Archive for the 'Resume Writing' Category

While there are endless templates, software programs and general information sites on developing and writing a resume, there is nothing that is as individualized using one of the many resume writing services. Good quality, professional resume writing services can literally make the difference in having your resume read and reviewed or filed immediately in the trash. Resume writing services are highly recommended for professional type jobs where there is stiff competition for high income positions, as many prospective employees will be using professional services, a “do it yourself” resume will really stand out in the crowd - and not in a positive way.

The key to finding which of the many resume writing services is best for you is to complete some research before choosing. Most services have websites that will highlight their specific areas of expertise and interest, as well as provide samples of professional resumes and Curriculum Vitae or CVs that selected resume writing services have completed. If the service indicates that it can do any time of professional resume, be sure to ask very specific questions. Most professional online resume writing services will indicate the type of professional resumes they specialize in such as sales and marketing, management, medical professions, legal professions, financial or other specific fields.

Resume writing services will need additional information from the client as the resume is developed. It is important to respond to the resume writing service’s request for information in a timely and detailed fashion, as this will help them develop the best possible resume within the time frame required. Avoid waiting until the last minute to research and contact resume writing services; rather start doing your research ahead of time. One of the obvious benefits to already having a professional resume prepared and ready is that you are able to immediately apply to positions rather than having to start at the very beginning of the process.

Resume writing services will typically archive a copy of your current resume as part of the total price of the service. When updates are needed they can simply add or delete material as needed, charging a smaller fee for this updating process than a full resume development would cost.

Using resume writing services does cost a bit, but it is well worth the final product in higher level professional jobs. It is also a great idea for busy professionals that just don’t have the time to complete their own resume. Online services make it simple, easy and convenient to have a professionally developed resume available at all times.

It is amazing to find out that there are still lots of opportunities to find resume writing help for free. Some of the best places to find resume writing help at no cost are right from the convenience of your home computer. There are multiple sites online that provide tips, strategies and ideas for resume writing help that are quick, simple and easy to use.

Some of the main tips provide on resume writing help sites include:

• Be clear about what you wish to convey to the reader. Don’t use jargon or slang or specific terms that may mean more than one thing depending on the profession you are in. Avoid using highly technical terms unless you are applying for a highly technical position. Often this is particularly problematic for those that have had very specialized types of positions that are now apply for a more general type job or management opportunity.

• Only include past jobs and education that are relevant to the job being applied for. Don’t detail your whole work history if the profession was completely different from the job you are applying for. You may still list it with a very abbreviated list of responsibilities, but don’t go into great detail for these past jobs.

• Don’t try to enhance your responsibilities or duties, stick to the facts. Employers can easily call and check these details and it is better to accurately state rather than over or understate your responsibilities in past jobs.

• Avoid cluttering up the page with graphics, borders, fancy fonts or font that is too small or too large. The resume should be easy to read, well spaced and clean looking.

• Check for spelling mistakes, grammatical problems or confusing terms or phrases. Always double check spelling and grammar on both the resume and the covering letter.

One of the best ways to get some resume writing help is to take a class at a local employment center or college. Most programs offer an afternoon or evening free class on developing a resume. If you plan to attend bring your old resume so you have something to work from. It is also a great idea if you are currently in college or school to talk to a guidance counselor and have him or her check over your resume and maybe even provide some resume writing help for free. Most counselors are more that happy to help out and may also have some ideas for careers or employers you hadn’t previously considered.

Writing your first resume as a high school graduate is sometimes a very challenging activity, not because a high school student can’t write a great resume but simply because there is little work information or educational information to put on the application. A few simple resume writing tips can help any resume look more polished, professional and more complete.

Resume writing tips for high school students are different in many aspects than resume writing tips for professionals or those with additional work experience or education. The following resume writing tips will help high school students write the best possible resume to get an interview for that summer work experience or an internship for college.

Stay Focussed On The Relevant Information

It is important when there is only a limited work experience to clearly highlight the relevant parts of the previous job or jobs to what is required for the job you are applying for. If you wish to work as a cashier and previously worked in the school concession stand, be sure to indicate that you were responsible for processing sales transactions, making change and balancing the register after your shift ended if these were duties you regularly completed.

Never assume that the reader will know all the aspects of your past jobs. List specific training you had for the job such as computer training, first aide training or even customer service training if it is applicable.

List Your Extracurricular Interests and Hobbies

This is particularly important if you have volunteered or belong to any specific organizations or associations that are related to the field of work you are applying for. If you have volunteered in the school, at a child care center, at the community center or even in a business or charity be sure to list these clearly and indicate your responsibilities.

If you belong to any particular school type associations such as an honor club or society or a high school program that you have had a leadership role in be sure to add enough detail to allow the resume reader to understand your responsibilities.

