Job search campaigns involve countless hours talking with people, on the internet, and attending networking events. In the total scheme of things, many job seekers hurriedly write their resume so they can transfer their attention to mining for jobs. After all, it's just a resume - right?
The results of this hurried effort tends to be a generic resume with a plain vanilla flavor that lacks impact. And the likely consequence of such a cavalier approach is that those coveted interviews will be few and far between. The way to overcome this trap is to learn the techniques that lead to writing a powerful resume.
Resume 101 - The Basics
What is a resume? A resume is a sales tool designed to sell you to a hiring manager. Its purpose is to get you noticed and generate an invitation for a personal interview. Its purpose is NOT to get you a job.
How long should a resume be and why? One-page resumes are best and two-page resumes are acceptable for seasoned workers. Three or more pages are generally the norm only for people in academia or a similar profession where research or published material need be noted. Due to the volume of resumes received, resume screeners take about 15-30 seconds to review a resume and look for key words to screen-in a candidate. That's right, you get half a minute to make an initial impression.
The key to making the right impression and writing a powerful resume that separates you from the crowd is to learn how to utilize key words and focus on results.
Accomplishment Statements
Resume screeners are savvy, seasoned business people who can tell a job's duties from its title. Don't insult them by describing tasks and duties in your resume; this is fatal and your resume will wind up in file 13. Instead, use accomplishment statements to stand out and make the document powerful.
Accomplishment statements are short descriptions of your achievements in each job you've had. This technique requires that you think differently about your work. Following are some guidelines for writing accomplishment statements.
- Follow the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Señor/Señora/Señorita).
- Focus on "quantifiable" achievements.
- Avoid using "I", "We", "My", "Our", etc.
- Use the past tense, even for your current job.
- Choose strong action words to introduce the statement.
- using "I", "We", "My", "Our", etc.
The first step in writing an accomplishment statement is to understand its two key components.
- Actions -- what you did, the steps you took, to achieve something.
- Results -- the business impact, contribution to the bottom line or strategy, of your actions.
The next step involves the order of these two components. Following are a couple of formulas for your consideration, along with examples of each.
- Formula A: [Strong Word (verb)], [Results] "by/for" [Action Taken]
- Formula B: [Strong Word (verb)], [Action Taken] "resulting in/that resulted in" [Results]
Examples - Formula A:
- Increased customer satisfaction ratings 15% by instituting a customer outreach program.
- Raised the acceptance of offers at hiring events 30% by developing an orientation program.
- Promoted to Sr. Project Mgr., for completing a major construction project $10M under budget.
- Saved over $40K annually in administrative costs by implementing an automated payroll system.
Examples - Formula B:
- Designed a call-answering protocol resulting in a 20% reduction in Help Desk dropped calls.
- Created an order-management IT platform that resulted in a $31M new line of business.
- Exceeded sales budget by 89% resulting in earning President's Circle honors.
- Managed a merger without client defections that resulted in a $55M profit increase.
Accomplishment statements are the most effective way to get a resume screener's attention. You should include three to five such statements for each job - based on those achievements of yours that are most relative to the specs of the target job. This final point bears further comment.
There is no way that one resume lends itself to all the jobs you've performed in during your career. You have too many accomplishments to list them all in one resume version. For this reason, you need to target your resume to the specific job you're pursuing by including those accomplishment statements that address the specs of the target job.
One final thing you should know about resumes - the types and when to use them.
Types of Resumes
There are two types of resumes - the Chronological and Functional. The Chronological resume is the typical and most common. Chronological resumes reflect your work history in a specific order, usually the most recent job first and working backwards. Rather than describing your tasks/duties, use accomplishment statements to show what you achieved.
On the other hand, a Functional resume lists specific areas of experience, expertise, or skills (e.g., Marketing, Customer Service, Financial, Sales, Performance Management, etc.). Here too, accomplishment statements are listed under each functional area to make a powerful impact.
Each resume type is geared to certain situations, as indicated below:
A Chronological Resume is best when you: (a) seek a similar position within your profession and/or industry; (b) seek a more responsible position within your profession given your performance in previous, progressively more responsible jobs; and (c) have no gaps or short-term gaps in your employment history.
A Functional Resume is best when your: (a) aim is to make a career change; (b) career is highlighted by employment with the same company over a long period of time; (c) employment history consists of several jobs with different companies for short employment periods; and (d) history includes success in a job or jobs of a similar nature or discipline and now seek to get back into that type occupation.
Conclusion
The resume is a tool intended to sell you to a hiring manager and get an invitation for an interview. The most effective way to a powerful resume is to use accomplishment statements. We all have accomplishments to include in a resume. The better you can write accomplishment statements, the greater the likelihood of your creating a powerful resume that will separate you from the crowd.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jose_A._De_La_Cruz,_J.D.,_SPHR
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