Job Search Tips	First Impressions	Finding the Right Employer
Getting the Most from your Job Search Efforts	Thank You Notes in Job Search	Practice makes Perfect
The Hardest Step	Job Search THANKSgiving	Filling the Gaps in Your Employment Record
Attitude	Planning - To Succeed

Tune up Your Resume

There are two points your resume must make to be successful:

1. Tell the employer what you want to do for them.
2. Prove you can do that job better than other applicants.

That's it.

Accomplish these two tasks and your resume will be your greatest asset in securing job interviews. If you’re not landing interviews for jobs you know you can do well, it may be time to tune up your resume. Read on to make sure your resume is working for you and not against you.

To get you started, here are common blunders from actual resumes, with suggested corrections.

Resume Task #1 -- Tell employers what you want to do.
Some people leave off the 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, but isn’t good enough if you mail it, or if the person you talk with at the worksite isn’t the one screening the resumes.

Imagine your resume in a pile with 200 others, about to be read by a frantic manager trying to fill one SPECIFIC position. Don't be coy. Neither you nor the employers have the time for that. Be as specific as possible about what you want to do for the employer.

 

Consider this poor example of a 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? – Frankly, a frazzled employer couldn't care less. You must be more specific about what exactly you want to do in the Information Technology (IT) field. Do you want to be a Help Desk Technician? Software Developer? Systems Administrator? Be specific. And, by the way, do not use acronyms in the objective or summary statement.

Try an opening like this, instead: "Seeking position in network administration to utilize five years of experience and training in network design and technical 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 must clearly and obviously spell out why you should be hired. Focus on achievements and results in your resume. The more, the merrier -- but do not to exceed two pages.

Here’s an example of a duties/responsibilities section that could use some help: "Addressed staffing and budgeting issues for IT/IS department for start-up firm. This included recruiting & hiring IS/IT professionals."

Focus on your successes and results! 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. Achieved 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?

If you need help with your resume or other job search information, come see the experts at the One-Stop Job Center at 124 N. Irwin St. in Downtown Hanford. Additional assistance is also available at a reasonable fee on the internet from businesses specializing in resume preparation. Conduct an internet search or try www.gresumes.com for the development or review of a top notch resume.

A portion of this article was reprinted with permission from Kevin Donlin of Guaranteed Resumes.

If you need more assistance, contact us, or call us at (559) 585-3532.