Archive for the 'Resume Tips' Category

It may be that trying to get that coveted position as a human resource chief will require special attention to the resume. After all, the first thing on a list of resume tips for human resource director position might include the reminder that the main task in this job are recruiting and hiring for the company. Of course, the HR director also oversees such areas as employee relations, performance evaluation and training.

However, when an individual prepares a resume in an effort to become a human resources director, chances are the folks reviewing that resume will not only look at work experience and education, but may also be a bit more critical of the resume itself. So, as a general rule on the list of resume tips for human resource director position, it may be a great idea to focus on the appearance, style and organization of the document as well as the content.

One of the best resume tips for human resource director position may be: Experts advise that a job applicant try to balance the presentation of credentials with the objective of meeting the company needs. A little attention to satisfying what the business might need will go a long way with the personnel manager, supervisor or human resource director. After all, one of the key items in the HR job description is balancing the needs of the company and the people who work for that company.

Some professionals in this field propose that the role of the human resource director has changed quite a bit in recent years. For many “traditional” HR pros, the job was one of maintaining personnel files, keeping track of benefits and vacation time, as well as handling disputes and other work issues. In many cases, the human resource director was a paperwork/records expert and not much more.

But the changes have made it necessary to include another factor on the list of resume tips for human resource director position: The position is no longer one of records and issue settlement. Those seeking a job as a modern-day HR chief should be prepared to be flexible in the 21st century Corporation. This means that the resume for someone trying for this position should show someone who can take part in company planning and strategy, as well as advocating for both the company and the employees.

Thus, it may not be enough that the applicant is strong in payroll, administration of benefits and personnel issues that primarily involve records and documents. Put this at the top of your list of resume tips for human resources director position: The modern HR director is equal parts payroll and records administrator, company executive involved in planning and strategy, and industrial/business psychologist. Showing these attributes on a resume will be very helpful.

There are many tips for writing a resume that will help someone get past the first level in the job application process. A good resume can help that person get to the interview process, if all the steps are taken properly. But the list of tips for writing a resume will fill a book, literally. Several books have been written on this subject, most of them containing excellent advice.

But it may be more productive to concentrate on a few of the basic tips for writing a resume, leaving some of the finer points to the experts who work face to face with an individual. So, where do we begin?

•Perhaps the first decision to make is this: Should they try a full resume of several pages or stick with what has become known as a qualifications brief? Committing to one or the other will help eliminate doubts and allow the applicant to put together an organized and focused document.

•After deciding which type of resume or brief to commit to, the next step is usually the gathering of information. While this may seem simple, it is a critical step in the resume process. Many experts and job application advisers put significant emphasis on advance preparation. Just because you have a good memory and think you can put all of your education, experience and activities on paper does not mean you will do that when the time comes. Take plenty of time to make notes, gather certificates and other documents. Put together a well-organized file of all the information you need to build a good resume.

•Open any guidebook on tips for writing a resume and you will find some version of the two ideas above, as well as this tip: Try to focus on what the company needs, not just on showing the personnel manager or company supervisor how great your background is. One of the keys to a successful resume process (and one of the most difficult) is to blend personal experience and education with the needs of the company or person doing the hiring. Sometimes these needs are plainly stated in an advertisement or other information provided to the applicant. Sometimes this is only available when the applicant does some research or asks a few specific questions.

•Another key item on the list of tips for writing a resume: Do not start the resume process thinking that you have no work experience. This will only make for a weak resume or qualifications brief. In fact, every individual has something to offer. The key is to find out what you alone can do well and find the position in which to use those skills.

Probably the key word in the phrase “resume building tips” is that middle one, “building.” Every expert in the personnel field, along with the professionals in resume writing, urge patient and complete preparation before the first word is written. Gathering materials carefully and thoroughly is one of the best resume building tips anyone can offer.

In fact, preparation is so important that some experts, including Richard H. Beatty, write that as much time should be spent on preparation and making notes on experience and education as on the writing of the resume itself. Beatty wrote a book, “The Resume Kit” in 1984 that is a couple of hundred pages of resume building tips. Information on preparing to write is given 18 pages in the book. In addition, preparation is woven into the rest of the book, on almost every page. So perhaps the first item on a list of resume building tips should be: Take time to prepare. Gather your information carefully.

But this author is certainly not alone in the emphasis on preparation. Even those who advise using a shorter version of the resume, called a qualifications brief, emphasize preparing your brief above all else.

What about the next steps, after careful preparation? The fact that both schools of thought, brief or full resume, begin the next step with making sure the document is clean, neat, organized….that’s the idea. On a good list of resume building tips, it may be wise to include: Appearance (of the resume) is very important. Sloppy work on the resume will tell the personnel manager or supervisor that the individual will probably do sloppy work on the job.

