GENERATING INTEREST IN YOUR RESUME

by Lou Huskey, ResumeEdge.com Editor, CPRW

When applying for a specific position, it is important to make sure you include as many keywords within your field of expertise in order to generate a potential employer’s interest. Companies are receiving hundreds of resume each day and yours needs to stand out among all the others.

1. If there is a specific position that you are interested in applying for, be sure to research the company and thoroughly go over the job description and position requirements. If they have specific requirements for the opening and you have experience that fits what they are looking for, highlight this information early on in your resume so the reader can quickly see that you “match” the position. Use caution that you aren’t repeating the wording in the advertisement and don’t rule yourself out even if you feel you’re not a close match. Send the resume and let them decide.

2. When submitting your resume to various job sites and employers, it is important to include contributions and achievements along with, of course, explanations of your duties and responsibilities with current and past employers as well as your educational background. The resume is basically your advertisement and your goal is to create enough interest that will result in the organization wanting to learn more about you by telephone or in a face-to-face interview. When too many heavy details are included, you run the risk of overloading the reader, which can result in missing important accomplishments you have contributed during your career. A prospective employer isn’t going to take the time to read a resume that is too lengthy.

3. Finally, if you have been caught in a reduction in force, be assured that you will eventually have success in landing a job. Candidates who appear to be in a desperate situation simply don’t come across as well as candidates who have an image of confidence and self-worth. Many times when someone is no longer working, they feel lost and unsure. If you can look at an unemployment situation as a way of putting 100% of your efforts into the new job search, you will find far more success than those who sit by the phone waiting for it to ring. Get out there and make things happen!

Lou Huskey served over 25 years as a professional recruiter first with a private employment agency, then with Management Recruiters, and eventually as owner of her own recruiting and consulting firm. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and has prepared thousands of resumes for candidates at all levels over the span of her career. Lou has a solid understanding of exactly what prospective employers are looking for in a resume and how to “sell” an individual’s background by creating effective resumes, cover letters, follow-up and thank you letters for each of her clients. Request Lou for your ResumeEdge.com product by keying in her last name only, no caps (huskey) in the 'request your editor' field of the ResumeEdge.com online form. http://www.resumeedge.com/

FORMATTING YOUR RESUME TO SEND AS AN ATTACHMENT

by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME

Although computers have simplified document creation and delivery (at least most of the time), there are some basic formatting rules to follow so that the document you see on your computer screen will look the same on the potential employer’s PC.

1. IF YOU’RE SENDING YOUR RESUME AS AN ATTACHMENT:

The most basic rule to follow is to choose a font that is universal on all PCs and Macs, rather than one of the more stylish designer fonts. The reason for this is simple – not all computers have all fonts. In fact, many have only a few (this would include the universal Times New Roman or Arial). Therefore, when a document with designer fonts is downloaded onto an individual’s computer that doesn’t have those fonts, another will be substituted. The font may be far larger or smaller than the one originally chosen. This, of course, throws off formatting, creating a document that’s two pages (when it should be one), or three (when it should be two). To avoid this, always use Times New Roman or Arial to maintain formatting.

If your document absolutely requires a designer font because you’re in an artistic field (eg: graphic designer, artist, writer, etc.), then you can create an Adobe PDF of the document. It will transmit beautifully to any computer – however, keep in mind that an Adobe Reader is needed to view the document. If the potential employer doesn’t have one on the company computer, your beautiful document will come up as code.

2. IF THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER WON’T ACCEPT ATTACHMENTS BECAUSE OF THE THREAT OF VIRUSES:

In this case your only choice would be to provide an ascii/txt resume, which you’ll paste into the body of your email.

What is an ascii/txt resume?

It’s your Word resume, converted to a non-formatted layout. That is, all text is flush left with no italics, no bolding, and no underscoring. Instead of bullets, asterisks (*) are used.

For example, a portion of a Word resume might look like this:

CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVE, Taylor’s, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 2002-Present
- Manage 14 major trade accounts, including EDI orders, and online store information for 200+ titles.
- Process inclusion and major trade credits; acquire proof of delivery for all major trade shipments.
- Conduct weekly inventory and provide backorder adjustments.
- Provide phone/customer support for CyberEdit.com; handle all e-mail support for various divisions.

That same information converted to ascii/txt would look like this:

CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVE, Taylor’s, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 2002-Present
* Manage 14 major trade accounts, including EDI orders, and online store information for 200+ titles.
* Process inclusion and major trade credits; acquire proof of delivery for all major trade shipments.
* Conduct weekly inventory and provide backorder adjustments.
* Provide phone/customer support for CyberEdit.com; handle all e-mail support for various divisions.

To convert to ascii/txt simply save your Word document as Plain Text, then go to “Start” “Run” “Notepad”, then wherever you saved the document on your computer. Once it’s on your screen, clean up the formatting by taking out unnecessary spaces. That’s all there is to it.