Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume

Free Resume Articles : Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

You probably have about 30 seconds to convince a potential employer that you deserve an interview. A resume summarizes your accomplishments, your education, and your work experience, and should reflect your strengths.

What follows is an outline of a typical chronological resume -- best suited for entry-level job-seekers or those who have stayed in the same field. Career changers and those job-seekers with varied work experiences and accomplishments may want to utilize a functional resume style.

Not sure what kind of resume you need? Check out our Resume Resources for more details.

Here are the key components of a standard chronological resume:

Identification
It is essential that a potential employer can reach you.

This section should include your name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. If a college student, this section might also include a school address and a permanent home address.

Job Objective
A job objective is optional and should only be included for new college grads and those changing careers. Otherwise, use your cover letter to show your career interests and job objective.

If you do use an objective, make sure your objective explains the kind of work you want to do, and keep it between two to four typed lines. Read more.

Key Accomplishments
Some resume experts are suggesting adding a section that highlights your key accomplishments and achievements. Think of this section as an executive summary of your resume; identify key accomplishments that will grab the attention of an employer.

This section should summarize (using nouns as keywords and descriptors) your major accomplishments and qualifications

This section can also be labeled "Professional Profile," "Summary of Accomplishments," "Key Skills," "Summary of Qualifications," "Qualifications Summary," or "Qualifications."

Education
For new college grads, this entry should be your next. For others with full-time work experience, this section should follow your experience section.

This section should include school(s) attended (including years of attendance), majors/minors, degrees, and honors and awards received.

For new grads only: There appears to be a growing trend of employers wanting your GPA in this section. If you decide to do so, make sure to use the GPA that puts you in the best light -- either overall GPA, school or college GPA, or major GPA.

Professional Experience
This section can also be labeled "Experience, "Work History," or "Employment." We like using experience -- especially for new college grads, because experience is broader than work history, allowing you to include major school projects that showcase your skills and abilities.

This section should include company name, your job title, dates of employment, and major accomplishments. List experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with your most current experience.

List your accomplishments in bullet format (rather than paragraph format). Avoid discussing job duties or responsibilities.

If you don't have a lot of career-related job experience, consider using transferable skills to better highlight your work experience.

Finally, make sure to make use of action verbs when describing your accomplishments.

Affiliations/Interests
This section is optional; include only if you have room on your resume for it. Items from this section are often used as an ice-breaker by interviewers looking to start an interview on an informal basis.

This section should only include professional memberships and non-controversial activities/interests.

References
Many experts say this section is passe, but if you have room, include it. If nothing else, this section signals the end of your resume.

This section should only include a statement saying references are available upon request.

Do not include the names of your references on your resume.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Dr. Randall Hansen is Founder of Quintessential Careers, as well as publisher of its electronic newsletter, QuintZine. He writes a biweekly career advice column under the name, The Career Doctor. He is also a tenured, professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He can be reached at randall@quintcareers.com Read more about Dr. Hansen.

Source: For more information, please visit http://www.quintcareers.com/resume.html

Avoid These 10 Resume Mistakes

Free Resume Articles : Avoid These 10 Resume Mistakes by Katharine Hansen

As a resume writer, I see hundreds of resumes, and the vast majority of them are much weaker than they could be. I see the same mistakes over and over. This article describes the 10 I see most often. All are easy to fix.

Don't make these resume mistakes:

1. Resume lacks focus.
A sharp focus is an extremely important resume element. Given that employers screen resumes for between 2.5 and 20 seconds, a resume should show the employer at a glance what you want to do and what you're good at. In a recent study by Career Masters Institute, employers wanted resumes to show a clear match between the applicant and a particular job's requirements. A "general" resume that is not focused on a specific job's requirements was seen as not competitive. In an even more recent study by CareerBuilder.com, 71 percent of hiring managers preferred a resume customized for the open position.

One way to sharpen your focus is through an objective statement. Your objective statement can be very simple and straightforward; it can be simply the title of the position you're applying for, which can be adjusted for every job you apply for. Or you can embellish your Objective statement a bit with language telling how you'll benefit the employer. Something like:

Objective: To contribute strong ________ skills and experience to your organization in a _________ capacity.

In this day of being able to manage our own computer files, you could have several versions of your resume that are essentially the same except for the objective. A specific objective is always better than a vague or general one. You can read more about resume objectives in our article, Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume?
To sharpen your focus, you can also add a section called something like "Summary of Qualifications," "Profile," or the like. Such a section can contribute to powerful resume opener that draws the reader in; it can be part of the top third of your resume that showcases your best selling points, catches the prospective employer's attention, and immediately demonstrates your value as a candidate. "Think of this section as an executive summary of your resume," writes my partner, Dr. Randall Hansen. "Identify key accomplishments that will grab the attention of an employer."

You can use your Profile/Summary section to position yourself for each job you target by tweaking the wording to fit each type of position.

2. Resume is duties-driven instead of accomplishments-driven.
Resumes should consist primarily of high-impact accomplishments statements that sell the job-seeker's qualifications as the best candidate.

Never use expressions such as "Duties included," "Responsibilities included," or "Responsible for." That's job-description language, not accomplishments-oriented resume language that sells. After all, if you were an employer and wanted to run a successful organization, would you be looking for candidates who can perform only their basic job functions, or would you want employees with a proven track record of accomplishments? In these days in which most resumes are placed into keyword-searchable databases, you won't find employers searching resumes for words like "responsibilities," "duties," or "responsible for."

Instead, focus on accomplishments that set you apart from other job candidates. In each job, what special things did you do to set yourself apart? How did you do the job better than anyone else? What did you do to make it your own? What special things did you do to impress your boss so that you might be promoted? What were the problems or challenges that you or the organization faced? What did you do to overcome the problems? What were the results of your efforts? How did the company benefit from your performance? How did you leave your employers better off than before you worked for them? How have you helped your employers to:

make money
save money
save time
make work easier
solve a specific problem
be more competitive
build relationships
expand the business
attract new customers
retain existing customers

Accomplishments are the points that increase reader's interest, stimulate a request for a job interview, and really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. In the above-cited study by Career Masters Institute, content elements that propel employers to immediately discard resumes include a focus on duties instead of accomplishments, while documented achievements were highly ranked among content elements that employers look for.

For more about how to identify your accomplishments, see our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments. You may want to use our Accomplishments Worksheet to help you brainstorm your achievements.

Some job-seekers list accomplishments in a separate section or isolate accomplishments from duties/responsibilities when describing their job functions. I don't support this practice because everything on your resume should be accomplishments-driven. If you label only certain items as accomplishments, the reader's assumption is that the other things you did were not accomplishments.

Be sure also that the accomplishments you list support your career goals and that you tailor them to the job you're targeting with this resume.

3. Resume items are listed in an order that doesn't consider the reader's interest.
"The Resume Ingredients Rule," set forth by Donald Asher, author of numerous resume books (see our Q&A with him), says that information on a resume should be listed in order of importance to the reader. Therefore, in listing your jobs, what's generally most important is your title/position. So list in this preferred order: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment. I can't tell you how many resumes I've seen that list dates first. Dates can be important to some employers, but they're generally not as important as what your position was and whom you worked for.

Education follows the same principle; thus, the preferred order for listing your education is: Name of degree (spelled out: Bachelor of _____) in name of major, name of university, city/state of university, graduation year, followed by peripheral information, such as minor and GPA. If you haven't graduated yet, list your information the same way. Since the graduation date you've listed is in the future, the employer will know you don't have the degree yet.

By the way, the Resume Ingredients Rule is also the reason that experience and education are listed in reverse chronological order on your resume; it's assumed that your most recent education and experience are most important and relevant to the reader.

Also consider whether your education or your experience is your best selling point and which should therefore be listed first. Generally, brand-new graduates list education first, while job-seekers with a few years of experience list experience first. When job-seekers add value to their education by attaining an MBA or other graduate degree, they often switch education back to the more prominent position because it now becomes the hot selling point. In fields such as science and higher education, in which education remains a more important selling point than experience, education tends to be listed first consistently. In many countries outside the U.S., education is also considered more important than experience.

