Sample Resume Blog

There are some situations in which it is better to hire a professional resume writer rather than to write the resume yourself.

1. If you are making a major career change. An example of this is where you are advancing from one career level to the next one. Another example is when you are moving from one industry to another. In both cases, it might be wise to consider enlisting the services of a professional resume writer to help you make a winning resume.

In the first case, if you are positioning yourself to make a move from your present entry level job to a middle level or management job, you might consider enlisting the services of a professional resume writer to help you create a winning resume that will make the move a reality. As it were, the focus areas for an entry-level resume are generally quite different from the focus areas for a management level resume. As an example, an entry level resume will tend to focus more on your certifications and other academic qualifications, whereas the managerial resume will typically need to focus more on your professional accomplishments and leadership abilities; of course, in addition to your basic academic qualifications.

The problem here is that the common resume template that is known to many people is more suitable for entry level resumes than for managerial resumes, hence the need for input from a professional resume writer when aiming for an upward career shift. Similarly, when you are moving from one industry to another, you might need to get input from a professional resume writer. This is because different industries call for different focus areas in a resume, if one is to be considered a properly qualified job candidate.

2. If your current resume is consistently failing you. If, in spite of being highly qualified, you are consistently being left out of employer short lists, then your resume could very possibly be one of the reasons for this. Engaging the services of a professional resume service can help you convert a seemingly jinxed resume into a winning tool.

3. If many people have independently made a note of the fact that your resume needs some refining. As it were, the world around us is always giving us feedback, if only we are focused enough to take note of it and act on it. The problem is that many people are rather too polite to tell you to your face that your resume needs a makeover, but there are some subtle ‘slips’ that will tell you that someone, however polite, is not impressed with your resume. A professional resume service will give your current resume an objective critique, and suggest possible changes which can turn it into a more impressive tool. 

Thus if you are positioning yourself to make a major career change, or if your current resume is consistently failing you or if your there seems to be consensus among the people who see your current resume on the fact that it needs some more work, you would be well advised to engage the services of a professional resume service. Most professional resume services charge very reasonable rates for their services, and many people who have used their services say that they are well worth the small fee they charge for their input. Some of them are listed below.

http://www.cpresumes.com/

Unless otherwise explicitly instructed by the employer, every resume sent out must be accompanied by a cover letter to introduce it.

The cover letter serves a number of purposes:

1. The cover letter gives you a chance to personally introduce yourself to your prospective employer. The cover letter also gives the employer a glimpse into your personality, and if your portrayed personality is compelling enough, it gives the employer a reason to want to learn more about you in the resume, and hopefully consequently invite you to an interview.  As it were, a resume is rather impersonal in tone, and provides a poor forum for a personal introduction. It is this impersonality of the resume that the cover letter bridges. The cover letter, in essence, infuses some personality into your resume — and your personality is a very important factor to the prospective employer. No employer wants to work with an employee who has a sloppy personality. An example of an attractive personality trait, which the cover letter might reveal (depending on how you it lay out,) is neatness and good personal organization. If your cover letter is particularly neat, that alone might earn you an interview with the prospective employer. Conversely, if your cover letter is not neat or is full of typos and grammatical mistakes, it might be reason enough for the employer to deny you an interview, seeing that no one wants to work with a careless employee.

2. The cover letter gives you a chance to prove your communication skills, which are essential in any job. In fact, this is the reason why many employers insist that you write your cover letter in your own handwriting. They want to hear your voice in the cover letter and see how you express yourself. Note that if you prove to have strong communication skills through your cover letter, that alone will be a major competitive advantage over your competitors who are not so great at communication, and can actually land you the job in some instances. At the very least, depicting good communication skills through your cover letter would make the prospect of interviewing you less foreboding for the employer.

3. The cover letter gives you a forum to introduce your resume. Without a cover letter, the resume comes out as ‘exposed’ or ‘hanging’ as it were. It is through a resume that you get a chance to explain to the prospective employer why you are applying for the position. If, for example, you are applying for the job in response to an advertisement placed somewhere in the media, it is only through the cover letter that you get a chance to explain that fact. Otherwise, a resume without a cover letter might leave the employer wondering what it is all about. Or even worse, it might send out the wrong signal that you are presumptive, that is, that you assume that your resume is so good that it doesn’t need a cover letter — and most employers don’t want a job candidate with that kind of attitude.

