Resume Components

There are two basic components to a resume. The first one is CONTENT. The second one is DESIGN.

Both elements are critical in determining the success of the resume.
What does the design component consist of? Quite a few aspects of the resume fall into this category.

Here are some for you to peruse:
type and color of paper
format
layout within the format
font(s) used
white space

Determining the design your resume can contribute a great deal to the impact you make to prospective employers. A resume must not only contain the right words and qualifications, but it must be easy to read.

When a pile of resumes are first taken out of their envelopes, the process of making a first impression begins. You can’t take a chance of being ruled out at any stage of the process, so your materials must be superior.

Do you know what your competitors are doing? If not, then you need to ensure you are doing everything possible to give yourself an advantage over them. Keep in mind that they could just as easily be reading the same information you are right now. How are you going to out-perform them?

You are going to ensure that each design component is outstanding!


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Resume Components

~Carla Vaughan
Owner/Webmaster

Professional-Resume-Example.com

Classified Ads

Classified ads work. People will get hired by responding to classified ads. Paul N. Mendelsohn writes, in the CPA Journal, that, “Want ads are a source of much information. You can learn what types of jobs are available, their requirements and their salary ranges.”

What you will need to remember, though, is that everyone else who reads that paper is likely reading the same ad you are. The number of resumes an employer can receive for any given job posting can be in the hundreds. That is a lot of competition.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the effectiveness of applying for a job directly with an employer is 47.7%. While this could include walking into an employer’s building right off the street, it’s more likely to include job hunting with classified ads.

So how do you rise above the crowd?

First, your resume has to be excellent. That means no typos or grammar errors. You have to stand out as a positive, energetic person who will fit in with the corporate culture immediately and contribute to the bottom line.

Convey what you can do for the employer in a way that relates to what they do or how they operate. Speak their language. The same holds true for the cover letter. Everything you put in that letter must guide the reader to the conclusion that you know more about what they need than anyone else does – and you can do the job better than anyone else.

When you DO choose to use classified ads as a part of your job-hunting strategies, remember that many newspapers (and job boards) list their classified ads on the Internet, too. Not only is this a great resource for you in looking for your next job, but it is also an excellent way to see just what is available in other markets.

While you are on-line, don’t forget to research the companies in which you are interested. Find out what they do or make, their history, who the major corporate gurus are and what their plan is for growth. Use that information to slant your resume to their way of doing business and you will be that much farther ahead. Plus, you will have the information you need when you are called for an interview.

Job hunting with classified ads is a great way to find a job, but it isn’t the only way. Never limit yourself to only one option. To find the right job with the right company, you need to open yourself up to every opportunity.

To read more about finding a job and how to present yourself in your resume and cover letter, follow this link to:

Professional-Resume-Example.com

The 30-Second Resume Scan

by Carla Vaughan

If you have been in a job-search for very long at all, you have most likely read that employers do not read resumes, they scan them.

Do you think a 30-second scan is ridiculous? When you consider how important filling a vacant position must be to an employer, that isn’t a very long amount of time, is it? Why wouldn’t an employer want to read EVERY resume to make sure they were hiring the right person for the job? Surely there is no way to properly get a feel for someone in 30 seconds.

Well, think about it from a hiring manager’s point of view.

The day starts at 7:00am with a bang – the phone rings, there are email messages to answer and a meeting with marketing at 8:00am to go over the recently vacated Brand Manager’s position.

From there, a round of interviews for an opening in the executive suite for an Administrative Assistant have to be performed with little or no time to review the resumes prior to interviewing each candidate.

Next thing you know, it is lunch time, but hey, there is no time for that since a meeting with Benefits Administrator is next on the schedule and the recent changes in the medical plan have caused a lot of headaches in trying to recruit new sales associates.

After that shouting match, it is time to check the latest HR new hire reports to set up the next round of orientation meetings as they are supposed to take place every 2 weeks and it is already a week past that.

A 2:30pm phone call to the HR assistant who handles the orientations leads to a dozen more phone calls to get the conference room scheduled as no one wants to give up their time slot for anyone else.

It is nearly 4:00pm. A quick trip to the restroom ends up taking an hour as the recently hired Sales Director pauses to lash out about the medical benefit changes which were not a part of the original employment agreement.

The final meeting of the day consists of all HR managers discussing, usually all at one time, the impending acquisition of a new company.

Before driving home, a 4 inch stack of resumes are stuffed into a briefcase to be reviewed at home after the children are in bed.

Now, does a 30-second scan seem a little more reasonable?

Yes, filling vacant positions is important. It is extremely important. One of the most serious errors a hiring manager can make is bringing someone into the organization who is not qualified for the position they are hired for – OR – they do not fit with the corporate culture. Every new hire reflects on the hiring manager – good or bad.

Realistically, if time permitted, resumes WOULD be reviewed more thoroughly, but it simply isn’t possible for most hiring managers.

If you want to master the job-search process, you have to make sure you make it past that 30 second scan. Proofread your resume again and again.

For more information on resumes, see these links:

The Job Application

Transferable Skills

Free Chronological Resume Template

How To Make A Resume

Resume Visibility

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