MET COUNCIL’S HELPFUL TIPS
WRITING A SUCCESSFUL RESUMÉ
This is a guide written by Perry Newman, CPC about the steps to successfully job hunt. The guide walks you through building a strong resumé to
preparing for a job interview.
For personal help with your resumé, contact Met Council’s Career Services Department at 212.453.9520 or [email protected].
A proud affiliate of
www.metcouncil.org
Job Hunting in the 21st Century
The New Reality
by Perry Newman, CPC
March 2009 Edition
First Impressions Resumes
(646) 894-4101 or (718) 332-6130
www.firstimpressionsresumes.biz
Compliments of:
What You Need to Know About A Resume
A resume is perhaps the most important marketing tools in your portfolio.
In most cases it is the initial contact you have with a decision maker, and it is very important
that your resume makes a positive and lasting first impression. There are several things you
need to be know before submitting your resume to an employer or people in your network.
1. A resumes is a snapshot of who you are, not a documentary film or an autobiography.
2. A resume is a marketing document, it must sizzle and sell.
3: A resume is about accomplishments and achievements, not prior job responsibilities.
4: A resume should be 1 page and no more that 2 pages, even for a senior executive.
4: Some resumes need to pass through ATS and OCR scanners, make sure yours can.
5. A resume should focus on the job you want, not jobs you have left or are leaving.
3. Properly placing keywords in your resume is a MUST if you want to see results.
4. Resumes must be 199% grammatically correct, and spelling errors are unacceptable.
5: You have 10 seconds to impress a decision maker; so make your resume easy to read
when it is visually scanned, and make all your selling points jump off the page .
6: Use a format that is best suited to your strengths and hides your weaknesses.
7. Prepare an ASCII resume if you use job post boards.
8. Include important keywords to attract attention from ATS and OCR scanners.
Paper Resume Formats
To look for a job today most of you will need to prepare multiple resumes; a paper resume for mailing,
faxing, networking and to use on interviews; and an electronic resume to respond to online postings.
The three most common paper resume formats are Chronological, Functional and Combination.
Chronological Resumes
This format lists your jobs and education in chronological order from your most recent position and
going backwards to your first job, and contains exact dates of employment in months and years.
In this resume format, for each job you present 2-5 lines on your value and 2-5 achievements in bullet
points and then your academic and other credentials. This format works best if you have a stable work
history; and it is the format of choice for most employers because it is easy to read and process.
Functional Resumes
This format summarizes your skill sets and accomplishments, and just lists the places you worked at,
rather than emphasizing your employment history in chronological order.
There can be several subsets in a functional resume including a Profile, Summary of Qualifications,
and a listing of specific Skills Sets.
This is a good format for career changers, people who moved from job to job and/or have gaps in their
employment history. It helps the reader focus on what you are capable of achieving, rather than on
your dates of employment.
Combination Resumes
This format lists your skills and experience first. Your employment history is listed next. With this type
of resume you can highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and
also provide the chronological work history that employers prefer.
Electronic Resumes
Electronic Resumes
Instead of screening resumes the old fashioned way, by reading them, many companies pre-screen
resumes using automatic tracking systems and optical character readers that scan and filter resumes
for predetermined keywords and content.
This is why you need an electronic resume to compliment your paper resume. Electronic resumes fall
into several categories, however to simplify matters, we will focus on the most common ones: e-mail /
ASCII resumes, Web resumes and scannable resumes.
Not long ago you went to the Sunday papers to find job openings, and you then mailed your resume or
called the employer directly to set up a job interview. Today you can go online and access thousands
of jobs by typing in keywords on hundreds of online job boards and job banks, any time of day or night.
Within seconds, your computer displays a list of leads selected to meet your specific requirements.
Another couple of keystrokes and your resume can be electronically transferred to potential employers
– no paper, no stamps, no delays!
To be sure your resume gets through the ATS and OCM gatekeepers, you may want to reformat your
paper resume into an electronic resume.
Creating an Electronic E-mail Resume
How to Create an E-Mail / ASCII Resume in MS Word
1. Save a copy of your existing resume on your computer with a new name. Then make any changes
like adding an e-mail address and more keywords.
