The Length of Your Resume

The length of your resume is less important than its substance. Remember when you were told, especially as a child, that it wasn't what you wore on the outside, but what kind of person you were on the inside? Well, to some extent, that is exactly the same with your resume.

What you write on your resume is more important than how long it is.

How long should your resume be? The length of your resume should be in direct proportion to your success in reaching your career goals and in pursuing related educational objectives. What does that mean?

Well, it means:

• Don't pad your resume


• Be honest


• Only list what applies to the position you are seeking


• Add enough white space to allow natural breaks in reading


• Never use two words when one will do


• Do not list references


• Target your resume to the job and the company


• Use action keywords

Write your resume in such a way that the reader knows exactly what you want and your credentials support that goal. Anything more becomes tedious and takes away from the impact of your true purpose. Anything less and your goal become unsubstantiated by your past experience and education.

Most resume experts, myself included, suggest you keep your resume to two pages. If you can fit your skills and accomplishments on one page, that is even better. Just remember that the goal isn't to provide your life story. Make sure you are using only what best supports your career goals.

The resume cover page is in addition to the resume. It is not counted in the suggested resume length above.

The length of your resume is - as long as it need to be to get the employer to take notice.

If you are interested in getting some help with your resume, you will love this resource that I have put together over the past few years. Actually, it was originally copyrighted in 1991, but I have revised it many times since then. I just had a panel of 10 individuals read and review it and they just raved about it.

"How to Write a Professional Resume"

Thanks for reading!

~Carla Vaughan

Transferable skills

What are transferable skills? Transferable skills are the skills you have learned or utilized which can be used to enhance your future job experiences. They are the abilities and talents you possess which can be employed in an array of work related positions.

When you understand how many transferable skills and abilities you have, you are better prepared to market yourself to employers. It's difficult to explain to others what you are capable of when you haven't taken the time to figure it out yourself. The more time you take to identify your skills and abilities, the better prepared you will be to create an excellent resume – and perform well in an interview.

How do you determine which transferable skills you possess? Make a list of your work experience, hobbies, volunteer work, and positions or offices you hold or have held (in various associations, committees and/or clubs). Have you played any sports? Have you worked on programs at your church? This will help you start to realize just how much you have done in the past. In a little bit, you will see how those experiences can be related to your future employment.

Here is a list of possible transferable skills:

Communication skills
Negotiating ability
Creativity
Listening skills
Teaching ability
Leadership skills
Editing ability
Organization skills
Taking initiative
Management skills, etc.
Goal oriented
Conducting research
Motivational skills
Planning ability
Cooperative attitude
Math Aptitude
Providing constructive feedback
Computer literacy
Work well under pressure

Making a list of the transferable skills you possess (accomplishments and skills) is very helpful. It is important especially when you do not have a wealth of real world experience from which to pull.

Here is something else you ought to consider: Have quantifiable examples of each of your transferable skills so that you truly stand out to the prospective employer. It is one thing to tell an employer that you are a good facilitator. It is another thing entirely to be able to back that statement up with solid measurable examples. It’s especially important when you have some concrete experience in a given field.

To be able to make these transferable skills work for you, some research may need to be done to determine the exact needs of the employer for the position you are interested in. Find out what is required and then tailor your skill set to that one position.

Job duties may change from job to job, but there are a great many skills that transfer well from one position to another. Being able to recognize and clearly relate those transferable skills to a prospective employer is a huge benefit to both you and the employer.



Written by Carla Vaughan, Owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com

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

Professional-Resume-Example.com

Resume Proofreading

Proofreading Your Resume

Take time to prepare the best résumé you can. You might not be the most qualified candidate for every job, but your résumé might be better than the competition. The most common mistakes are simple typographical and spelling errors. Computer spelling checkers do not catch correctly spelled words used incorrectly— "of" for "on," for example, or "their" for "there."

You want your résumé to stand out, but not for the wrong reasons. Avoid mistakes by having several people proofread for you.

Before you send out a résumé, review the vacancy announcement and fine- tune your résumé to meet employers’ specific criteria. Sprinkle your résumé with language found in the position description, paying special attention to your objective and qualifications summary if you have them.

Finally, consider how your résumé will look when it arrives on a reviewer’s desk. Hastily stuffed, illegibly addressed, and sloppily sealed envelopes do nothing to enhance your image as a neat, would- be professional. If you are faxing your résumé, set the fax machine to fine printing mode, and always fax an original. Your résumé may have to withstand several trips through a copy machine, so you want it to transmit as clearly as possible.

Listing Other Interests on a Resume: Yes or No?

Good Morning!

Recently, I had a question sent to me about including "other interests" on a resume. Should that section of the resume be included or excluded? The information was as follows:

Other Interests: Family, coaching youth sports, golf, fishing and hiking.

