Effective Resume Writing-101 Resume...Many websites offer free resume templates. They get you a good...
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Effective Resume Writing - 101 Tom Korth Illinois National Guard Employment Support Program Specialist National Guard
Effective Resume Writing-101 Resume...Many websites offer free resume templates. They get you a good idea of what對 you are looking for, but don’t just cut and paste one of the
Tom KorthIllinois National Guard Employment Support Program Specialist
National Guard
About NGB ESP• Employment Support Program was just established
approximately November 2016 and was implemented by NGB (National Guard Bureau).
• The program is designed to replace the Hero 2 Hired program which has disbanded.
• However, unlike Hero 2 Hired, the ESP program is NOT associated with ESGR (Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve).
Fact:Employers generally scan resumes in 25
seconds or less.
“Aim for Brevity”
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Some employers have even been known to take only five seconds to scan a resume. Because of this, your resume needs to not exceed two pages. The shorter, the better. Keep in mind, the employer is doing their hiring in addition to a number of other duties. Your mission is to grab the attention by being crisp, brief, and organized for the position you are hoping to achieve.
Know the Purpose of your Resume
Instead of creating a long and boring list with all your qualities, try to connect them with real life and work experiences.
In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up or else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.
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Do as much research as possible for the position and to understand the company. After doing this you can focus on your current accomplishments to the needs of the job and your resume will stand out
Keep the salary in mind
The image you will create with your resume MUST match the salary and responsibility level that you are aiming for.
Attention to typography and style• 12 point font (smallest you should go is 11 point font)
• Do not use capital letters all over the place
• Arial or Times New Roman font
• Absolutely no self pictures
• Choose a style or template format that is easy to follow and understand
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Pictures: Unless you are applying for a job where physical traits are important (acting, modeling, etc.), and unless the employer requested it, avoid it. Templates: Careful. Many websites offer free resume templates. They get you a good idea of what you are looking for, but don’t just cut and paste one of the most used ones. Chose your own vibe I like to say. .
Attention to typography and style (cont’d)
• No jargon or slang
• No fancy design details
• Use Mr. and Ms. If appropriate
• Avoid the “Nothing” words
• Make the design flow with white space
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Slang: It should be common sense, but actually believe me when I say it is not. Slang should never be present on a resume. Technical jargon Never assume that the employer will know what you are talking about even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same field. Fancy design details: Do not use a colored background, fancy fonts, or images on your resume. Many employers will throw it away at first sight. Mr. and Ms.: If you have a gender neutral name (Alex, Aaron, Dakota, Hayden, Peyton, etc.), use the prefix so employers will not get confused about your gender Nothing words: Remove repetitive words and vague language Be specific as possible on your previous roles at companies. Instead of self-congratulatory adjectives, stick to clear and active verbs. You don’t need to describe the action that you are doing at your previous company. Make the design flow with white space: Don’t jam your resume with text White space between the words, lines, and paragraphs can improve the legibility of your resume. Short and concise = overall amount of information, not how much text you can put on a single piece of paper
Don’t forget the basics
• First thing on your resume should be your name.
• Bold and with larger font than the rest of the text.
• Make sure contact details are clearly listed
• Both name and contact info should be included on all pages of your resume (if you have more than one page)
Use Effective Titles• Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgement
about your resume between 5 – 25 seconds
• Under this time frame the most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on your resume
• Titles are the main attention getter
• Try to be descriptive as possible, giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work.
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Examples: Bad title: Accounting Good title: Management of A/R and A/P and recordkeeping Bad title: Marketing Good title: Marketing and Promotions Director
Where are you going?• Including professional goals can help you by giving
employers an idea of where you are going, and how you want to arrive there.
• Make sure goals are not generic
• At the beginning of your resume, a short 40 – 50 word summary of the unique qualities you would bring to the position will give the employer a clear and definite way to think of you for the job.
Put the most important information first
• This is valid both to the overall order of your resume, as well as to the individual sections
• Most of the times, your previous work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top
• When describing your experiences or skills, list the important ones first.
Use Bullet Points• No employer will have the time or patience to read
long paragraphs of text.
• Use short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background, and professional objectives.
• No more then five bullet points per job.
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You do not need to list all of your work experiences If you have job experiences that you are not proud of or not relevant to the current opportunity, don’t list them. Mentioning that you used to sell hamburgers when you where 17 is probably not going to help you land an executive position. “Go with what you got”: If you never had any real work experience, just include summer jobs or volunteer work. If you don’t have a degree yet, mention the title of degree and the estimated date for completion. As long as those points are relevant to the position, it does not matter if they are official or not.
Achievements instead of responsibilities
• Resumes with long list of responsibilities = Boring and not efficient in selling yourself
• List professional achievements
• That fact that others have valued your work is a significant factor in your chances of getting hired
• Include hard data
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If your efforts have been recognized at previous companies or you have published articles in trade journals or other publications, include that in your resume. Include hard data: If your contribution was critical to the implementation of a new sales campaign or productivity strategy, provide the data on increased sales and project completion. Cite the specific efforts of your management on team goals. Be specific about how your work affected the overall results in previous positions.
Mention who you worked with
• If you have reported or worked with someone that is well known in your industry, mention it on your resume.
• Applies to presidents and CEOs
• If you reported to or worked directly with high ranked executives, add it to your resume
Remove your older work experiences• If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need
to have two pages of your resume listing all your work experiences.
• Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough
• If you’ve been out of the military for more than 15 years, create a “military experience” portion on your resume. This lets employers know that you did serve the country and gives you veterans’ preference with most companies.
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No need to list that you worked at the local coffee shop at age 17
Don’t include irrelevant information
• Political Affiliation
• Religion
• Sexual Preference
• Age
• Hobbies
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This information will not help you. In fact, it may even hurt your chances of landing an interview. Age: It is illegal to discriminate people because of their age, race, sex, or religion. However some employers do consider age nonetheless. Do not include age on your resume unless specifically asked for it. Don’t risk it. Hobbies: Unless your 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support your chances for employment, avoid mentioning them. Employers either don’t care or will ask you about what your hobbies are in the interview.
No Pronouns
Your resume should not contain the pronouns “I” or “me”. It is how we normally structure sentences, but since your resume is a document about yourself, using these pronouns is actually redundant.
Use action verbs
• Action verbs are verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what your experience or achievements were.
• Examples include managed, coached, maintained, established, enforced, and planned (just to name a few).
DON’T LIE!
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Seems like a no brainer as well, but you would be amused to discover the amount of people that lie on their resumes. It’s wrong Most HR Depts. do background checks Could ruin your credibility for good because employers do talk.
One resume for each employer
• Tailor your resume to each employer (bullet points and accomplishments)
• Same concept applies to cover letters
• No scattered information. Have a clear focus
• List ALL of your positions
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One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings that they can find. It will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview. So in reality, it’s a waste of time. No scattered information: It could cause a negative impression if you mentioned that one year you were studying psychology and the next year working in marketing. Make sure that all the information you include will work towards a unified image. Employers like decided people. List all of your positions: No gaps in years of employment If you worked for over 10 years at the same company, list all your different positions and accomplishments during that time separately. Employers like to know the different skills that you developed in each role.
Create an email proof text format• Very likely that you will end up sending your resume via email
to most companies
• Always send your resume to employer in PDF format
• Apart from a PDF attachment, have a copy and paste text version of your resume that wont look disfigured in the body of an email or other online forms.
• Attachments might get blocked by spam filters, and many people just prefer having the resume on the body of the email itself.
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PDF This is so the employer can’t make any changes to your resume themselves and try to say your not qualified for the position.
Update your resume regularly• Add all the new information that you think is relevant.
• Courses• Training programs• Academic Qualifications
• Proofread your resume twice• Spelling errors• Poor grammar• Missed experiences or achievements
• Get someone else to review your resume• Always good to get a second opinion• Two sets of eyes are better than one. We usually become
blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning
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Best way to keep track of everything and make sure you don’t end up sending something obsolete to the employer.
Use a good printer
• If you are going to use a paper version of your resume, make sure to use a decent printer.
• Laser Printers usually the best• Only use plain white paper (preferably
resume paper)
Consider getting professional help• Having a hard time creating your resume?
• Receiving no response whatsoever from companies?
• Consider hiring a professional resume writing service• Both local and online options available• Usually the investment will be worth the money
Cover Letters• Organize your thoughts
• Research the job position
• Address and close your cover letter appropriately
• Follow the three-paragraph rule• Introductory Paragraph• Body Paragraph• Closing Paragraph
• Keep it short
• Use standard formatting
• Review
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3 paragraph rule Introductory State position applying for Explain why you are writing How you found out about the position Clear and concise regarding your interest in job Body Power statements to make strong connections between your skills and company needs Describe how professional experiences can benefit the company and how you can be an asset to your employer Using bullet points or a list help emphasize important information and improve the flow Closing paragraph Always conclude on a positive note Thank you for consideration and politely state you look forward to an interview How you will follow up with recipient
10 Interview No-No’s
1. Complaining about the parking or directions
2. Bad mouthing your previous job, manager or company3. First interview details (asking about tuition reimbursement,
dental plan, size of your office)
4. Groveling or sounding desperate
5. Answering a question before you understand it.
• The Wedding Singer Interview
• The Internship Interview
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1. Common sense. You never want to be negative during an interview. First impressions are everything. 2. If you do this, it will get the employer thinking “Will this person be bashing me behind my back on some future interview too?” It’s a hard thing to do, but just don’t do it. 3. If they want to tell you this info, they will tell you. But let them be the ones to tell you the benefits of the job. Focus on the conversation of the role and learning about the organization. If you move forward in the process, you have plenty of time to learn those details. 4. Employers want enthusiastic, not desperate. 5.Take time to think through a question. Room silence won’t hurt or kill your chances for the position. Not Listening will.
9. Trying to make the employer feel sorry for you.
10. Doing anything disgusting
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6. A good employer will notice when you are starring around or just starring at them trying to look like you are paying attention, when really you are thinking about other things. 7. Maintain proper and professional posture 8. This is obvious. 9. Don’t say “This job search has been really hard” or your not getting call backs and you’ve sent out X number of resumes. They don’t care and it makes you look bad. Maintain a positive attitude and a positive vibe that you are happy to be there. 10. This includes picking your teeth, spitting, dipping, farting, scratching and yes, even picking your nose. Other unmentionables are included in this and all are for sure interview killers.
Tom KorthIL Employment Support Program
Program Support SpecialistCamp Lincoln, Springfield