2. Next, save this document again; this time use SAVE AS and where it says ‘Save As Type’ choose
either plain text or text only file. Your computer may warn about that your format may change, but
disregard the warning because that is what you want to do. When saving this document, name it
document John Doe ASCII res.
3. After saving it in text format exit your Word program. Then go back to Word and reopen the
document. You will find the formatting enhancements stripped from the resume. Bold print, italics, lines
and such will now be gone and in some cases, bullets will automatically turn into asterisks (*) or
dashes (-). If not, make these replacements yourself.
4. Now you want to clean up all the extra spaces or gaps caused by tabs. You can start by spell
checking the document; this should find most spacing errors. Then proofread it one more time to make
sure all the corrections are in order and the gaps are gone. Then make sure your name is at the top
flush left and your address, phone and e-mail address are stacked on separate line below.
5. Regardless of how you originally formatted your paper resume, all section headings should now be
placed flush left and all the text should appear directly underneath. You can add one hard return
between paragraphs that are not separated, but if you add more returns, they won't “hold” and may
cause problems later.
6. Check your changes, save the document, exit the program and open it again to review the results.
7. Before you e-mail this resume, you should test it a few times and see how it holds up. E-mail the
document to yourself, print it out and see what it looks like. In most cases, additional clean-up will be
needed before it's ready to use. Repeat all the steps as you edit and do not send it out until you are
100% sure the formatting is perfect and will hold up in an email.
HTML and Web Resumes
Over the past few years HTML or Web resumes have played an increasing role in online
job searching, especially for candidate’s who desire to expand their online presence and
develop a unique personal brand.
HTML formats also benefit professionals, contractors, and entrepreneurs who require a
broader, visually-oriented portfolio to display samples of their work; since web pages can
include photographs, design/layout graphics, streaming video, flash graphics and other
hi-tech resources, and they can be linked to other websites or direct readers to other
sites.
The beauty of an online resume is it can be a comprehensive eFolio or a one page HTML
document. A benefit of having a web resume is you can optimize it and create a
searchable online image and personal brand. When an employer receives your paper or
electronic resume it can direct them to the web resume for additional facts and a
personal portrait of you and samples of your work.
Employers may also Google you before they call, and this will direct them to your
personal brand and create a great first impression.
Hosting costs are minimal and designers can create simple web-resumes for a low cost.
Careerbuilders.com also provides a free video resume service.
Curriculum Vitae
You may have also heard people refer resumes as a CV or by its more formal name,
Curriculum Vitae.
Although a resume and CV serve the same purpose they differ in content and usage.
In the USA a CV is used primarily by educators, scientist, doctors and people seeking
grants. Where a resume is 1-2 pages in length a CV is 3-5 pages, and it can contain as
many as 12-15 pages if the owner has many research projects to their credit and /or has
published extensively.
in addition to information found on a resume, a CV contains a summary of the
candidate’s education and academic background, as well as pertinent, detailed
information concerning their teaching and research experience. A Curriculum Vitae also
lists publications, presentations, awards, honors, class standing and professional and
social affiliations, and a CV includes more details than a job resume, without being overly
verbose.
A CV is also required when applying for all types of jobs overseas where this format is
the standard. On these CV you will also include personal information such as birth date,
height, weight and marital status; information that is frowned upon on an American
resume.
Introducing Job/Resume Posting Boards
Internet technology allows information to flow instantly 24/7/365. This is why over 80% of
the nation’s employers and job seekers use the internet, in some way, for recruitment and in
conducting their job search.
Most large companies have a webpage on their website where they post their job openings
and allow candidates to forward a resume for future consideration. You will also find that
most companies today request that you e-mail them a resume. Mailing your resume is now
almost obsolete, and faxing it is not far behind.
Another recent addition to the search and recruitment process is job posting and resume
posting boards. These are websites where companies and recruiters will post job opening
(for free or for a fee), and candidates can search them for free.
These post boards also have a place where candidates can post their resume for free, and
employers can search the resume database (in most cases for a fee) to find candidates for
their job opening.
