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Resume Advice for College Students

Q. I am going to be graduating soon with a degree in economics but I really want to work in the fashion industry. How can I apply for jobs when all my education is pointing in the wrong direction?

A. Many of us find that our careers take off in directions that have little if anything to do with our degree. I’m a professional resume writer but my degree from MIT is in Chemical Engineering. That does not mean my degree is worthless, as it uniquely qualifies me to write technical resumes.

You should take a look at your courses from the point of view of a potential employer who is interested in employees who understand business finances, who work efficiently and creatively, and who follow through successfully on a project. You have probably accomplished all that and more during your college years, whatever your degree. You might also look for part-time or volunteer opportunities (for example, a fashion show fundraiser in your case) related to your desired profession.

Q. Is it worthwhile to mention my work history when it has nothing to do with my degree or the career I want to pursue?

A. The answer here is closely related to the previous answer. Every job, no matter what the industry, involves skills that companies are interested in: reliability, communication, teamwork, leadership, and a strong work ethic. The fact that you have worked while earning a degree is impressive, regardless of the type of job. When writing your resume, do not focus on the day-to-day tasks you handled but on the contribution you made as an employee.

Q. Is it a good idea to ask my professors for letters of recommendation?

A. You should ask if your professors would be willing to serve as references, allow you to post their recommendations online on professional sites like LinkedIn, or include a brief version of their recommendations in your resume. Do not list “references available on request” on your resume and do not pester your professors for repeated letters. The company you are applying to will let you know if they want references. At that point, alert potential references that a company is likely to contact them, whether by phone or email, and make sure they are still willing to recommend you.

At Robin’s Resumes® we help many college students with their critical first resume. Contact us today.

Job Seekers: Five Reasons for Good Cheer

At this holiday season, I would like to spread some cheer about job searches and resumes.

First, if you are currently working while you job search, you have information at your fingertips that will make your resume better than ever. Whether you note the number of papers you file every day or the number of strategic initiatives you lead, you are in a perfect place to gather information about your achievements at work and how they affect your company.

Second, you do not need to do everything yourself. During your job search, the help of a professional resume writer will ensure that your resume shows off your hard and soft skills, education, achievements and potential value to a new employer. A professional resume writer with career coaching credentials will guide you to decisions that make sense for your career, industry and goals.

Third, if you have run into a roadblock in finding the perfect job, alternatives are available. Speak to me at Robin’s Resumes® to get your job search back on track, through a new resume, a shift in search strategies, a career consultation or all three.

Fourth, my website is just one of the online resources that can give you advice and information vital to your job search. I believe in transparency, in clear writing, and in sharing my expertise. If you want to know whether Robin’s Resumes® is a good match for you, please contact me.

Fifth, if you are feeling overwhelmed, right now is a great time to relax and gather new energy. Sometimes, all you need to revive a job search is to take a break. Give yourself permission to relax with friends and family and appreciate everything you have to be grateful about this holiday season.

I wish you and your loved ones lots of good news and cheer in the coming year!

Serve in the Trump Administration

Now that the election is over and the American people have chosen President Elect Donald Trump, the transition is on. In the next 72 days, President Elect Trump’s team will choose their political employees. This article outlines some information on how to apply and how to get help in developing your application. Note, you do not apply for a job via this website. FederalResumes.net is NOT associated with the Federal government.

Per the transition websites, www.greatagain.com (President Elect Donald Trump’s website), its Help Wanted: 4,000 Political Employee release (https://www.greatagain.gov/news/help-wanted-4000-presidential-appointees.html), and www.presidentialtransition.org (a website set up by the Partnership for Public Service), they are looking for qualified applicants for four basic types of appointments:

  • Presidential Appointments with Senate Confirmation (PAS): There are 1,212 senior leaders, including the Cabinet secretaries and their deputies, the heads of most independent agencies and ambassadors, who must be confirmed by the Senate. These positions first require a Senate hearing in addition to background checks and other vetting.
  • Presidential Appointments without Senate Confirmation (PA): There are 353 PA positions which make up much of the White House staff, although they are also scattered throughout many of the smaller federal agencies.
  • Non-career Senior Executive Service (NA): Members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) work in key positions just below the top presidential appointees, bridging the gap between the political leaders and the civil service throughout the federal government. Most SES members are career officials, but up to 10 percent of the SES can be political appointees. (For more information see the Office of Personnel Management’s website, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/.) There are 680 non-career members of the SES.
  • Schedule C Appointments (SC): There are 1,403 Schedule C appointees who serve in a confidential or policy role. They range from schedulers and confidential assistants to policy experts.

In 2012, prior to the last transition, the government issued the Plum Book (https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2012/pdf/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2012.pdf) which lists these positions (there may be a new one soon). Note, for the top Senate-confirmed appointments, position descriptions have been published (http://presidentialtransition.org/publications/viewcontentdetails.php?id=1352).

There is a recently published official guide for employees applying for positions and rights on the Office of Personnel Management website (https://www.opm.gov/about-us/our-people-organization/support-functions/executive-secretariat/presidential-transition-guide-2016.pdf).

Applications for these positions is now open (https://www.greatagain.gov/serve-america.html). You will need to fill out an application online (https://apply.ptt.gov/) which requires an essay on why you hope to be part of the President-elect’s administration, a Cover Letter, an essay on any additional qualifications, a text resume (not a fancy resume) no longer than 131,072 characters (which, at an average of 4,000 characters per page, is more than 30 pages).

Based on my experience helping folks transition to President George W. Bush and President Obama’s administrations, a Federal-type resume works best for folks applying for these types of jobs.

Note the following will be required for these types of positions, including extensive background checks. Per the greatagain.gov website:

  • The time commitment is significant and the pace is fast
  • Appointments and jobs of the Trump-Pence Administration are demanding, and the application process is rigorous

For most applicants under serious consideration:

  • A full FBI background check in which an applicant’s history of employment, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and education background will likely take.
  • Consideration is taken for possible conflicts of interest. Financial holdings and sources of income must be disclosed. Any conflicts must be remedied by divestiture, the creation of special trusts, and other actions.
  • Many appointees’ dealings with the Federal government both during and for a period after their service will be significantly restricted to prevent possible conflicts of interest.

All those wishing to apply for positions in the Trump-Pence Transition, Executive Office of the President, or a Federal Department, Agency or Commission should follow the instructions below:

  • Complete the online application and submit it electronically. You will be notified electronically once your information has been received. A record of your application will be maintained while the President is in office, and you will be considered for the position(s) or subject area(s) which you have expressed interest in whenever openings occur.
  • You will be asked fill out a Personal Data Statement if you are considered for a specific position. You will be asked about possible conflicts of interest deriving from your sources of income; all aspects of your personal and professional life, including organization which you belong or once belonged; speeches you may have given and books, articles and editorials you may have written; legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings to which you may have been a party; in short, anything that might embarrass the President or you if he should choose you for a position in his administration.
  • If you are considered for a nomination by the President Elect, you will be asked to complete FBI and financial disclosure forms for review and consideration. The types of forms you may be required to fill out are as follows: for National Security Positions (SF86) and for higher-level positions, the financial disclosure form, (SF278). Most appointees are required to file financial disclosure statements annually during their term of service.
  • If Senate confirmation is required for the position you are nominated for, the Senate committee that reviews those nominations may ask you to provide additional information.

One should assume that all the information provided during this process is ultimately subject to public disclosure, if requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

I have helped numerous folks apply for political jobs during the last 3 elections, and would be pleased to see if I can help you with this transition. Please contact me at www.robinresumes.com today – time is short to apply.

Resume Nightmares and Monsters

Every so often I like to celebrate Halloween by reviewing some resume nightmares. This time, let’s focus on the resume monsters who lurk within us all (cue Phantom of the Opera music).