4. Resume exposes the job-seeker to age discrimination by going too far back into the job-seeker's job history.
The rule of thumb for someone at the senior level is to list about 15 years worth of jobs. Age discrimination, unfortunately, is a reality, and even more likely, employers may think you're too expensive if you list too much experience on your resume. Similarly, don't provide the date of your college graduation if it was more than about 10 years ago. Read more in our articles, Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Strategies for Older Workers and Positive Attitude is Key When Fighting Prejudice Against Older Workers.

5. Resume buries important skills, especially computer skills, at the bottom.
There are few jobs today for which computer skills are not important. Yet many job-seekers, even those in technology fields, tend to tack a "Computer Skills" section to the end of their resumes. If computer skills are relevant to your field, list them in your Summary or Profile section. That way, they'll catch the reader's eye in the first third of your resume. If you are in the technology field, list your technical skills in a separate section called something like "Systems Proficiencies," but be sure it's on the first page of your resume. You may want to set your skills up in a reader-friendly table, as in these samples: IT Resume and New Grad IT Resume.

Similarly if language and international-business skills are important in the type of job you seek, list them in your Summary or Profile section, not at the end of your resume.

6. Resume is not bulleted.
Use a bulleted style to make your resume more reader-friendly. In the above-cited study by Career Masters Institute, use of bullets was the 2nd-highest ranked preference by employers, and density of type (paragraphs rather than bullet points) was ranked highly as a factor that would inspire employers to discard a resume.

Use bullets consistently. Some job-seekers bullet most of their resume but don't bullet the Profile/Summary section, for example. Or they will list the overall scope and responsibilities for each job in an unbulleted section before beginning a bulleted section describing accomplishments. Given that the reader can't easily discern a rationale for why some material is bulleted and other material isn't, it's best to bullet consistently throughout the resume.

7. Resume uses a cookie-cutter design based on an overused resume template.
Most resumes created from a Microsoft Word template are instantly recognizable to employers as such. There's nothing wrong with that except that employers have seen a million of them, so they don't stand out. The employer immediately senses a certain lack of imagination in the job-seeker. These templates are also somewhat inflexible and contain problematic formatting. "Using a template or any kind of boilerplate to demonstrate your value to a company is the worst thing you can do to yourself when job hunting," says Nick Corcodilos of Ask The Headhunter. "You're supposed to be uniquely qualified so the company will choose you instead of some cookie-cutter drone -- right? Do you really want a template?"

8. Resume lacks keywords.
Job-hunting today increasingly revolves around the mysterious world of keywords. Employers' reliance on keywords to find the job candidates they want to interview has come about in recent years because of technology. Inundated by resumes from job-seekers, employers have increasingly relied on digitizing job-seeker resumes, placing those resumes in keyword-searchable databases, and using software to search those databases for specific keywords that relate to job vacancies. Most Fortune 1000 companies, in fact, and many smaller companies now use these technologies. In addition, many employers search the databases of third-party job-posting and resume-posting boards on the Internet. Pat Kendall, president of the National Resume Writers' Association, notes that more than 80 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords.

The bottom line is that if you apply for a job with a company that searches databases for keywords, and your resume doesn't have the keywords the company seeks for the person who fills that job, you are pretty much dead in the water. To read more about keywords and how to identify the best ones for your field, see our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume's Effectiveness.

9. References are listed directly on your resume.
Never listed specific references directly on your resume. List them on a separate sheet, and even then, submit them only when specifically requested by an employer.

Even the phrase, "References: Available upon request," is highly optional because it is a given that you will provide references upon request. If you couldn't, you would have no business looking for a job. The line can serve the purpose of signaling: "This is the end of my resume," but if you are trying to conserve space, leave it off.

10. Resume's appearance becomes skewed when sent as an e-mail attachment and/or resume is not available in other electronic formats.
Have you ever noticed that when you send a resume (or any document) as an attachment from your computer to someone else's computer, it sometimes doesn't look the same on the other person's computer as it did on yours? Maybe it has more pages on the other computer, or maybe Page 2 starts at the bottom of Page 1, or maybe the fonts are different.

If you are regularly sending your resume as an e-mail attachment, you may want to experiment with sending it to friends' computers to ensure that the formatting appears consistently from computer to computer.

Beyond a resume that can be sent as an e-mail attachment, it's crucial these days to have at least one type of electronic version of your resume for sending via e-mail and posting to Internet job boards. It's an absolute must these days because, as noted earlier, 80 percent of resumes today are placed directly into keyword-searchable databases. Read more in our article, The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online. A text version of your resume is the most common and preferred format for electronic resumes. Read more about them and about other electronic formats you might need in our article, Your E-resume's File Format Aligns with its Delivery Method.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Katharine Hansen, Credentialed Career Master, is a former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for job-seekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters. She is author of Dynamic Cover Letter for New Graduates; A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market; and, with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters and Write Your Way to a Higher GPA, all published by Ten Speed Press. She can be reached by e-mail at kathy@quintcareers.com

Source: Formore information, please visit http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html

Resume Tips - Special Insights

Free Resume Example Articles : Resume Tips: Special Insights

There are some things about resumes that don't often get considered. It is important when writing your resume that you think about what a it is, what it does and what a it cannot do. Sounds strange, doesn't it?

Think about this:

• It is not a type of document that you can make once and forget about. You will update it from time to time as needed.
• There is a directly proportional relationship between how a it looks and how much time you have spent working on it.
• It is a marketing tool. It tells others about you and attempts to "sell" the employer on the idea that YOU are the best person for the position.
• It is your best bet for getting hired – no matter what your field is.
• If you don't spend your time NOW making yours the best it can be, you will either spend the time LATER working on it, or you will pay someone else (who doesn't know you) to write it for you.

Why is one piece of paper SO important?

It is important because the employer has no idea who you are. It represents you. You can't be there to speak for yourself, so your resume has to do that in a clear and arousing way. Arousing? You want to arouse the employer's interest to the point that he/she makes a phone call to interview you.

That's the whole purpose!

It gives you an opportunity to meet the employer face to face. That's why it has to be a professional piece of work. It's not that writing a resume is hard. It isn't hard at all. When you have the right information, such as what is available on this site, you can present your own personal information in a way that makes YOU a person of interest to employers.
It just takes a little time.

A resume can either get your foot in the door or get a door closed in your face. Write the best one you can and you'll likely find yourself with your foot in several doors.

Source: http://www.professional-resume-example.com/resume-tips.html

Choosing An Online Resume Service

Free Resume Example Articles : Choosing An Online Resume Service


There are two distinct types of resume services – local and online (Internet-based). Which one is right for you? Many factors must be considered to make that decision – most of which include credibility, convenience turnaround time, and price.

Many job seekers are skeptical about hiring a resume writer over the Internet because they are afraid of getting ripped off. That is very understandable in today’s day and age. So what can you do to make sure you are working with a credible online resume service? Check their credentials. If they are legitimate, their credentials should be listed on the homepage of their website. Also, you should be able to speak directly with someone on the phone. You should also check the sample resumes on their website so you can see the quality of their work.

Most online resume services have a toll free number and communicate with their clients via email and Live Chat as well. If the resume writers respond within a day to answer inquiries and you do not get an answering service or a switchboard, that is a good sign that you are working with a resume service that writes resume full time as their primary line of work and not part time as a second income.

Local in-person resume writing services are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Unless a resume service’s local yellow pages ad lists every aspect of their business services and credentials, you will not know if they are the right resume service for you until you are sitting across from the resume writer in their office. The advantage in finding a resume service on the Internet is that you can view their work, services, and fees online before calling them.

As for the local resume service, if you decide they are not for you after traveling to their office to meeting with them in person, you must venture out to find another resume service that is. That alone can take hours if not days. Chances are you will probably end up choosing a local resume writer just because you’re tired of running around town! Even then, you’re not done. You still have the revision process ahead of you. Unless you are going to do that via email, you will have one chance in person to catch errors and make changes.