This is what I suggested he do:

The "Other Interests" portion of a resume is not necessary. In fact, it is the only aspect of your resume that I think someone might find something to nit-pick about. Why? Some people might worry that since you listed "Family" that you might be more focused on your family than your job. I admire that and I agree that you have your priorities straight if that's the case, however, some employers expect you to put the job first. You can put your family first without having to "warn" the employer that you are doing so. If a need arises that you have to make a choice between your family and your job, then you should get to make that choice, but don't let the prospective employer make it for you before you ever get a chance to interview for the job.

Does that make sense?

The other items don't need to be there either simply because they are possible reasons to exclude you more than they are possible reasons to include you. How can that be? What if the person screening your resume tried to play youth sports and failed miserably - or their father wasn't around for them? What if the resume screener went on a fishing trip once and fell out of the boat into deep water and it scared him/her so bad that fishing is now considered a hated hobby?

Don't give the prospective employer any reason to eliminate you. These things DO happen. It's crazy, but it's true.

So, now you know the answers, too. Don't give the employer a reason to exclude you. If you have this section on your resume, consider removing it. There is no sense in getting yourself taken out of contention for a job simply because someone else has a bias.

For more information about the Resume Outline (which tells you the basic necessities of a resume: Resume Outline

Have a great day!

Professional Affiliations in Resumes

I recently received a question from a gentleman that I thought would be good to include in this blog for more people to read. I was helping him create a resume targeted to a new industry. The question is about including information from one's past that looks good, but isn’t quite relevant to the current resume or the job being targeted.

Question:

I want to list a professional affiliation on my resume even though it isn't related to my current career path. I'm proud of the work I have done with this group. What do you think?

My response:

Does it positively affect your "bid" for the new position you are targeting? Will most hiring managers even know what that membership is? If I were a future employer of someone in your current chosen field, would it matter to me that you were a board member of that particular organization?

I'm asking these questions because it is my job to focus the resume on a specific job target. If you were targeting employment in the specific field that the professional affiliation would support, then absolutely, that would be essential. Because you are targeting a different field entirely, it is not important. Well, that isn't exactly true. Yes, it is important to you, but it's not important to prospective employers.

Your resume MUST be tightly focused on one field - one target - one goal.

Each resume must be refined not only to include everything that leads an employer to conclude that you are perfect for the job, but it must also exclude anything that prevents the employer from reaching that conclusion.

~Carla Vaughan
Professional Resumes

Quick Resume Creation

Make A Resume Online, $9.95 - Create & Customize Your Resume Using Templates. Quick and Easy.

If you are looking for a quick resume fix and need help creating your resume - BUT - you don't want to pay an arm and a leg, click on the link above. You can create a professional-looking resume quickly and inexpensively.

My website offers a lot of information if you want to create a resume yourself and not pay anything, but sometimes it is easier to just fill in the blanks, which I do understand.

So, check out my site if you want a lot of great resume-related information. It's free. If you want to create a resume with prompts and guides, then click on the link above. :)

Professional Resumes

Your Resume and Your Personality

Does Your Resume Have Any Personality?

Sure, you have plenty of personality, but are you able to convey that in your resume?

Take a look at your resume and read it through like a professional hiring manager would. Is it interesting? Is it boring? Would you fall asleep if you had to read your own resume at 10:00 p.m. at night (like some human resource professionals have to do)?

Creating a resume that gets read from top to bottom is not easy. To do so means you have to interject active, vibrant language throughout your resume. That doesn’t mean you need to use a lot of jargon or slang; quite the contrary. Flowery speech will get your resume tossed out. Words that show enthusiasm, confidence, responsibility and accomplishments are what will keep a reader glued to your resume.

Let your personality show through your resume and your cover letter. So many resumes are dull and lifeless. No wonder they’re so painful to read sometimes. Let the prospective employer know that you enjoy your line of work and that you feel great about going to work each day. (If that isn’t the case, you probably need to evaluate the possibility of a career change).

Your resume has to be professional, but it does not have to be boring. Add some interest by changing out a few words here and there. Show some energy and excitement about your chosen career field. By doing so, you will let the employer know that you want the job and that, by inference, you’ll work hard and be successful.

After all, happy employees are productive employees. If you like what you do, you’ll probably do a much better job than someone who hates it, right?

So, show your personality in your resume. Make it interesting. The employer will thank you.

Brought to you by: Professional-Resume-Example.com

The Best Resume WINS

In today's competitive job market, a well-written resume is the single most important factor in getting your foot in the door and on your way to landing the perfect position.

How does your resume look? Is it well-written? Is it concise and focused?

You can have a professional resume. Resume BUILDER and PUBLISHER gives you the tools to create, print, e-mail and fax your resume, quickly and easily, all in one convenient location - online!