Take the Verb Vampire. This is the guy who leaves every verb in the present tense for a job that he last held 10 years ago. The Verb Vampire forgets that updating a resume means more than just adding his latest position; he has to go back and make sure the old information is consistent with the new information—and in the past tense.

The Preposition Poisoner will pile up noun after noun and adjective after adjective, rather than use a preposition for clarity. Instead of saying “Investigated self-reported effectiveness of alternative treatment strategies,” the Preposition Poisoner says “Investigated self-reported alternative treatment strategy effectiveness.” She forgets that hiring managers and recruiters expect job applicants to make their accomplishments clear.

The Invisible Applicant has a superb resume—except for the contact information. He transposes the digits on his phone number; uses different email addresses on page 1 and page 2; and gives a return address with a 6-digit zip code. He wonders why no one has called to offer an interview; they simply cannot find him.

The Much-Too-Frankenstein presents a professional resume and cover letter. But her posts on social media indicate a tendency to argue, nitpick, complain, and blame others for every situation. No one wants to hire someone whose social media presence screams “potential problem.”

Finally, the Resume Mummy holds tight to old concepts of resumes. He wants to add an objective instead of a summary. He wants a section on health, hobbies, and marital status that is irrelevant to the job and potentially illegal. He refuses to go over one page even though that means important achievements will be left out. His resume is a clear sign that he does not understand the present job market or the expectations of employers.

Have any of these monsters threatened to take over your resume? Contact Robin’s Resumes® and we will help you defeat them once and for all.

Answers to Your Resume Questions

Question: “I’ll be graduating college in January. If I use a professional resume writer, I’m afraid I’ll look self-important and as if I’m exaggerating my skills. Would I be better off writing my own resume?”

Answer: As a professional resume writer, I have helped many recent graduates create winning resumes. Many college graduates fluctuate between being over-confident and under-confident in their skills. I can help you find that perfect balance and make sure that you do not overlook the value of experience gathered through internships, practicums, part-time work experience, and volunteer positions.

Question: “I’ve worked in several companies that no longer exist and no one is around to offer a reference. Most of them went out of business but a few merged with other companies. How can I present them in a resume without sounding like the moving finger of corporate death?”

Answer: Today’s resumes require only the name of the company, the city and state where it existed, and the dates you worked there. You don’t need to go into details of why they failed or provide references on the resume. If the company was taken over in a merger and acquisition, you can list it as “Company ABC (now a division of Company DEF).” If you were kept on after the merger, you have a big plus for your resume: you were considered too valuable to be let go immediately.

Question: “I have strong geographic and salary requirements. Should I mention them in my resume or cover letter?”

Answer: It may be wise to address geographic requirements up front, either in the resume or the cover letter. Robin’s Resumes® can help you with this decision.

Salary requirements are another issue. Presumably you know the salary range for people with your experience, education, accomplishments, and background; so do the people who will want to hire you. I recommend saving any salary discussion for when you are closer to getting the job. You don’t want to cut off a good prospect before you have a chance to hear what the position is about and what the company might offer as alternative compensation. It is better to negotiate your salary after you have a job offer, not before. Robin’s Resumes® offers interview and salary negotiation coaching.

Repetition on Your Resume: The Good and the Bad

Repetition on your resume is good when it involves keywords, skills, accomplishments, and education that applicant tracking systems, recruiters and hiring managers are using to identify what they want most in a new hire. But repetition is not good when:

  • Repetition takes up valuable space you could use for new information.
  • You repeat duties or tasks you mastered long ago without showing any progress. However, if a job announcement requires those tasks or duties as part of your experience, you may want to consider repeating them, if you can show how you accomplished something for each organization where you worked.
  • You start every accomplishment with the same verb (“led,” “handled”).

Repetition pushes out new information. Even if you have held only two jobs in your life, they varied in some way. Was one organization bigger? Did you work with more or fewer people? Were the industries, products or services different in each company? Did the jobs involve contact with different people?

Repetition gets in the way of showing progress. From job to job, you learn something, if only how to work more efficiently or get along better with your peers. Maybe your title never changed at the small company where you work, but you did contribute over the years to its continuing success. What did you contribute this year that you did not contribute the year you were hired?

Repetition also indicates lazy thinking about your accomplishments. If you “led” a team, what did that team achieve? The achievement should lead the bullet point. For example, instead of repeating “Trained sales team” for the fifth time, one training manager wrote “Increased sales team’s understanding of product through training and certifications.”

While some repetition is bound to occur, a resume that is filled with repetitive statements is failing to differentiate you from the competition. Sometimes that failure is due to a lack of perspective: you begin to think that your job was easy because it was easy for you; or you forget how inept and clueless you were on that first day; or you set yourself to an impossibly high standard.

An outside perspective can help you find what is unique in your career path and most attractive to future employers. If you find that your resume is repetitive, please contact Robin’s Resumes® so that we can write a resume that shows your true value.

What Is Full-Service Resume Writing? Part II

As a full-service professional resume writer, my job is to make sure that your resume accurately, concisely, and clearly describes the value you bring to a company. A resume company that takes your old resume and merely updates or reformats it is not providing full-service resume writing.

I am often surprised by differences between a job seeker’s old resumes, answers to the questionnaires I send, and the job seeker’s sample of advertisements and postings for preferred jobs. Here are some less obvious ways my full-service resume writing helps everything line up correctly in a powerful resume:

  • By showing you the value of your contribution. During a company downsizing, a secretary had taken on the responsibilities of an administrative assistant who was let go. The secretary said that she had not been “officially promoted” to administrative assistant, and therefore she couldn’t use that job title. I only found out about her extra duties when I matched the current job description she supplied to the job duties she listed on the questionnaire I gave her. On her resume, I made it perfectly clear what a superb asset she was by describing her position as: Secretary with Administrative Assistant Responsibility. That is what full-service resume writing means: helping you brand and sell yourself to your next employer.
  • By clarifying the job posting or advertisement. An IT professional felt he could handle a CIT position at a major company but no one was responding to his current resume with requests for interviews. When I compared the sample job postings he sent me to his resume, I found very few of the qualifications matched up. He needed to take interim steps before he could apply for interviews: perhaps he should look for a CIT position at a smaller company or become the CIT’s next in command at a major company. He researched job postings for a direct report to the CIT and I re-wrote his resume to show off his value for those positions. Full-service resume writing also means that I give professional advice based on decades of experience.
  • By streamlining your information. Recruiters and hiring managers readily admit that they do not spend a lot of time with individual resumes. They want the important facts up front and easy to locate; they will not hunt through your resume for contact information, skills, accomplishments, education, and experience. I often help job applicants who either bury important facts too far down in their resume or do not know when to stop writing. Sometimes they spend paragraphs describing their experience with outdated technologies or first-time jobs that they left decades ago or a particular accomplishment that has no relationship to the job posting or advertisement. As a professional full-service resume writer, my job is to focus resumes to match the expectations of recruiters and hiring managers.

I am proud that Robin’s Resumes® is a full-service resume writing company, and I look forward to helping you.

Numbers in Your Resume

Numbers are important in resumes as they make your information and accomplishments more specific, whether the numbers are the dates of employment or the dollar amount of sales you contributed to your current company. Mistakes in numbers can undermine your resume and prevent that vital call to an interview. Here are four mistakes to avoid:

  • Transposed numbers. You know your telephone number or zip code so well that it is easy to transpose numbers and never realize it. Yet that transposition will prevent hiring managers and recruiters from contacting you. Never assume that familiar numbers are correct.
  • Bad calculations. Let’s say you contributed 25% of the sales in your group, totaling $130,000. Your share is therefore $32,500—it is not $3,250 or $97,500 or any other figure. Always double-check your math—or better yet, have someone else check it.
  • Inconsistent numbers. There are two types of inconsistency, in form and in content. If you start out writing $1M, do not change the form to $1 million or $1MM. If you start out listing your percent to quota (PTQ) in both percentages and dollars, do not suddenly drop dollars in the middle of the list. If your resume says you helped 35 customers every day, then your cover letter should say 35, not 30+ or 35.0.
  • Wrong numbers. You probably never worked full-time for two different companies in two widely separated cities over the same spread of years. You probably never started your 27-year career when you were 8 years old. Make sure the numbers you give make sense, especially dates.
  • Missing numbers. Now is the time—before you leave your job—to gather numbers, whether they are the number of employees on your team, the overall size of the company, the number of people you mentored, your grade point average or your ranking in key performance metrics, such as sales targets or number of new accounts.

