Resume Writing Tips
 Tip 1 — Grab Attention with Design
Recruiters/Managers make snap judgments when looking at resumes. Random or unrelated job titles or skills will cause managers to make quick assumptions that you are not qualified for the job you want. Adding to this problem is employers don't have time to read through every job description to determine if you have the skills they desire.
You must make it easy for them! The design of your resume must highlight the most important information about your work experience, skills and education. This is another reason to use your career center or even a professional resume writer.
Tip 2 – Sell yourself and your skills
The design should get attention but it's the content and the descriptions you include of your skills and abilities, that determine how many interviews you generate. Compare the before and after statements from Jason's resume shown below:
Before Resume:
Maintained records for accounts receivable and accounts payable accounts.
After Resume:
Managed 1,025 accounts receivable and payable accounts working directly with the Vice President of Finance.
Using exact numbers to describe your achievements and responsibilities can show attention to detail and improve your image in a hiring manager's mind.
Tip 3 – PGOW! Meaning Powerful Groups Of Words.
Use Power Words and verbs that match the level of position you desire. For example, Jason wants to use the experience he's gained to move into a management position. To strengthen his image he should use as many "management oriented" words as possible.
Typical Verbs:
Gave work assignments to staff of entry level sales clerks
Power Words:
Directed workflow, supervised and trained sales staff, led weekly accountability meetings and trained highest producing team in the company.
Tip 4 - Sell the Benefits of Your Skills
Don't provide a list of duties --without explaining the benefit of those skills to employers. Managed largest team of sale people, this statement doesn't tell you how that is a benefit. Managed team of 25 sales people compared to the company average of 10 cutting cost of 1.5 managers by taking on the extra workload. This statement is more powerful and sells why your ability to manage more than the average sales manager was is beneficial.
Tip 5 -Identify Key Words in Ads and Job Descriptions
Read and pay attention to the key words used in job descriptions. If your resume matches these words then at a first glance a hiring manager will picture you as someone that can fill the need.
*Keep in mind that recruiters search websites by using these types of key words so you want to have them on your resume.
Tip 6 - Create an Image That Matches the Salary You Want
As you write your resume, keep in mind the level of job and salary you want. Be sure to create an image that presents you at the appropriate level. For example, language used in a resume for an $8 an hour position is much different than the language used for a $16 an hour position.
Tip 7 - Prioritize the Content of Your Resume
Another big mistake that job seekers make is to list very important data in the lower sections of their job descriptions. As you brainstorm statements for your resume, prioritize them by importance, impressiveness and relevance to the job you want. Remember that a strong statement which uses power words and quantifies will affect every statement under it.
Tip 8 -Target Your Resumes and Cover Letters
You will generate many more interviews by tweaking your resume and cover letter so that they address the specific skills each employer requests. Re-labeling is completely truthful and ethical to do. For example if I'm the sole salesman for a company my resume may say.
Original:
Sales Representative—followed by duties, accomplishments, and descriptions.
Re-labeled:
Director of Sales – duties, accomplishments, etc…
Four key points to remember with your FIRST resume
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Act like a professional
The competition for jobs is fierce right now, so you must present yourself in the best possible light.
For example, an email address like bigdaddy@aol.com isn't going to help your job search. (Unless of course you are Adam Sandler.)
“Use Power Words and verbs that match the level of position you desire”
Poorly written resumes, with spelling errors, grammatical errors, passive language and other easily correctable mistakes are also major Don'ts>.
I worked with a hiring manager that if he found a typo or misspelled word he would not even have the applicant in for an interview, no matter how qualified. Use spell and grammar check and then have several people read it over more than once.
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One page is a good length
You don't have to tell your life story in your first resume. Very few new college graduate resumes should be more than one page long.
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Stick to the truth
Avoid the temptation to sprinkle your resume with buzzwords and skills you don't actually have. Don't lie on your resume because it will only hurt you when your employer finds out -and they always do. You can reference Coach George O'Leary and the Notre Dame story for a public example of this mistake.
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Finding a job is a full-time job
Too many first-time job seekers believe employers will magically find them if they just post their resume to a few job sites. This is a good starting point—but that's it! New college grads need to use their career service offices.
You also have to Network. Always remember its not what you know but who you know.
Todd A. Davis, Manager
ReliaQuest, LLC
Toll Free: (800) 925-2159 | Fax: (813) 321-1414
Email: tdavis@reliaquest.com
1413 S. Howard Avenue, Suite 206
Tampa, FL 33606
Todd A. Davis is a 2003 University of Florida Graduate with a Bachelors of Science Degree in FRE with a specialization in management. He has 8 plus years of management and recruiting experience. Formerly the Director of Recruiting and Agency Development for Northwestern Mutual, Todd is now Manager at ReliaQuest, a National Search Firm headquartered in Tampa, FL.
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