I am going to go over the Don’t list first as I see these as the biggest problems.

DON’T:

Use an objective- that was soooo last century! A great summary is what employers are looking for with some key points that highlight your strengths and what an employer is looking for.

Write your resume in the first person. “I” should not appear in your document. Or we, or us, him, her… them… etc… Facts, facts and more facts with highlights on your acheivements and goals in each position.

Put your photo on your resume. The fact of the matter is- yes, you are undyingly handsome, hot and all that… BUT it leads to problems to an EOE. All of a sudden they know all about you and personla detials as well as a pic can cuase favortism or rejection based on that- and not what you have to offer.

Include your salary requirements. This is where you have to be negotiator MAN (or WOMAN). Bring out your strengths in marketing skills on this. They want you- they are willing to offer X amount… BUT if you are not comfortable with that salary- be ready with a portfolio of acheivements that shows you ROI and what you really are worth to any company.

DO:

Include enough info as possible that is RELEVANT to the job at hand. But always try to streamline it as best as possible. I know IT resumes can quickly get out of hand length wise… 4+ pages as so much is contracted work… but really try to keep them 2-3 MAX MAX MAX. 2 really but 3 if you just can’t shorten it up. But try to make it as easy reading as it can get with your highlights noticeable on the page- really draw eye-attention!

Be sure to include the position you are looking for in your resume. Focus; it is a beautiful thing! Make sure that you indicate why you are such a good match for the company in your resume. An easy way to do this is by highlighting your training and ceritifcations that would benefit the company and a super simple way to get them to melt in your hand in seconds… briefly touch on all of the points that fit the opening to a’T’ in your past experience duties.

Inlcude transferable skills. Whether you are changing careers or not- show in your resume that you did XXX for this job- but that has provided you with the knowledge to do XXX for this company. Ignore words like work, as needed, etc… they are kinda lame and don’t show off your fancy schmancy vocabulary! Use words that transfer skills like…

• Writing
• Analyzing
• Conducting research
• Organizing
• Advocating
• Delegating
• Public speaking
• Estimating
• Coordinating
• Forecasting
• Planning
• Management
• Negotiation skills
• Flexibility/Adaptability

What else do you want to know? Write a comment with your questions or email me direct. info@theresumechick.com TTYL

This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Resume Do's and Don'ts, Resume Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.