If you are feeling a bit anxious about being able to write an effective resume—relax, you have a lot of company. Writing a resume is something most people find difficult to do. You may have seen bright, well-educated, articulate corporate executives struggle when it came time to reduce their experience and credentials to a two-page resume document. Despite all their education and qualifications, many find it a difficult thing to do. This is an absolutely normal reaction at this stage, but you are about to find out that writing a resume is going to be much easier than you thought.
When trying to quell your doubts and uneasiness about resume writing, a little common sense and reasoning can go a long way. Generally speaking, most people fear what they don't know. Therefore, if you have never written a resume, this may seem like the equivalent of attempting to climb Mount Everest. You just don't know what to expect.
When it comes to writing a resume, much of the uneasiness is caused by lack of knowledge in one or more of the following categories:
• Resume content (What do I say or not say?)
• Resume format (How should I organise it? What do I say first, second, etc.?)
• Resume style (How do I best say it?)
If you know what to say, in what order it should be said, and how you should say it, there's not much else to be concerned about. In addition, the more you have prepared, organised, and rehearsed, the more comfortable you will be in your ability to write a really good resume.
Resume Facts
As with most complex tasks, the need for planning and good organisation is essential. Resume writing is no exception.
Before you can proceed to actually write your resume, you first need to collect and systematically organise the basic facts that you will need to have at your fingertips when you begin to actually write. Moreover, these facts need to be organised in the proper sequence so that they will be available in the order that you will need them.
Experience
In this section, starting with your current job or most recent position, list all of the employers for whom you have worked during your career. Record dates of employment, employer's name, name of the department or function in which you worked, title of the job you held, title of the person to whom you reported, and your principal job duties.
In those cases where you have held more than one position with the same employer, write the word "same" in the space provided for the employer's name.
In the case where multiple jobs were held with the same employer, continue to list them in reverse chronological order (starting with the most recently held position first) and list the dates you held these jobs in the "Dates Employed" section. These then become the dates you were employed in each specific position.
For additional information visit http://burkepublications.com
Monday, December 03, 2007
The Basics of Cover Letters - Part 2
There's one final letter you'll want to have at your disposal, the one you'll write to the key individuals you met at an interview. Some people refer to this letter as a follow-up or thank-you letter, but its purpose goes far beyond expressing appreciation for the interview.
When writing to organizations that could possibly employ you, write by name and title to the person who has the authority to hire you, not to someone in the Human Resources Department. The people who work in this department are primarily responsible for the screening and administrative portions of the staffing process. They don't determine who should receive an offer (unless someone is applying for a position in their department). As in any other endeavor, it's best to deal directly with the ultimate decision maker.
There's one instance, however, when it's preferable to write to an HR representative. This is when someone is seeking an administrative or support-type position that could exist in a number of different departments throughout the organization. An HR representative will know exactly where an opening is and be able to forward the resume to the appropriate manager.
One caveat about trying to develop interviews through writing to the person who could hire you: If you feel that your background is so strong that this individual might be threatened by your successes and view you as competition for his or her job, then write to the person at the next level up. For example, a regional sales manager with a very powerful background would be better off writing to the vice president of sales than to the national sales manager.
To get the names and titles of the managers to write to, either call prospective employers on the phone or visit your local library. The reference librarian will show you the directories that list companies and the names of their key executives.
Here's how to write a cover letter for contacting prospective employers on an unsolicited basis.
The first paragraph is an introductory one. Give a brief overview of your background by explaining the type of position you hold and your key strengths. Then explain that you're writing to set up an interview and are enclosing your resume for this purpose.
The second part of your letter is the most important one. It contains the information that will prompt people to read your resume. Here, you state your most significant accomplishments so that you'll immediately convey your capability and the value you'll bring to your next employer. Look to the introductory section of your resume for the accomplishments to discuss. Just as in your resume, these are the hooks to get people's attention and interest. Be sure to reword the statements, though, so they don't appear verbatim.
You may then want to add one or two paragraphs to round out your background and further your qualifications. Topics to discuss include personal qualities and/or professional skills that have enabled you to excel at your work. What's especially effective is to mention a recent industry trend, along with the challenges or problems it's presenting, then explain how you're managing the situation to maximize your performance. Omit discussion about your earnings or compensation goals.
Your letter can conclude in a variety of ways depending on whether or not you plan on taking any follow-up action.
If you happen to be knowledgeable about the organization you're writing to, especially its products, services, recent successes, or future plans, say something to this effect. This will make an extremely favorable impression on the reader and give you a leg up on the competition.
Dr. J.E. Burke, President, J.E.B. Resume Service is an educator and entrepreneur involved in various business enterprises through Burke Publications. Please visit http://burkepublications.com or email jeb@burkepublications.com .
When writing to organizations that could possibly employ you, write by name and title to the person who has the authority to hire you, not to someone in the Human Resources Department. The people who work in this department are primarily responsible for the screening and administrative portions of the staffing process. They don't determine who should receive an offer (unless someone is applying for a position in their department). As in any other endeavor, it's best to deal directly with the ultimate decision maker.
There's one instance, however, when it's preferable to write to an HR representative. This is when someone is seeking an administrative or support-type position that could exist in a number of different departments throughout the organization. An HR representative will know exactly where an opening is and be able to forward the resume to the appropriate manager.
One caveat about trying to develop interviews through writing to the person who could hire you: If you feel that your background is so strong that this individual might be threatened by your successes and view you as competition for his or her job, then write to the person at the next level up. For example, a regional sales manager with a very powerful background would be better off writing to the vice president of sales than to the national sales manager.