When you use numbers properly, they make you stand out from the competition. Anyone can exceed new account targets, but you exceeded by 130%. Anyone can advance “quickly,” but you achieved 3 promotions in 5 years.

Robin’s Resumes® can help you make the most of the numbers that matter the most in your career. Contact us today.

Resumes for Jobs in Foreign Countries

If you want to live and work at a foreign location—whether outside the United States for a U.S. citizen or within the United States for a citizen of another country—your resume has to meet certain special criteria.

You will want the hiring manager or recruiter to know that you are familiar with the language of the country where you want to work. It is also important to mention if you have citizenship or dual citizenship in that country, if you have lived (or visited) there previously and if you have educational degrees that are equivalent to those in the foreign country.

If you use a professional resume writer, the writer should be a native speaker in the country where you want to work. Even small mistakes in spelling (for example, between American and British English), grammar or cultural references may undermine your resume.

Different countries have different standards for resumes; may prefer CVs, which are more detailed. Some require your social security or passport number; some (like the U.S.) do not want it. Some expect a photo; some do not. Make sure you understand the expected format and content.

Make it easy for foreign companies to contact you. A LinkedIn account and a Skype account are very helpful additions to email and phone.

Different countries have different ideas about appropriate behavior. Religious views about foods or beverages, comfort with direct eye contact or with touching between men and women, the type of clothing considered professional and many other social norms vary greatly. Make sure your photos and comments on social media do not violate the sensibilities of your target country.

You will face different visa, driving permit and work permit requirements in foreign countries. Familiarize yourself with those requirements before you start your job search to make sure you can meet them in a timely fashion if you are offered an interview or job.

Robin’s Resumes® has helped many foreign job seekers find work in the United States. Contact us today.

When Resumes Go Wrong

Even perfect resumes—perfect in format and content—can fail to gain you the interviews you hoped for. Here are the four biggest reasons why resumes go wrong:

  1. You are targeting the wrong job. As I’ve mentioned often, one-size-fits-all resumes (or generic resumes) have no value in the marketplace. Employers want to know that you understand and meet their specific requirements. Your resume may be perfect, but it has to match the jobs that are out there.
  2. You are hiding or creating confusion over your qualifications. Professional resume writers know how to emphasize your most important qualifications or transferrable skills rather than merely hoping that the hiring manager or recruiter will find and recognize them. Professional resume writers also know that not all qualifications are equally important to all potential employers.
  3. You submitted the resume late or to the wrong department or with the wrong subject line or in the wrong file format. All of these details—timing, recipient, subject line, file format—are important, and the company will usually make them clear in the job posting or ad. For example, many companies refuse to open emails from applicants with .pdf attachments. If you aren’t sure, contact the company to find out what they prefer.
  4. You are too trendy. Infographic or video resumes might make a good impression in some industries; in others, it will annoy the hiring managers, confuse the applicant tracking system, and lead your resume straight to the circular file. The same goes for social media. Mention your social media if it is professional and relates to the industry/field you are interested in. If it doesn’t, you should consider revising or even shutting down the sites at least until your job search is over.

At Robin’s Resumes®, our goal is to give you a resume that targets the right job and that clearly and concisely shows why you deserve an interview. Contact us today.

Do You Still Need a Resume?

Because so much information appears on social media and professional sites such as LinkedIn, and because many job applicants are creating their own websites, I am often asked if a resume is still needed.

My response is to ask: Where is the content coming from, for the social media, professional sites, and websites?

In every case, the job candidate is working from a job history, with associated accomplishments, education, and skills; in other words, from a resume. You may have the world’s most interesting personal website, but it will not help you get a job unless the right information is there to make you stand out against the competition.

Applicant tracking systems, hiring managers, and recruiters want to see information organized in a way that helps them compare candidates. Applicant tracking systems, in fact, require information in a precise order and with exact keywords: they require a resume. They are not yet sophisticated enough to search through a narrative from a website or Facebook page to extract the information they need, if it even exists in that format.

Hiring managers and recruiters will search professional and social sites online for candidates; but they are looking for a candidate who checks all their boxes. Your goal is hand them those boxes with the least effort on their part: contact information, job history, accomplishments, education, and skills.

Finally, the knowledge that you will someday need a resume helps to focus your attention on your accomplishments while they are happening. You may be happy in your current job with no plans to leave, but change overtakes all of us, and a shift in the economy, marketplace, or even your reporting structure may cause you to start looking. Now is the time to store the kudos you received during your annual review, to measure the amount of time your innovation saved, to track the year-over-year income from a client you helped bring into the company, and so on. If you are merely looking to jazz up your Facebook page, your attitude to those accomplishments will be fleeting and superficial; if you are concentrating on building the foundation of a strong resume, your motivation will be strong.

Bottom line: yes, you still need a resume and you can find help in writing a great one at Robin’s Resumes®.

Management Resumes: Leaving Management

In a company where I used to work, a newly promoted manager decided after a year that he did not like management. He wanted to remain hands-on with projects rather than dealing with people issues and paperwork. Fortunately, he worked in a large company that was responsive to the employees. His request to step down from management was accommodated with few problems.

But if you are a manager who wants to step down from management, you may have to look outside your current company for an opportunity. Here are a few points to keep in mind:

  1. Make sure your problem is with the management role, not the company. You may find that you like being a manager if you are in a smaller or larger company or different industry sector or different company culture.
  2. Make sure you are clear about your reasons for leaving management. When you network and interview, you must be comfortable with your decision. If you are comfortable with your decision, others will be comfortable recommending you and considering you for job openings.
  3. Make sure your hands-on skills are still current. While technical skills are the most likely to become dated, every field has some aspect that changes over time. If your skills need refreshing, take relevant courses and obtain relevant certifications.
  4. Consider whether you would accept a contract or consulting position to transfer back into the hands-on arena. A temporary or consulting position is a good way to transition and to hone your hands-on skills.
  5. Make sure your resume puts the correct emphasis on your hands-on skills. You might create a section called (for example) “Relevant Experience” that lets you highlight hands-on achievements before you describe your management achievements.

As a professional resume writer, I can help you refocus your resume toward a company where you would be happier as a manager or away from management entirely.

Resume Questions and Answers

Q. I’m really confused. I keep hearing about applicant tracking systems that electronically pick out keywords from your resume and discard your resume if the keywords are not there. Then I hear about hiring managers spending 10 seconds reading the first third of a resume. So should the first third of my resume be a list of all the possible keywords that could get me a job?

A. A short list of your key areas of expertise is fine in the first third of your resume but most of those keywords should appear in the bullet points that describe your chief accomplishments. For example, suppose a keyword—one that appears in the job posting—is “home improvement sales.” One of your bullet points might state: “Captured $300,000 in home improvement sales during first year.” You should never sacrifice readable contact for overwhelming lists of keywords.

Q. I’m concerned about the ethics of having someone else write my resume. Do recruiters and hiring managers reject resumes that are clearly not written by the applicant? 

A. Unless you are applying for a job as a resume writer, feel free to hire someone to write your resume. In fact, my customers include successful hiring managers, C-level executives, Vice Presidents and Directors looking for new challenges. You are probably expert in your field; that does not make you an expert writer or familiar enough with applicant tracking systems to write a suitable resume. So take advantage of my expertise.

