Jun 24,2009 The Resume Checklist You Can’t do Without
With the current state of the economy and unemployment rising every month you the job seeker need to take full advantage of every opportunity you have. There are fewer and fewer jobs available thus making your resume the number one priority. Before you send out your resume compare it against this simple checklist.
1.Clear Objective
There has been much debate was to whether or not to include an objective on a resume. I am here to say “YES”. Your resume must have a clear objective, not one with a lot of words that is not clearly defining your interest. It is simple your objective should state the target job title your resume is going to speak to. Your objective helps lead you into your opening statement which you will then focus your resume on. This statement will immediately let employers know who you are.
2.Opening Statement
Most resumes open with the “Summary of Qualifications”. The problem is the qualifications summarized tend to be more fictional than real. Within this paragraph cliché phrases are used such as “results driven” or “proven track record”.
If your resume has these two phrases or phrases that are very similar you may want to restructure your resume. Don’t bore your reader, your reader is only interested in one thing can you do the job. Can you help solve their problem.
Instead present a clear and concise statement usually one sentence that highlights your single biggest strength and end with what benefit you can offer. This is normally justified by some dollar figure since in today’s business world everything comes down to dollars saved.
3.Quantifiable Results
Within this section you need to list specific achievements in a bullet form. Achievements should be justifiable someone you worked for received a benefit. You need to get your point across in this section you need to communicate to your audience your “true value” both clearly and specifically. These bullet points should be brief no longer than a sentence long. Ideally if you are able to assign a dollar value to your statement it will have a bigger impact with your new employer.
4.One Job Title = One Resume
Employers, Human Resource representatives, job recruiters have a short attention span, thus you only have a small window to lure them into reading more about you. Once you lose their attention or confuse them your resume will be put to the side. If you are applying for a controller position state why you are a great controller. Employers do not need to know areas that do not pertain to the current job you are applying for. Always use one resume for one position, do not use the same resume for different positions. You need to structure your resume for the job you are applying for. If you do this your resume will not be set aside.
5.The Top
Put all important information at the top of your resume. Start with your most recent position and continue. Most resume readers spend approximately 20 seconds thus you have this amount of time to make an impact and to capture your reader to keep reading. If you have an important fact do not bury it within the body have it stand out. For example if you helped reduce costs by 10% this information should be highlighted at the top of page 1.
If you follow this simple checklist, chances are your resume will stand out and you will receive more call backs.