If you are in a rush, you might have a hard time finding a local resume writer who is available to meet your deadline because they usually have office hours from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, and have someone in their office. It is difficult for a local resume writer to speak with clients on the phone with another client sitting across from them. For starters, there is a level of confidentiality that must be maintained and because it is simply and interruption. Furthermore, you only have a few local resume services to choose from versus the number of resume services available to you online.

In summary, if you visit an online resume service that has great resume samples, excellent credentials, and communicates with you to answer any of your questions via phone or by email within a few hours, you should seriously consider using them. If they are in another state or country, you shouldn’t let that stop you. Working by email and telephone is a convenience that you should embrace. The main thing to consider is their ability to write a strong resume for you and the price. If there is a telephone consultation, the price is generally higher than if you were filling out a questionnaire or online resume form without speaking directly with the writer. If cost is a major consideration, then it is great to know that filling out a questionnaire is an option. It sure beats developing the resume yourself!

This article is courtesy of Quick and Affordable Resumes, a reputable online resume service that creates high quality resumes and cover letters incorporating the use of online resume forms. For more information visit http://www.quickandaffordableresumes.com/


Source: http://www.geekinterview.com/articles/Choosing-An-Online-Resume-Service.html

How Your Cover Letter Gets You The Job

Resume Cover Letter Articles : How Your Cover Letter Gets You The Job by Mario Churchill

The thing about first professional impressions is that it is not always visual. Preceding your face to face encounter with the human resource representative or anyone in charge of screening applicants is your cover letter. It is quite ironic that few people pay close attention to this piece of paper which pretty much determines whether they will be considered for interview or if their resumes will merit perusal of the busy person who is screening various cover letters like yours.

Cover letters are for mind-setting. You do not really need a psychology degree to make a lasting impression. A well-written cover letter will precede you, give you an inherent good impression and erase all your inhibitions. If you are able to pull off the writing of your cover letter with flair, you can definitely expect pools of job offers to come your way. This is for real, and you got to give it a try. The only way you can talk your way into getting the job is by means of selling yourself well in your cover letter.

Excellent cover letters which produce job offers to applicants highlights best qualities of the applicant. If you want your cover letter to lead you to getting hired, you need to fire it up with your good qualities. Be careful not to overdo this, however. You will have to be able to catch up with whatever image you are painting in your cover letter. If you place there that you are punctual and speedy, you must be able to deliver that promise. Make sure that you are selling yourself but not going beyond true facts about yourself.

In a way, the cover letter is a way of introducing yourself to the company or the person who will be reviewing your application. This is very vital. It is like shaking hands with a stranger for the first time. The even crucial fact is that you must leave that stranger impressed and confident of your capabilities. Your cover letter must be polished, no grammatical errors whatsoever and having the best quality of paper you can afford. Make it as pristine as possible, concise and with neat spaces that communicated utmost professionalism. Remember, until you see your interviewer face to face, the only thing they will remember are the things in your cover letter. Your cover letter is also the usher for your resume. Yes, you may have worked hard to make your resume as meaty and impressive as possible, but if your cover letter is badly written, your resume might go ignored. The cover letter is the very first thing that the person will read in your application details. It is the usher that paves the way to your more specific resume details. If you are not able to pull this off effectively, you will find yourself at the losing end.

Generally, the best jobs are most sought after. Many applicants will most likely be vying for that job. In a way, you will be competing against all the other applicants for this position. It is, at least in the beginning of the application process, a battle of the cover letters. Yours must stand out and show out your very best facets. In this aspect, you can never afford to be mediocre with your approach. You must always give your cover letter your best shot, because it does not just cover your resume, but it defines if you are going to be hired or not.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter job checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=523287

5 Cover Letter Tips: Do What Most Job Seekers Don't

Resume Cover Letter Articles : 5 Cover Letter Tips: Do What Most Job Seekers Don't by Heather Eagar

Although your cover letter is as significant as your resume, career and job coaches put more emphasis on writing a good cover letter for obvious reasons - prospective employers usually read the cover letter first. For most employers, a resume is a kind of "fact sheet" that supports the academic and professional accomplishments you highlight in your cover letter.

There's no such thing as a "one size fits all" cover letter when applying for a job. You will probably be targeting different types of jobs in your search, so it is crucial that you adapt your cover letters to fit the needs of each particular employer.

Below are 5 tips that will help you write the kind of stellar cover letters that set you apart from the crowd and get noticed by employers.

Write for the Employer - Not Yourself

Your letter should be precise and must strictly address the needs of the employer. All too often, job seekers make the mistake of writing long and detailed letters, only to ignore the needs of the company. Your employers are too busy to go through mundane letters - and if you write a cover letter that is all about you and don't address their needs, they are bound to ignore your job application.

Show Your Enthusiasm

Too many job seekers write cover letters that are mere synopses of their resumes. Recruiters want candidates who are enthusiastic, passionate about their work, and eager to shoulder new responsibilities. In your cover letter, you must indicate your eagerness to learn new skills and adapt yourself to a new work culture. It's your job to convince them that you have that 'X' factor that sets you apart from the rest of the crowd.

Highlight the Most Important Facts from Your Resume

You may be a great artist or a volunteer in your community, but unless the employer is specifically asking for this experience, you don't need to put it in your cover letter. For instance, you may be a great painter, but if you are applying for the position of a graphic designer, recruiters will be put off to see other skills being emphasized in your cover letter. Focus only on those specific skills in your resume that are required for that particular job.

Include Facts about the Company

You employers will be thoroughly impressed if your cover letter indicates your knowledge about the company and its mission. Educate yourself about the company, its recent accomplishments and the nature of their business before you write that cover letter. These days, almost any company can be researched on the Internet, so there is simply no excuse for not doing this.

Be Aggressive With Your Follow-Up Request

After all, you are writing to them for a specific purpose. In the concluding paragraph, you must request an appointment and express your willingness to come in for an interview. Tell the prospective employer that you will make a follow-up call after a few days - and include a specific date, rather than making a vague promise to call. And then actually follow through on your promise.

Writing an effective cover letter is very important to increase your chances of getting that coveted interview call. If you find that you need more guidance than the tips above, consider using the services of a career coach or a professional resume writing service so you can start getting the interviews you deserve.

About the Author
A leading expert in the employment search industry, Heather Eagar provides working professionals with current, reliable and effective job search tools and information. If you need a professional resume writer, Heather offers reviews of the top companies in the industry at http://www.ResumeLines.com

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=520534

Make Sure Your Resume Gets Read

Free Resume Examples Articles : Make Sure Your Resume Gets Read by Michael Harrison

Cover letters and how to do them.

You may spend hours getting your resume into order for the job application but could easily scupper any chances you may have if your cover letter doesn't do its job.

Very often your cover letter and resume are the first contact you have with your potential employer and yet you may have about 30 seconds to get their attention and arouse their interest.

There are therefore some crucial principles you must follow. Your cover letter has to get attention, create interest and show how you are such a strong candidate that they feel they must read your resume. It's then the resumes job to make sure they call you for interview.

Opinions vary on how much time you have at this crucial stage. One thing is certain, not very much. Some recent statistics bear this out. It is claimed that on average employers spend only 10-15 seconds on each resume and that 82-94% of applicants are rejected at the resume stage. Turn that round. 6-18% are called for interview.

In the competitive jobs market you will easily get 100 applications so the whole point of the cover letter and resume is to get you in the top six.

How do you go about it?

* Positive language.

* Action words

* Prove your resume matches the job requirements.

When you are applying for a job in response to an advertisement you must pick out the key skills and experience that are required for the position and clearly demonstrate how you match them.

In order to attract the most suitable applicants job advertisements are very carefully thought out and worded. Your cover letter therefore must show that you have understood the needs for the job being advertised and it must summarize why your application should be given serious consideration.

Exactly the same principles should be followed in the resume where you have a little more space to bring out the detail. Note; little!

Key cover letter points;

* Quote job title and reference number at start of letter.

* If the person you are responding to has used their Christian (given) name you can use this in addressing them. Be careful to not to be too familiar.

* Try to start with a dynamic opening sentence that gets their attention.

* Demonstrate your energy and motivation.

