How Does Your Work Experience Stack Up: A Resume Tip

When an employer is looking at your resume, they are seeking answers to their questions. They want to know if what you have done in the past will meet the needs of their organization in the future. Everything in your resume needs to be evaluated with that in mind. Nothing should be put on your resume if it does not lead the employer to believe that you are the right person for the job.

When trying to decide what to put on your resume in the work experience section, ask yourself these questions:

How do my skills compare with what the job specifications are?
Will my experience translate well into the position I am seeking?
Can this achievement help the employer see my worth as a job candidate?
Does this responsibility reflect the quality of a good employee?

The idea is to highlight your skills and accomplishments so that they best fit with the job you are seeking. One thing that can be very helpful is injecting keywords that identify you as a confident, assertive worker. Using a word like "directed" is a lot different than "oversaw". Use strong, enthusiastic words to create a positive expectation in the mind of the employer.

Another thing to consider is that most job titles are specific to an industry. Unless you are targeting a job in your current industry, you need to make sure that your qualifications explain exactly what you did because your job title likely will not.

Mostly, just remember that what you put in the resume work experience section isn't supposed to look like a job description. It's designed to highlight your job qualifications in a way that excites the employer.

Use this section of the resume to emphasize your accomplishments, your skills and your abilities. Let the employer see just how awesome you are and why you are the best fit for the job.

Best of Luck!

Carla Vaughan-Bosteder, Owner/Webmaster Best-Interview-Strategies.com

Carla is the owner of Best-Interview-Strategies.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.

Using a Resume Outline

The Resume Outline identifies the major headings of the resume and what information is contained within each one. Make sure you are comfortable with each of the following sections since you will be creating your own personal professional history with them in mind.

Heading/Contact Information
Objective
Education
Work Experience
Honors/Activities/Achievements/Publications
Other

Do you know what kind of information is contained in each section?

Click here for a description of each section: Resume Outline

This resume outline should provide you with a basic understanding of the sections of a resume. While different formats use these sections in a variety of ways, the information is used in each resume.

If you need more information than this resume outline offers, peruse the site listed above. The formats tab and the examples tab both provide a great deal of information.

Best of Luck

Professional-Resume-Example.com

Self-Assessment Prior to Writing Your Resume

When you begin the resume writing process, take some time to do some self-assessment first. Don't sit down at a computer and expect to type in a few choice words and a few dates with the hope that it will all come out beautifully. Reflect on your past accomplishments and achievements. What can you offer your next employer?

To create a professional resume, you need to sit down and think about your qualifications. What kind of job are you after and how can you write a resume that reflects your past experience in a way that employers will take seriously.

When you take the time in advance to consider your qualifications (work experience, education, accomplishments, etc) – then write your resume – you will be much more likely to win favor with a prospective employer.

If you are going to apply for a position, make it count. Self-assessment is vital in the resume-writing process. It will also benefit you during the interview.

Follow this link for more important resume tips:
Resume Tips

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'