If the applicant is prepared and takes care to make the resume neat and organized, it is probably time to state just what it is that the prospective employee is trying to accomplish. Just about every piece of advice on resume writing includes the statement of objective. This key item among resume building tips is the applicant’s opportunity to put into words what the individual expects will happen. In this situation, the statement should focus on the abilities and accomplishments (based on experience). This is woven into a direct statement that ties past experience to the position being offered.

However, as an addition to this key factor on the resume building tips list, the applicant’s statement of objective should be closely tied to, even identical to, the objective of the company. Basically, the applicant is stating that, if the company is looking for the perfect candidate for a position, then the experience shown on the resume fits perfectly.

When it comes to tips of any kind, the best are free. When it comes to free resume writing tips that may lead to a good job, well, how does it get any better than that? Contrary to popular opinion, the subject of resumes can be exciting, especially if some of the best advice available comes to you in free resume writing tips and this advice gets you in the door of a good company.

But there is a key word in the phrase “free resume writing tips” and it isn’t the word “free.” Really! The key word is “writing.” One of the serious concerns that educators and business owners have is the lack of ability to produce good writing. Some would even say that quality writing is a lost art. Even in the case of resume preparation, one of the real problems that managers and supervisors confront is poor writing.

So, here is a good, free resume writing tip for starters: If you have problems communicating in writing, get some help with basic writing skills before you start on your resume. If you have confidence in your writing ability, you may want to follow this additional free resume writing tip: Make sure that document is well-organized.

Aside from the general quality of writing that is so important in the resume, there are a few specific things to do when writing that resume. Organization of thoughts is one of the most important factors that make good writing. Most of the experts in the field of resume preparation have found that many people leap into writing a resume without first gathering information.

Free resume writing tip #3: Preparation is key. It is not enough to sit down with a few sheets of paper and a pen, or at the computer, and start throwing your personal information on the pages. You will need to get the facts about your education and experience in some logical order so that you can find them and use them during the writing process.

What good does this preparation do? For one thing, it saves a lot of frustration, not only during the writing process, but also after you have submitted your resume. This is not a good time to remember that you forgot some important fact or to realize that your resume is a rambling, confusing picture of you.

Even with the best preparation, it will be necessary to review what you have written. You may want to ask someone you trust to take a close look at what you have written. A good friend or a family member may have an additional free resume writing tip for you as well.

At this point, it may be good to learn one of the tips to write a resume that some job hunters never learn or understand. The interview process is meant to be a negative experience, for some companies, in some ways. Richard H. Beatty writes in his book, “The Resume Kit” (1984) that applicants are screened out during the process of elimination. You may be able to determine if you will be included on the callback or short list, judging from the “feel” of the interview. However, this can be misleading. An applicant often leaves the interview feeling that it will be necessary to look elsewhere, only to discover they are among the top choices.

Still others begin their tips to write a resume with another important item: Personnel managers do not have time to read lengthy, complex resumes. They want the most important nuggets of information in brief, readable form. What type of resume, between these two extremes, will satisfy most company managers and personnel people? Is there a perfect length for a resume? Sometimes, you just don’t know. But something tight and informative will generally work.

Why should the resume be well organized and neatly presented, so the manager or supervisor does not have to wade through a jumble of words to find out what he or she needs to know? Why will it be important to include references if they are needed and not include them if they aren’t needed? Why should an individual take such care and effort to make sure the resume includes carefully prepared information, no more, no less? Because, and this may be the most important of all tips to write a resume: The purpose of the resume is to present the individual’s credentials, experience and education in a way that will lead the manager or supervisor to ask for a personal interview.

One of the key tips to write a resume that may serve a job applicant as well as any is this: Be on time when submitting the resume or any other requested information. Be on time when called in for an interview. There is nothing more important in the business field, whether during the hiring process or on the job, as being on time. In fact, be a bit early. That small effort will go a long way.

So when considering tips to write a resume don’t be misled into thinking that the resume is a document to be preserved for posterity. The resume is, in fact, a key that, if well designed, is meant to open doors during the job-seeking process.

If you have to head out of your front door and find a new job, you want to have a good resume to get that foot into someone else’s door. It’s surprising how many mistakes are made just in sending in a resume, but now you won’t be making them with our tips for resumes.

Tips for resumes #1 - Being neat

Why some job seekers send in resumes with coffee stains and wrinkles is a great mystery. If you’re looking for a job, you need to look as though you can handle being an employee. You wouldn’t turn in your weekly sales report on a sheet of toilet paper, so why on earth would you send in a resume that isn’t presentable?

Get some nice grade office paper to print your resume on and a matching envelope. It’s not going to cost you that much, but it will keep your resume from ending up in the trash.

Keep the font size fairly large (12 point is standard) and easy to read. This isn’t the time for fancy lettering or bold type. You want to look clean and crisp, not like you’re trying to talk the reader into hiring you (even if you are).

