Most Common Resume Writing Mistake
Posted by ayeshawrites4u on July 9, 2009
It takes an employer thirty-seconds or less to scan a resume before it hits the trash pile. It takes forty seconds for it to hit the cycle pile, which means it stays in the system, but never gets used. It takes less than ten seconds for him to look at your resume and know that you are the perfect fit. So why isn’t it happening to you?
The answer is simple. Most employees create one resume and send it out to every job opening available. Employers can easily spot a generic resume and are turned off by lazy job seekers. If you couldn’t take the time out to create a customized resume, why should they take the time out to interview you? So if you are looking to get hired, but don’t want to spend the time creating a new resume for every new job opening, here are three options for you to try.
Option 1 – Use your transitional skills.
If you want to change careers, but haven’t found a career that best suits your personality, then you can create a typical functional resume. In a functional resume, you start off with your transitional skills, as opposed to your work history.
You take a look at your highest skill sets or the skills needed for most of your jobs of interest and group them into categories. For example, a customer service professional looking to transition into the IT profession can clump her skills into: Technology, Communication, and Collaboration. Then under each subfield, she would show explicit examples demonstrating that skill utilization during her work or educational experiences.
If an IT hiring manager is looking for those three categories, she will definitely stop to look at this person’s resume. However, be forewarned, that many employees are leery of resumes that are only functional (see Chronological? Functional? Or Combination?).
Option 2 – Lead with your job sets.
If your current job is less than satisfactory and you want to return to an old career, you can use a career-styled functional resume. In this functional resume, you group your work history into career sets.
Similar to a standard functional resume, you will have a different section on your resume for each career field. So someone who has been a medical assistant, nursing assistant, and phlebotomist and is willing to work in either field again could have three sub-sections for their work experience – Nursing Assistant Experience, Professional Medical Assistant Experience, Phlebotomy Technician Work Experience.
Then for each job he applies to, he can lead with the section that best applies. If it’s a medical assistant position, then the Professional Medical Assistant Experience section would be the first section in the work history, followed by the other two career sets. If it’s a nursing assistant position, he’d lead with the Nursing Assistant Experience.
Option 3 – Create a new resume for every job.
If you have the time and energy to recreate a new resume for every job posting, then this is the best option. However, this option is the most time-consuming and is generally meant for employees who are looking for positions within the same industry.
For example, an elementary school teacher trying to become a math coach or social studies cluster teacher can use the same resume and add bits and pieces to the objective, summary of qualifications, and job history to highlight her experience and expertise in each field.
This resume will still look like a chronological resume and will include the work history listed in the dates of descending order, but it will highlight the skills necessary for each position.
Using, Ayesha Long’s tips, your job search should be more proactive. If you need assistance or are still not getting the results you like, Contact, AyeshaWrites4u at (866) 620-2741 or visit the site at www.AyeshaWrites4u.com.
As always, good luck with your job search.
Sincerely,
Ayesha Long
Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
Get Interviewed! « Stepping Up To A Better Career said
[...] Follow Up! Follow Up! Follow Up! – Here is where things get tricky. Depending on how badly you want the position, your follow up can take a number of different formats – sending a follow up letter, making a follow up call, having your inside contact recommend you, or finding out a secret indulgence the HR manager has and feeding into it. For example, if you know the HR manager loves chocolate, you can send a box of chocolates every day with your business card demonstrating to the HR person that you are eager, a go-getter, and know exactly what you want. Now this strategy may not work for everyone. Only you know what your limits are to being determined versus being pesky. Either way, you must take some form of follow up measures to let the employer know you are a serious candidate and not arbitrarily sending out your resume to everyone (See Most Common Resume Mistake). [...]