How to Write a Resume

I have given tips before in a few articles on what to include in a resume when job hunting. It’s a critical time in our economy when everyone is worried about unemployment. Many of us have lost our job and the reverse is true; those who still have a job are worried about losing it. The recession is not over and most of us are saving more than ever before. We are looking for ways to live below their means, promote our job skills and are focused on taking care of our families the best we can.

Having the right resume format will improve your chances and give you an edge during an interview. If you are someone who is good at interviews, then it could make a difference in you getting your foot in the door and sealing the deal on that dream job.

Choose the correct resume format or layout; really think it through. The type of job you are applying for will help you determine this.

Resume should be no more than one page. Therefore it is important to determine which skills you will be highlighting that will be eye catching to the potential employer and for the position you are applying for.

Make sure that your name and contact information is bolded or highlighted at the very top of the resume. The font should be a size greater than that of the body. The average font size should be between 10 and 12 points.

Determine your job objective. Clearly state your intent based on the job you want or the job you are applying for. Make sure to match the list of skills (you possess) with those in the job description.

Research the job you are applying for and the skills needed for that specific job. Do not list all the experiences you have had, but only relevant skills. It is always important to make sure that your resume emphasizes or highlight skills specific to the job you are applying for.

I have said it before and it is a fact that if you are just of college, it’s important to promote your education and then job or transferrable skills. If you have been in the workplace for a number of years, then you would promote your work experience first and then education. View here "How to promote Job Skills."

Once you have gotten into the body of the resume it’s important to use bolded subtopics when listing your education, skills, work experiences and interests.

List work in chronological order beginning with the most current job.

Under work experiences make sure to include the name, location, description of your work experiences, dates your have worked (chronological order) and a short description of the company.

Use short but complete sentences and bullet points to list those experiences. Use verbs and/or strong action words to list work experiences and accomplishments. Make sure you are clear and concise when describing your skills and accomplishments.

Layout should be consistent throughout resume.

Complete the resume with a list of interests that not only compliments your job skills, but also flatters your assets.

Upon completing the resume, make sure to review and correct spelling and grammar errors. Use a grammar and spell check in Microsoft word (great tool).

How to Promote your Job Skills

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We have all heard the saying that ‘we too are a business so sell your skills.’ I think that is so true. So many times we expect the employer to see our worth or value, but that’s not their job. It would be nice if it was that way but it’s not. We have got to know your own value or worth and sell that every time. This is what your negotiations are based on; your skills and work experiences. There is so much competition in the work place that it seems like every employee is looking at everyone through the same magnifying glass. It’s not just enough to get a job anymore, but one must work hard to keep a job also. There is less value placed on seniority, punctuality, and hard work than it was at least 30 years ago. Therefore know your skills and what they are worth.

If you were asked right off the bat what your skills were, what would you say? Would you reply “ummm, well… I am a good communicator. I am personable. I have great interpersonal skills?” Well, that would not be strong enough to sell ‘you’ to an employer. It’s important to know your skills and what you are worth. It doesn’t stop there, the employer always like to know what your limitations are (your ‘weaknesses’), abilities, job objectives, education background and interests.

If you are just of college, it’s important to promote your education and then job or transferrable skills. If you have been in the workplace for a number of years, then you would promote your work experience first and then education.

Beginning with your job skills, you want to talk about the skills that you have and then move into the work experience using examples to support the skills you are promoting. For example, if an interviewer asks the question “why should we hire you?” This would be the perfect opportunity to promote your job experiences and accomplishments. Support almost every skill listed with what you have accomplished, your abilities and interest as well as your education. Don’t over look your transferrable skills; these are also your hard skills.

Then promote your soft skills. This is where your ability to communicate well and your interpersonal skills come into play. Employers are looking for those who can get along well with others, they want a people person. They want someone with confidence, leadership qualities as well as great analytical and problem solving skills.

It’s in the delivery… How the information is presented on a resume cv or cover letter is what’s going to get you in the door. Is it clear, job relevant, concise, only one page; or is it cluttered, wordy or over a page or two? How you communicate that information is essential as well. Are you confident, making eye contact, communicating clearly or otherwise? More so, are you presenting work experience that’s not on the resume? This is a major no no; only talk about the jobs you have listed on your resume. Therefore, know what’s on the resume well.

How to Apply for a Job After Being Laid Off

I have not seriously examined the application process when job hunting until I was recently laid off. The job market is really competitive right now, so when I became unemployed I then realized that there were a number of things that I needed to do to make myself more employable. On account that I have not had an interview or job hunted for years, I then knew that I needed to do a little research to prepare myself; after applying for a few jobs and not getting a reply.