Tips for resumes #2 - Correct yourself

Another way to get your resume into the nearest trash bin is to have a lot of spelling and grammar errors in it. While you don’t have to have a degree in English to send in a proper resume, you will want to run that spell check program and read through the sentences a few times to be sure that you aren’t missing words and saying something that you don’t mean.

The best way to handle this is to read your resume backwards. Yes, this sounds odd, but it helps stop your brain from skipping over words. You have to focus in order to read the text backwards and you’ll notice errors more quickly.

Another great way to find mistakes is to read your text out loud. Find a quiet and private area to do this and you’ll be amazed at how different your words sound. This is one if the big classic tips for resumes taken from writers as a computer screen doesn’t always translate the content well.

Tips for resumes #3 - Send it to the right person

When you send your resume to a company without a direct person in the address, you may as well be sending the resume to the company trash can. Yes, you’ll need to spend a few moments figuring out who is the head of hiring, but it’s well worth the effort.

You can simply call the human resources department to see who is in charge of the department that you are applying for. Having a name to refer to is the best way to leave an impression in someone’s mind.

These simple tips for resumes are nearly guaranteed to get your resume seen and read. Now, all you have to do is start writing it. But that’s the easy part.

There are many tips for writing a resume that will help someone get past the first level in the job application process. A good resume can help that person get to the interview process, if all the steps are taken properly. But the list of tips for writing a resume will fill a book, literally. Several books have been written on this subject, most of them containing excellent advice.

But it may be more productive to concentrate on a few of the basic tips for writing a resume, leaving some of the finer points to the experts who work face to face with an individual. So, where do we begin?

•Perhaps the first decision to make is this: Should they try a full resume of several pages or stick with what has become known as a qualifications brief? Committing to one or the other will help eliminate doubts and allow the applicant to put together an organized and focused document.

•After deciding which type of resume or brief to commit to, the next step is usually the gathering of information. While this may seem simple, it is a critical step in the resume process. Many experts and job application advisers put significant emphasis on advance preparation. Just because you have a good memory and think you can put all of your education, experience and activities on paper does not mean you will do that when the time comes. Take plenty of time to make notes, gather certificates and other documents. Put together a well-organized file of all the information you need to build a good resume.

•Open any guidebook on tips for writing a resume and you will find some version of the two ideas above, as well as this tip: Try to focus on what the company needs, not just on showing the personnel manager or company supervisor how great your background is. One of the keys to a successful resume process (and one of the most difficult) is to blend personal experience and education with the needs of the company or person doing the hiring. Sometimes these needs are plainly stated in an advertisement or other information provided to the applicant. Sometimes this is only available when the applicant does some research or asks a few specific questions.

•Another key item on the list of tips for writing a resume: Do not start the resume process thinking that you have no work experience. This will only make for a weak resume or qualifications brief. In fact, every individual has something to offer. The key is to find out what you alone can do well and find the position in which to use those skills.

There really can be a couple of answers to the question posed above, so when considering resume objective tips, consider this: There is the overall purpose of the resume, which may not be what you think it is. Then, there is the specific objective of the individual, aimed at meeting the needs of the company doing the hiring.

First, let’s get a couple of the long-standing resume myths out of the way. These are key items on any list of resume objective tips. Just about every piece of advice about resume writing and submission argues against the unusual, tricky and unique – these are not what personnel managers, company supervisors or business owners are looking for. Trying very, very hard to stand out from the crowd through use of brightly colored paper, attractive postcard material and eye-catching photography usually does not help. The facts are sufficient if they are well organized, complete and presented in a professional manner.

So what should be at the top of a list of resume objective tips? Getting hired is really not the purpose (the objective) of submitting a professional resume. Impressing the personnel manager or supervisor with creativity and ability to think outside the box is not really the purpose of a resume. The true purpose of a good resume is to get to the interview stage of the process. A well-prepared, well-written resume should convince the manager to call you back for that interview. At this point, the resume will serve as a guide during the actual conversation.

Most guidebooks on resumes in general, as well as those on resume objective tips will have some version of the two ideas above, as well as this tip: Try to focus on what the company needs. Overloading the personnel manager or company supervisor with proof of how great your background is will probably not be looked on too favorably. One of the keys to a successful resume process (and one of the most difficult) is to blend personal experience and education with the needs of the company or person doing the hiring. These needs may be clearly stated in an advertisement or other information provided to the applicant.

One last suggestion that may be included on a good list of resume objective tips: The particular needs of a very specialized company and position should be addressed in the resume if past work experience and education are exactly what the company is seeking. But “war stories” in the resume/hiring field sometimes include the tale of an applicant who put too much effort into trying to convince the hiring manager that what the individual had to offer was very close or close enough.