* Demonstrate you understand the business and the need for the recruitment.

* Illustrate that your are achievement oriented and try to match some past quantified achievements to the job being advertised. * Show personal motivation and desire to belong and grow.

If you can achieve all of this you will more than likely get your resume read. The resume then has to continue in similar vein and reinforce all the matches, skills, experience, reliability and your scope to develop so that you get to the interview.

Resource Box:

Article by Michael Harrison, Author, Publisher and Business Consultant. If you have found these tips helpful you can find more at http://www.how-to-do-a-resume.com/

**Attn: Ezine Editors / Site Owners / Webmasters / everyone** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include this resource box.

About the Author
Michael Harrison is an author, publisher and business consultant specialising in helping business owners and individuals to realise and release the full potential of their situation. He has helped many people to improve their business situations and advised and supported individuals to embark on new directions in their careers.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=786692

Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Your Resume And Cover Letter

Free Resume Examples Articles : Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Your Resume And Cover Letter by Mike Selvon

A resume and cover letter are two of the most important tools in your life if you are actively seeking employment. They are the keys to finding a great job and making a good first impression. But far too often people underestimate the power that a good cover letter and curriculum vitae play in an employer's decision to hire someone for the vacant position.

Things such as stains, faded ink and rumpled paper are only the beginning of horror stores from the working world. Do not make those same mistakes with your documents. Knowing the good resume samples from the bad is the key.

A resume and cover letter are very important, and when done correctly, will likely get you the all-important interview. Done poorly, they can cost you the chance at the job. If you are unfamiliar with writing out a curriculum vitae, then there are always resume templates in Word or on the internet. The templates can show you the correct resume format and even allow you to plug in your information in the correct spots. It is that easy.

One of the biggest mistakes that occur when writing a curriculum vitae is spelling errors. Even if you are horrible at spelling, there is usually a spell-check feature on the word processing software program you are using. The truth is, with the availability of the software spell check-function, spelling mistakes are unforgivable.

Do not let simple mistakes in spelling keep you from the job of your dreams. The same thing applies to your cover letter. It should be free of spelling errors and be as grammatically correct as possible. This is not the time to try out new words. Keep it simple and tell the employer why you want the position and why you feel that you would be an asset to their company.

Another classic curriculum vitae blunder is forgetting to update your information. You want the employer to be able to contact you. An old address says that you did not check your resume before undertaking your resume distribution.

Keep your curriculum vitae updated with personal information and employment information at all times. Also, consider keeping it to one or two pages. Employers are busy, time-is-money sort of thing, so do not send a book that details your entire life.

Writing a great resume and cover letter is not impossible. You can do it and get that interview. Be honest, be prepared and always make sure to put your best foot forward.

Addressing the hiring person by name is a great way to show that you paid attention to the ad. If you are not sure who to address the cover letter to, you can always call the company to find out. Being pro-active will speak volumes to any employer.

About the Author
A whole world of information about resume and cover letter mistakes can be at your fingertips from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. Drop us a note at our resume writing tips blog.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=786302

Master Cover Letter Writing In 3 Days

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Master Cover Letter Writing In 3 Days by Mario Churchill

DAY 1: Make a single draft

If you are looking for a job, chances are, you have a lot of target companies to apply to. Before you head off and drop off your application details to any of these companies, you will have to make single draft from which all your other cover letters for these companies will be anchored.

The draft is very flexible. You may liken it to a template, but the difference is that it is a template suited just for you, your experiences, your abilities and your personality. Make yourself stand out as well as possible.

Now what will your single draft contain? This will contain a paragraph with an introduction of yourself, some of your skills and your desire to be interviewed in the P.S. line of the letter. Also, make brief note that you will be including your resume with your cover letter and where you can be easily reached.

DAY 2: Select your targets and categorize them

Who are your targets? They are the companies you are going to apply in. More specifically, you will have to do your homework and know the key person you need to address your cover letter to. This is a big plus for your cover letter. The companies assign few people to sift through applications, and this simple courtesy that you acknowledge their individual names for your cover letter will speak volumes about you in a good way. Also, if you are presented with various job opportunities, it will help you to flag them accordingly. Categorize them into high priority, medium priority and low priority. Give all of them your best but provide more consistent follow ups with those in your high priority and medium priority category.

These targets needs to be researched well. Take the time to know each of your targets properly, and if possible, the pet peeves of the people who will be tasked to review your application. If you have friends working in your target companies, take the opportunity to ask as much as you can so that you will be able to adjust your cover letter accordingly. The more information you have, the better.

DAY 3: Customize the single draft to fit your target's needs

The single draft that you previously did in day one is now going to be put to good use. If you distinctly recall your targets and how you classified them in Day 2, start constructing individual cover letters for each of them. Use your single draft as your base for making your cover letter. Then, modify your draft and customize it accordingly with each of your targets.

Give your draft certain add-ons that will make it more viable for each of your targets. In a way, you will have to do some research on each of your targets to be able to do this effectively. The single draft you made contains the general things that companies will require of you. But the thing which will land you the job are the modifications you will put that will make that draft suited to the needs of each specific target. Adjust accordingly and if you are feeling more creative, feel free to deviate from your initial sample and do something completely different if the company calls for it.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter minicourse checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=519169

The Lowdown On Your Common Resume Cover Letter Templates

Resume Cover Letter Articles : The Lowdown On Your Common Resume Cover Letter Templates by Mario Churchill


Most people tend to think that cover letters do not matter much. But in fact, it can actually spell your potential to get a certain job or not. Since this can be quite tricky to do, it is understandable that people tend to resort to cover letter templates to be able to generate a decent cover letter as soon as possible. However, your common resume cover letter is not quite as decent as most people perceive it to be.

For one thing, the whole common resume cover letter is too general and patterned with a generic source. It does not cater to specific needs of the job you are applying for. If you are going to heavily rely on the cover letter template to make up your cover letter for your potential employer, then you just might not get that dream job of yours. The generic quality of the resume cover letter template is a sure killer of the company's interest and they might feel that you are as generic as your cover letter. You will not want that to happen, of course.

Since the common resume cover letter template has a generic quality, it is definitely not unique. Chances are, the person who will be reviewing cover letters will be throwing it out at first glance, especially if there is another applicant for the job who used the exact same common cover letter template for their application. If you can't be very original with your cover letter, the one who will review your application details may judge you to be a copycat and not the spirited go-getter that most companies are on the lookout for.

The common resume cover letter template in itself is not able to express your individuality. It will just be a template, a pattern that must be modified by you if you still intend to use it. In fact, while it proliferates, there is no such thing as a common resume cover template that shall apply for all potential job seekers. Each job seeker has a different personality that must be expressed well in their respective cover letters. The details in an individual's qualifications and experience related to the job being sought after is also something that needs to be incorporated.

The tone of the common resume cover letter template is also too formal, sometimes completely bland and not interesting enough to read. Remember, the person who reviews the cover letters and resumes of various applicants are most probably bored after sifting through the same thing over and over again. If you really want to stand out among the sea of applicants, you must find a way to deviate from the common resume cover letter template and create something on your own that completely expresses your finest job-seeking self.

While a resume cover letter template may be useful as a guide for first-timers, you will be able to get so much more job offers if you do not just copy and paste that template to land yourself a good job. You must be able to consider a lot of other factors such as your personal details, your personality, the job you are applying for and what it specifically requires from you, and the number of applicants who might be prone to using the same template in applying for this job.


About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on free resume cover letter checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=518580

Useful Pointers When Writing A Professional Resume

Free Resume Example Articles : Useful Pointers When Writing A Professional Resume by Mike Selvon

Most people introduce themselves when meeting a stranger. A brief handshake and giving your name are just two of the ways to let someone know who you are. A professional resume is an introduction from you to a potential employer.

You may not be able to shake his or her hand until the interview portion, but you can still let employers know who you are. Writing a curriculum vitae is not hard, yet many people do not know how to write a resume. There are resources to help you though.

If you find that you are having writer's block when it comes to writing your professional resume, then there are places you can turn to for curriculum vitae templates and resume samples. Microsoft Word allows you to create a resume and simply fill in the information. You save it to your computer and then either email, fax or mail the document to the employer, depending on what he or she has requested.