Q. Some of the companies I work with no longer exist; some have multiple locations; and some merged with other companies. How do I give accurate location information? 

A. These days hiring managers and recruiters do not expect a full address for a company; it is sufficient to give the town and state where you worked even if the company itself is no longer there or has multiple other locations. If you yourself worked in several of those locations, you should mention that in your job description or accomplishment bullets (for example, “sent to rescue failing stores in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia”). When a company mergers with another, it is best to give both company names: ABC Company (formerly EFG Company). Be sure to mention if you survived a merger to work for the new company—that is a sign of your value.

One of my chief responsibilities at Robin’s Resumes® is to keep abreast of the current job market and expectations of hiring managers and recruiters so that the resumes I write have the best possible chance of resulting in an interview. I am always ready to answer your questions.

A Well-Written Resume Versus a Job List

Too many job applicants think of their resume as a list of the jobs they have held and the tasks they have completed over their career. They focus on their old responsibilities and job titles, forgetting the true purpose of a resume: to help them move on to their next job.

One of the statements I make over and over in these blog posts is that a resume should be targeted for the job you want, not the job you had. The requirements of the job you want are usually described by the company in its posting.

So how does a well-written resume differ from a job list?

First, a job list starts with the most recent job you held, then goes on to cover each job in reverse chronological order. A well-written resume also includes a job list, but it begins with a profile that highlights the value you would bring to your next employer. The profile also contains keywords that companies search for to find someone with your qualifications and background. If it will help your job search, a resume may also start with a “highlights” section that focuses on the achievements most relevant to the job you want. It might start with your academic career rather than your job history if your academic career is stronger. A well-written resume is written for you.

In a job list, each former position is described by title, tasks, and responsibilities. A well-written resume relates those tasks and responsibilities to achievements and accomplishments. The responsibility is to hold sales meetings with customers; but what did those meetings achieve? The task is to redesign the company website; but how did the company benefit from the redesign? The task was to computerize a manual process; but what time and manpower did that computerized process save?

In a job list, everything has equal importance. A well-written resume considers what companies are looking for in an employee and what you want in your next job. Do companies expect someone at your level to have mentoring skills? Are you looking for a more prestigious position or for the opportunity to relocate? What you emphasize in your resume should reflect both the target company’s goals and your own.

Finally, a job list is a dry recital of facts. A well-written resume (and cover letter/email) gives hiring managers and recruiters a sense of your commitment to your career and your excitement about moving on. They want to know that you are more than the sum of the facts—that you are coming to them ready and eager to contribute to their company.

At Robin’s Resumes®, we write resumes, not job lists. Please contact us today.

Six Things Your Resume Cannot Do for You

A professionally written resume can spark the interest of hiring managers and recruiters; keep your personal network well informed; and give you the confidence you need to ace an interview. But here are six things your resume cannot do:

  1. Your resume cannot get you a job. It can get you phone calls and interviews; but the final result is up to the company who interviews you.
  2. Your resume cannot qualify you for a job you are not qualified for. You need keywords in your resume but you need keywords that reflect your real skills, accomplishments, and education. An interview quickly exposes any gaps in your knowledge that you may have hidden on your resume. And if the interview does not expose you, your first week on the job will.
  3. Your resume cannot take over for a complete job search. You need to interact with real people: network online and offline and involve as many people as possible in your job search. Your resume can help those people understand the type of job you are looking for and the value you bring to a company.
  4. Your resume cannot mind-meld with recruiters and hiring managers. Whatever you leave off your resume or fail to emphasize is going to pass unnoticed by recruiters and hiring managers. If you want them to know something, you must tell them in either your resume or the accompanying cover letter/email.
  5. Your resume cannot stand alone, without a cover letter or email. Maybe hiring managers or recruiters will not read the cover letter—but maybe they will look for it and be annoyed if it does not exist. Why take the chance?
  6. Your resume cannot update itself. The standards for resumes, your career goals, your education, and certainly your experience may have changed since your last job search. Your resume should have a complete overhaul to keep it up-to-date in every respect.

You need a resume because only a resume can get you through the applicant tracking systems, network referrals, hiring managers, and recruiters to the actual job interview. I write can-do resumes. Contact me today.

Six Rules for Using Acronyms in Resumes

In these blog posts, you will find many occasions when I have mentioned the danger of including too many acronyms in your resume without defining them. It is easy to assume that “everyone” knows what an acronym means, only to discover that the acronym has an entirely different meaning in another company—or even in another division. A resume loaded with acronyms is difficult to read even by someone who knows exactly what you mean by each acronym.

But acronyms do have a place in resumes, if only because they save valuable space that is better used to describe your value to a company. Here are six rules to make sure you are using acronyms in the best possible way:

  1. Generally, it is best to spell out an acronym somewhere in the resume. For example, a company looking for an expert in condition-based maintenance may set their applicant tracking system to look only for the full words, not for the acronym CBM.
  2. Some acronyms, such as TV, are almost never spelled out. Others, like R&D, truly are universally known. But in a case like R&D, you might want to use the keywords “research” or “researcher” or “developer” or “develop” elsewhere in the resume.
  3. Go easy on capitalization. For example, there is no reason to capitalize research and development even though the acronym (R&D) is capitalized. Keep capitalization for proper names.
  4. Be careful about repetition. For example, say you worked on your company’s telecommunications service (TCS). It would be redundant for you to refer to your company’s “TCS service.”
  5. The plural of an acronym does not normally require an apostrophe; for example, several technical analysts are TAs (“reviewed reports submitted by TAs”). Possessives do need a plural, as in “modified a newly hired TA’s reports to correct errors.”
  6. Above all, make sure every acronym you use in your resume is correct. In the healthcare industry, the correct acronym is HIPAA, not HIPPA. The abbreviation for Alaska is AK, not AL (which stands for Alabama). The Association of Retired Flight Attendants might be ARFA or AORFA or even TARFA—make sure you get it right.

If you follow those six rules, you should feel confident about using acronyms in your resume when using acronyms make sense.

Testimonials and Your Resume

Testimonials in your resume—or on LinkedIn or similar social media sites—puts you steps above competitors. Testimonials that focus on your skills and accomplishments highlight your potential as an employee.

When choosing testimonials, you are looking for:

  • Short testimonials. It may be tempting to include long-winded accounts of your skills, but it’s important to choose quotations that are brief and pointed, to increase their impact as much as possible. Plus you need that space to describe your achievements and skills.
  • A maximum of about three testimonials. No potential employer has the time to read a novel of testimonials, nor are they likely to find any groundbreaking information about your skills five testimonials in.
  • Testimonials with strong content. What a past coworker, mentor, vendor, customer, or boss has to say about your strengths is more important than whether or not they were president of your company.
  • Testimonials that are attributed. It is best to use a full name and position but you can use initials and position or, if necessary, position alone. But make sure the testimonial comes from a real person.
  • Testimonials that are positive. Avoid negative language in your testimonials. (For example, you can edit testimonials taken from annual reviews using ellipses (…). In that case, “Jack is reluctant to talk with customers but is the most creative engineer on our team” might become “Jack is…the most creative engineer on our team.”)
  • Testimonials that are honest. If all your “testimonials” are negative, do not use them. If the only testimonials you have are from your best friend who never worked with you, skip them. Resumes are fine without testimonials.
  • Testimonials that reinforce, but are not redundant. Use different testimonials to elaborate on your most important strengths and achievements, not to mention your impressive people skills for the third time.
  • Testimonials that are unique to you as a candidate. Avoid basic statements like “great guy!” Instead, use testimonials that help you to stand out from competitors.

