Free Tips:

HOW TO WRITE THAT "DOOR-OPENING" RESUME
AND EFFECTIVE COMPANION COVERING LETTER

In today's highly competitive marketplace, your resume and covering letter are probably the most important elements in the job search process. Unfortunately, the resume is also the great "disqualifier." By reviewing your resume, a potential employer can summarily eliminate you from consideration. It would be ideal if you could make an appointment with a potiential employer without a resume. Unfortunately, those times are long since gone. So, it is essential that the resume be prepared thoughtfully, carefully and with a view toward "getting the interview." Writing effective, "door-opening" resumes and covering letters can require a larger effort than it appears. Firms receive thousands of resume weekly, and during periods of economic downturn, many more. The following is a brief guideline on how to construct an effective resume and covering letter, what to say, what not to say and how to stand a better chance of having it read.

Getting your resume read has become more difficult because it is often read by computers. Large, medium-sized and increasingly, small organizations are employing an "applicant tracking system" strategy of pre-qualifying resumes. This technique selects key words and phrases and enables the hiring company to eliminate more unqualified candidates. It is a highly selective system that will eliminate your resume before it is read unless it is formatted properly and contains the relevant structure.

An important element to remember is that a resume is not the interview, but merely a means to the interview. A common error in resume preparation is trying to say it all in the resume. This usually results in an uninteresting, wordy document that probably says too much. By putting it all in writing, you are not giving the employer good reason to want to see you. The resume should be constructed so that the employer's interest is aroused and you become a candidate for the interview.

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