It is with these purposes in mind that you should tailor your cover letter, keeping the end result in mind.   You can either do this by yourself or you can seek for the help of a professional service like ResumeEdge.com. Although I have not used Amazing Cover Letters by Jimmy Sweeney might solve your problem for a fraction of the cost.

Many people take it for granted, but the task of writing a winning resume is a delicate one. As it were, a resume has to make a strong positive impact within just a few seconds so that, hopefully, it earns you a chance at an interview, where you can explain your case and sell yourself to the employer. In this regard, a resume is very much like a TV ad, which has very few seconds to make an impact and convince the viewer to check out a product. But, unlike a TV ad that is aired day after day, a resume typically has only one chance of to make its impact on the employer.

This is because recruitment is usually done by busy executives and, due to the numerous resumes which are received for all attractive positions, each resume normally gets only a few seconds to make its impact. Therefore a lot of care is needed in preparing your resume, if it is to make the powerful impact needed to get the executive’s attention. Here are some of the key ingredients for a resume, which you have to pay special attention to in order to craft a winner.

1. Length: A resume is meant to be a persuasive summary of your skills, and you therefore need not bog it down in too much detail. At the same time, there are some essential details which give you a competitive edge over other applicants, and you cannot afford to leave them out when creating a winning resume. This need to keep your resume short and yet ensure that all relevant details are captured, makes resume writing a delicate balancing act. To help you make a good decision on what to include and what to leave out, you should create your resume with the typical needs of employers in mind. This means putting yourself in the shoes of the employer, and asking yourself what the employer is likely to be looking for in the given position you are aiming for. You should then prepare a resume to provide that information in a concise, but persuasive, manner.  All said and done, a good resume is a page long, maximum two pages. Any resume longer than two pages is considered an awful goof.  

2. Appearance: First impressions matter in everything, and especially in job-hunting tools like resumes, which have to make a good impact within a matter of seconds. You need to create your resume in a comfortable-to-read font and color. Conventional wisdom has it that the traditional black and white is still the best color scheme to use for your resume, unless you are looking for a post in the creative arts, like in graphic design and painting, where a little more color might be in order.

3. Format: In this regard, you need to choose between a chronological and functional resume format. A chronological resume brings focus to your track record and professional achievements. A functional resume, on the other hand, brings the focus on your present competencies and other qualifications.  The chronological resume format works best for people with consistent and logical career histories, which might be used to a competitive advantage, whereas the functional format will work out best for people who feel that they lack a consistent or logical career history to write on and those who feel the need to keep the focus on their present competencies and other qualifications, knowing that is where their competitive edge lies.

The terms curriculum vitae (CV) and resume have come to be seen as meaning the same thing, and many people actually use the two interchangeably. And while both curriculum vitae and resumes serve the same primary purpose of helping people seeking employment sell themselves to prospective employers, there is nonetheless a subtle difference between a curriculum vitae and resume. And a good understanding of this difference could to a large extend determine the success of an employment candidate who decides to use one of either documents.

The main difference between a curriculum vitae and a resume lies in the level of detail. A curriculum vitae, which loosely translates to ‘flow of one’s life’ gives a more detailed account of the candidate’s academic qualifications and professional accomplishments than a resume, which tends to be a very brief summary. A typical resume tends to focus only on qualifications and professional accomplishments relevant to the position being sought, while a typical curriculum vitae shows all the applicant’s qualifications, including all certifications, licenses and awards one might have earned along the way. A curriculum vitae usually also has a whole section detailing one’s publications, which can only be fleetingly mentioned in a resume. The curriculum vitae might even show research that one did, and under whom one did it, which would be considered immodest in a resume. Consequently, the typical curriculum vitae tends to be much longer than the typical resume. In fact, recommended length a resume is one page, with a two page maximum if it must exceed a page. The recommended length of a curriculum vitae on the other hand is two pages, and more if one has the bullets to add.