Here is an example of a successful testimonial: “I worked with Jane on the ABC project and she was a wonderful mentor and leader, who inspired me and the rest of the team to bring the project in on time and on budget, making a difficult client very happy.” J. Smith, Engineer

Testimonials will support your value as a candidate if they are short, strong on content, stress the positive, are honest, reinforce your strengths and achievements, and are unique to you.

Proofreading Resumes on Paper

I have often ranted about the complete uselessness of electronic grammar checkers and mentioned the need for manual proofreading, rather than relying on electronic spellcheckers, but I am also against proofreading a resume on the computer instead of printing it out. Here are my top five reasons for advocating manual proofreading, with paper in your hand:

  1. No matter how carefully you look, onscreen you are going to miss the tiny details like a double period at the end of a sentence or a word that is partially bolded and partially unbolded. With a hard copy, you can proofread the resume looking for those details in particular.
  2. If you have a two-page (or longer) resume, it is very hard to keep the pages consistent if you only view them onscreen. You might write dates as 2001-2008 on page 1 but 2001 to 2008 on page 2 or you might have justification on one page and ragged right margins on the other. A hard copy makes cross-checking easy.
  3. When you are proofreading on a computer you automatically add missing words, especially two-letter prepositions, even though they are not there. When you proof word-by-word on a hard copy—or better yet, read it out loud—you catch those missing words.
  4. The computer hides flaws, such as a change in font (for example, there is very little difference onscreen between Arial and Tahoma) or problems with line spacing or word spacing. Because even layout views are not exact online, the computer masks problems that only become apparent when you print the resume.
  5. Formats that look great on the computer may not print well. But if you are selected for an interview, your interviewer will be looking at a paper copy of your resume, not at the computer screen. Your resume needs to print easily and look professional in hard copy.

An added benefit of a paper resume is that you can hand it to an objective party and ask them to read it just as a hiring manager would read it during an interview. If any statement is unclear or confusing, you can correct it before the resume goes out.

Robin’s Resumes® is dedicated to creating professional resumes that help give job applicants the edge, both in content and format.

Eight New Year’s Resolutions for Your Resume

If your resume is not getting the interviews you expected, now is the time to review it and follow through on these New Year resolutions:

Resolution 1: Believe in yourself. You have hard and soft skills, experience, and accomplishments that will bring value to future employers. Let your resume focus on you, not on “creative” formats, half-truths, and wishful thinking.

Resolution 2: Lose the deadweight. Read through the job postings and advertisements for the information potential employers really want and target your resume. You may be extremely proud of your first job more than 10 years ago; but if your first job has no bearing on the job you want now, use the space more profitably to describe your current skills, experience, and accomplishments.

Resolution 3: Look before you leap. If you make one change, reread the whole resume. As tedious as this advice sounds, over and over again I have seen resumes where one change meant the wrong punctuation was left in place; an entire sentence was inadvertently repeated word-for-word; or dates on jobs overlapped in an impossible way.

Resolution 4: Trust yourself. You do have skills, accomplishments, and education that would bring value to employers. Do not let old cautions about “boasting” stand in your way but do not lie. Read job descriptions, postings, and advertisements carefully. They will tell you what employers are looking for and what content your resume should include; you want your resume to quickly and honestly tell recruiters and hiring managers why you are their best choice.

Resolution 5: Step away from the computer. This resolution has two aspects. First, face-to-face networking and relationship-building is vital to any job search; do not spend all your time researching jobs online. Second, electronic spellcheckers have limited benefit and grammar checkers are worthless. Proofread your resume on your own on paper and on the screen. Only you can tell if you meant “about expectations” or “above” or if that semicolon should be a period. Computers do not know.

Resolution 6: Never assume. For example, you may have assumed the company you did business with was “Wal-Mart Inc.” when it is actually “Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.” and it is branded as Walmart (without the hyphen).

Resolution 7: Be consistent. Within resumes, a dollar amount might be given in one place as $1 million, in another as $1M, and in yet a third as $1,000,000. Between the resume and interview, an important skill might get forgotten; information on social media might fall out of date entirely. Inconsistencies raise questions about your attention to detail at best and your honesty at worst.

Resolution 8: Accept help. Consult a professional resume writer. I really do make a difference for my clients. Contact me today.

Three Major Mistakes Job Seekers Make on LinkedIn

The other day I reviewed the information a client sent for his resume, including his address on LinkedIn. When I went to LinkedIn to look at his profile, I discovered he had not updated it after leaving his previous job. His LinkedIn profile had him working at a company he had left two years earlier!

Another client who wanted her LinkedIn address included on her resume had not posted a profile at all—just her name and job title. While her desire to include her LinkedIn address was sound, the empty profile simply wasted a recruiter’s time.

Bottom line: if you are going to direct people to your LinkedIn profile, make sure it is up to date, matches your resume and is fully filled out.

Now here is another mistake job seekers make on LinkedIn: They do not use it to network. LinkedIn is a wonderful opportunity to connect with individuals who work in your field, work at companies you are interested in and may have early knowledge of job openings.

How do you get in touch with these people? Comment on their posts, with thoughtful information, questions or referrals. Ask your #1 connections if they know your desired contacts/companies and would introduce you. Join groups that your desired contacts/companies are likely to follow or join.

Finally, job seekers are making a mistake if they believe LinkedIn is a one-way street. Yes, companies will look for potential employees on LinkedIn but job seekers should also be looking for potential companies to join and jobs to apply for. The LinkedIn profile established by companies in your target industry or field contains valuable information about their own achievements, struggles and company culture. This information can help you write a resume that better shows your fit for the job you want.

Robin’s Resumes® is your source for a profile that adds value to your resume and for information on using LinkedIn to your advantage. Contact us today.

Resume Lies

They creep in everywhere, the little exaggerations or omissions: those little resume lies. Some resume writers even encourage them in the name of “helping” a job applicant look good. But in my viewpoint, the consequences of lying are never worth the risk; they are too severe, both personally and professionally, and too likely to be exposed, even during the job interview. Those little lies include:

  • Inflating a job title. Your job title is so easy for someone to check that it makes no sense to inflate it. If your job title does not reflect what you really accomplished in your job, follow it by a sentence like “held managerial responsibility” or “fulfilled functions of CFO.” Then list the accomplishments that prove that statement.
  • Juggling dates to hide a gap. Nowadays, almost everyone has a gap in their job history. If you are experiencing a gap, fill it with volunteer activities, freelance work or other activities. Do not try to hide it afterwards by altering your dates of employment; this little lie will never hold up to a reference check.
  • Disguising the true nature of your experience. A stay-at-home parent is not a relationship manager. A babysitter is not in the customer service industry. Any interviewer will find out the truth with a few sharp questions.
  • Hiding the extent of your experience. While it is easy to write a resume that overcomes the “overqualified” hurdle, few people can hide the achievements and successes of a lifetime in a personal interview. The way you present yourself, the answers you give to questions, the very questions you ask of the interviewer, all serve to expose your true accomplishments.

Drawing on my own years of experience as a professional resume writer with high standards of integrity and service to clients, I write resumes that get clients interviews based on the truth, not little lies that lead to contradictions, embarrassment and even loss of a potential job. Contact me today for a resume you will be proud to submit.

A Professional Resume: What It Means and How to Create It

A professional looking and sounding resume is as important as a professional wardrobe when you are looking for a job. What makes a resume professional?

First, the contact information is professional, with an email address that consists of your name, not some cute phrase or an address you share with your entire family (such as TheSmithFamily@yahoo.com).

Second, the content conforms to expectations for professional resumes. Work history is given in reverse chronological order; the first person singular (“I”) is not used; each bullet point starts with a verb; job descriptions stress achievements; and so on.

Third, a professional resume is proofread by a human being, not software. Running an online spell check or grammar check is not proofreading. The spell checker will not catch “manager” spelled as “manger” or “secret” spelled as “secrete” and online grammar checkers are, frankly, worthless.