List Your Special Skills

One of the most valuable of the resume writing tips available is to ensure that you take the time to list your special skills. This can be skills such as proficiency with computers, ability to speak another language, knowledge of sign language, and experience with working with special needs individuals. Many of the special skills may be things that you learned outside of school or even in your own home, they are still marketable skills in the workplace.

Most importantly in considering the various resume writing tips it is very important to not embellish or overstate your qualifications or skills. Be strong, positive and enthusiastic in your resume, but also be realistic. An employer will understand a younger person has less experience and education but that does not mean that they are not well qualified for an entry level position within the agency. Being honest on your resume will give the employer a clear picture of your many skills and talents.

Writing your first resume as a high school graduate is sometimes a very challenging activity, not because a high school student can’t write a great resume but simply because there is little work information or educational information to put on the application. A few simple resume writing tips can help any resume look more polished, professional and more complete.

Resume writing tips for high school students are different in many aspects than resume writing tips for professionals or those with additional work experience or education. The following resume writing tips will help high school students write the best possible resume to get an interview for that summer work experience or an internship for college.

Stay Focussed On The Relevant Information

It is important when there is only a limited work experience to clearly highlight the relevant parts of the previous job or jobs to what is required for the job you are applying for. If you wish to work as a cashier and previously worked in the school concession stand, be sure to indicate that you were responsible for processing sales transactions, making change and balancing the register after your shift ended if these were duties you regularly completed.

Never assume that the reader will know all the aspects of your past jobs. List specific training you had for the job such as computer training, first aide training or even customer service training if it is applicable.

List Your Extracurricular Interests and Hobbies

This is particularly important if you have volunteered or belong to any specific organizations or associations that are related to the field of work you are applying for. If you have volunteered in the school, at a child care center, at the community center or even in a business or charity be sure to list these clearly and indicate your responsibilities.

If you belong to any particular school type associations such as an honor club or society or a high school program that you have had a leadership role in be sure to add enough detail to allow the resume reader to understand your responsibilities.

List Your Special Skills

One of the most valuable of the resume writing tips available is to ensure that you take the time to list your special skills. This can be skills such as proficiency with computers, ability to speak another language, knowledge of sign language, and experience with working with special needs individuals. Many of the special skills may be things that you learned outside of school or even in your own home, they are still marketable skills in the workplace.

Most importantly in considering the various resume writing tips it is very important to not embellish or overstate your qualifications or skills. Be strong, positive and enthusiastic in your resume, but also be realistic. An employer will understand a younger person has less experience and education but that does not mean that they are not well qualified for an entry level position within the agency. Being honest on your resume will give the employer a clear picture of your many skills and talents.

Although there are lots of basic tips that job seekers can use, there are less well known but more advanced tips to consider when resume writing. Free tips are often the best, especially when they come from research, personal knowledge and professionals involved in resume writing. Free tips are also easy to use, practical, and can be instrumental in helping you land just the job you are looking for. Below are some resume writing, free tips that can be used even for more advanced and experienced job seekers as well as those just getting started.

• Be sure to state a clear, defined and applicable objective. Many objectives are stated in such a generic fashion that they tend to seem like just a sentence put in to fill up the space, rather than what is driving you to submit the application. Put some enthusiasm into the statement, use powerful action words and have your personality and interest in the position come to the forefront of the objective section. Emphasis should be on your skills and experience and how they will help the company.

• Do some research about the company that you considering. When resume writing, free up space by getting rid of all the additional “fluff” that has nothing to do with this particular company. It may be very relevant to the next company, so consider keeping several different versions of your resume on file to make changing easy and less labor intensive. If you find the company has a mission statement, goals or objective see which of these match your own philosophy and be clear that you have the same options regarding these topics on your resume.

• Itemize and define the results and achievements you had at the job, not simply list all your duties and responsibilities. For example, in a sales job instead of listing “Performed retail sales tasks on a daily basis” consider listing “Achieved highest selling retail employee three weeks in a row”, of course this must be accurate information. By focusing on results rather than simple duties you will set yourself apart from other styles of resume writing. Free advertising never hurts!

• Condense and minimize your education experience if you are a currently working professional, as this will give you additional space to add more information about your specific career achievements to date. Simply list the years, degree, school and note any honors or other awards.

Making a few of these advanced resume writing tips can really update and change the overall tone and appearance of your resume. Try different format, fonts and type sizes until you achieve just the look you are aiming for.

While there are endless templates, software programs and general information sites on developing and writing a resume, there is nothing that is as individualized using one of the many resume writing services. Good quality, professional resume writing services can literally make the difference in having your resume read and reviewed or filed immediately in the trash. Resume writing services are highly recommended for professional type jobs where there is stiff competition for high income positions, as many prospective employees will be using professional services, a “do it yourself” resume will really stand out in the crowd - and not in a positive way.

