The Four R's of Resume Writing

If you want to get a prospective employer’s attention, you need to write a resume with the Four R’s of Resume Writing in mind. These tips will help you create a resume that conveys the appropriate information to an employer in a way that shows confidence and enthusiasm.

Remember that you are competing against a lot of other job candidates, so take the time to create an excellent resume and you will already have an easier time of landing that perfect job.

The Four R’s of Resume Writing are:

Relate – Relate your skills in your resume to the position you are seeking. This is often called targeting your resume. An employer is less concerned about your job title and more concerned about what you did while you were on the job.

Research – Research the company so that you can relate your skills in a meaningful way. If the company has been headed in one direction and is undergoing a shift in marketing, management or mission, then you need to be aware of this and create your resume to reflect the current company direction.

Refresh – Refresh any tired old language with vibrant, energetic action words. This will attract the attention of the employer and make a much better impression.

Read – Read your resume as many times as necessary to ensure there are no typos, grammar errors or spelling issues. You may only get one shot at a particular job, so make sure everything the employer sees is top notch.

If you want to get a great job, you have to have a great resume. Keep these resume writing tips in mind as you work on your resume.

Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.

For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples

Job Application Forms - What You Need to Know

Many employers require a Job Application Form to be completed prior to hiring their employees because it fills in certain gaps that the resume does not provide. In order for you to complete this form accurately and efficiently, you need to be prepared.

The Job Application Form differs from your resume in that it requires you to include much more detailed information about certain things, such as your former employer's address and telephone number. Your resume does not provide this and employers will want this information if they want to contact your former employer(s) and/or if they do a background check.

Be prepared when you go to your next interview.

On a separate sheet of paper, list all of the specifics about each of your former employers, the schools you attended and other important details that your resume omits.

Most forms are easy to fill out, but they are time consuming and tedious. You will be asked to complete anywhere from 2-6 pages of information about your current situation as well as your history. Don't be intimated by it, just fill each section out as completely and accurately as possible.

One of the reasons these forms are used is that the Human Resources department needs a variety of information to complete all of the necessary forms for insurance purposes, social security records, payroll data and so on. To make it easy on them, write as neatly as possible on the form and follow the instructions carefully.

Sometimes you will come across a section that does not apply to you, such as military service or volunteer work. If that is the case, write "Not Applicable" or "N/A" in the blank(s) provided. That way, it will be obvious that you didn’t skip over the section.

Whether you are asked to complete the employment application form before you are offered a job or afterward, be sure that the information you include on the form is directed specifically toward (tailored) to the position you are seeking. Just as the resume is aimed at a certain position, so too the application form should be similarly targeted to a specific job.

In addition to the form or forms you are required to complete, you may be requested to provide other items as well. Take your social security card, driver's license, a list of personal and professional references, extra copies of your resume and copies of any certifications or licenses that you have with you. Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Completing the forms that a prospective employer requires does not have to be difficult. Just spend a little time preparing for the situation prior to your arrival.

For more information about the Job Search, check out these sources:

Research the Company
What you need to know about the hiring manager
Job Interview Questions
The Employee Selection Process

The Selection Process

When you are looking for a job, it helps to know what is likely to happen so that you can be prepared. For this reason, a peek at the selection process from the employer's point of view is detailed below. More than anything else, you need to meet or exceed the prospective employer's expectations in order to proceed through the selection process.

The initial stage in the selection process is the resume review. Most often, this is done by an individual who is simply looking for errors or unqualified candidates. The goal is to weed out the good from the bad in order to decrease the number of potential candidates. Why? Because interviewing people has costs. The fewer candidates that are interviewed, the lower the costs. Everyone has a budget and even HR has to stay within their limits.

Once the pile of resumes is decreased substantially, the remaining resumes are given a more thorough read. Those which make a favorable impression are kept while the others are not.

Some companies use a telephone interview at this point and others do not. For those organizations which do, another screening is done with basic questions about professional history and qualifications.

Next comes the personal interview. A company may select up to ten candidates to come in for an interview. The job candidate may meet with one person or a half dozen. It depends upon the position being filled. A consensus of the interviewers is then taken and and the best candidate is offered the job. In the case where the interviewers are not in agreement, another round of interviews may be done for the final candidates.

This is the basic selection process for most jobs. For more information, please refer to this article:

The Employee Selection Process