Posts Tagged ‘Resumes and Portfolios’
There are numerous benefits to using a resume bank, in fact both employers and candidates can come out winners, providing research is made and the resume bank is screened. Resume banks provide those who are looking for work and who have written a resume the ability to have their resume noticed by many employers who are offering positions which relate to the type of work they are looking for.
Employers can search resume banks looking for criteria which meets that which they are looking for and can lead them straight to you, making your quest for work a lot easier. The quality of resume banks differs, with some offering only a very basic service free of charge when posting, while others offer a more complete service but charge.
The biggest challenge when trying to decide whether or not to go with a resume bank is choosing the right one for your needs and also one which is successful and has a good track record in matching prospective employers with candidates, in the type of work you are looking for. To help you on your quest find listed below some helpful hints and advice in what to look for when choosing the right resume bank.
When looking into writing your resume you will find that there isn’t such as thing as a general resume, a resume should be a personal item which shows you and your skills, qualifications and achievements off to the best advantage. However, there are many different formats of resume and only you can decide which one is more suitable for your needs.
While the chronological resume is the one which is more widely used than other forms, your particular situation might warrant another type. Once you have decided which resume is the right type for your situation then comes the hard part writing your resume and getting it onto employer’s desks. Here are the five different formats which are used.
The targeted resume
This type of resume is suited for those of a particular industry or a specific career objective, the contents of this type of resume should focus on your skills, qualifications and any experience you have which relates to a particular field or career objective.
The inventory resume
This type of resume is a more general resume in that it doesn’t need to target a specific industry or career objective; it should highlight your achievements, skills and qualifications in a more general way and can be reused by re-printing several copies for distributing to more than one company.
Once you have collected all the vital information you need for your resume and have it all in order and have chosen a few resume services to go with then it’s time to submit it. In order to get the best from your chosen resume services here are some helpful tips:
Resume writing software
If you can afford it then choose a good resume writing software package, the more costly packages are a full job-hunting tool. The software will allow you to write you resume, distribute to online banks, keep track of where you posted it and when, write cover and thank you notes, an address book and have virtual reality built in which allows you to practice for interviews.
Use a resume writing service
For a more professional resume then you could choose a resume writing service, a full service will write your resume for you while some will go over a resume you have written and correct any mistakes or point out areas in which you could do better.
Remember which banks you submit too
If you are submitting your resume to several resume banks then write down or bookmark where you have submitted too, by keeping track you wont be submitting to them again which will save time and effort and you will be able to go back to the sites and check, modify or remove your resume if and when needed.
Remember to update your resume on a regular basis
If your resume is continually being overlooked then the reason it may be overlooked is because it is older, regularly check sites you have submitted your resume and update it. If you haven’t got any new information to put on the resume then just alter the wording around a little. Most sites should have an edit option and this will then flag the resume as being updated or new which could attract an employer’s eye more than one which has been sitting around for a while.
Never use abbreviations
Never be tempted to use emoticons, shorthand or abbreviations in your resume, always make sure the resume looks clean and professional looking, never highlight words by using italics, bold or capitol letters and leave spacing between paragraphs.
Choose one of the more well known sites
There are a lot of websites offering to post your resume online for you but some are more successful than others, always choose the more well known and popular sites which advertise their services widely. Employers are more likely to visit those sites which advertise on radio broadcasts, newspapers and TV than the smaller ones.
While your resume can make the difference to you getting an interview or not the interviewer will have probably seen hundreds of almost identical ones all claiming to have what’s needed for the position on offer. While your resume might secure you an interview the interviewer will probably regard it with a little skepticism, all resumes claim that the owner of them is the ideal candidate but many fall short of what they actually claim.
If you have done a good job with your resume and have impressed the interviewer enough to secure an interview, then you can include another weapon in your arsenal to back up any claims you made in your resume, a portfolio.
Your resume is your chance to get your foot in the door and gain an interview, it is the essential link between yourself and the potential employer and as such, it should stand out from the crowd. An important point to remember is that the employer will probably receive hundreds of resumes for positions they offer so while you need to impress, you also need to do this in a limited amount of space.
The employer won’t want to go reading through a couple of pages or more for each resume they receive, they simply haven’t got the time. Keep your resume short, preferably no longer than one page and keep it organised and to the point.
Your resume can make all the difference in whether you gain an interview for that job you want, it is an essential tool in your job hunt and one which you should spend a great deal of time on when preparing and when writing. Your resume should show you in the best possible light and there are certain things which you should not include on it and these are:
Writing your resume can seem a daunting task as you look at the blank computer screen in front of you and the list of information by your side, which you should have by now gathered together. However as long as you remember a few simple rules and take note of the hints and tips outlined below you can put together a resume that will impress.
Make clear headings
Once you have got all the relevant information together then its time to practice putting it all together, many people find it takes several attempts to get their resume perfect so don’t be discouraged. Choose headings such as achievements, skills, honours and activities, once you have this then start listing your information clearly under each heading.