Fourth, a professional resume is targeted for the job and the industry. Recruiters and hiring managers are quick to discern resumes that are “one size fits all,” including an absence of keywords and overload of information that is not relevant to the job.

Fifth, professional format consists of a familiar, clear type and a simple design that can be read by electronic Applicant Tracking Systems. An unprofessional format might have too much bolding, italics, and underlining; hard to read fonts; no balance between print and white space; inconsistent alignment (sometimes justified, sometimes ragged right); or inconsistent bullets (round, square, large, small).

As a professional resume writer, I have produced thousands of professional resumes for individuals at every stage of their careers. I look forward to helping you; contact me today.

What Resumes Need Most: Details

I recently reviewed the resumes of a few people who had been let go from their jobs. Their resumes were beautifully formatted and carefully proofread—an excellent job all around. But every resume suffered the same fault: a lack of detail.

One person mentioned supervising a team, but never said how many people were on her team, what their positions were and what the team accomplished. Another mentioned serving the company’s corporate clients, but never named the clients or described the skills, tasks and achievements that went into “serving” them. A third listed the locations of construction projects he worked on but did not indicate how large the projects were or even what was being constructed (single or multi-family homes, office buildings, shopping centers?).

The more detail you give about the work you have performed, the more your resume will stand out from the competition. Just as important, each detailed description gives you an opportunity to use the key words that the hiring manager or recruiter may be looking for.

If you are having difficulty adding detail to your resume, please contact me today.

Resumes That Grab Attention in the First Few Moments

Newspaper publishers and editors know the importance of the upper left quarter of a page. Because readers always begin reading from left to right and top to bottom, the upper left quarter is where the eye generally goes first. When you are writing your resume, you will want to take advantage of that natural tendency.

Put your name on the top of the page, either in the center or on the left. Your contact information also belongs on top (not on the bottom).

Make sure that the top half of your page contains the most important information you want to deliver. For a new graduate, that important information might be the degree you’ve obtained and the courses you’ve taken. For someone with a long job history in one field, that might be a summary of your achievements in your current role and the value you will bring to your next company. For someone switching careers, the most important information might be your past achievements or skills that are most relevant to your new career, regardless of chronology.

As a professional resume writer, I take pride in writing resumes that quickly capture the attention of hiring managers and recruiters. Let me help you.

The Best Word Processing Software for Your Resume

There are still a lot of word processing programs to choose from, including Word LaTeX, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, and Ability Write. However, unless you are applying to a company that specifically asks for a resume in some other format, use Microsoft Word.

Before many hiring managers read resumes they electronically load or scan the resume into their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and use an algorithm to screen for keywords related to the job. Those keywords identify resumes that seem to meet the job requirements. ATS systems are now used for more than 70% of new hires in the US, due to the number of people applying for jobs, the need to track applicants throughout the hiring process, and the reporting requirements of the US Federal Government Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO).

All ATS programs read Word but many of them cannot read resumes in any of the other word processing or PDF format. You want a clean Word format without tables, columns, text boxes, or headers/footers, so the ATS systems can read it correctly.

Please contact me if you need help with your resume.

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Federal Posting is Open

BREAKING NEWS – ALJ Jobs now open from March 5, 2013 to March 15, 2013

Every couple of years, the Federal Government posts an announcement for the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) opening. It posted this morning, March 5, 2013. The process is very different this year then in the past. In the past, the announcement would open and would almost immediately close once a certain number of applicants applied. This year, it is open until March 15, 2013, so you have time to prepare your application (not much) and apply. Robin’s Resumes® has experience in these applications and can help you with them.

The announcement can be found at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/338848600.

Here is a description of the job announcement:

Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) serve as independent impartial triers of fact in formal proceedings requiring a decision on the record after the opportunity for a hearing.  In general, ALJs prepare for and preside at formal hearings required by statute to be held under or in accordance with provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), codified in relevant part, in sections 553-559 of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.).  ALJs rule on preliminary motions, conduct pre-hearing conferences, issue subpoenas, conduct hearings (which may include written and/or oral testimony and cross-examination), review briefs, and prepare and issue decisions, along with written findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The Federal Government employs ALJs in a number of agencies throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.  Cases may involve Federal laws and regulations in such areas as admiralty, advertising, antitrust, banking, communications, energy, environmental protection, food and drugs, health and safety, housing, immigration, interstate commerce, international trade, labor management relations, securities and commodities markets, social security disability and other benefits claims, and transportation.

ALJs:

  • conduct formal hearings involving cases where all interested parties are given advance notice of the hearing; an opportunity to submit facts, arguments, offers of settlement or proposals of adjustment; and an opportunity to be accompanied, represented, and advised by counsel or other qualified representatives;
  • rule on preliminary motions, conduct pre-hearing conferences, issue subpoenas, control hearings (which may include written and/or oral testimony and cross-examination), review briefs, and receive or exclude (for example, on the ground that it is irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious) any oral or documentary evidence proffered for consideration; and
  • prepare and issue decisions (or initial or recommended decisions), along with written findings of fact and conclusions of law therein, upon consideration of the whole record, or those parts of it cited by a party and supported by and in accord with reliable, probative, and substantial evidence.

To apply for this position, you must meet the following requirements:

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Preliminary Qualifications:
As part of the qualifications requirements for an ALJ position, an applicant must meet all three of the following requirements:

  1. Possess a full seven (7) years of experience as a licensed attorney preparing for, participating in, and/or reviewing formal hearings or trials involving litigation and/or administrative law at the Federal, State or local level;
  2. Possess a professional license and be authorized to practice law under the laws of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territorial court established under the United States Constitution (see announcement for information on LICENSURE)
  3. Pass the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) competitive examination which evaluates the competencies, or knowledge, skills, and abilities, essential to performing the work of an ALJ.

Specific details for each of the three requirements above are as follows:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a full seven (7) years of experience as a licensed attorney preparing for, participating in, and/or reviewing formal hearings or trials involving litigation and/or administrative law at the Federal, State or local level.  To be considered as qualifying experience, the types of cases handled under this requirement must have been conducted on the record under procedures at least as formal as those prescribed by sections 553 through 559 of title 5 of the United States Code.
Litigation Experience: Qualifying litigation experience involves cases in which a complaint was filed with a court, or a charging document (e.g., indictment or information) was issued by a court, a grand jury, or appropriate military authority and includes:

  • participating  in settlement or plea negotiations in advance of trial;
  • preparing  for trial and/or participating in trial of cases;
  • preparing  opinions;
  • hearing  cases;
  • participating in or conducting arbitration, mediation, or other      alternative dispute resolution process approved by the court; or
  • participating in appeals related to the types of cases above.

Administrative Law Experience: Qualifying administrative law experience involves cases in which a formal procedure was initiated by a governmental administrative body and includes:

  • participating in settlement negotiations in advance of hearing cases;
  • preparing for hearing and/or participating in trial of cases;
  • preparing opinions;
  • hearing cases;
  • participating in or conducting arbitration, mediation, or other alternative dispute resolution      process approved by the administrative body; or
  • participating  in appeals related to the types of cases above.

There are more limitations in the job announcement. Robin’s Resumes® can help you interpret whether you are eligible to apply.

If you need help in your application, please call 404-875-2688 or email Robin’s Resumes® at 404-875-2688 so we can prepare your resume package today.

 

Is a Resume Necessary?

Some companies have been organizing their online application forms around what school teachers call “essay questions.” Instead of asking about recent employment, these applications ask, “What is your ideal dream job?” and “Why are you interested in our company?” Questions like these used to be saved for the interview, but with so many people hunting for employment, companies are trying to strengthen their weeding-out process.

Other companies have begun asking for links to Twitter and Facebook pages or even personal websites.

