Tuesday, August 28, 2007

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARIES


by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW

The Professional Touch – Qualifications Summaries

A Qualifications Summary is your first and best chance to make a favorable impression on a hiring manager. It is a marketing tool that sells your unique skills to the targeted company.

To be effective, a Qualifications Summary must

1. Provide a snapshot of you as the ideal candidate for the position.


2. Be concise and to the point, addressing what expertise you can bring to the job to benefit the prospective employer.

3. Address pertinent qualifications in the job posting.

4. List your most stellar and recent quantified accomplishment that pertains to your current job search.

5. Provide additional data that enhances your candidacy, including:
A. Linguistic capabilities in foreign languages
B. Certifications
C. Licensure
D. Willingness to travel or to relocate for the new position

6. State specific skills, such as computer proficiencies (if applicable)

7. List your past employers if they are well known, i.e. Boeing, Wall Street Journal, Macy’s, AT&T, etc.

8. Work Permits or Green Card data for foreign nationals.

What to Avoid in Qualifications Summaries

1. Use of personal pronouns such as I, my, me, we, us, etc. Resumes are business documents that should employ a
conservative tone.

2. Soft skills – i.e. being personable or trustworthy – unless they are backed up by specific data.

Soft skills presented in a weak fashion: “Personable individual with proven “people” skills.”

Soft skills that are effective and strengthened by quantified results: “Salvaged $6 million VIP account with Pepsi-Cola, Inc. through superior communication and client relations skills.”

3. Objectives that are vague and self-serving:

“Currently seeking position in which to grow with dynamic organization.”
“Want to use creativity and skills learned in college.”

4. Any data that is superfluous or does not enhance candidacy for targeted position or career, including:

A. Outdated computer skills for an IT professional.
B. A listing of word-processing skills for an executive who would most likely have an administrative assistant to do clerical
work.
C. Academic data (i.e. GPAs, Dean’s List, Scholarships) for a seasoned Professional or an Executive.

5. Number of years of employment in the field, unless the job posting specifically requires a set number of years of experience.

To avoid age discrimination or the perception of being over qualified for a particular position, it’s always best to state
“comprehensive” or “significant” experience, rather than the exact number of years.

6. Laundry lists of skills that are assumed for the position – i.e. a CPA is presumed to know AP/AR, bookkeeping, general
ledger, reconciliations, taxes, and the like. Providing this data is not telling the hiring manager anything new or relevant.

Before writing your Qualifications Summary determine:

1. What makes you unique in your given field – i.e. accomplishments, achievements, post graduate degrees, certifications,
licensure.

2. What you have to offer the targeted company in terms of past experience.

3. How you meet their qualifications.


Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Don’t Look for a Job


by Jeri Hird Dutcher, ResumeEdge.com Editor, CPRW

You have your bright, shiny new ResumeEdge resume. What are you going to do with it? If your answer is, “look for a job,” consider this: You need to be looking for a company.

When you look for a job, you’re taking a chance that it’s with a company that offers no advancement or chance to improve your skills. You may find a job you love to do in a culture that doesn’t fit you at all. You may enjoy the tasks of your job but find the people impossible to work with. To avoid those pitfalls, don’t answer ads for jobs.

Instead, determine the company and or person for whom you’d like to work.

Warning: This means homework.

First, decide what is important to you:
· Do you need a company to be family friendly?
· Is your main goal a high salary?
· Is diversity an issue?
· Is skills development important?
· How much creativity do you need to be able to use?
· How much do you want to be challenged?
· How much job security do you need?
· Do you need recognition of your accomplishments?
· Are titles and status important?
· Is working with certain people or certain types of people important to you?
· Is the size or reputation of the company important to you?
· Need the company be “green?”

Then, find out as much as you can about companies and people in your industry. Match your values to the company and people you would be working with:
· What are the opportunities for advancement?
· Do they demand 24/7 availability?
· What is their training budget for your department? Do they spend it? On training?
· What is the turnover rate at the company?
· What do employees at your career level say about working there?
· How often do they promote people from within?
· Do they have hiring programs for minorities and women?
· What is their management style?
· How does the company perform compared with its competitors?

When you’ve found your answers, compare them and decide which two or three companies rate highest in matching your values and needs. Focus your search on these companies.

This homework also prepares you nicely for an informational interview. (See How to Work a Resume). You’ll be able to impress the hiring manager with how much you already know about the company, its culture and background.

Jeri Hird Dutcher is a Certified Professional Resume Writer from Minnesota with a BA in English and concentration in writing. She started writing resumes professionally in 1987 and enjoys writing all types of resumes. Her background includes journalism, higher education, public relations and freelance editing. Request Jeri for your ResumeEdge.com product by keying in her last name only, no caps (dutcher) in the 'request your editor' field of the ResumeEdge.com online form.
http://www.resumeedge.com/

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

KSAs / PTQs / TQs / MQs / Selective Factors - Essay Questions


by Robin Schlinger, ResumeEdge.com Editor and CFRW

Federal resumes applications are very different than for most companies. Not only do you need to submit a resume - you may need to answer questions about your experience which matches the skills required to be successful on the job.