Another major difference between a curriculum vitae and a resume is in their typical applications. This difference is particularly pronounced in the United States and Canada, where the curriculum vitae is typically only used by applicants to academic and research jobs, while a resume is used for all the other jobs across the board. This distinction is, however, fast spreading all over the world. A curriculum vitae is also used by people applying for scholarships, fellowships and research grants, whereas the use of a resume is generally restricted to people applying for employment only.

Yet another difference between a curriculum vitae and a resume lies in their tones. To a keen reader, a curriculum vitae tends to sound more informational, while a resume tends to sound more persuasive, even advertorial. A resume can thus be viewed as a job seekers advert in the job market, whereas a curriculum vitae is more of a factual chronology of the job seeker’s qualifications and professional accomplishments. A resume is actually meant for fast perusal (typically by a busy human resource manager), while a curriculum vitae is meant for more concentrated reading and consideration (typically by a board).

Armed with an understanding of these differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae, one is better informed on the right tool to use for the right job.

Simply put, a resume is a piece of paper that tells an employer about your relevant education, job experience, and skills. The objective of a resume is to land a job interview, so that you can then “wow” the employer in person and secure the job. Many people think that they are trying to land the job with their resume, but that is not the case. Your resume is simply a tool to help you get in front of the employer.

Since the employer can’t tell much about your from a piece of paper, you are likely to never have a resume that is good enough to actually land you the job — no matter how hard you try. Instead, you should be focused on this question: “Would this resume pique an employers interest in me, enough to call me in for an interview? Will it make him want to know more about me?”

What NOT to include on your resume …

If you have your resume template in front of you, then it is easy enough to see what you should include on a resume. Therefore, I am going to take a little bit of time to talk about what should NOT be included on your resume.

The first culprit: Things those are not relevant to your current job or industry. It doesn’t matter what you did in another field or how high you climbed up the ladder — if it is not relevant to your current job or field, then it is just talking up valuable space.

Culprit two: something that could be seen as an exaggeration or an untruth. Of course, many people use large words and fancy sentence arrangement to try and “inflate” their pat job titles, skills, and accomplishments, but there is a line that you should try not to cross. For example, saying you managed a group or team when you didn’t or saying that you are an expert at using a certain program when you aren’t.

If you avoid these two things, it will help keep you from making a mistake in the interview, being excepted for skills and accomplishments that you never had, and avoid the “rejected” pile altogether. Of course, avoiding these two things won’t guarantee that you will land an interview, but they will help keep your resume relevant and keep you out of trouble.

There are certain aspects that need to be a part of most resumes. You, of course, start with your contact information; your name, address, phone number(s), and your e-mail address. Once you have that down, you need to figure out what your objective is — in other words, what do you hope to accomplish with your job search? Other information to include: your work history, educational background, and special skills. What exact details you enter for each depends on what type of resume format you choose, as examined next …

How to Select a Resume Format

Group 1: You have a significant work history and significant educational history for the job you are applying for. These qualifications meet what you think the employer is looking for. This group should always choose a chronological resume format.

Group 2: You don’t have the work and/or educational experience that is significant for the job you are applying for. This includes those who have significant job and educational experience in one field, but who are applying for a job in another field. They may also be people who are reentering the work force after several years — such as stay-at-home moms — or newly-graduated college students who have the educational background, but no the work experience. This group may be better served by a chrono-functional or functional resume format.

Once you have collected the needed information and selected a format, simply sit down and type it out. Once you are finished, you may print our several copies to mail to employers and headhunters. You may also wish to post in online at a job search website, such as CareerBuilder.com or Monster.com. To do this, you simply register, find a job you are interested in, click the “Apply Now” button, and upload your resume.

The Internet has opened new vistas of career advancement opportunities, hitherto unimaginable. Yet many people complain that they are yet to experience the much-hyped benefits of online job search. Of course, it is hard for anyone to really benefit from the career advancement opportunities that the Internet offers if one doesn’t have the right tools to tap into those opportunities. And one of the indispensable tools one needs if they are to tap into the wealth of career advancement opportunities afforded by the Internet is a good resume for online databases. To help you acquire this crucial tool then, here are some tips for writing successful resumes for online databases.