A cover letter is the most often overlooked piece of paper when a person is applying for a job. This is particularly true of online job banks. People upload their curriculum vitae but fail to create a cover letter. It may explain why they do not often hear back from the company.

An employer can learn more from a good cover letter than an excellent curriculum vitae. Cover letters show intent and why you would be a good fit for the company. Take the time to write a cover letter. In today's job market it is expected, as it demonstrates good business ethics and shows respect.

Even though there have been countless articles and interviews done on this subject, it bears repeating as some people have not learned the lesson. Do not lie on your curriculum vitae. It is good practice to make your curriculum vitae stand out, but do not do this by lying or fudging the facts.

Most companies will check to ensure that you are telling the truth about your salary history, education and your past employment. It is not worth the repercussions.

You should go into depth about your work experiences and skills. However, it is imperative that you stick to information that is related to the position being offered. It may be interesting that you can stick a spoon on your nose, but an employer may not want to know that much about you.

A professional resume gives relevant information and lets the employer know about your past work experience. If you have skills and talents that are applicable, then include this information.

About the Author
A whole world of information about writing a professional resume can be at your fingertips from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. Drop us a note at our resume writing tips blog.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=784843

Landing Your Dream Job With A Perfect Resume

Free Resume Example Articles : Landing Your Dream Job With A Perfect Resume by Mike Selvon

The perfect resume is not a myth. It has nothing to do with elite schools or incredible work experience. A blue collar worker can have a stellar curriculum vitae and a white collar professional may have a poorly written one.

Writing a resume should be about knowing what employers look for in their job applicants. It is about detailed information that is accurate, truthful, not over-winded or too long. There is a fine line between not including enough information and including too much.

There are a few things that a great curriculum vitae has within its set margins. The first is personal information such as your name, address and contact numbers. It is also a good idea to put in your email address, in case they prefer communicating electronically.

The second is information about past job history and education. You will also want to mention salary history so that the employer knows what type of pay you will be asking for and whether or not you may be too expensive for their budget. Not every employer bases their opinions of hiring on salary requirements, but some do.

Not everyone can write a perfect resume. Even professional resume writers will make mistakes. However, it is important to know how to write a curriculum vitae just in case you need to submit one to a job possibility.

A bad one gets tossed into a folder or even worse, the trashcan. Avoid this by knowing the basics. If you have tried and still cannot get it right, then perhaps you should hire a professional.

Writing resumes can be very confusing. A professional writer can help you with the proper format and coach you along. If you do not know any professional writers, then you can always go to the local University and talk to the teachers in the help desk area.

They may be able to give you a sample of the particular curriculum vitae you want and can tell you how to set your information in place. As well, a quick internet search will provide you with many helpful tools, such as resume templates, resources and examples.

No one has an absolutely perfect resume. There are always flaws or mistakes. The goal is to eliminate as many mistakes as possible. You do not want to send in a curriculum vitae filled with incorrect spelling and grammar.

Make sure the paper you are using is good quality and is free from any stains or scents. Spraying your document with your favorite cologne or perfume will not help you land the job.

About the Author
A whole world of information about creating a perfect resume can be at your fingertips from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. Drop us a note at our resume writing tips blog.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=783066

Medicines For The Jobless: Writing The Best Medical Cover Letter

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Medicines For The Jobless: Writing The Best Medical Cover Letter by Mario Churchill

The health care industry is fast growing all over the world. As there are more and more ways to fight infections, heal people, and make people feel better about themselves, there are more and more job openings for scientists, pharmacists, nurses, medical technologists, and doctors. There are also thousands of people applying for jobs in this burgeoning industry, so you may find it difficult to stomach the competition if you emerge naïve from school and expect to find employers dying to hire you.

To penetrate through the crowd of job applicants, you will need to be competitive: you have to have the highest grades, the best resume and work experience, and great recommendation letters. You also need a great cover letter to show what the rest of these documents don't: the fact that you have personality, you can handle the stress of the health care profession, and you are resourceful. Moreover, a great cover letter can sometimes make up for average grades, a thinner-than-usual resume, and flat recommendations.

Why is a cover letter so powerful? Your resume will list only your qualifications, but it cannot show you how confident you are after earning all these qualifications. Your transcript of records will show how well you did on your examinations, but it cannot tell your prospective employers how well you applied all the things you learned in real life situations. Your recommendation letters can say that your professors or former employers were pleased about you, but they cannot say if you can meet the goals, mission, and vision of your new employers.

Your cover letter should therefore show personality, your ability to be resourceful, and your goals aligned with those of your prospective employers. Your medical cover letter is your chance to show that behind all those achievements is a living, breathing human being who is not only about books and the academe, but who can get out and work and be a productive member of society. Take advantage of this power by creating a great medical cover letter.

Show that you can lend a personal touch to what you do, and be resourceful while doing so. Do a lot of research on the health care institution to which you are applying, and make sure that its goals are aligned with yours. Are you working on a study that matches the research work done at the health care institution? Mention this study, and show that you can contribute a lot to the institution, thanks to your expertise. Your medical cover letter is, in essence, a love letter to the health care institution: show that you are compatible, and that you can benefit a lot from each other.

Unlike a gushy, mushy love letter, however, a good medical cover letter should be terse and to the point. Avoid using language that might make prospective employers roll their eyes or reach for their dictionaries. Your prospective employers have little time to digest poetry or hear about your adventures in your laboratory. They want to see if you are fit to work for them, so get straight to the point.

Ask for an interview, then provide all your pertinent, valid contact information. Add one last personal touch by signing your name. Wait, and then do follow up calls if you do not hear from your prospective employers.

Writing a cover letter can be difficult if you do not know your goals and achievements. If you know yourself, however, and if you can successfully convey your passion and enthusiasm for the health care industry, then you can land the job you want. Just be your professional, tactful self, and that cover letter may soon spell your success in this career.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on medical cover letter checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=514565

Teacher Cover Letters: A Powerful Teacher Cover Letter Secret

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Teacher Cover Letters: A Powerful Teacher Cover Letter Secret by Adam Waxler

When searching for a teaching job it goes without saying that a powerful, well-written, teacher cover letter is a critical piece in the process.

I have written several articles on the topic of teacher cover letters and how to make your teacher cover letter stand out.

However, this article is NOT about "how" to write a teacher cover letter, but rather what to do once your teacher cover letter is written.

I know what you're thinking... "What to do with it? Just send it in with your resume."

Well, if that's all you're going to do, you are certainly not going to stand out above the competition...which can be very tough when it comes to getting a teaching job.

So, what should you do with your teacher cover letter?

Well, first of all, you are not just going to "send" in your teacher cover letter and teacher resume. Instead, you should "walk" in your teacher cover letter/teacher resume.

That's right...you are going to hand-deliver your cover letter and resume. Doing so will put a face to the name and will most definitely make you stand out from all of those other applicants who only sent theirs in.

However, more important than "standing out" is the fact that an administrator may actually give you an interview on the spot!

The second thing you're going to do is write three versions of your teacher cover letter.

That's right...3 versions. You need to stop thinking of your teacher cover letter as just one individual letter and more as a series of three letters.

The first letter is the traditional teacher cover letter. The one we just discussed that you both send in AND hand-deliver that are both accompanied by your resume.

It's the second and third cover letter, however, that are going to really separate yourself from the crowd.

Remember, the old Head & Shoulders commercial slogan? "You only get one chance to make a first impression."

Well...maybe that's not entirely true. Maybe you get two chances...

Your second cover letter is known as a "follow-up teacher cover letter". This cover letter comes AFTER you have landed the interview, but BEFORE the actual interview takes place. In those few days in between is when you send out your "follow-up teacher cover letter".

This cover letter is similar to your original cover letter with some minor changes. Your follow-up teacher cover letter is "slightly" less formal. It is somewhat of a cross between a cover letter and a thank you note.

Start the letter off with a thank you for the upcoming interview at [insert date and time]. Make sure you include the date and time. This will make you stand out even more...*they* will be looking forward to *your* interview! Once you have thanked the appropriate person, highlight the key points you made in your original teacher cover letter.

