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Resume writing tips and advise |
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- Write your success story! Take time to contemplate your life-work and how you contribute significance and value to your corner of the world. Your resume should be an authentic representation of who you are and what sets you apart from other candidates.
- Build a brand that is in market demand. A “branded” resume should convey a value proposition and demonstrate a fit with not only the skills required for the position but the company’s organizational culture
as well.
- Emphasize results. Employers want to know whether you can make a positive economic impact on the company. How you’re going to help them increase productivity, generate money or save money by emphasizing benefits and not just features.
- Lead with a sizzling summary to capture interest and control impressions. A bulk introductory qualifications section can help employers zero in on the three to five greatest strengths
that communicate your brand.
- Mirror job postings with relevant content. Before writing, select several job postings that epitomize your job target. Highlight key responsibilities and results from these postings. Then, diligently
weave each of these items into your resume.
- Separate responsibilities from accomplishments. Recall from tip 3 that accomplishments are critical. Don’t bury them in the same paragraph as responsibilities. Use bullets to set off accomplishments
and draw the readers’ eye toward the results youhave delivered.
- Weave keywords throughout. Comb Internet postings, company newsletters, and current articles, as well as talk to people inyour target industry, for terms that will help your resume be
unearthed after it is dumped into a resume database.
- Substantiate personality traits. Prove that you have any traits you claim. The phrase “Customer-focused: selected as primarycontact for key account” adds more credibility than simply saying,
“customer-focused,” or worse yet, “good people skills.”
- Prune and proofread! Traditional print resumes should be no more than two/three pages (exceptions to the two-page rule apply for
senior executives, academicians, and licensed medical professionals). Weed out personal pronouns (instead of “I managed,” just
say “managed”).
- Go for the “wow” factor—make it gorgeous! First impressions do count. Your resume should have the look and feel of a polished ad, with a design that is crisp, clean, and eye-catching.
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Cover Letter writing tips and advise |
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- Mention a referral source whenever possible. For example, “John Doe mentioned you were looking for new talent for your new procurement project.”
- After mentioning your referral source, mention a benefit: “My 10-year background as a procurement supervisor has enabled me to cut costs at least 20% without sacrificing quality.”
- Briefly summarize the breadth of your experience, whether number of years’ experience, relevant titles you have held, or range of qualifications in a certain area.
- Include accomplishments—always!
- Set off accomplishments with bullets.
- Don’t restate verbatim information from the resume.
- Avoid obligatory language, such as “Enclosed please find a copy of my resume.” Instead, you might say, “You’ll note on my resume a track record for exceeding goals by more than 25 percent....”
- Avoid lofty language. Read the letter out loud—if you stumble over polysyllabic words that are unnatural to your way of speaking, rewrite with simpler language.
- When pasting a letter into an e-mail, make the letter as short as possible and use bullets to set off accomplishments. Recruiters get tired of scrolling through lengthy e-mails.
- If you’re unsure of your recipient’s preference for receiving cover letters and resumes by e-mail, double up! For instance, if
you’re sending your resume in the body of an e-mail message, also attach it as an e-mail attachment and mention “For convenience, I have included a duplicate copy of my resume in MS Word format.” If you’re sending your resume as an attachment,
paste an ASCII text version into the e-mail two to three lines below your signature. Add a P.S. that says, “Although my resume is attached in PDF format, I’ve also pasted it below should you prefer an ASCII plain-text format.”
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