1.      Choose the right keywords. This is the ultimate key to success with resumes for online databases. And however good your resume may be in other respects, if it fails in terms of keyword choice, then it is ultimately bound to be a flop. This is because when employers search for employees in online resume databases, they do so through keywords that reflect the kind of person they are looking for. Thus for example, someone looking for a systems administrator might enter a search for the term ‘computer support staff’ or ‘computer technician’ or simply for ‘A+.’ On the other hand, a person searching for a marketing manager may do a search on ‘business development manager’ and whereas a person looking for a human resource manager might enter ‘personnel manager’ – it is all a matter of semantics. Now the first resumes to appear under the chosen term (usually the one’s that are most keyword rich) are likely to be the only ones considered, not necessarily because they are the most qualified, but because they are the most prominent. Thus you need to consider the keywords along which you want your online resume to be considered carefully, and ensure that they include all the alternative names for your profession and the job you are searching for.

2.      Keep it Brief and concise. Remember that unlike a traditional resume which is viewed on printed paper, an online resume is likely to be viewed on a computer screen, and nobody likes to stare at a computer screen for too long or too keenly. Moreover, keep it in mind that your online resume is meant for reading over the Internet, a medium which has come to be associated with instant gratification. Therefore, you need to present your strengths in the online resume in such a way that they easily stand out. This way, the readers are able to glean all the information they are looking for through a quick scan, hence attaining the goal of instant gratification.

3.      Choose the right online resume database. Your choice of an online resume database could also determine the attention your resume gets, and ultimately, its success. As it were, some of these databases are much more prominent than others, and thus the resumes posted there receive more attention than resumes posted elsewhere. Ensure that your resume is in the right database. Better still, you might consider putting your resume in a variety of online resume databases – which doesn’t really take a lot. This way, you increase the odds of its getting the attention of as many potential employers as possible.

With aid of an online resume based on these tips, you stand a better chance to benefit from the numerous career advancement opportunities that the power of the Internet has made available.

A resume is one of the indispensable tools for people who are either planning to start out on a career or people who are planning to advance their career. It is essentially a brief and persuasive summary of one’s qualifications and professional achievements, meant to sell the author to prospective employers. And there are various types of resumes, each more suited to certain positions and circumstances. Here we consider a functional resume, and who should use it.

A functional resume is a type of resume which focuses on the author’s qualifications and professional achievements, rather than the history underlying those qualifications and achievements. Thus a typical functional resume will start by stating a career objective, then set out a summary of skills and achievements, keeping the focus on what one did – rather than on when and where. Similarly, the educational qualifications section will tend to focus on the qualifications and certifications that one earned, rather than on where and when. And properly used, this approach can keep the employer focused on what one has – rather than where one got it – and if that is impressive, give him at least a foot in the door. Once there, of course, one gets a better chance of explaining their case. The resume will have served it primary purpose, which is to get one’s foot in the door.

A functional resume is especially useful for people who feel that their career history might be a liability for them. This includes fresh college and university graduates, who are highly qualified but lack the experience to back their qualifications or who feel that they schools they graduated from don’t have established names. Through a functional resume, they can get a chance to focus the attention of the prospective employer on the qualifications they have rather than on the experience or impressive alma mater they don’t have. And if this works out alright, they might just get an interview where they can argue their case, exhibit enthusiasm and character – and very possibly find themselves taken on.

Another group that can benefit from the use of functional resumes is those that are changing careers mid-course, where they happen to realize that the experience they have accumulated may not be seen as directly related to the new career they intend to take, hence the need to focus on their qualifications. 

Yet another group of people who might find a functional resume useful over a chronological resume are people with broken career histories, like mothers who have had to take career breaks to take care of their young ones, people who have had to do time for one reason or another and that sort of thing. In this respect, one should remember that however genuine the reasons for those career gaps might be, they could still lock someone out of the initial shortlist, if one doesn’t do something about them as employers tend to have tons of resumes at the initial stage of the recruitment process. And one of the things one can do is focus the employer on their qualifications and achievements through a functional resume.

Of course, a functional resume won’t solve all troubles regarding career history. One can still expect to be interrogated about their career history during the interview. But at least, the functional resume removes the first hurdle on the way by helping one to get the interview in the first place. 