The third in the series of teacher cover letters is the "post-interview teacher cover letter".

This third "cover letter" is much less formal and is leaning more towards a thank you note than a cover letter. In fact, this third letter should actually be presented as a "hand-written" note on nice, professionally monogrammed stationary.

You give this third letter to each and every person that sat on the interview committee. Address each by name and keep it short. Start by thanking the person for their time AND make sure to add something specific from your interview - this will again, make YOUR interview stand out. Next, wrap up that letter with something specific about their school and your passion to teach there.

But wait! You're not done!

Make sure you...Don't Give Up!

If your "post-interview teacher cover letter" doesn't get you a phone call within a couple of days, then follow-up with an email...

If that doesn't work, then follow-up again with a phone call.

Persistence can pay off big time and can be the difference between getting a teaching job or being back to looking for more teacher interviews.

This teacher cover letter process is extremely powerful and will put you light years ahead of the competition.

Here are the steps once again:

1. Original Teacher Cover Letter ~ mail AND hand-deliver along with teacher resume.

2. Follow-Up Teacher Cover Letter ~ mail AFTER you get the interview, but BEFORE the interview takes place.

3. Post-Interview Teacher Cover Letter ~ hand-written thank you, follow-up email, follow-up phone call.

Plain and simple...you greatly increase your chances of getting a teaching job when you use this approach to writing your teacher cover letter.

About the Author
Grab the "Top 10 Secrets to the Worlds Greatest Cover Letter" for free when you order "Your Basic Guide to Acing Any Teacher Interview" @ http://www.TeacherInterviewTips.com

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=514614

Writing Care: Crafting The Best Cover Letter For Nurse Positions

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Writing Care: Crafting The Best Cover Letter For Nurse Positions by Mario Churchill

The health care industry is booming all over the world. The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and even Japan are now leading the way in employing health care practitioners, especially nurses. This has also led to a boom in nursing school enrolment; in fact, some doctors leave their practice if only to study nursing and work as nurses abroad! Because of the great number of openings for nurses, and the even greater number of nursing graduates fresh out of school and looking for jobs, it can be difficult to apply to a nursing job no matter how good your credentials are.

You can have the best grades in the world, but have no people skills; a transcript of records, therefore, can tell your prospective employers that you were simply good in the classroom. You can have the best recommendation letters in the world, but cannot think quickly; recommendation letters, therefore, can tell your prospective employers that you showed a good side to some people. Lastly, you can have the thickest, richest resume in the world, but if you have no personality or ability to care for people, then you might not be a good nurse.

How you work and reason can be seen when you get to be interviewed for the nurse position, but how can you get interviewed if you have only a few documents to back you up? The answer lies in your cover letter, and you must not underestimate its power. A well-written cover letter for a nurse position should have all the elements of a good cover letter: it should get your prospective employer interested enough in you to interview you, and perhaps even offer you a job.

It may be a single sheet of paper with a few paragraphs, but a cover letter can do more than just cover. It will show your personality and creativity, as well as your potential to be a good nurse. The goal of a nurse is to provide quality health care to his or her patients in the best, quickest way possible - let this goal guide you as you write your cover letter. If prospective employers detect your seriousness in meeting such a goal, then you already have one foot inside the hospital door.

Avoid gushing about the goal, however, and stay away from flowery, convoluted language. You need to be brief: your prospective employers have little time to read long cover letters, let alone look through thick wads of resumes and transcripts. Write a cover letter of no more than four paragraphs, and present only your salient points. The shorter your letter is, the more attractive it will be to an employer. Don't sell yourself short, however: highlight your strengths and achievements without sounding like an overbearing upstart.

Nurses not only have to be smart: they have to be people persons, gentle, and caring. Indicate that you can deal with the stress of being a nurse; state previous experience where you had to deal with long work hours, demanding doctors, and emotional patients, and yet still emerged triumphant at the end of your long day. Say all this in no more than a single paragraph, and use language that is direct and straight to the point.

Ask for an interview and provide all your important contact information. Moreover, do constant follow ups on your application, and do not be afraid to apply again if you are rejected the first time. Nurses are needed all over the world, and you only have to find a hospital, clinic, or health care institution that will take you in. Your passport is a great cover letter, so work on it well and give it all the care it needs.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on nursing cover letter checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=514020

Five Essential Resume Writing Tips

Free Resume Example Articles : Five Essential Resume Writing Tips by Jason Kay

As you prepare your resume in hopes of acquiring your dream job, keep these tips in mind to make sure you give yourself the best chance of being recognized and hired.

1.Most relevant experience/skills/education first. The order of the information on your resume is different for everyone. It all really depends on your particular education, experience, training, and other background. It also depends on the position you are applying for. You should emphasize your most relevant skills by placing them at the top of your resume.

2.Be specific and specialized - employers are looking to solve a problem by hiring someone. Let them know how you can solve their problem. I know you're proud of the varied background you have. You've done a little of this and a little of that. You think it makes you a more well rounded person and capable of adapting to new positions more easily. Guess what? You're right. But, most employers will not appreciate a diverse set of jobs and experiences the way you and I do. Hiring managers have a specific job to fill, and they're going to be stressed about it until they fill it. They need someone who can perform the specific duties required of the position. They're not looking for a jack of all trades, they want a specialist. So read the job description very carefully and rework your resume as much as possible to make it look like you are the specialist he/she is looking for. Hopefully you won't have to rework it that much. If you find you are having to, guess what, you're not the person for the job. Save yourself the trouble of writing and rewriting and applying only to be rejected later. Concentrate your efforts on job openings you are qualified for.

3.Use capitalization/bold/italics sparingly. As a professional resume writer, I can't tell you how many resumes I've seen that have LOTS OF CAPITALIZATION. If you capitalize everything, nothing stands out. Use capitalization only for section headings and maybe your name at the top of the resume. That's it. Capitalization should be used sparingly to make important points stand out. The same goes for bold and italicized font.

4.Only include relevant information. Resume is not employment history, but an employment summary. Resumes are not supposed to be biographies. No one ever said that your resume should include every job you've had since high school. Make sure that the jobs listed on your resume are relevant to the position you are applying for. People with lots of positions should limit the ones they list to the ones which demonstrate skills needed in the new position. Don't worry about employment gaps. The whole issue is definitely overblown. If gaps in your employment history is mentioned during an interview, simply be honest and say that you held a position that you chose not to include. Say that was a different line of work that you have since moved on from.

5.Spell check and read, then reread. Any basic errors could be fatal to your application. Definitely use the spell-check feature on your word processor before you submit your resume. But also be sure to read it before you submit because some words may not be misspelled (and not be caught by spell-check) but are incorrect grammatically. Then it's a good idea to reread again after several hours because sometimes we just see what we want to see. Sometimes an incorrect word is right there, plain as day, and we don't see it because we aren't really reading it because we're sure what it must say. This issue is so important because even one misspelling or incorrect word can spell doom for your job chances. Employers typically get so many resumes for each and every open position. This creates such intense competition that employers simply don't need to accept anything less than perfect. In fact they're looking for reasons to narrow the field down. Don't give them such an easy reason to toss your resume.

About the Author
Jason Kay is a professional resume writer and contributes to career related websites such as JobGoRound.com, which includes career advice and reviews of resume writing services.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=779549

How Important Is A Cover Letter With Your Resume ?

Free Resume Example Articles : How Important Is A Cover Letter With Your Resume ? by Mike Selvon

It would be hard to image someone ignoring a vital piece of information that could make the difference between getting an interview, or having their resume tossed into the nearest trash can. Yet many people elect not to include this document along with their resume.

They choose not to include a cover letter. Cover letters are your introduction to the employer. They show intent, as well as showing that you have actually read the job posting. They catch the employer's eye which could mean getting that life-changing phone call.

Cover letter writing is a lot like learning how to write a resume. You either learn how in a class or you do a little bit of online research and learn through that method. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about writing cover letters.

