What Not To Do

Um, hi, you aren’t Leo Tolstoy so please stop trying to be. Newsflash: you aren’t writing War and Peace, you are writing your resume. Unlike War and Peace, your resume is one page, not fourteen hundred pages. And while digging up Russian history is pertinent for good old Leo, no employer would ever in their wildest dreams want to read a resume with all of your history. Most employers spend a few seconds glancing at the contents of your resume. They don’t care that you are a vegetarian. They don’t care about your pet Chihuahua. You know what they do care about so why not tell you what they don’t care about.

Don’t make the mistake that your resume is a catalog for your past. Don’t hoard old jobs and irrelevant employment on that sheet of paper. The purpose is to get the employer to be so ridiculously interested in you and your talents that they couldn’t resist picking up the phone and getting you in for an interview ASAP. No one is going to be interested if you take this opportunity to turn your resume into a personal statement or self expression. You really have to spend time narrowing your focus and concentrating on what personal accomplishments will blow the employer away.

I know it takes time and effort to make a fantastic resume but it will definitely pay off. Employers can tell the effort level put into a resume immediately. Don’t slack. Don’t write War and Peace Part II. Short, simple and relevant is the way to go. Have the dedication to make your resume brilliant. It isn’t an essay for school that you can disregard after you turn it in. This is something you are going to use for the rest of your life.

Winning Cover Letters

If you haven’t heard how important cover letters are the job hunting process, let me fill you in. A good cover letter will not only set you apart from the other applicants, it will get you an interview. It will tell the hiring manager who you are, as opposed to the accompanying résumé which will tell them what you’ve done. It will also tell them that you write and communicate clearly and that you understand the job.

Most job openings require that you submit a cover letter with your résumé when applying. This is the most basic type of cover letter that you can write. You are telling the hiring manager that you are interested in the position, why you are interested and your contact information. To stand out, do some research on the company and the position. Who will you be working for? Address the cover letter to this person, even if you are sending it directly to the HR department. Explain to them why you would be great in this position and use information from your research to support this claim.

The first paragraph should make it very clear what position you are interested in, where you found out about the open position, and a reference number for the job if applicable. The second paragraph should describe why you are interested, what experience you have that would make you a perfect fit, and past similar experience that yielded good results. The third paragraph will give your contact information and the best time to reach you.

Keep in mind never to use the word “if”. You don’t want to give them the option of contacting you; you want to assume that they will contact you because you are the best person for the position. Selling yourself in a few sentences can be difficult to master, but if you present a promising and persuasive cover letter with your resume you can bet that you will get a call for an interview, even if your qualifications aren’t stellar.

Top Five Resume Deal Breakers

5. Gimmicks and Graphics

Never, ever incorporate smiley faces or similar graphics into your resume. In fact leave out graphics all together. Your résumé should be two colors: black and white. Anything else will only divert attention away from your achievements and will label you as a jokester not to be taken seriously. And your colorful résumé will end up promptly in the garbage.

4. Hobbies

Personal interests and leisure activities are forbidden résumé material. Unless it pertains to the job in question, leave it out. Outside activities will most likely be brought up in the “getting to know you” portion of the interview.

3. Reasons for leaving your previous jobs

This is a big no. Not only will it never work in your favor, rest assured that if they want to know, they will ask. You’re just wasting space on your résumé. And on the same token, never bad mouth former employers or co-workers. You really don’t want to be “that guy”.

2. Salary Requirements

Even if you are responding to an ad that requests such things, tactfully decline to include them. If you shoot too high, you will be immediately ruled out. If you’re too low then you’ve lost all bargaining power. It’s always better to discuss such things in the interview. Preferably the second interview.

1. Your picture

Unless you are a model or an actor, there is no reason to include your picture. However bad it may be, the person screening the resumes will ultimately judge you on your appearance and may not give you the job because of it. You want to be recognized for your talents and accomplishments. Not your unibrow.

Can My Blog Get Me a Job?

The Internet allows us to network across the world and transfer information about ourselves in seconds. Should we so choose, we can show every other user our name, face, attributes, personal opinions and skills. Our character is often immediately apparent through the words that we write online. Recently, the Internet has also become an invaluable forum for job seekers and employers. It expedites the processes of reviewing credentials, scheduling interviews and even making a good impression.

Is this impression good enough to completely replace the hardcopy résumé? Many members of the online community have begun using the blog as a sort of Internet résumé. They argue that blogging can have a prominent role in the hiring process. Considering that we have typically based hiring on face-to-face interaction, is it really at the point of total transition? Can résumés ever be replaced?

One problem with the idea of a “blog-centric” job search is the bad reputation of blogs. Most serious professionals, consequently those who may be interviewing you, do not see them as having value or credibility. As each subsequent generation becomes more involved with technological trends, this may become the norm. Teenagers who blog today might, in the future, scan blog sites for potential employees. Until this happens, however, employers simply prefer the traditional route.

Another shortcoming of blogs is that they require employers to read through too much content. The purpose of a résumé is to be an at-a-glance reference. It presents the same amount of information that a blog can, using far less space and content. Browsing to find related subject matter is too time-consuming when conducting a large applicant search.

This is not to say that blogs aren’t useful in the hiring process. Employers sometimes do find blogs, perhaps related to their industry, and browse for applicants. It is important to note that this method is only truly convenient as a small part of the process. While it can be used to find job seekers, it is not a reliable source for credentials. In other words, it can get you an interview, but it will not replace your résumé.

In the future, we may see a time when blogs are used for an array of professional purposes. It is unlikely, though, that they will ever completely replace the résumé. In the meantime, keep updating your résumé and blog. Having both at your disposal will keep you prepared, no matter what employers want.

The Résumé Service You Need

There are many online résumé writing and reviewing services available to the modern-day job seeker. Some resources are free and other, more comprehensive services can cost hundreds of dollars. Do these sites do anything that you couldn’t accomplish yourself? Is the product worth the cost?

This depends on your writing skills and the amount of time and money you have to invest. For the job seeker who needs a résumé in a few days, these services may not be worth the money. Forty-eight and 72 hour writing services can cost up to $200, with 24 hour services typically priced at $300. The more time you have to dedicate to the process, the more you will save. Regular services, usually done in under a week, range in price from $30 to $1,000. These figures do not often include a cover letter, which adds hundreds more to the overall cost.

Whether to pay for professional services also depends on the level of the positions you plan to apply for. Applicants who are looking for hourly positions, for example, do not need a highly specialized résumé. As long as you have decent writing skills and the ability to find free resources, there is not much value in a writing service that costs $40 or more. When applying at management or the executive levels, where résumés are held to a higher standard, a candidate may benefit from a professional service. In a higher paying position, your potential earning power will more than offset the cost, increasing the value of such a service.

Writing skills are another factor that determines the value of résumé writing offers. Those with a better understanding of writing and professional documents will not need personalized service. If anything, these applicants would benefit from free Internet sites and articles with simple tips. Job seekers possessing average writing skills may need more advanced assistance, but need not spend over $100.

When deciding what kind of service to use, compare prices and value. Sites like Jobgoround.com and Resumelines.com provide consumer reviews of all the top résumé writing services. Just like any other product, a wise consumer would do well to calculate the value of each service before choosing.