If asked on the announcement, you will be required to answer Essay Questions, Knowledge Skill or Ability Statements (KSAs) or other questions. On QuickHire and USAJOBS applications, these are known as essay questions. For some online formats, including USAJOBS and QUICKHIRE, you will not find these questions until you actually try to apply for the position.

If an announcement says the essays are required, they are required. Once you are qualified for a job (have the experience) per your resume, the statements are read to further grade your application.

These statements detail one to three examples addressing the question. The length varies as designated by the announcement – generally these are 3/4 page to 1-1/2 pages in length. Some online formats and announcements restrict the length of these statements by character count or number of words. You may want to use a CONTEXT-CHALLENGE-ACTION-RESULTS type of format to answer the questions. The statements are written in first person.

Note, your answers to the questions critical – if the essay questions are not addressed, the application will not be considered. You will need to include quantification and how your leadership led to results - using the skills asked for in the question. For each example, include your relevant awards and training to further show how you meet the requirements.
Robin Schlinger, a Certified Federal Resume Writer, specializes in writing Federal resume packages for all levels, from entry to SES. Her expertise is adding value, based on over 20 years in senior level engineering andbusiness positions for Fortune 500 companies. Robin holds a BS in ChemicalEngineering from MIT. Request Robin for your Federal product by keying her last name only, no caps (schlinger) in the 'request your editor' field of the ResumeEdge.com online form. http://www.resumeedge.com/services/federal-resume/index.php?nav=se.fed

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

ResumeEdge.com, a leading provider of resume writing services posted a free e-book recently on its Web site that includes before and after resumes to help job seekers see what elements on a resume make a hiring manager take notice.

Lawrenceville, NJ (PRWEB) August 7, 2007 -- ResumeEdge.com, a leading provider of resume writing services posted a free e-book recently on its Web site that includes before and after resumes to help job seekers see what elements on a resume make a hiring manager take notice.

Each resume in the e-book is an actual sample of a ResumeEdge edited document that was transformed by a professional resume writer , who specializes in a given industry. To date, more than 6,000 job seekers downloaded this one-of-a-kind electronic publication which is designed to help people in the job search process identify the key elements of a job-winning resume.

The examples in our e-book contain excerpts from actual resumes that resulted in job offers
“The examples in our e-book contain excerpts from actual resumes that resulted in job offers,” said Michael Fleischner, Managing Director of Marketing for ResumeEdge. “Whether you’re looking for that all important first job or trying to move up the career ladder, it is important to know how to get your resume from the bottom of the pile into the hands of the decision maker.”

The new e-book at ResumeEdge.com includes industry specific examples from the fields of banking, bio-technology, engineering, finance, healthcare, human resources, information technology, and sales. These industries are very competitive, and an expertly written resume helps differentiate candidates from others applying for the same position.

To download the e-book "10 Resumes that Got the Job" visit www.ResumeEdge.com.

ResumeEdge.com, a site powered by Peterson’s, a Nelnet company, is a leading resume writing and editing service specializing in 40 different industries to provide job-winning resumes and cover letters. ResumeEdge is a proud member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and the National Resume Writers Association.

More about Peterson’s, a Nelnet company
Peterson’s Nelnet, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nelnet, Inc., is a leading provider of online and print educational solutions for students, families, schools and educators in the areas of test preparation, admissions, financial aid and career guidance.

How to work a resume

by Jeri Hird Dutcher, ResumeEdge.com Editor, CPRW

You have your new resume, and it’s hot. You know who you want to work for. Now, you need to get an interview.

Don’t worry about whether there’s a job opening. Even if there is, just sending your resume to the name in an ad won’t necessarily make you stand out. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Find the person who makes the hiring decision. This is not usually the Human Relations person listed on an ad. It is usually a department head or team supervisor.

2. Ask for an informational interview, even if no job openings exist.

3. Send a thank you letter confirming your appointment when you get one.

4. Dazzle them with your knowledge of the company because you’ve done your homework.

5. Leave your resume with the person after you chat.

6. Send a thank you letter repeating a few of your stellar qualifications and express gratitude for his or her time and willingness to see you. Ask to be considered when a job becomes available.

Even if you don’t get to talk to the head cheese, the mice can make your visit worthwhile. I wanted to find out more about a position I was considering, so, I visited the office. The executive director who was leaving wasn’t in, so I talked with the secretary. She happened to be writing some descriptions for a brochure, and I offered to help. She loved what I wrote and sang my praises to the board for the next two weeks. I got an interview – and the job.


Jeri Hird Dutcher is a Certified Professional Resume Writer from Minnesota with a BA in English and concentration in writing. She started writing resumes professionally in 1987 and enjoys writing all types of resumes. Her background includes journalism, higher education, public relations and freelance editing. Request Jeri for your ResumeEdge.com product by keying in her last name only, no caps (dutcher) in the 'request your editor' field of the ResumeEdge.com online form.
http://www.resumeedge.com/