The key to finding which of the many resume writing services is best for you is to complete some research before choosing. Most services have websites that will highlight their specific areas of expertise and interest, as well as provide samples of professional resumes and Curriculum Vitae or CVs that selected resume writing services have completed. If the service indicates that it can do any time of professional resume, be sure to ask very specific questions. Most professional online resume writing services will indicate the type of professional resumes they specialize in such as sales and marketing, management, medical professions, legal professions, financial or other specific fields.

Resume writing services will need additional information from the client as the resume is developed. It is important to respond to the resume writing service’s request for information in a timely and detailed fashion, as this will help them develop the best possible resume within the time frame required. Avoid waiting until the last minute to research and contact resume writing services; rather start doing your research ahead of time. One of the obvious benefits to already having a professional resume prepared and ready is that you are able to immediately apply to positions rather than having to start at the very beginning of the process.

Resume writing services will typically archive a copy of your current resume as part of the total price of the service. When updates are needed they can simply add or delete material as needed, charging a smaller fee for this updating process than a full resume development would cost.

Using resume writing services does cost a bit, but it is well worth the final product in higher level professional jobs. It is also a great idea for busy professionals that just don’t have the time to complete their own resume. Online services make it simple, easy and convenient to have a professionally developed resume available at all times.

While there are lots of software programs, templates and “fill in the blank” resume sites on the internet, most of these services are a charge by use fee or a purchase fee for software. Thankfully there are some great free resume writing ideal and templates sites that are easy to access, easy to use and very high quality, making them ideal as a free resume writing resource.

When trying to choose which of the free resume writing templates or websites is most helpful there are some key factors to keep in mind. The first one is the position of the site on the search engine page. The more frequently accessed the site is the higher its position on the search engine will be. Therefore those sites listed at the top of the major search engines are the most popular sites, usually a good indication that they have good products and services on the site.

The next key factor when browsing search engines for free resume writing information or samples is that the columns off to the right or left of the main column, or those that are in color or highlighted or boxed at the top of the page on the search engines are sites that have paid a fee to be on the page. While they may have some free resume writing information they are also most likely trying to sell a service or product as well. This is not to say that this is a negative, but be aware that the free information may be relatively limited compared to all the information available on the site if a fee for use is paid.

On many of the career development websites from various colleges, universities and job training centers there are specific free resume writing tips as well as templates for various types of resumes. While these templates are usually free to download and use, you may need to have a student identification number to actually complete the download. Even without downloading, the writer can still look at a variety of samples and ideas for resumes that may match exactly what is needed. It is then simple to recreate the resume using Word, Corel or other word processing program.

Finally remember that free resume writing tips and templates can be helpful and beneficial, but they can also be inappropriate for your specific type of job. Be sure to match your job requirements and resume styles to ensure a professional finished product. If you see a resume style that you really like consider if there are any other templates similar on the web. If it is the only one and it is very unique, is it still sending the right message, or would a more conventional type of resume better suit the professional setting you are trying to gain a position in.

It may be very tempting to use the exact language and styles used in resume writing samples posted on popular websites, but keep in mind that these samples and examples are used by a lot of people, and you don’t what your resume to look like all the others. Using the ideas and concepts found on resume writing samples is a good, practical and time saving idea, but simply copying them word for word is often a common mistake.

Imagine if you were an employer that had to read 10 resumes for a job posting about a position for a sales clerk. You would probably expect to see 10 resumes from people of various levels of training, experience and education, each with a unique and different set of phrases, words and descriptors about their previous employment. How do you think you would react if 5 of the 10 resumes had the exact same phrase “responsible for the management and supervision of sales staff, inventory control, financial planning and budget review”? As the employer you would probably think that something was definitely up.

There are several ways to use this same phrase or others like it obtained from resume writing samples. A few other ways to say the same thing would be:

• Managed and supervised several diverse areas including stockroom inventory, retail clothing sales, accounting and budget review.
• Supervised sales and inventory control in the sporting goods department as well as overseeing budget and financial aspects of daily sales on four registers.
• Responsibilities included complete management of retail and wholesale sales, store inventory and budget development and control for the retail outlet.

Taking the general information and adapting or modifying it from the resume writing samples will ensure that you do not use the same exact phrase as others may. It will also allow you to highlight the specific information that may make you a better candidate than other applicants that just list very general information.

Using the same format or style as resume writing samples is much more acceptable as there are only so many styles that are appropriate for the various types of resumes. It is still possible to modify the resume writing samples format by both downloading and changing or by simple recreating the format using the sample as a visual guide. Slight differences in the overall appearance of the resume can help to set it apart from the others, but be careful to not add too much extra that will distract from the overall appearance and ease of reading.