However, resumes are still a requirement for all companies, even those with the quirkiest application process. Somewhere along the line, every company wants to know your work history, what you have achieved in previous jobs and what skills you have acquired. A great resume not only boosts your self-confidence, it also gives you a strong basis for answering questions like “What job did you enjoy the most in your career?”

As a professional resume writer and career coach, I create resumes that fit into your entire presentation, and I can help ensure that your online presence is consistent with your resume and with the job you want. Call or email me today.

Adaptive Skills: What Do They Add to a Resume?

For job hunters, adaptive skills are those general skills necessary to transition to, acquire, keep and succeed at any job. They might include dependability, familiarity with technology, ability to work independently and ability to work with others.

These skills are valuable to employers but it is not enough to state that you have them. The best way to highlight your adaptive skills is to show how you used them in your previous jobs and volunteer positions.

In periods of full employment, employers know they may not find someone with the exact technical, mechanical or scientific skills they want. They are more likely to select folks who have strong adaptive skills, which allow the company to train the employee for the position. In a period of high unemployment (such as now), companies feel their most economical solution is to wait for the perfect employee who doesn’t need training. However, companies still want but employees with the adaptive skills to fit the company culture and contribute to the company’s bottom line.

Thus, it is always important to mention your adaptive skills in the context of your achievements. Your resume should assure a company that they are hiring someone who not only has the specific skills the company needs now but also has the adaptive skills to grow in the future.

You may need career coaching to identify and recognize your adaptive skill set. You may need help in translating that knowledge into a strong resume. Contact Robin’s Resumes® today and we can begin working on a stronger resume for you.

Define a Great Resume? Easy!

For recruiters and hiring managers, a great resume is one that tells them what they want to know fast. They review hundreds of resumes for every job opening. They lack the time to hunt for the qualifications, experience, achievements and attitudes they want in the perfect candidate. So your resume has to fulfill their wish for quick and thorough information.

Your resume is a marketing document. It is marketing you. With the holidays approaching, your mailbox is full of brochures. Consider what the best marketing pieces have in common: The contact information is easy to find and read; a bold statement up front makes that company stand out from the crowd; and the detailed information gives the facts that any consumer wants before deciding to buy.

Your resume must do the same thing: make it easy for recruiters to contact you, start with a strong statement of your outstanding skills and accomplishments and cover the details that recruiters and marketing managers are looking for. And it has to do all without wasting their time.

I have more than 10 years of experience writing professional resumes for individuals at all levels, from upper management to support staff, in technical, retail, government, manufacturing and many other fields. Look at the samples on this website for civilian and federal  resumes. Then call me today so we can get started on marketing you.

Eye-Catching Resumes

When people have been searching for a job for a long time, they are willing to try anything to make their resume stand out: red ink, unusual fonts, purple paper, clip art.

Don’t do it.

Recruiters and Human Resources departments are impressed with only three things:

  • The right combination of skills, education and achievements
  • The ability to relay that information quickly and concisely
  • A clean, neat, easy-to-read format

They don’t have time to sort out facts from creativity and computer scanning programs are very likely to miss or mess up vital information if you use unusual colors, artwork, formats or fonts. As one recruiter put it, if a resume “looks like it means business, it is more likely to be taken seriously.”

The best way to capture attention is to make sure that your resume is focused and clear, that you have included the information that companies are looking for and that you have given yourself full credit for your achievements. If your resume has not yet won interviews, give me a call.

Resumes and Keywords

More and more often, employers and recruiters use computer programs to look through resumes for keywords and then discard the resumes that do not contain those words.

What are keywords? A keyword is a single word or a phrase describing a specific skill or achievement that the employer considers to be critical for the job. It could be the name of a software program (Excel, MySQL), a specific license or college degree (MBA), a job title (Manager, CEO) or an industry-specific term (profit and loss statement, fractionation). Sometimes the computer program searches for one set of words but the resume uses another set to describe the same thing. For example, the program searches for “profit and loss” but the resume refers to “P&L.” When that happens, a resume might be discarded even though the applicant has the required skill.

How do you know which keywords to use? Keywords can be found in the job description in a company’s advertisement or online posting. If a word or phrase appears frequently in similar job postings by other companies, it is probably a critical keyword for that industry.

How many keywords should you put in your resume? One estimate says that for federal jobs a resume must contain 95% of the keywords for that job. Estimates for keywords in corporate resumes vary widely (I’ve seen recommendations for from 4 to 25 or more keywords). As important as keywords are, you must be honest in using them. If you don’t have the skill, degree or license that a keyword describes, you don’t have it.

How can you create a keyword-rich resume? As a professional resume writer, I know how to work important keywords into your resume and still create a readable document. I can also advise you on which keywords are likely to become the focus of a search. If you fear that your resume is being unfairly discarded because it lacks the right keywords, give me a call today at Robin’s Resumes®.

Robin’s Resumes®: Our Specialty Is Your Resume

One of the questions customers often ask me is: What is your specialty—which industry and which job positions? Have you ever written a resume for someone like me before?

For over a decade, I have written resumes for everyone from recent graduates to armed forces generals and CEOs of major corporations. Before then I worked as a process engineer and as a project manager at a large plant. I have interfaced with Human Resources personnel and recruiters in several states.

I help job seekers transition from the corporate world to federal jobs, from military careers to corporate careers, from college to their first job and from small companies to large—and back again. If you have a gap in your employment history, if you are concerned about your age, if you are not sure about the value of your experience or if you face any other difficulty with your resume, please call me.

I can assure you that I have indeed written a resume for someone like you. And I would be honored to write yours.

The Internet and Your Resume

Paper resumes are still with us, but more and more job hunters are posting resumes online at social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and at sites like VirtualCV that specialize in publishing resumes. They know that more and more recruiters are searching online for job candidates.

If you are a member of LinkedIn, you can include the address for your LinkedIn profile on your resume—but you should first make sure your LinkedIn profile is professional. If you employ a professional resume writer to write your resume, ask the same person to write your LinkedIn profile. You gain several advantages: consistency, reinforcement of the main points in your resume, and an opportunity to elaborate on details. You will also want some strong recommendations on your LinkedIn profile.

If you belong to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media groups, now is the time to take down any photos, tweets, or personal information that you would never bring up at a job interview. Social networking sites do not belong on a resume; but recruiters and interviewers know how to find them, whether you want them to or not. You may want to mention a Facebook business site on your resume if that is relevant.

Recruiters are also looking at resumes created on resume publishing sites or with WordPress or similar software. Some online resume tools allow you to choose among privacy settings; incorporate the online resume in Facebook and LinkedIn; and add audio or video. Be careful of overwhelming your resume with gimmicks, however. Your accomplishments, achievements and work history should still be paramount.

Again, a consistent approach is vital among all your paper and electronic resumes. I can help you with a resume package that makes your resume stand out, no matter where recruiters find it.

A Round of Applause for You

You have just been chosen “Employee of the Month”–but everyone seems to be chosen sooner or later. You came in second among eight salespeople for total yearly sales–but you weren’t first. Your boss asked you to be a member of a committee–but no one important served on it. At one job you were selected to lead a training session–but that was years ago. Are any of these “honors” worth mentioning on a resume? Absolutely!

Rewards, above average achievements and selection by a superior help you stand out from the crowd of other applicants. Recruiters like to know you were appreciated at a previous job, that you strive for excellence and that your employers respected you enough to single you out. No matter how old the honor is, you earned it. As long as it is relevant to your work history, it should appear on your resume.

Honors that come from volunteer work are also important. If you ever served as an officer for a nonprofit, received recognition or contributed your time and expertise in any way, mention your service, Many companies encourage giving back to the community and will be pleased that you are already on board with their policy. In addition, volunteering shows initiative and the ability to work toward a common goal, both highly respected qualities in an employee.

