Will a Resume Get You a Job?

Will a Resume Get You a Job?

That question is asked over and over again in Career Placement Centers, Employment Offices and on forums on the Internet. Will a resume get you a job?

The short answer is "no".

A resume will not get you a job. What a resume will do, if it is done effectively, is pave the way for an interview. Employers use resumes to decide who they think is best suited for the job and typically weed out enough poorly written resumes to narrow the candidate pool to 5-6 good candidates. (Some companies have a higher number than that and others have a lower number. It depends on the organization and how they structure the interview process.)

If you want to be counted among those 5-6 candidates who are called in for an interview, then your resume DOES have to be outstanding.

Will a resume get you a job? Now, let's answer that question a different way. A resume is a necessary part of getting a good job. Does that contradict the first statement? No, it doesn't. A resume on its own can only do so much, but without it, at least with most companies, you cannot even get anyone to acknowledge you. You must have a resume in order to get your foot in the door in many companies.

Of course, not any resume will do. Some of the people that you are competing against for jobs are going to spend a lot of time and money crafting excellent resumes. Yours has to be just as good – preferably better.

You don't need a professional resume service, either. What you need is the right information and the best guidelines to provide you with everything you need so that you can create your own top-notch resume.

It may take more time to write an excellent resume, but a poorly written resume isn't going to do any good at all, so either write the best resume you can write or don't bother writing one at all. It is just that important.

Here are some links that might be helpful to you:

'Resume Tips'

• 'Resume Do's and Don'ts'
  
  
• 'Resume Keywords'
  
  
  
  
  • 'More About Resume Keywords'
    
    
  
  
• 'Four Resume Tips'
  
  
• 'Resume Checklist'
  
  
• 'Professional Resume Advice'
  
  
• 'Resume Mistakes'
  
  
• 'Build Your Resume'
  
  
• 'Resume Components'
  
  
• 'Resume Brainstorming'
  
  
• 'How to Make a Resume'
  
  
  

Boost Your Resume And Get That Job!

Boost Your Resume And Get That Job

1. Market yourself with your objective statement. The successful use of an objective statement targets each position the candidate is seeking, while subtly selling specific skills in a way that benefits the employer. Define some of your finest qualities and present them as a means for the company to achieve greater results. This is not a statement about "What I want from the company." It's a statement about "What I have and how it will assist the organization for which I work."
2. Target the employer. Everything in your resume should be directed toward one goal: Getting a specific job at a particular company. Each one of your resumes should be uniquely targeted to an audience of ONE.
3. Define yourself in terms of skills and accomplishments. An employer wants to know what kind of person you are. Show the employer that you are a problem solver, results-oriented, loyal and determined to succeed and you will do much better at making a good impression than someone who simply states their employment history.
4. Quantify your accomplishments. What does that mean? It means that you need to create a solid picture of what you have achieved in the past. Don’t just tell the employer what you have done in the past. Show how you have been successful by concrete examples of your performance. For instance, if you are a customer service manager and you created and implemented a new workflow pattern that improved the response time to customer’s inquiries, then state the percentage of improvement in customer satisfaction something along those lines.
5. Use action verbs to boost your resume's appeal. If you want a prospective employer to take notice of your resume, you will need to use words that jump off the paper. Get the attention you deserve by presenting your skills and accomplishments in an influencial and appealing way.

If you would like more information about writing an outstanding resume, take a look at the links below:

Resume Dos and Don'ts

The Resume Checklist