you can choose to reveal your goals in both these areas. You simply need to learn how to turn your goals into professionally crafted statements that can show a potential employer what your goal and aim is for the position that you are currently applying for.

Perhaps the best and easiest way to do this is to seek out examples of cover letters and objectives that other individuals have created for their own resumes. You can then begin to read these cover letters and objectives and see if you can discover what their goals are. When you find wording that seems to express your own unique goals you can then use that text to apply to your own personal resume.

In fact, the best way to ensure that your resume is professional and worded in an enticing manner while successfully presenting your goals to the reader is to model your own resume after another professionals resume. Resume examples can greatly assist you in this task and can make it much easier for you to complete on your own.

Check out our free resume examples to get a better idea of how you should structure your resume.

The Importance of Resume Proofreading

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resume proofreadingThere are many things that potential employers look for when they are reviewing your resume. First and foremost, they will look at your objective to ensure that your objective and goal together with their open position meets their standards and fits well with their own goals and objectives. Secondly, they will focus on your skills and prior work experience in order to determine what you will bring to the table if they hire you for one of their open positions.

Another thing the majority of employers look for when reviewing resumes is spelling and grammar mistakes. This may seem like nit-picking but a great deal can be gained from weeding out applicants who have not taken the time to proofread their resumes. If an employer notices that your resume is packed full of spelling and grammar mistakes, they are likely to put a stop to your application process and may pass up your resume all together.

Why Do Employers Care About Spelling And Grammar?

When an employer notices an onslaught of spelling and grammar mistakes they may come to the conclusion that you are not serious about the position that you are applying for. Additionally, they may come to believe that you are not a person who puts a great deal of effort into your work. Instead,  they are sure to get the impression that you are the type of person who “can get the job done” but are not the type of person who cares about “getting the job done right.”

When a person does not focus on the spelling and grammar within their resume, it simply shows a potential employer that you don’t follow things through. Instead, you are the type of person who likes to get the job done, even if the job isn’t done 100% correct. This is a very bad first impression to present a potential employer. That is why it is 100% vital that you ensure that you fully and completely proofread each and every aspect of your resume to ensure that there are no mistakes with your spelling or grammar.

How Can I Be Sure That I Have No Grammar Or Spelling Mistakes In My Resume?

First and foremost, if you use a software writing program like Microsoft Word you should very easily be able to tell if you have any spelling mistakes. You can also check your basic grammar with this software program. However, the best way to catch mistakes is to simply read your resume out loud after you have composed it. When reading something out loud you can easily find mistakes and can correct them.

Additionally, you should have a third person read your resume for you. Other people who have not been focused on the creation of the resume may be able to look at it with fresh eyes and find mistakes that you may have missed even if you have followed the two previous steps.

There is no doubting the importance of creating a resume that is free of all grammar and spelling mistakes.  Never submit a resume to an employer unless you have completely proofread and corrected your resume from the first word to the last.

For help in developing your resume, try the free CareerRush Resume Builder. Our template based, printable resume wizard can help you create a professional looking resume in a matter of minutes and is free to jobseekers.