15 Items for Your Resume To Do List

Featured Article & Resume Writer: Barbara Safani

Do you want to create a more "user friendly" resume to submit to recruiters and hiring authorities? Here are 15 suggestions for composing more compelling and targeted resumes.

1. Create a resume headline. Headlines sell newspapers. They can also sell job search candidates. Hiring managers don't really read resumes, but rather scan them to determine the candidate's fit for the job. Help make that fit more obvious by creating a resume headline that tells the reader your strengths such as Award Winning Television Executive Producer, Entry Level Public Relations Assistant, or Information Technology Product Developer.

2. Create a profile section. Hiring managers tend to focus on the top third of the first page of the resume. They may only read on if your profile grasps their attention quickly. Communicate your value-add in the profile section. List powerful and consistent examples of how you help the companies you support make money, save money, save time, grow the business, and maintain the business.

3. List core competencies. One of the first things hiring managers will be looking for is a sense if you have the skill set necessary to do the job. Your areas of expertise should be displayed prominently early on in the resume. Try to use the keywords, or phrases that are important to your job function and industry. If you are not sure what the appropriate keywords are, look for consistent wording and phrases on job postings for positions in your field to better align your qualifications with potential job specifications. [Read more!]

Visit CertifiedResumeWriters.com to read more resume articles written by resume experts!

Your Resume Will Be Discarded

Featured Article & Resume Writer: Karen Bartell

Unless you know these insider tips, that is! If you have been sending out your resume en masse and ending up with a massive headache instead - getting nowhere - you had better read on... Your career just might depend on it.

It's a sad fact, but true. In today's competitive marketplace, a job candidate has exactly 10-15 seconds to make an impression. Most employers/recruiters are very busy people, reviewing literally hundreds to thousands of resumes (don't forget cover letters!) per day. Unless your resume is well-targeted, expertly and flawlessly written and composed, and demonstrates within the first few seconds of review you have what the employer needs, it will most likely be indexed in the circular file.

A Sophisticated Marketing Tool
Another sad but true fact is that most people don't have a clue what an employer wants to see in a resume, even when they think they do. Many people equate a resume with a simple job application. An employer wants to know what you did while on the job, right?

Wrong! Well, partially. Most employers already know what you did on the job; after all, they are looking to hire you for that job, aren't they?

What an employer really wants to know is [continue reading...]

Image is everything right from the start and your resume plays a critical role in your job search. Cookie cutter resumes don't present a professional image or make a good first impression. Team up with a certified resume writer to help you make a great first impression and position you as a highly qualified interview candidate–placing you well ahead of your competition!

Why You Need a Personal Brand

Featured Article & Resume Writer: Jean Cummings

What do the most successful people over 50 have in common?
They know and express who they are. They have honed and communicated their professional identity and made others aware of their personal attributes - their expertise, talents, and deepest commitments. In other words, these people have developed a personal brand - or a "Brand You," the term coined by Tom Peters.

Mention their names, and you instantly think of a set of personal attributes, in much the same way we might associate attributes such as "reliable, fuel-efficient, and low-maintenance" with a certain brand of car. However, a personal brand is not a superficial marketing ploy. It is as different from a product brand as a dynamic, complex person is from an inanimate object. "Brand You" emerges from a person's deepest commitments, interests, and unique "genius." What are some famous personal brands?

Bill Gates:
Technology genius: Harvard dropout who founded Microsoft to become the world's richest man.
Philanthropist: Puts his wealth to work in huge global projects for the public good. [read more...]

It's bad enough today’s job market is tight so why take any chances putting your resume out there just for it to be tossed because it presents no real value to the person reviewing it? Use the resume writing services available to help you make the most of your resume. You’ll quickly find out well-written resumes provide more than a laundry list of duties and responsibilities.