If you do not know the difference, then it can cost you a shot at the job you have always wanted. Resume cover letter writing is a blend of creative and technical writing. It is designed to grab the attention of the employer and make them want to see what is on your resume.

A cover letter is not an opportunity to discuss your pet lint collection. It should not be informal and chock full of useless information that does not apply to that position being offered. It is a chance to introduce yourself.

If the employer wants to know about lint collections, then you can always let them know at the interview or even better, later when you have the job. Address the letter to the hiring person, usually someone in Human Resources, and tell them why you are a great candidate for the job.

Tip number one. Do not undersell yourself. Your goal is to sound confident and sure of your abilities. Tip number two. Do not oversell yourself. An over inflated ego is a great way to turn an employer off and could cause them to think that perhaps you embellished your curriculum vitae.

With cover letter writing, there is a fine line between the two extremes. A third tip is to know who will be reading your curriculum vitae. This may not always be possible if the ad did not state a name. However, if it did, make sure and address the individual directly.

Take advantage of any assets you have in your arsenal. Use a cover letter to show your potential employer that you are serious about winning that position. If you have looked for help, but are still unclear as to what cover letters should include, then you can always use a professional resume writing service to help you write your cover letter, or provide you with sample resumes and cover letters. Just make sure to personalize the letter and tell them why you want the job.

About the Author
A whole world of information about the importance a cover letter can be at your fingertips from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. Drop us a note at our resume writing tips blog.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=779279

Resume Writing: Making it Proper so you can Prosper

Free Resume Examples Articles : Resume Writing: Making it Proper so you can Prosper by Jennifer Jordan

Ah, the resume: the one piece of paper that allows you to showcase your accomplishments, boast, brag, and exaggerate….if ever so slightly. While it may simply be a piece of paper, a resume is the key to employment for many. This makes a proper resume particularly important, if you want your career to resume, that is.

Upon preparing your resume, consider the following:

Be honest: Past experience and qualifications are often directly proportional to one another; hence, the more duties you have under your belt, the more qualified you ultimately become. However, the overzealous applicant may list responsibilities that they rarely ��" if ever ��" possessed. For instance, if you were once given petty cash and sent to fetch lunch at the local sandwich shop, the job description of "handled company money and bookkeeping on a regular basis" should probably not be used. Employers are generally well versed in dissecting a resume, and they will know if the listed job duties do not match up to the listed job title. If you come across as dishonest, your resume will be tainted by both desperation and deceit.

Be Specific: Being specific in a resume may appear to be a bit of a conundrum: you want to be as detailed as possible but you don't want to drone on to the point where your resume must be delivered in volumes. Thus, the key is in picking what you decide to be specific about. Does a potential employer really need to know every single thing you've done in every job you’ve ever had? No. But, you might want to elaborate on the fact that you "increased company profits by 50 percent in the first quarter." This will speak volumes over being vague and simply stating that you "increased profits."

Don't be Superfluous: Sure, a resume is your podium, a proverbial place for you to stand on your accomplishments and "Thank the Academy." Even so, there are certain things a resume should not include. A list of hobbies, for instance, is a waste of space. Most employers don't have the time - or patience - to read about how you won first place in the city bowling league. Salary requirements are another thing that should be omitted. Unless they are specifically requested, listing salary requirements can take you out of the running before the race has even begun. An applicant must first charm an employer before automatically ruling themselves out by asking for too much money.

Add on Finishing Touches: An effective resume needs to have confidence, but also humility. Being overly timid, or overly boastful, will both work against you. Keep in mind that you are asking for a "chance" at a job. This makes your task particularly challenging: you need to make the potential employer think that you walk on water, without actually saying that you do. A resume should also be eloquent and intellectual, but not overly verbose with big-worded vocabulary. An employer doesn't want to, and probably won't, consult a dictionary to decipher what a resume is trying to convey. Finally, the checking of spelling and grammar is an essential part of the resume process. Before submitting a resume to a employer, you should proofread your resume like someone with obsessive compulsive disorder. Getting someone else to look it over is also a good idea. Nothing will hurt a resume more than typos, spelling mistakes, or incorrect usage of grammar.

If even after a stellar resume is written, and sent to prospective employers, the applicant still has no hope at finding a job, simply initiate plan B: Marry Rich.

About the Author
Jennifer Jordan is an editor and staff writer for http://www.verbaladvantage.com. An English major and professional writer, she spends her days correcting grammar and wondering why she's unpopular.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=777066

Attractive Attachments: A Cover Letter Tip Package

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Attractive Attachments: A Cover Letter Tip Package by Mario Churchill

Many people do a lot of research on what goes into an effective cover letter. They find the best formats that are not only easy on the eyes, but are easy to type and print as well. They look for the best words that can give the letter the most positive air, without making it appear too overbearing or trite. They advocate using the best paper, the best ink, and signing the letter with the best signature you can make.

A cover letter, however, is nothing without the elements that turn it into a professional package. It has to be brief, with simple, direct language that attracts attention. It has to be personalized: it must address a specific person, and it should be signed personally, by the person making the job application. It has to be neat, and it has to be accompanied by what the employer desires - and more.

What more can you add to an already well-crafted cover letter? First, do not be afraid to add a post-script, or the P.S. Although this may seem unprofessional, research shows that it is actually attention getting: the P.S. can force prospective employers, already busy with other letters, to take a look at the bottom of your letter even if they have not skimmed or read your letter first.

Because the P.S. calls so much attention to itself, you might want to place all the important information there. Tell the prospective employer that you are available for a job interview; indicate where and when you can be contacted, and provide all your contact information, including a valid email address. Do not crowd so much information into the P.S., however, as this can make your letter appear cluttered, and you can appear more desperate than you really are.

You might also want to add attachments to your cover letter and resume, even if the prospective employer did not ask for them. There are only two things that can happen: either your prospective employer will throw them away, or he or she can examine them in greater detail. Force the latter possibility by printing out important documents on high quality paper, or providing high resolution images of your work, depending on what job you are applying for.

If you are applying to be a writer, add writing samples, and, if possible, show your versatility in both fiction and non-fiction. If you have already published your work, give high-resolution photocopies straight from the magazine, journal, newspaper, or book in which your work appeared. Provide contact information of editors or bosses who helped you in your previous writing gigs.

If you are a web designer or graphic designer, you will need to show the most attractive parts of your portfolio. Provide a hard copy of your works printed out on high quality paper, with high quality ink; and give a CD copy of your works. You can also provide URL information for sites that you designed or contributed designs to. As in the advice for writers, provide contact information of your clients who can attest to your qualifications as a designer.

If you are applying to be a nurse or doctor, attach photocopies of certificates of workshops that you have attended. These can show that you are willing to learn new things, and that you are always seeking to improve your craft.

No matter what position you are applying for, make your cover letter great, and follow the tips in this cover letter tip package. Always show how passionate you are about the job, without looking desperate or childish. Show how well you know the job, and how enthusiastic you are for an interview. If you can convey all your emotions in a brief, powerful letter, you may soon write your own cover tip package for people who need your expertise for their own forays into job seeking!

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter tip checkout his recommended websites.

source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=509912

Write That Effective Cover Letter Easily And Get That Job You Desperately Want

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Write That Effective Cover Letter Easily And Get That Job You Desperately Want by Mario Churchill

Many people craft their resumes until their jobs are well-described, and their educational background is well-outlined. Other people take care of their writing or design samples, so that such articles look professional, and show how masterful their creator is. Still other people strive to get themselves noticed in popular media and online, so that when they apply for a job, they have media clippings to show their prospective employers. And still, other people concentrate on schoolwork, so that they have a great transcript to show off come job seeking time.

What many job applicants cannot do, however, is write an effective cover letter that can go with the resume, samples, and clippings. A resume will only list your accomplishments, but it cannot describe how you applied the things you learned. Writing or design samples can show your abilities, but not your people skills. Media clippings can show that you are savvy with the press, but they do not describe what you are like behind the klieg lights and photographs. Lastly, a transcript will list only what you learned, not how well you used your knowledge.

