Archive for the 'Resume Writing' Category

I work with clients occasionally that ask me to lie, or at least greatly exaggerate items on their resume.  You are encouraged to comment on blog posts and/or submit questions to Debra. You can reach her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Debra Wheatman, CPRW, CPCC is President of Careers Done Write, a premier career services [...]

Certainly, there is no such thing as the “perfect” resume. Every person is different with different backgrounds, skills; and knowledge; in other words – what works for me might not work for you or anyone else either.  There is no “right” resume, but there are definitely wrong ones.  Here are five things that should never [...]

There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not you should put an objective statement on your resume. Here’s the short answer: NO. You are encouraged to comment on blog posts and/or submit questions to Debra. You can reach her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Debra Wheatman, CPRW, CPCC is President of Careers [...]

An effectively worded resume, one that clearly communicates key skills and accomplishments without coming across as unprofessional or rambling, can often mean the difference between an interview and a rejection. Here are 3 tips that can improve both the quality and content of your resume:

Nothing piques reader interest quite like a succinct and powerful resume opening. Correctly executed, it can effectively target the document, ensure relevant keywords are integrated, and encourage close analysis of your work history. Here’s how:

I am often contacted by people (oftentimes mothers) who took an extended absence from the workforce to raise children. Those children get older and more self-sufficient; the stay at home moms decide they would like to return to the workplace. Oftentimes these women had good careers, working as attorneys, project managers, analysts, and technology professionals, [...]

Of course there are (and should be) differences between a senior level resume and someone who is just entering the job market or early in their career. Certainly it would look a bit strange for a senior leader or executive to reference education at the top of their resume. It would also look odd for [...]

It has been said many times and in many ways, your resume is not to be designed to land you any job. It is not a biography. It is not a sales letter. Consider it more of your personal billboard. It will need to be seen, and a specific message received, probably more than once. [...]

Strong content with an aesthetically pleasing format is by far the best way to generate interest and get the interview. Having written and reviewed thousands of resumes (over 10,000 at this point!) I am still amazed by how many common errors are made on resumes and cover letters – the kinds of errors that will [...]

What should you consider when writing your resume? Some people just don’t know where to get started. Of course it is difficult to write about yourself in a way the glorifies what you do. You don’t want to come across as arrogant. Have no fear; your resume is the one place where this is acceptable! [...]

Graduating from college is an exciting, but also scary time. For as many people that have a clear picture of what they want to do, there are infinitely more people who are unsure as to the career path they want to take. College is a wonderful experience; and certainly you gain a lot of experience, [...]

What makes for a great resume? There are so many opinions on this topic, it makes your head spin. How can you build a resume that makes you stand out in the crowd? What are the most common resume mistakes and how can you avoid them? How do you use the resume as a starting [...]

Your resume may have been full of content about your old career, but if you’ve completed a new degree and want to change fields there are a few things to keep in mind when crafting your new document.

Resume content always seems to spark the ‘great debate’. What should be written vs. what should not be written – this is the burning question. What do employers want to see? How can you wow them with the wonders of you conveyed on an 8 ½ X 11 piece of paper – even if it [...]

Ah! The joys of looking for work! It can be (and often is) challenging, frustrating, and filled with setbacks until the right fit is found. Of course you want to make sure that you present yourself in a professional manner, sharing pertinent and relevant information with a potential employer. There are, however, some rules of [...]

I have seen some and received some very interesting (and very strange) things on clients’ resumes. For some reason, people think that a resume is a forum to broadcast all manner of information. The obvious errors notwithstanding, below is a list of some of the strangest things I have seen, received, or been asked to [...]

We all know how important it is to ensure the final resume product is perfect. This is one area that cannot afford to be overlooked. Oftentimes, you review the document so many times it starts to blur and you can miss something glaring. Having someone else check your resume and cover for you is a [...]

We all know about report cards. I am sure that for more than a few of you memories of dread and anticipation come flooding back as if it was just yesterday you were waiting with baited breath to see that math grade. Here I am going to provide information and examples to help you understand [...]

Writing your own resume can be a real challenge. Most people find it difficult to glorify themselves, and even when they do, they reread it and think to themselves, “Am I this good?” “No way – this sounds totally pompous and overblown!” Why is it then that when you read someone else’s document, you are [...]

While there are no hard and fast rules regarding resume preparation, there are certain things that are definitely part of the do and don’t list. If you want a strong résumé that generates results, (who doesn’t?) then the following information will certainly be helpful as you embark on creating your own self-marketing masterpiece: You are [...]

I am consistently asked by my writing clients the value of an ASCII (plain text) resume. This easy to create document is an important part of your search. Why? As you apply for online opportunities, you will need to upload a document that is free of formatting. Failure to do this will cause problems. You [...]

As we all know, profiling your skills and attributes in a compelling resume and cover letter go a long way in marketing you. In those documents you are promoting your features and benefits of the ‘product’. If this is all you are using you are missing a less well known, but highly desirable personal branding [...]

Resume writing can be a tricky thing. What type should you use? Should it be hybrid, reverse chronological or functional? How do you know which one is right for your particular situation? Color? Do you need color? What about a picture – of yourself or something else? How do you figure out what to do? [...]

You have sent out hundreds and hundreds of resumes with barely a response. You reason that it’s the economy and some other factors that you are simply not aware of. How can this be? No response whatsoever? You have accomplished a lot; you were well liked in your last role and did a number of [...]

After having written more than 10,000 resumes and telling people constantly that there are more verbs out there than managed and developed, I decided to put pen to paper (or let my fingers do the walking on the keyboard in this case) to give you some help with other verbs. Don’t get me wrong – [...]

If you have been out of the workforce for some time and are now planning your strategy for reentry, you will definitely need a resume that highlights your key achievements (even those that were some time ago) to ensure that you are positioned appropriately. A résumé really serves a couple of purposes. For starters it [...]

How do you compensate on your resume for a gap in employment? Naturally hiring managers want to see consistency; they want to see a professional history that does not contain gaps. Things happen though; there are personal and professional situations that sometimes come up – things that are beyond your control. So, what do you [...]

It’s not uncommon for an intern-hopeful to feel shocked after realizing that they need to create a resume in order to apply for a position. Because many on-campus jobs are obtainable without a resume, some students never assume they will need it to apply for an internship. They’re wrong. The truth is many large companies [...]

We’re living in an electronic world, which means it’s pretty important that when it comes to resumes you learn to be an electronic girl – or boy. There are a high percentage of companies that prefer that job candidates submit applications and resumes online. So if you don’t know how to do so, you may [...]

With the economy still recovering from a tough year, many people may have been laid off once or even twice within a relatively short period of time. While this was once viewed as taboo, employers have become more sensitive to this type of circumstance. But even if employers are understanding, it’s a good idea to [...]