UPDATE RESUME:
The first thing I did was update my resume; however I did not make it more job specific. After applying for a number of jobs and getting the same results, I realized that my resume looked a little dull. Therefore, I asked someone I knew was good at editing and working on resumes to review my own. I was fortunate to get the feedback I did on updating my resume. Therefore, I not only updated my resume, I pretty much gave it a complete facelift.

I highlighted my strengths and relevant job experiences. More so, I edited my job objectives and kept the resume itself simple. I realized that two pages was a little too much and therefore cut it down to a page.

FINANCIAL ASSESSSMENT:
I then did a financial assessment. I reviewed my monthly expenses and focused on paying all the monthly bills off. Therefore, I can focus on the job hunting process and not the bills.

HIRE A HEADHUNTER:
I then made job hunting a full-time job. If you do not have the time, then it’s important to hire a headhunter.

MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MINDSET:
After job hunting for some time and not getting the results I wanted I realized that I needed to connect with people who were not going to help me network, but also build me up and encourage me. The toughest challenge for me was maintaining a positive mindset after job hunting for months and not getting the jobs that I was looking for.

KEEP YOUR JOB OPTIONS OPEN:
I then became more open to other job offers, because I realized that it was better to have an income than to have half that or none at all. In doing this, the job I really wanted came my way and now I am going through a long, arduous training process for the job that I really wanted.

Rethinking the Application Process

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Last night I lost a lot of sleep because I was up 'til the wee hours of the morning doing job searches. During of all this, I then realized that I needed a better game plan than the one I have. Then, I started thinking about the things I could do to 'really' improve my chances of finding a job. I am tempted to apply for everything and anything as long as I do have an income, however I know that I should not only apply for a job that I am qualified to do, but also a job that I would be interested in doing. Then I started thinking about what I wanted my next career move to be and funny enough all I could think of was teaching, only because it's the safe thing to do!However, truthfully... I would love to take some writing courses and explore my natural skills as a writer. Nonetheless, I am clear that I need to rethink my career choice.

Something else I realized is that I have had the same resume layout for some time and I know that I need to update it. However, I am not sure how or what changes to make in terms of the layout. Now, I am wondering if that is part of the reason why I was not getting the reply I expected. Now the research begins... What exactly do employers expect in terms of one's resume layout, how many pages and what is most appealing or attractive to a potential employer?

Now I am wondering about what else am I not doing to make myself more employable." I think it's only natural to ask yourself those questions after job hunting for some time and not getting enough replies or interviews. I have a lot of details on my resume and a long history of work experiences, but although I highlight relevant experiences I still include all my 'volunteer experiences.' Do I need to include my volunteer experiences at all or simplify it? I am not sure how important volunteer experiences are to an employer. Additionally, I don't have any references listed on my resume and I have never included any. Now... How important is it to have references when initially applying for the job? There is a lot to consider.

I have almost always researched the company’s history, which I have found to be necessary not only when applying for the job, but especially during the interview itself. Plus it's interesting to find out all those neat facts about the company that you will potentially be working for!

The encouraging thing is that there is also a lot of knowledge and experience to be gained when job hunting, no matter how tough it might be.

The Job Hunt Continues...

I have been actively looking for a work at home job, and although this is no walk in the park, I am very hopeful that I will find the job I am looking for soon. At this point in my job hunt every employer I have applied to has turned me down with the promise of "We will still keep your application on file, but with all the applications we receive, there is no guarantee that we'll be able to hire you. However if there is an opening for this position we will contact you."

This can be discouraging, but in a weird way it is encouraging, because at least employers are responding and still reviewing applications. I don't know... I have made job hunting a full time job; I have applied to long list of companies; I have been to all the popular sites; careerbuilder.com, monster.com, hotjobs.yahoo.com etc. yet no luck.

The bottom line is that there is no real job security anymore. Teachers are getting laid off, construction workers, engineers and the like. The top 3 jobs at the moment are in retail (groceries), health/life insurance and collections. Well, I guess I really need to rethink my career choice during this recession. As a result I, like many others, have come to realize that this is the perfect time to start my own business. If you are like me, you probably have had many creative ideas and have not done anything about them; well now is the time. It seems like the only way to guarantee an income in this economy.

Thus, I have come to realize that maintaining a positive mindset at this time, networking, updating my resume, and getting out there and promoting my skills to potential employers is a sure way to put a 'face to the resume,' and increasing my chances of getting hired. At the end of the day it's about being proactive in the job hunting process to increase the probability of getting a call back.