To get the names and titles of the managers to write to, either call prospective employers on the phone or visit your local library. The reference librarian will show you the directories that list companies and the names of their key executives.
Here's how to write a cover letter for contacting prospective employers on an unsolicited basis.
The first paragraph is an introductory one. Give a brief overview of your background by explaining the type of position you hold and your key strengths. Then explain that you're writing to set up an interview and are enclosing your resume for this purpose.
The second part of your letter is the most important one. It contains the information that will prompt people to read your resume. Here, you state your most significant accomplishments so that you'll immediately convey your capability and the value you'll bring to your next employer. Look to the introductory section of your resume for the accomplishments to discuss. Just as in your resume, these are the hooks to get people's attention and interest. Be sure to reword the statements, though, so they don't appear verbatim.
You may then want to add one or two paragraphs to round out your background and further your qualifications. Topics to discuss include personal qualities and/or professional skills that have enabled you to excel at your work. What's especially effective is to mention a recent industry trend, along with the challenges or problems it's presenting, then explain how you're managing the situation to maximize your performance. Omit discussion about your earnings or compensation goals.
Your letter can conclude in a variety of ways depending on whether or not you plan on taking any follow-up action.
If you happen to be knowledgeable about the organization you're writing to, especially its products, services, recent successes, or future plans, say something to this effect. This will make an extremely favorable impression on the reader and give you a leg up on the competition.
Dr. J.E. Burke, President, J.E.B. Resume Service is an educator and entrepreneur involved in various business enterprises through Burke Publications. Please visit http://burkepublications.com or email jeb@burkepublications.com .
The Basics of Cover Letters - Part 1
When you send people your resume, whether it's through regular mail, overnight mail, e-mail, or a fax, it's important to include a one-page cover letter. This letter must be carefully written so that it's just as convincing a document as your resume. The reason for this is that the only purpose of a cover letter is to provide information about yourself that will make people want to read your resume.
Gone are the days when a cover letter was a formality, where it sufficed to offer a few sentences explaining that you were enclosing your resume because you wanted to set up an interview. The cover letter has evolved to the point where, today, it's a key component of a job search, and in order to be effective it must include important facts about your background, most notably your accomplishments. Many people will judge your qualifications as much on this letter as they will on your resume. If properly prepared, your cover letter will play an active role in developing interviews. If poorly prepared, it can cost you interviews, with prospective employers and recruiters simply filing your letter and resume away. In other words, your cover letter can't make you, but it can easily break you.
You may need a cover letter for as many as five different situations: (1) contacting prospective employers on an unsolicited basis, (2) writing to a prospective employer on an unsolicited basis but with a referral from a mutual acquaintance, (3) approaching recruiting firms, (4) answering Internet postings and/or classified advertisements, and (5) contacting venture capital firms.
In addition to these letters, there's another type of correspondence for generating interviews: the networking letter. This is where you write to someone not for the purpose of setting up an interview but, instead, to elicit their help in arranging interviews. Depending on how well you know the person, you may or may not include a resume with your letter.
You can seek this networking assistance under four different conditions: (1) when you have an ongoing relationship with someone; (2) when you have met someone, let's say, only once or twice; (3) when you don't know the person you want to talk to but have been referred to him or her by a mutual acquaintance; and (4) when you know of someone who is very influential (this could be a businessperson, community or religious leader, politician, physician, attorney, etc.) who has a wide range of contacts and you need to approach the person cold, without an introduction.
Dr. J.E. Burke, President, J.E.B. Resume Service is an educator and entrepreneur involved in various business enterprises through Burke Publications. Please visit http://burkepublications.com or email jeb@burkepublications.com . Subscribe to Dr. Burke’s Success News Blog at http://mannanews.blogspot.com .
Gone are the days when a cover letter was a formality, where it sufficed to offer a few sentences explaining that you were enclosing your resume because you wanted to set up an interview. The cover letter has evolved to the point where, today, it's a key component of a job search, and in order to be effective it must include important facts about your background, most notably your accomplishments. Many people will judge your qualifications as much on this letter as they will on your resume. If properly prepared, your cover letter will play an active role in developing interviews. If poorly prepared, it can cost you interviews, with prospective employers and recruiters simply filing your letter and resume away. In other words, your cover letter can't make you, but it can easily break you.
You may need a cover letter for as many as five different situations: (1) contacting prospective employers on an unsolicited basis, (2) writing to a prospective employer on an unsolicited basis but with a referral from a mutual acquaintance, (3) approaching recruiting firms, (4) answering Internet postings and/or classified advertisements, and (5) contacting venture capital firms.
In addition to these letters, there's another type of correspondence for generating interviews: the networking letter. This is where you write to someone not for the purpose of setting up an interview but, instead, to elicit their help in arranging interviews. Depending on how well you know the person, you may or may not include a resume with your letter.
You can seek this networking assistance under four different conditions: (1) when you have an ongoing relationship with someone; (2) when you have met someone, let's say, only once or twice; (3) when you don't know the person you want to talk to but have been referred to him or her by a mutual acquaintance; and (4) when you know of someone who is very influential (this could be a businessperson, community or religious leader, politician, physician, attorney, etc.) who has a wide range of contacts and you need to approach the person cold, without an introduction.
Dr. J.E. Burke, President, J.E.B. Resume Service is an educator and entrepreneur involved in various business enterprises through Burke Publications. Please visit http://burkepublications.com or email jeb@burkepublications.com . Subscribe to Dr. Burke’s Success News Blog at http://mannanews.blogspot.com .
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