At Robin’s Resumes®, we help people understand the value of their achievements and communicate them to potential employers. While your resume is opening doors to employment, it should also remind you of all the reasons you have to be proud. That confidence will show in your interviews. So give yourself a round of applause and make sure recruiters know what an exceptional employee you are.

Advice from Your Next Boss

What do companies look for when they read a resume? Recently I asked that question on an online business site. Replies came from 18 hiring and department managers working in colleges, electronics companies, banks, sales, engineering and human resources among others.

Overwhelmingly (11 out of 18), they first checked the resume to make sure the skills and experience met their needs as outlined in the job description. No one wants to hire a brain surgeon without a medical degree or a chef who’s never worked in a kitchen. Often, the responders defined “experience” as number of years in the field.

Does this mean you can submit a laundry list of skills and job titles and get hired? No.

After that first glance, most of the people responding looked for accomplishments or achievements. Your resume has to explain what you did with your skills. How did the company benefit?

Did you develop a new report, increase sales, interact well with your peers and managers, lead a team, volunteer in the community, meet deadlines, streamline a process, help make a project successful, complete a class, give a presentation, serve on a committee, receive praise from customers or earn a promotion? The way you used your skills to benefit your old company tells your new company what to expect. They know whether you’ll be a valuable addition to their team.

You may find it hard to boast about—or even recognize—your own accomplishments. If you need help, call or email Robin’s Resumes®. Together, we can make sure the marketplace knows just how valuable you are.

The Great Debate: What Type of Resume Works Best?

The two main types of resumes are functional and chronological. A functional resume concentrates on your accomplishments and experience, with only the briefest reference to your job history. A chronological resume details your jobs in reverse chronological order, the most recent position first. Which do I favor? Neither one!

The best modern resumes are a combination of functional and chronological. They start with a paragraph or list summarizing your main areas of accomplishment and your most valuable skills. Under that comes a detailed job listing, with information on your achievements in each position, in reverse chronological order.

A straight functional resume is often viewed by recruiters as a warning that you have something to hide: a large gap in employment, a history of moving from job to job, or an inability to hold onto any one job for very long. A straight chronological resume may force the recruiter to hunt for relevant experience and skills. The combination resume tells recruiters at a glance that you have the right skills and a stable, solid work history.

Just an Ordinary Everyday Person

Recently, I spoke with a woman returning to the job market after years of raising her family. “I haven’t done anything for 10 years,” she said. Coincidentally, I had a similar conversation with an executive just a few weeks later. “I don’t give enough back to the community,” he said. And soon after that a college graduate complained that she lacked enough experience to get the website design job she wanted.

In a short while, I discovered that the woman had held leadership positions in three nonprofits over the years; the executive participated in at least one community event every month, including speaking before high school students; and the college grad had developed websites for two family members (“but they’re family members,” she objected).

The problem is that we all undervalue our contributions and experience. The achievement that you dismiss as nothing special may be exactly what your next employer is looking for.

A professional resume writer can help you discover those talents and abilities you take for granted—and then describe them so that potential employers recognize their value. We cannot be truly objective about ourselves.

References: “Works Well with Others”

Good references are important to any job search; but you need to know when and how to offer them.

In the United States, references do not belong on a resume. First, you want to protect the privacy of your references; resumes go out to the world. Second, you want time to alert your references to the call or email they may receive. If your references are listed on your resume, you lose control.

Employers assume you can give them references if they ask. So your resume should not include the phrase “References available upon request.” It is not necessary and it takes up valuable space on a resume better used to show your accomplishments.

That said, as part of your preparation, create a list of references to have ready when needed. The list should include each reference’s name, title, company name, address, phone number(s) and email. In addition to professional references, you may need a few personal references. Contact all your references to make sure they are willing to speak well of you and to alert them to your job search. Your references need to know they will be receiving a legitimate request for information by a company you’re interested in.

You can ask a company not to contact your most recent employer. Companies realize you may want to keep your job search confidential until you have a definite offer. Besides, current employers are often limited in the information they are allowed to share.

Make sure you have some references who will gladly speak well of you! One of the most damaging references you can get is, “I’d rather not say.”

What Not to Say in a Resume

Some resume mistakes are easy to find: you typed “manger” instead of “manager” or you transposed the numbers on your zip code. But what about this job description on the fourth page of a resume: “Kept books for our company for 5 years before it went out of business due to poor economy.” That one sentence is guilty of several mistakes:

  • Using the first person word (I, me, my, we, us, our) in a resume. The first person is fine in a cover letter—not in resume. Don’t say our, say the company’s.
  • Making apologies. Always stress the positive. If your company went out of business, focus on how you helped to keep it healthy for so long.
  • Resume too long. For most professions in the civilian sector, a 1 to 2 page resume is sufficient (technical professions such as IT, Engineering, Science, Medicine and College Professor are exceptions). In this case, a bookkeeper rarely requires 4 pages.
  • Listing your job duties alone. Your accomplishments are much more important. Every bookkeeper keeps the books. Did you develop new reports or participate in management’s five-year planning committee?
  • Giving up. If you don’t get results from your resume, seek out a professional. A professional resume writer will help you stress the value you bring to potential employers. In addition, most professionals offer advice on job searches, including methods for networking. Go to www.robinresumes.com to see the services a professional resume writer can offer you.

Taking Your Job Hunt Online

Paper resumes are still a valuable job hunting tool. Almost all of the current generation of Human Resource managers grew up in the era of paper and still prefer it. But you need to consider posting an online resume also. It widens your job hunting reach, and it gives you a professional presence on the Internet. Many companies will research you online even after receiving your paper resume.

When posting an online resume, make sure:

  • The online information is consistent with the resume you have sent to the company. If a professional resume writer is helping to write your resume, you may want to hire the same person to write your online profile.
  • Any comments or referrals on your online resume are positive and bolster your image.

Is the fear of identity theft keeping you from posting details on line? If you search for your name online, you may be surprised to find out how much information is already available. In all probability, your contact information is widely known, especially if you’re listed in the phone book and have shopped online. However, if you want to hide your real address but still show your local availability, you could rent a mailbox at a UPS store or other mailbox service. Unlike Post Office boxes, commercial mailboxes offer a real street address.

Stay away from resume-distribution sites that request your date of birth, marital status, picture or social security number. That’s where the possibility of identity theft is strongest.
Technology, comfort levels and employment law still have a way to go before all resumes are online. But you want to take advantage of every resource available to you. Do you have a success story to share about your online resume?

Resume Style Insights

A graphic designer asked an online forum if she should highlight her skills by creating a unique design for her resume. Every hiring manager who responded answered, “No!” They wanted a resume formatted for easy reading, scanning and printing. If a professional graphic designer has to reign in her artistic talent, you should, too. That means:

  • Using a standard font like Arial, Times New Roman or Helvetica If you wander away from standard fonts, the computer that receives your resume may not have that font. Suddenly, your resume file is unreadable.
  • Being careful with clip art, color or other ornamentation. Black-and-white printers/copiers reduce every color scheme to grey. Some scanners turn ornate designs into a mess. Besides, you never know how a hiring manager will react to a resume bordered by flowers, in green ink, on baby blue paper. It is OK to be creative if you are in a creative field and using a paper resume to hand to a person you know; however, even then, you will need to also provide a standard resume which is able to be scanned.
  • Avoiding templates. Some Word templates cause receiving computers and scanners to choke. In addition, if you use a Word template, your resume will look exactly like the hundreds of other applicants using the same template.
  • Making the resume easy on the eyes. Somewhere along the line, a human being will read your resume. Save bolding, italics or capitalization for your most important points; use it consistently and sparingly. Chose a font size of at least 11 pt for Times New Roman or 10 pt for Arial or Helvetica.

With resumes, content always counts more than style. Make sure your style lets your content stand out.

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