Revise Your Resume for This Market
In this current market many people are finding it to be anxious times with millions of desperate job seekers, all who are looking for that next paycheck. The mistake that many of these inexperienced job seekers seem to make is to mass email their resumes to anyone who might be offering a job. These job seekers send out their resumes not caring or understanding whether the job is a good fit or not. It is a desperate approach screaming to a possible employer that all you are looking for is a job, any job.
According to employment experts, when researching a job you should figure out where you want to work and begin a strategy to contact that employer personally. Online job searches should be a small percentage of your employment hunt. Your ultimate goal should be having you sitting in front of or on the phone with a live person at that company. Turnovers are common and most job openings are not advertised. To get that job, you need to be there when that opening happens. These resume tips can help any job seeker make sure that their qualifications end up in the hands of an employer who will be interested in you.
Take a look at yourself and ask how you would like to be seen by a potential employer. You need to tell them how great an employee you are and that you are a problem solver who can help their company make money. Your resume needs to appeal to both humans and machines. Having enough keywords so as to pass both electronic resume scanners and human scanners is important. You will make or break your resume within the first 10 lines. Not unlike most novels, you have that long to either catch their attention or not.
May years ago, it was common practice to put an objectives line or two in our resumes. Most started with the terms 'Looking for a challenging position with growth potential' or something close to that. Most agree that objectives really only talk about what an employer can do for you. That employer is more interested in what you can do for their company.
You need to be careful in what you say in your resume. Clichés in your resume can hurt your chances with employers. Avoid phrases such as win-win, pursuant to, or maximum value as they are glib and turn employers off. Look to make your resume interesting and have it standout from the crowd. Highly organized, committed and compassionate professional are phrases that many employers like.
When formatting your resume, keep it simple and uncluttered. Use only one font type and keep your paragraphs under six lines. When using bullets on your resume, limit them to no more than five. Sparingly use bold typeface in your resume. Make sure to read your resume for any typos. Misspelled words or phrases can turn an employer off fast. Make sure that you have someone you trust to look over your resume and proof it for you.
