How to write a resume

What Not to Do with Resumes

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A friend sent me two articles last week that I wanted to share.  After reading them, I want to share some advice for what NOT to do with resumes.

First article is called “Linkedin – Top 10 resume words to avoid”. According to Linked-in, the following are the top-10 most overused terms.   I did a quick check of my resume and found that I am using 3 of the 10 terms listed. ...  read more

Resume Writing Service – Pros and Cons

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If you typed in “resume writing service” on Google today, you would get over 1.8million results.  Wow, what a big market!  Should you use a resume writing service for your resume?  Is this right for you?  Here are some pros and cons to consider.

Pros:

  • Correct English: It’s always good to get another person to read your resume and make sure it is understandable and has no grammatic or spelling mistakes.  A resume writer can do that.  Of course, a friend can do that too.
  • Fresh Perspective: A good resume writer can give you a new perspective.  Instead of incrementally enhancing your resume a bit at a time, a good writer can give you quite a different version from your current one.
  • Un-attached marketer on your behave: We sometimes can be overly modest on our accomplishments or experience in our resume.  A good writer can really understand the job opportunity you want to apply, and put better emphasis / wording around your experience on your resume that best suits that opportunity
  • Dedicated, discreet help: Job search is a personal thing and sometimes it’s hard to ask friends for feedback or ask them to spend a lot of time to help.  Hiring a writer makes sure you can get someone to help and it is kept confidential

Cons:

  • Difficult to find a good writer:   How will you separate the “lemons” from the truly exceptional resume writing services? Every resume writing service on the web looks similar.   I haven’t found too many true, unbiased rating websites of who is good, who is not, and what to watch out for.    Testimonials are no longer good enough as they could be made up or they could be from people that are in complete different situations than you.   I have seen many state that they are CPRW – certified professional resume writer.  The certification cost $175 to take and provides at least some credibility.  It is unclear how much that will help you in your particular situation. To read more about CPRW click here
  • Potential disconnect between your resume and interview: If your resume is completely rewritten, you need to make sure you understand exactly what it says and it still describes you.  The worse thing you can do is get an interview with a great resume and not get the job because you sound nothing like your resume in the interview.
  • Can be expensive: Typical resume writing service are between $100 to $300.  That could be per job opportunity or type since you should have tailored resume for each job opportunity to maximize your chances.  Can you afford it if you are out of work?  What if it doesn’t help?
  • Outsource a key job search skill: Once you start outsourcing resume writing to a third party, you may need to do it every time you job search.  You are no longer developing resume writing skills yourself.  Is this okay with you?  As the old saying goes – Do you want to learn how to fish one time or buy the fish each time?

I am not writing this to advocate using a resume writing service or discourage it.  Whatever you decide is okay as long as you understand the benefit and the risks associated with it.  For those who just need basic resume guidance, you can get it for free on my site – click here for free resume template; click here for 10 key tips to an effective resume. ...  read more

Employment discrimination or job market reality?

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Yesterday, CNN Money published this article online - Out-of-work job applicants told unemployed need not apply. The gist of the article is increasingly recruiters and companies are dismissing blankly any applicant who is currently unemployed. Is this employment discrimination? what should you do if you are currently out of work?

13 Funniest Resume Bloopers

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Time to take a break from your job search efforts and check out the 150 funniest resume mistakes.  If you thought you are having a hard time with finding a job, imagine these people.  This read will cheer you up.  Here are my 13 favorites.

  1. Hobbies: “enjoy cooking Chinese and Italians”
  2. “I’m intrested to here more about that. I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer”
  3. Candidate stated the ability to persuade people sexually using her words.
  4. “Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to Detail”
  5. Woman who sent her résumé and cover letter without deleting someone else’s editing, including such comments as “I don’t think you want to say this about yourself here”
  6. “Planned new corporate facility at $3 million over budget.”
  7. “I am a wedge with a sponge taped to it. My purpose is to wedge myself into someone’s door to absorb as much as possible.”
  8. “Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.”
  9. Objective: “I want to play a major part in watching a company advance.”
  10. Qualifications: “I have guts, drive, ambition and heart, which is probably more than a lot of the drones that you have working for you.”
  11. Work experience: “Responsibilities included checking customers out.”
  12. Application: How large was the department you worked in with your last company? “A: 3 stories.”
  13. Education: “I have a bachelorette degree in computers.”

Enjoy this much needed break and good luck out there! ...  read more

Job Search Advice from a Senior Headhunter

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In addition to writing from my own experience, I also want to share career advice from experts in the field. Last week, I spent 90 minutes chatting with one such expert – Steve Meyers, a senior recruiter in executive searches. I met Steve a few years ago at a Wharton MBA alumni networking lunch. ...  read more

4 Ways to Make an Outstanding Resume

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How to makes your resume outstanding? First, I think a resume must have the basics to just stay in the competition. See my post on top 10 effective resume tips first. Assuming you have done that already on your resume, then an outstanding resume is one that is TAILORED t to the job you are applying. Yes, to stand out, you have to tailor your rsume for every type of job you are applying for and preferrably every single position if time permits. ...  read more