When looking for a new job – most people know that the first step is to create a resume. Your resume should detail your employment history, your education and experience at the very least. But, there are some other elements to consider so that your resume will get noticed from among the hundreds or even thousands of others. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of creating a resume that reads like a laundry list of job duties.
Three Things Your Resume Needs To Get Noticed
* Profile or Summary of Qualifications Section
* Keywords Section
* List of Achievements
What’s Your Value Proposition?
The profile section or summary of qualifications section is your Unique Selling Proposition or Value Proposition Statement and answers the question, “why should we hire you?”. It is a good way to open your resume and entice the reader to continue. It is a summary of who you are, your skills and your expertise. Your profile section should be as focused as possible. Too often people create a profile that is generic because they don’t want to limit themselves in their job search. They argue that they want the prospective employer to consider them for any or all available positions. Unfortunately this approach is doomed to fail because if you don’t know what it is that you want, then the hiring manager won’t either, regardless of the available openings. If this is you, then by all means, create more than one resume with each one focused on a different position.
How to Get Found in the Search
Keywords are important because nowadays, most companies require you to complete an on-line resume submission form on their website. The company recruiter or human resources professional will then perform a search of their database to pull up all qualified applicants so that they can begin scheduling interviews. If your resume does not contain the keywords that they’ve used in their search of the database, your resume will not come up. You should include a list of at least six keywords in bullet point form on your resume.
What Benefits Do You Offer The Employer?
Your list of achievements will generally follow the two aforementioned sections. Your achievements help the hiring manager to paint a picture in his or her mind as to what type of benefit they might realize from hiring you. Your achievements should communicate some benefit to the employer such as saving money, making money or saving time. These are benefits that all companies want. You should try and use numbers or percentages in formulating your accomplishment statements. Start by describing the situation or problem then, describe the steps you took to resolve the problem and finally the result you achieved.
Other Resume Resources To Help You:
How To Write a Resume That Works
If This Information Has Helped You…
Then visit Resume Writing Strategies Revealed. Inside you’ll uncover a wide array of tips, including:
- Selecting the resume format that’s right for you
- How to sell yourself and your skills in a resume
- What sections need to be included on a resume
- What you should avoid so that you’ll beat your competition and be selected for the interview!
- Examples of actual resumes created by me that have been effective at landing interviews for my clients.
- And, you’ll get sample cover letters as well!
Laura Whitelaw, owner of Best Choice 4 Resumes, offers solid credentials as a Certified Resume Strategist. Laura’s unique perspective of the employer’s needs allows her to expertly position her clients by preparing attention-grabbing resumes, and effective cover letters. She further boosts her clients’ job search efforts by sharing her insider’s knowledge, and coaching clients on job search and interview techniques.
Image taken on 2009-04-16 09:52:50. Image Source. (Used with permission)
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