Published: March 28, 2006 04:14 pm         

Guide to resumes

The resume is a very misunderstood document. Too often people assume that once they put together the "perfect" resume, then jobs will open for them. Alas, it is not that simple...



Let's begin with misconceptions about resumes, get those out of the way, then move on to getting a resume to work for you.



Common Misconceptions



You can put together the perfect resume that describes you and your experience.



One resume that you dust off and send for every job, no matter how "good," works even less than a pair of pants labeled "one size fits all." You need to tailor your resume for the specific organization and position.



The way to land a job is to blanket the earth with your resume. Eventually, the resume will spark a job offer.



The keyword is "eventually." This is one of the least productive methods to find a job. Sure, if you send enough resumes and wait long enough, you may get a job offer this way. But few people want to take those kinds of chances and wait that long.



Resumes need to stand out to be noticed. Use fancy fonts, boxes, unique spacing and layout.



One of the new wrinkles that has entered with the Information Age is that many organizations are now scanning the resumes they receive and placing them in a computer databank. All the above elements would cause your resume to be illegible and you might as well have thrown your resume in a trash can.



Basics of Resume Writing



If you've made it this far and are reading this page, you must be at some point in a career transition. It may be that you are only considering new directions toward career development or career management. Or you may need to find a job as soon as possible. Either way, you need to write a resume.



You already know that one resume does not fit all positions. However, writing the first resume or your basic resume will take the most amount of time. After it is completed, you can use it to build resumes for specific positions.



If you get stuck for a word while describing your accomplishments while writing your resume, check our list of action verbs.



Online Resumes



There are dozens of sites on the Internet where you can post your resume. Depending upon your field, mobility factor and how urgent your need to find immediate employment, this might be one of the few avenues you use or just one of many.



Scannable Resumes



It's difficult to think of anything more disappointing than to work hard on creating a fantastic resume for an position that you want very badly and are eminently qualified for....only to have your resume tossed in the waste basket unread because it was unscannable.



Many organizations are now scanning resumes into a computerized database using an optical scanner. The scanner "reads" the resume and stores it as a computer file. Two potential problems can arise for the person who submits a resume that ends up being scanned into a database.



The optical scanner may not be able to read your resume due to the type font, layout and format you use.



The computer will retrieve resumes from the database based on key words. If you neglect to use the key words, your resume won't be selected.