Resume Help
As a nationally recognized resume writer and career coach, every
week I see hundreds of resumes sent to me for a free evaluation.
Most of them start with an Objective indicating what that
individual is seeking. Then they list the various roles and
responsibilities they have held in the past. Where this style of
resume was successful 5 years ago, it isn't going to work in
today's market.
You used to be competing with about 200 other resumes for the
interview. Now you are competing with about 1500. Companies
can't bring in 100 people for interviews and they can be choosy,
so your resume better make you stand out.
Think about it - an OBJECTIVE says "this is what I want". It's
like a salesperson walking up to you and saying "I want you to
buy this so I can get a big commission check". Better to start a
resume with "this is what I offer". So instead of an Objective,
have a Profile of the skills and experience you offer. Try to
put meaningful information in the Profile, not just fluff.
Imagine yourself on a game show and the host is about to
introduce you - "Our next guest....". What would they say? This
should be your Profile.
Next, under your Professional Experience, don't just list your
roles and responsibilities. Everyone knows that an
Administrative Assistant answers phones and files
correspondence. Tell how successful you were on the job.
Indicate the scope and scale of your responsibilites. For
example, state that you "Provided administrative support for 5
managers and 15 staff in an extremely fast-paced,
deadline-intensive environment". Tell them that you were
"Consistently praised for professionalism, pleasant demeanor and
the ability to meet the most aggressive deadlines." See the
difference?
Simply put, unless your skills are so unique and your
accomplishments so great that you truly stand out, you should
consider investing in your career by hiring a professional
resume writer. The state of the art of resume writing has
changed so much in the last few years, as has the economy, that
knowing what keywords to include and what skills and
accomplishments to highlight is a tough task. And it's difficult
to write about yourself - I've written thousands of resumes and
I think I would hire a professional to serve as a sounding board
and draw out of me the things that should be on my resume.
If you are unsure, take advantage of my Free Evaluation at
www.GotTheJob.com and I will personally review your resume and
let you know whether it is competitive in today's market.