A resume has come to be expected of every applicant for almost any professional position. And while there are many types of resumes meant for a variety of uses, they all tend to fall into two broad categories, namely functional and chronological resumes. Our focus will be on the chronological resume and its applications.

A chronological resume is a type of resume which lists one’s professional and academic achievements in a historical (chronological) order, usually starting with the latest and ending with the ‘oldest’. Therefore the typical chronological resume will tend to have a section for career objectives and then sections for experience and qualifications, both starting with the most recently achieved and ending with the first, with the rest listed in between in their chronological order.   

A chronological resume tends to give equal focus on both what the achievements are, as well as on where and when they were earned. This approach works best for people with strong and consistent career histories and people who attended good schools, colleges and universities. Through a chronological resume, they are able to focus the prospective employers on their good histories – which can prove to be the big assets that set them apart – especially in a crowded field where all candidates are essentially on an equal footing in terms of other qualifications.

A chronological resume can also be useful where you happen to have worked with some big players in the industry in the past, and where you feel that the modest mention of those might give you an edge – which you can’t do well with a functional resume which tends to focus on what you did rather than on where and when.

A chronological resume shows that one is confident and proud of the consistent career path they have taken. And if one has it, such a consistent career path is highly attractive to many employers who tend to be wary of what they consider restless employees. And because of this fact, many employers are now showing an open bias to candidates who present chronological resumes. Some are even actually demanding for chronological resumes from all candidates for all professional positions. An added attraction of chronological resumes to many employers is their more logical presentation, based as they are on timelines, which tends to make them easier to skim through and glean the information one is searching for. Busy human resource executives consider this better than functional resumes, which typically require some quite concentrated reading if one is to make any real decisions based on them.

Of course, a chronological resume won’t work well for some groups of people. People with shaky career histories, for example, will find themselves hard pressed if required to develop a chronological resume, where the gaps in their career histories could look awkward.  Another group of people who might find difficulties with a chronological resume are those that have consistent (in terms of timelines) but illogical career histories, like, say someone who has worked consistently for ten years – but at three totally unrelated jobs. These groups of people tend to be uncomfortable with chronological resumes, and if you are one of these, it is advisable to opt for a good functional resume, unless a chronological resume is explicitly mentioned as a mandatory requirement.

When it comes to writing a resume, there are three main formats that you can use – Chronological, Functional, and a Chrono-Functional (a hybrid of both). Each of these formats serves a unique purpose and you will need to choose your format based on your situation. Below, we will discuss each of these three types of resume formats and tell you who should use each format.

Chronological Resume Format

A chronological resume format is likely the one that pops into your head first when you think of the word ‘resume’. This is the most popular kind that is used by professional when looking for a new career opportunity. This is best for anyone who has the past work history and/or educational credentials to perform the job they are applying for. The people who should not use a chronological resume format are entry-level job seekers who don’t have a large educational background to showcase. Nursing resume template (Available for free download) is based on chronological format. This format may not be suitable for you if your career has too many stops and starts or shorter work periods.

Functional Resume Format

A functional resume format is one that allows you to showcase your skills and abilities, rather than your work history and educational background. This type of resume is best for those who are seeking an entry-level position and do not have a large educational background to showcase. This will allow you to tell the employer what you can offer the company, while downplaying your lack of experience and education qualifications. However, you should be warned that some employers are not impressed by functional resumes, since they know that you are trying to downplay those weak areas.

Chrono-Functional Resume Format

A chrono-functional resume is a combination of the previous two resume formats. This is good for those who would like to use a functional resume, but feel that they may have a better chance by offering a few pieces of their background to the employer, or those who have a little bit of work history or educational background to showcase, but not enough for a chronological resume. Although you will briefly mention specifics of your work history with this type of resume format, there will still be a larger focus on your skills and abilities, as opposed to a chronological resume format. Sample resume for sales manager contains similarities to this format.

Remember, the goal of your resume is to land an interview. In order to do that successfully, you need to choose the resume format that is going to make you look the best. While you can use a chronological resume format with little to no work history and educational background, it will look thin and unappealing. Using a functional or chrono-functional resume format will help beef it up. On the other hand, if you have a great background to showcase, then using a functional or chrono-functional resume format would only help to draw attention away from those accomplishments. Choose wisely!