Pongo Resume - Create. Publish. The best resume wins.

Get expert guidance on writing your resume: industry and occupation-specific advice and recommendations for your personal career situation, at no extra cost. This is a great opportunity to fine-tune your resume - or create one from scratch, if necessary.

Pongo Software delivers awesome web based career advancement tools for job seekers all over the world. They deliver the technology behind the most advanced resume writing, cover letter and activity tracking software used by job seekers.

Pongo Resume - Great resumes lead to great jobs. Free trial.

Just remember: The Best Resume Wins!

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

How Long Should Your Resume Be?

The length of your resume is less important than its substance. Remember when you were told, especially as a child, that it wasn't what you wore on the outside, but what kind of person you were on the inside? Well, to some extent, that is exactly the same with your resume.

The length is not as important as the content.

How long should your resume be? The length of your resume should be in direct proportion to your success in reaching your career goals and in pursuing related educational objectives. What does that mean?

Write your resume in such a way that the reader knows exactly what you want and your credentials support that goal. Anything more becomes tedious and takes away from the impact of your true purpose. Anything less and your goal become unsubstantiated by your past experience and education.

Most experts suggest you keep your resume to two pages. If you can fit your skills and accomplishments on one page, that is even better. If you are a professional or executive, two pages should do nicely, but be sure you are using only what best supports your career goals.

The goal of the resume is to get the interest of the prospective employer to the extent that you are sought out for an interview. If your resume does that, then the length of your resume will not be an issue. Write what matters.

Brought to you by: Professional-Resume-Example.com

Leaving the Military

If you are in the process of leaving the military for civilian life, expect some big changes. If you have already left the military and are embarking on a new career, you already have a bit of a grasp of how difficult it is to make the transition.

One of the most frustrating aspects of changing careers from military to civilian is transforming your resume from jargon and acronyms to terms that ordinary folks can understand. My husband went through this when he left the Air Force and started looking for work in the corporate world. It's not easy to translate Combat Communications Officer into something that corporate employers are going to understand.

Something that will be of immense help to you is the option of viewing a real resume prepared by a service member which was actually used to find a position with a major international manufacturing corporation.

Take a look at this link to see how one person's resume was updated from a military perspective toward a more civilian perspective. Understand that some things just do not translate well, so it's a challenge no matter what you've done in the past. Just keep revising your resume and ask others to review it for you.

Here's the link: Military to Civilian

Background Investigator Recruitment Fair

The Office of Personnel Management, Federal Investigative Services Division has immediate openings for Special Agents in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC area. To learn more about these opportunities Please come in person and bring a copy of your resume to:

Federal Investigative Services Division
Crystal City Field Office
223 23rd Street, Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 604-0567

Friday, March 23, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Or
Saturday, March 24, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Pre-registration and additional information is being offered by sending an e-mail with a copy of your resume to Amy.Kuhns@opm.gov.

Join OPM's Federal Investigative Services Division (FISD) as a Special Agent and launch a rewarding federal career where you will meet fascinating people, interview the heroes who protect our country and travel to exciting domestic and international locations.

OPM's Federal Investigative Services Division conducts background investigations for most federal agencies and their contractors. Our history began with the creation of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), which was charged with ensuring the fitness of federal employees. In 1953 President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, which gave OPM (then known as CSC) the authority to manage the federal government's personnel security program.

Currently, OPM, Federal Investigative Services Division has a federal workforce of approximately 2,100, including field investigators and a support staff that oversees investigative work, and develops and implements policy. In addition to this, our federal workforce is augmented by contractor field investigators and support personnel.

As a Special Agent for OPM you will conduct background investigations for individuals who require access to classified and/or sensitive information, investigate applicant suitability for federal employment, meet new people every day, conduct personal interviews with the subject of the investigation, interview co-workers, employers, educators, neighbors and friends, conduct record checks at employments, courts, colleges and housing offices, interact with various government and law enforcement agencies as well as local and national corporations, interview high-level military and public officials, investigative controversial allegations and adverse information and prepare reports that detail investigation findings.

ARE YOU:

An ambitious self-starter?
Able to work both independently and as part of a team?
Seeking a career that allows you to balance your personal and professional lives?
Looking for excellent training and advancement opportunities?

THEN WE HAVE THE CAREER FOR YOU!

As a Federal Agency we offer:

Competitive Salaries
Training and Career Development
Use of government vehicle
Generous Retirement and Heath Benefits
Life Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Flexible Work Schedules
Telecommuting
Tuition Assistance Program
Paid Vacation, Sick Time and Federal Holidays
Laptop, fax/scanner, cell phone and Internet fee allowance

This information provided by the USAJOBS web site.
USAJOBS.gov

AND

Professional-Resume-Example.com