An effective cover letter will show prospective employers what your other documents cannot. It can present your prospective employers with evidence of your ability to talk, reason, and sell yourself - all in a few paragraphs of text set on a single page. In other words, an effective cover letter not only presents your accomplishments: it talks about you.

What goes into an effective cover letter? One major element is personality. If you pick a generic cover letter from a magazine or website, chances are, you will look like a generic would-be employee as well. This is something you want to avoid if you want to stand out from the crowd and get yourself hired.

A fault of most generic cover letters is the heading of "Dear Sir or Madame," which can alienate your prospective employer. Do research on the company you are applying for: an effective cover letter should show that you are also aiming to meet the goals of the company, and that you know exactly who to talk to. Both these tasks show that you are resourceful, and that you know what exactly you want - two characteristics that employers look for when they are hiring new staff.

Use language that is attention grabbing. Another mistake many people make is to use big words or convoluted sentences, thinking that they can impress their prospective employers with language. You can impress your prospective employers more by being simple and direct: they have little time to open their dictionaries or decode your English, so they are easily impressed by brief letters that grab their attention and go straight to the point.

However, be polite and professional, and avoid being curt. Remember, you are the one in need of a job, and you need to show what you are like when you finally get the job. Maintain tact at all times, be creative, but do not be childish - if you pepper your cover letter with witticisms and jokes, your prospective employers will not take you seriously.

Lastly, request for an interview, and provide all your contact information. An effective cover letter should not leave the recipient hanging; instead, it should show the recipient what he or she should do. End your letter on a positive note, and follow up a few weeks after you send the letter. Show that you are persistent, but not annoying; and that you want the job, but you are not desperate.

An effective cover letter should show you as you are. You have to be passionate about the job, professional, and yet full of enthusiasm and great ideas just waiting to be heard. If you can make an effective cover letter to go with your resume, transcript, writing samples, and media clippings, then you have already won half the employment battle.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on effective cover letter checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=508070

Cover Letter Tips That Touch More Than Just The Tip Of The Employment Iceberg

Resume Cover Letter Articles : Cover Letter Tips That Touch More Than Just The Tip Of The Employment Iceberg by Mario Churchill

Employment today is more diverse, but competition is stiffer than ever before. Not only do you have to be well-educated, you also have to be a well-rounded employee with a lot of experience, not to mention personality. Such traits can be difficult to deduce from someone's resume or transcript: after all, a resume is only a list that shows how much education was given to you, and how many times you have been employed, while a transcript will show what grades you got. All these records will not show how much you learned, what you did with your education, and if you have learned anything from your past forays into employment.

In a job application, a cover letter can show your prospective employer all these and more. Sadly, today's job applicants, although more competitive, also tend to be lazier than usual. They will look for generic cover letters online, change a few facts, print it out, and send it to only one employer. They will address the letter to no one in particular, and will usually stick to the safe, "Dear Sir or Madame," or worse, "To whom it may concern." Lastly, the applicant will wait for a reply, often for weeks on end, before repeating the cycle.

This self-defeating cycle is something that you want to avoid if you are applying for a job. Your goal is not simply to get the application over with: you should shine and stand out above all the other job applicants, and you should get a job interview, at the very least. A few cover letter tips should get you going, so follow these cover letter tips and you just might find yourself getting the job that you want.

First, do as much research as you can about the company. Sure, they have a job opening that you think you will excel at, but are the company's goals also your own? Is the company's mission and vision in line with your own mission and vision? How well do you know the company? Have you visited its website? Who is your employer?

You will need to take note of all these facts before you even craft your letter. Moreover, address your letter to the person who will hire you, not to anyone in particular. Remember, the more personalized your letter is, the easier it will be for you to get a job. However, do not go overboard on being personal: you also want to look professional, not sensational, childish, or hyperactive. As long as your values, goals, vision, and mission are aligned with those of the company, then you can be sure that you have one foot into their doors already.

Next, make your letter brief. Usually, a single page of about four short paragraphs of text will do the trick. Employers have little time to browse through piles and piles of letters all saying the same thing. You need to stand out, so say as much in as few words as possible. Your goal is to take the employer's attention within the first few lines of your letter, and to make the employer read all about you and want to hire you - or, at the very least, call you in for an interview.

State specifically that you are available for an interview, then provide all your contact details. Make sure that your email address is up and running, and that you will be available to answer all telephone calls. Send the letter according to the information provided in the job opening, and wait patiently - for about two weeks.

If you have not heard from the company, send a fresh cover letter and another resume, and indicate that you are making a follow up. This might increase your chances of getting an interview, or even getting the job, if the employer sees how persistent you can be. If this doesn't work out, keep applying, and never say die! If you work hard enough, you will get the job that you want in no time.

About the Author
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter tips checkout his recommended websites.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=507967

What You Should Know About Resume Styles

Free Resume Examples Articles : What You Should Know About Resume Styles by Carlee Evie

The job market is extremely competitive, and you want to make the best impression possible. While there hundreds of resume styles being used by job seekers, you want to take the time to choose the right one.

You may be wondering why there even has to be so many styles. Well, for starters, resumes aren't just presented as physical documents any more. There's a growing trend for people to view documents like resumes on the computer. A style that works splendidly as a printed document just will not work as well when sent through email or fax. So, this has naturally led to more styles for each medium.

Then you also need to consider that certain positions may call for a very specific resume style. So you'll need to be adaptable. You'll want to tweak your resume to suit each situation so that it showcases your relevant skills. That's what a resume is for, after all: To show off your expertise.

The most prevalent resume style is the chronological template, by far. As most can guess from its name, the chronological resume lists all the previous jobs you've, starting with the most current or recent.

Then there is the functional style, a slightly newer template that has been getting more attention lately. Instead of listing your jobs and accomplishments by date, you list your most impressive qualifications first and then work your way down to the lesser ones. This kind of resume is easy to skim, which helps a prospective employer decide if you sound like a good match for the job. It also helps beef up your strong points.

You'll find a few other resume styles as well, but most of them are just variations of the chronological and functional resumes. By the way, don't shy away from experimenting with different combinations of resume styles to suit your needs. The whole idea behind the resume is to communicate your abilities in the clearest way possible, and choosing the best resume style gives you the freedom to do that.

About the Author
Trying to Write the Perfect Resume? Visit Make a Resume. We show you everything from How to Do a Resume that Stands Out to Free Resume Templates and more!

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=776581

Jobs: The Ideal Resume

Free Resume Examples Articles : Jobs: The Ideal Resume by Nicholas Tan

When one goes for an interview, the potential employer has no idea of who the applicant is. In some cases, the person applied to the ad while others used a headhunter or job site on the internet and matched their credentials for the position.

The first impression employers always look at is one’s resume. Given the many that apply, this usually takes about 30 seconds and so with the limited words, one must be sure that the resume is well written and grammatically correct.

The resume must say almost everything about the person. This should always start with pertinent information such as the person’s name, age, address, contact number and social security number. The details here are needed so if one is considered to be a potential employer, it will be easy for the company to get in touch with the applicant and be scheduled for an interview.

Next is the career objective which is the reason why the applicant wants to apply for the position. By putting a strong goal in mind and not a general one, the employer will see that this person has a direction which is why that person wants to work for the company.

The next section should include the relevant skills and knowledge one has had in the current and previous jobs as well as highlighting one’s major accomplishments. By putting in detail the things one has done in that position and experiences learned from it, that information is already basis for the employer to see the potential the applicant has for that position. It shows the qualities one possesses and the benefits one can contribute to the further growth of the company.

After that, the resume should show one’s educational background. Some companies prefer someone with a degree in a certain field, a licensed professional to do the job or one who possesses a master’s degree. By showing one’s credentials, it is a good indicator of the type of training one has possessed in school and the accomplishments one has achieved in the course of one’s career.

The latter section should provide details such as hobbies, interests and character references. Employers look at potential applicants who not only have the qualifications for the job but also those who also those who are well rounded. Being active in a certain organization and be seen as a leader in a group shows one’s social skills with others. Character references do the same and give people an idea how one performed working with that person.

There is no ideal resume. It depends on the job. It is an important step one must pass before being called for that first interview.

About the Author
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Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=771536