There are several types of posting boards and each has its own niche.
What is a Job/Resume Posting Board
There are literally thousands of places online - which in recruiter jargon are called job
boards – where you can post your resume and search for a job.
But before you boot up your computer, you need to do your homework and come up with a
strategy. You must determine where to post your resume to be seen by the right decision
makers - and not by your bosses -, and you need to know which job postings are worth
responding to and which ones are a long shots at best.
So let’s first discuss the different types of job boards.
Although there are over 5,000 posting boards on the internet, they can be broken down into
five major categories.
1: National Job Boards
2: Industry and Profession Specific Job Boards
3: Local, Regional and Geographic Location Specific Job Boards
4: Corporate/Recruiter websites
5: Information Exchange and Networking websites
Types of Job/Resume Posting Boards
National Job Boards
The most well known posting boards are the National Posting Boards. These are the industry leaders.
You see them advertised on the Super Bowl, on national and local radio and TV, on billboards and in
national magazines.
They can also found on every search engine as a ‘Sponsored Results’ listing that comes up in the Top 10
or on the right hand side whenever you do a search for a for employment related keyword.
National Job Boards may contain 100,000+ employer job listings and candidate resumes covering all 50
states in dozens of job categories and sub-categories. Examples of the most populated and the most
popular National Job Boards are Monster.com, HotJobs.com and CareerBuilder.com.
Industry and Profession Specific Job Boards
As the volume of online resumes and the competition to find a perfect candidate keeps growing,
recruiters found a way to do their job more expeditiously by using job boards that list job opportunities
and resumes within specific professions and industries, i.e. Information Technology, Accounting &
Finance, Law etc.,
Examples of a these types of posting boards are Dice.com, an industry specific site for IT professionals,
and 6FigureJobs.com a posting site that focuses on jobs and candidates with a salary over $100K.
Local, Regional and Geography Specific Job Boards
Most businesses and recruiting companies do not have the budget nor the time or staff to receive or
search through the volume of resumes a national job board can generate.
Additionally, most employers and candidates want to narrow a search to a radius of 5-50 miles. This is
where these Job Boards come into play. The most popular one today is Craigs List which has
independent sites in most areas in the country, and most local newspapers post job openings online.
Corporate/Recruiter Websites
Corporate/Recruiter Websites
To beef up their recruitment efforts, especially in diversity recruitment, more and more
companies have incorporated a job listing or career page on their website.
The public can search for current jobs and submit a resume on these WebPages, and they
can submit a resume that will be stored in their database
These sites have one unique benefit, that being when you do get an interview you will find
useful information about the company history, corporate culture, benefits, products,
services and much more. This information is critical to know before you meet with them
face-to-face.
On the flip side permanent and temporary staffing agencies, industry/profession specific
recruitment organizations, and executive search firms have access to the largest number
and widest range of job opening both nationally and locally, most of which will go
unadvertised. Collectively they can cover the most ground for you in a job search, and
most have a place on their website where you can submit your resume. A word of advise
here; when you blindly submit your resume, do so with caution.
Networking Websites
Social Networking and Information Exchange websites
The way people communicate today, especially anyone under 30 years of age, is
electronically. Conversations today are passé’. If you want to communicate today you send
an email or a text message. If you want to know what’s going on in the news, in sports,
what’s on TV or playing in the movies, you search the web.
Most important if you want to meet new people and develop a network of people who can
help you further your career and job search you use social networking and information
exchange sites.
These sites are rapidly increasing in popularity with people looking for a job and with people
who are recruiting and hiring employees.
Unlike the other posting websites which are impersonal, these websites facilitate
communication with your friends and allow you to develop a network of personal, social and
business contacts. One other advantage of these sites is they promote audio/visual contact
by allowing members to post pictures and online videos that can be viewed by others.
