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The
resume is written only to get the interview!
- Keep
the resume to one
page, two at most. Most firms don't want to be bothered reading
about you if it takes too long.
- Don't
use an "objective." Objectives are the exclusive
province of recent college graduates who are entering the
workplace for the first time.
- Make
your resume "accomplishment-oriented"
and keep it that way, consistently.
- Chronological
resumes are preferable to functional ones because the format
is more traditional and easier to follow. Use functional resumes
only when you
must minimize gaps in employment and erratic career advancement.
- Take
particular pains to avoid typographical and grammatical errors.
As a reflection of intellect, a resume with typos or poor
grammar may be discarded on that basis alone.
- Don't
lie. The CFO of a well-known, listed company, was recently
discharged when it was discovered that his resume stated that
he had an M.B.A. when, in fact, he did not. There is nothing
wrong, however, with "event glorification."
- It
is acceptable and perhaps beneficial to respond to a job advertisement
more than a week after it appears. Your resume has a better
chance of being read if it is received in the "trickle"
instead of the "flood" of responses.
- Never
write "Health: Excellent." No one has ever written
"Health: Poor."
- Always
accompany your resume with a personalized covering letter.
This indicates that the job has enough interest for you so
that you took the time to personalize your response.
- An
effective covering letter should also be short, precise, accomplishment-oriented
and end with a request for an interview. Wherever possible,
address the letter directly to the individual who makes hiring
decisions. Avoid addressing it to "Human Resource Department"
or "Personnel Department." Ask for the interview!
Close the letter with that request.
- Research!
You can find the name of the individual you seek usually by
making a telephone call. If that doesn't work, consult on-line
directories which are easily available on the Internet.
- When
you respond to a classified or display advertisement, you
are usually in competition with hundreds, if not thousands
of applicants with similar qualifications. Therefore, directing
a covering letter to a specific individual will bring greater
returns.
- Whereas
the resume features accomplishments in your employment, the
covering letter should emphasize personal characteristics
(tenacity, communication skills, rapid promotions, etc.) and
how your qualifications meet the advertiser's requirements.
- Persistence
Beats Resistance! One, two or even three follow-up letters
may be necessary to penetrate your target.
- Ignore
requests for salary history or requirements. That request
is an attempt by employers to either disqualify you or assume
an unfair advantage during salary negotiations. If your resume
and letter are interesting enough, that should be more than
enough to provoke a response.
We
wish you good results in your job search effort.
It is truly the resume and covering letter that makes the difference.
Take great pains to make yours "the perfect resume."
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