Spicing up your resume with extra information
I am sure that all of us have some unknown skill that we have
always wanted to add to a resume just because it looks good. In
today's tight job market, employers are looking for people who
can do more than just the job they are hired for. In essence,
they want to hire a jack of all trades for a position.
Decide what looks good
If you played water polo in college, that is probably not going
to secure you a job on Wall Street. If, however, you coached for
the city league basketball team, it might help you secure a job
at a local high school. Coaching ball exhibits that you are able
to deal with young people in organized activities.
Organize your extra info
Once you decide what looks good, you can add sections to your
resume like Civic Responsibilities, Volunteer Activities and
even Additional Information just so I have somewhere to list
this information. One friend was applying for a job that
involved a lot of writing so he added an additional information
section where he added facts about two articles he had published.
Your cover letter is a good place to mention a skill and then
expand on it in your resume. If you are applying for a very
civic-minded or non-profit organization and you have volunteered
or participated in local civic activities then add a section on
your resume to include that information.
What is your goal?
Your main goal should be to create a resume and a cover letter
that shows you are uniquely qualified for the position in
question and that you possess skills outside of the everyday
applicant. You also want your resume to show that if greater
demands were put on your for different tasks, you could easily
handle them.
Finally, you want to appear to be a dynamic and interesting
individual that will contribute to a company as a new employee.
You should only list information that can somehow be considered
applicable to the job, to you as an applicant or to the company
in general. You are trying to create a positive picture with
your addi