Should you rely on resume design programs?

Programs like MS word and Resume Deluxe offer quick and easy resumes for all of your needs. Unfortunately, this isn’t a good idea. See, Microsoft Word, as well as other resume design programs each have a specific style of resume. We call them “Cookie-Cutter” resumes. I know employers who can not only determine whether or not a resume is a cookie-cutter, but can actually determine the program used just by looking at the resume!

Needless to say, this impacts your ability to land an interview. Employers take a resume to be a representation of you, and when you’re represented by a canned resume, they’ll call in the Guinness Book of Records to measure “The Fastest resume toss-out ever recorded.” Imaging being a hiring manager, and looking at one resume, then looking at another that’s exactly the same, save the info. Then you see another, and another, and another….you get the point.

Hence, it pays to have a resume designed for you. If you must insist on using these programs however, then what I would do is have the program write your resume, then re-edit it yourself. If you don’t know what to write, then you can give it to someone like me. I personally charge way less to revise a resume then to create one, just so you know.

Do you rely on computer-generated resumes? Have they gotten you far? Let us know!

Your Blog as a resume? My thoughts

CROSS POSTED FROM BLOGOLOGY 101

I just posted this comment on a Lifehacker post regarding how the blog is becoming the new resume. Sorry to be pasting most of my comment from there, but this is pretty much my opinion on the matter.

What do you garner from a blog? If you only have a LiveJournal, that won’t look professional at all. I don’t have the money to get my own domain name yet, so I know I’ll look less on that part compared to somebody with their own name.

Also, how do you include your work experience? Your projects? It doesn’t really explain this. Now, I can see a blog working alongside the rest of your resume, but I just don’t see the blog AS your resume, unless you’re applying to a blogging job.

Yes, a blog can work for you when applying for a job, but if I was an employer, if you just sent me a cover letter saying “Check out my blog” without a resume (Unless your resume was in the blog) then I’d delete your email and laugh for hours.

Bottom line: Your blog is not your resume. Continue using it!

Avoid mistakes when sending resumes

Carmen of The Smart Resume writes several mistakes one should avoid when sending off your resume. Some of tips include sending large files. She writes:

If you are required to send additional documents such as a PDF portfolio, try to keep the file size small. This may require you to send the portfolio with less documents or at a lesser quality, but it ensures that your application will be reviewed instead of placed in a junk mail folder, or deleted for being to large. If you don’t want to restructure your portfolio use WinZip to compress your documents.

Personally, I would use IZArc to compress your portfolio, because unlike WinZip, IZArc is open-source, and FREE.

She also states that the cover letter is not a casual email: “Remain professional and even if they do not require you to send a cover letter, include a few sentences about the name of the position and your contact information.”

Here are a few of my personal tips I would suggest is to avoid sending out the wrong resume. I once sent a resume for an office assistant to a job that was looking for a tutor. I was amazed I got an interview, but it was clear I was laughed at behind my back. Today, I now have four different resumes, each for a different goal. We’ll talk about that later.

Also, please for the love of god, SPELL EVERYTHING CORRECTLY! One mistake, and your resume is in the trash!

Costly Mistakes To Avoid When Sending An E-Resume Via The Smart Resume

I’ll write your resume for you

As I’ve said, I write resumes on the side, for rates lower then the average resume writer. I’ll write you a resume, a cover letter, or both for a discount off the price if the two were combined. Finally, mention that you’re a reader of this blog, and I’ll take another 10% off!

How good am I, you ask? Well, I managed to get one client a job as an assistant manager to a retail store, who had NO RETAIL EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER! If I can help her, I can definitely help you, even if you have no work experience!

Finally, if you’re a student, you get a lesser rate then the normal charge, upon verification that you are a student. And no, saying you’re a student of the world or from the school of hard knocks will not get you a discount, nor will it if you’re from USC. Lol, just kidding on the USC part.

Don’t wait! Let’s talk! Drop me a line for a free email consultation!

Objectives and Profiles

Your objective/profile is the most important part of your resume. Without that, people will wonder why you sent a document with work history on it. It’s also the first thing your prospective employer will read.

Often, most people make a huge mistake in creating their objective, saying that it’s something to the lines of “To have a job which challenges me and inspires me,” or other vague things like this. No, what you need to do is tailor-make an objective to the type of job you are pursuing.

For example: Let’s say you want to apply to a job with a blogging company as a blogger. You would put something similar to “Objective: A position as an author or contributing writer to a blog website.”

This gives the prospective employer a clear and concise look at what it is that you want from them. You could modify it a bit, but it would do for the basics.

Profiles are basically summaries of who you are. Im my opinion, these are weaker then objectives, because they basically summarize everything you need to leave the rest of your resume to explain, else the employer will get bored quickly. If you’re going to use a profile, at least create an objective within it.

How do you write an objective? Want help writing yours? Hit me up on the comments!

Power Words

It’s interesting to see how certain resumes can be worded. For instance, I am reminded of one particular job where the person was a manager of a fast food joint. This is what he put down:

“Managed Fast Food place”

Not exactly thrilling, is it? No, you need to be descriptive. You need to say what exactly you did. If you were an employer, would you give precedence to the person above, or someone who wrote this:

Managed day-to-day activities and was responsible for several employees with Fast Food Co.

Point being, the more specific you get, the better looking your resume will be. Words that sound fancy look good, but don’t overuse them, because either your prospective employer will be confused, or think you are full of baloney.

Remember: On a Resume, words are power!

Welcome to Resumes 101

Hi! If you’re at this blog, You’re probably wondering how the heck do I do a resume? Or do you know what a resume is? No worries!

Let’s use this opening entry to cover the basics: What is a resume?

Well, a resume is basically a summary of one’s qualifications and work experience. It’s extremely important when looking for a job, as most people are expected to have a resume when applying for a job.

But I’m sure you have quite a few questions: How do I write a resume? What if I have little/no job experience? What if I have a lot of experience, or experience that can’t be applied to the job I want?

In this blog, you’ll learn what to do with all that, and more.

It’s a competitive place out in the job market. There are people that will design a resume for ONE SPECIFIC JOB, as well as those who write brand new cover letters per job (We’ll examine what cover letters are later on.) As a service, I write resumes for people on the side, and I charge far less then what other people charge per resume, so if you would like someone to build your resume for you, drop me a line. If you would like me to edit an existing resume, I can do that too (for cheap, as well.)