Examples of these sites types of sites are Facebook and Linkedin .com
Pros and Cons of Job/Resume Posting Boards
National Boards
The main advantage of a national board is sheer volume. Or so we may think. From the perspective of
the number of online job listings this is indisputably true. However you must understand that while
national boards do not charge a fee to post a resume, employers pay a fee to post jobs and access the
website resume database. Depending on the board, the fees an employer must pay can be quite steep
and this limits the number and type of companies and recruitment firms that are using them on an as
need and ongoing basis. What you will find is that companies with multiple locations and lots of jobs to fill
tend to use national job boards, as well as aggressive private search consultants, and generally they use
tend to use ATS to screen resumes and are very selective in the candidates that they contact for
interviews.
One other note of interest about national job boards you may want to consider. Because of economic
conditions more and more people are willing to relocate for a job, therefore many people respond to
postings outside their geographic area. Not surprising, the majority of employers want to hire someone
who lives at most within a 90 minute commute. So if you live outside these parameters the odds are you
will not be considered.
Another interesting factor to consider is who is most likely to respond to an online posted resume. This
too is not surprising. You will get many more sales recruiters responding to your resume than actual
employers.
The reason is that employers look for serious candidates, whereas recruiters look at you with a different
perspective. When they contact you from a national board their call may not be because they have a job;
rather may want to pick your brains.
So beware when you get a call from a recruiter, and don’t be gullible. Recruiters, at least the good ones,
are best at being friendly and engaging people in casual conversation. They know how to pump you
subtly for the interviews you’ve gone on, who you met with and for the places you are pending. My rule of
thumb is, if a recruiter tells you they need this information to make sure you didn't interviewed with one of
the firm’s client they are fishing, and you should respond with caution.
Pros and Cons of Job/Resume Posting Boards
Industry and Profession Specific Job Boards
These boards can be either national, regional or local in scope, and they offer a targeted
audience of your peers. They are excellent for professionals, especially in IT, and are also a
good barometer of the market for your skills and for salaries.
Recruitment firms use these boards quite extensively, but you will also find more direct
employer listings here then on national boards, and employers will be more receptive on
these boards to candidates who desire to relocate. One negative is they resumes get
electronically prescreened, and a large percentage of resumes screened out while in transit
Local, Regional and Geographic Location Specific Job Boards
If you live in a populated area like New York, Boston or Chicago these boards are excellent
sources for job with small, midsize and emerging businesses. Sites like Craigs List break
down job listings into over a dozen categories and they will list as many as 5,000 jobs on
any given day, and I recommended them highly.
Also, since their resume postings can be searched are free by employers there is a better
chance it will be seen by a company who needs your services. On the down side, they are
used by smaller companies with lower salaries and receive a disproportionate number of
responses for each job posting.
Pros and Cons of Job/Resume Posting Boards
Corporate and recruitment firm websites
As we mentioned before, corporate websites are a good sources for jobs in larger and
national companies. However I find that the people who screen resumes on these sites tend
to give preference to candidates who are currently employed and looking for a new job, and
unemployed candidates are less desirable.
When it comes to recruitment firm websites, if you're unemployed there’s no harm in posting
your resume with them. However if you are employed, I suggest you do so with caution.
Social Networking and Information Exchange websites
As far as I am concerned these are excellent sites for all job seekers. They offer you the
opportunity to develop a large business network that will carry over for years to come, they
allow you to ask serious questions from your peers and from people at the top of your field,
and they allow you to create a brand.
Before going on an interview you are likely to do a Google search of the company and the
interviewer you will be meeting. Believe it or not, interviewer’s today are just as likely to
Google you to find out more about who you are. Social networking sites are a great way to
increase your online image and create a personal brand.
Best of Luck
I hope you found the information in this book informative and put it to good use.
Looking for a job, getting ahead in ones career or changing occupations are not easy
things to do. But with focus and direction you will succeed.
What is most important is to keep your eye on the big picture, being a person who people
admire and respect. No one will fault you for the situation you are in, but people will judge
you by how you react to adversity.
Keep your head held high, never lose sight of your dreams and don’t let anyone tell you
that you’re a failure.
The only time you fail is when you give up hope and stop trying. Keep plugging away and
eventually you’ll succeed.
Please send any comments or suggestions [email protected]
Perry Newman, CPC