Resumes

WHEN DOING A RESUME.

1. Keep information on your resume concise.

2. Your resume must be absolutely error free

3. No more than two pages, one preferably

4. Have your resume printed on good quality paper preferably from a laser printer

5. Use short sentences or point forms. They are easier to read.

6. Keep all headings, dates, titles in a straight line, it is easier to read and pleasing to the eye.

7. Use strong action verbs to describe your skills and experience.

8. If resume is more than one page, use paperclip to fasten together, not staples.

9. Use a font that is easy to read and is clear.

10. Always ask for feedback from your resume (friends, family, employers etc.), this way you can see if any changes are needed or if resume is serving the purpose.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT RESUME, BE OPEN TO CHANGE AND ADJUST YOUR RESUME ACCORDINGLY

MY RESUME AND COVER LETTER ARE PREPARED, NOW WHAT

Now that your resume and cover letter are completed what is the best way to get it to the employer? (First off, always follow the direction indicated on the advertisement, as they may indicate the exact way they want you to send it, Please apply for this job only in the manner specified by the employer. Failure to do so may result in your application not being properly considered for the position)

1. The best way, although it is not the most efficient when it comes to time or money, is to drop off that resume / cover letter in person. By dropping it off in person you get to see the environment you potentially could be working in, meet the people you could be working with and possibly meet the supervisor who will be doing the interviewing. This is the perfect time to make that first impression. The employer may have a few questions for you, or you for him/her. They may simply take your information and thank you for dropping it off, either way you are confirmed that has been received and in the correct hands. When dropping a resume off in person, you will still need to dress up as you would for the interview; you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
2. Emailing a resume / cover letter is fine, as long as you check your email regularly. The employer may choose to correspond with you directly through email and if you only check it every so often you could miss out on valuable information or a direction the employer may have given you.
3. Faxing a resume is fine as well, but be sure to follow up with the fax to confirm it was received as well that it was in the correct set of hands.
4. Mailing the package would be my last resort. If you do mail it, give the package time to arrive, 2-3 days. Always follow up by phone to confirm it was received and is again in the correct set of hands. If you do mail the package, try not to fold it into a regular sized envelope, get the full sized kind. It will cost more to mail it but when the resume is received it will be free of folds and will lay flat, a better reflection on you.
5. Getting someone who currently works there to drop off your resume / cover letter for you is acceptable. I would still follow up to confirm receipt of information. As previously mentioned, be sure to inquire into the relationship and reputation of the person dropping off your information. If the reputation is not favorable, you may be better off using any of the above-mentioned strategies.

 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE AND WHY DO WE USE THEM?

A resume only serves one purpose, to identify your skills, experience, education and abilities and interest them (the employer) to call you in for an interview.

COLOURED PAPER, BORDERS, BINDERS, FANCY DESIGNS – GOOD OR BAD?

The content of the resume is the most important thing. There is nothing wrong with coloured paper, but be careful, it should not be so bright it hurts your eyes, neon or fluorescent colours should be avoided, unless you are applying for a job that requires a certain amount of flair of creativity (graphic designer, marketing etc.) Borders and fancy designs can be used when also appropriate, but remember the content is the most important. Never put your resume in a binder or folder as these to can hurt your chances.

HOW MANY PAGES SHOULD MY RESUME BE?

A resume should be one to two pages at the most. Anything more could potentially eliminate you from the running as that employer is looking at the resumes (in some cases in the hundreds) and making a short list. Your resume may not even be read if it is to long and does not keep their interest. If a resume is more than one page try to use a paperclip over a staple as employers will lay out your resume in front of them and removing the staple could potentially damage the look of your resume. If a resume is more than one page be sure to also put your contact information on the top of each page in case they do get separated.

HOW MANY STYLES OF RESUMES ARE THERE?

FUNCTIONAL- Uses three to five key headings and you give three or four examples of how you performed each heading. This style is also referred to as the Professional resume.

CHRONOLOGICAL- At one time this was the most popular of the styles. In this style it starts off with the time you spent at that job, your job titles, company name and what your job responsibilities were at that job.

COMBINATION – This styles combines both the functional and chronological together. This style is the most popular and can be a favorite amongst employers as it is very easy to follow and read.

WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF A RESUME AND DOES IT MATTER WHICH ORDER THEY ARE IN?

The components or parts of a resume are as follows;

CONTACT INFORMATION- Name, address, city, postal code, phone number and optional email account. Things you do not include in contact information are Social Insurance Number, age and gender, photographs, reasons for leaving a job, references, height, weight, race, religion, marital status and try to avoid the excessive use of “I” in your resume and cover letters.

WORK OBJECTIVE (optional but recommended)- It does give the employer an idea of where you are going in your job search.

HIGHLIGHT OF QUALIFICATIONS / DEMONSTRATED ABILITIES – Can be used, depending on which style of resume you go with.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY / WORK EXPERIENCE / VOLUNTEERING – Always start with your most recent employment and work your way backwards. You will include the year(s) you were employed there, the company name and your job title. The remaining information will depend on which style of resume you use. Volunteering is very important and should be treated as part of your work history. You should choose the heading WORK HISTORY if you will be grouping your paid employment and volunteering together. You can still identify the volunteer positions with a (vol.) or (volunteer) after your job title

EDUCATION / TRAINING – Most recent first and again work your way backwards

ACCOMPLISHMENTS / ACHIEVEMENTS (optional) – Pick three or four of your strongest accomplishments or made the biggest contribution. Keep them in point form and if you have “numbers” it always means more.

Ex. Increased total revenue substantially.

Ex. Increased total revenue by 75%

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS / MEMBERSHIP – List any memberships or associations you are currently involved and for how long you have been affiliated with them.

INTERESTS / HOBBIES (optional)– Your choice, the benefits are that it does tell the employer what you do to relieve your stress. It can also open up dialogue to conversation in the interview setting, should you and your interviewer have things in common.

REFERENCES – Available upon request, should the advertised job request your references then send them along but on a separate sheet of paper. It is not fair to you or your references if they are sent before you have even had a chance to be interviewed by the employer and get a feel for the company/organization.

There is no set order your information to follow. Always put your best foot forward and start with your strongest attributes.

ACTION VERBS

Communication/People Skills

Addressed
Advertised
Arbitrated
Arranged
Articulated
Authored
Clarified
Collaborated
Communicated
Composed
Condensed
Conferred
Consulted
Contacted
Conveyed
Convinced
Corresponded
Debated
Defined
Developed
Directed
Discussed
Drafted
Edited
Elicited
Enlisted
Explained
Expressed
Formulated
Furnished
Incorporated
Influenced
Interacted
Interpreted
Interviewed
Involved
Joined
Judged
Lectured
Listened
Marketed
Mediated
Moderated
Negotiated
Observed

Outlined
Participated
Persuaded
Presented
Promoted
Proposed
Publicized
Reconciled
Recruited
Referred
Reinforced
Reported
Resolved
Responded
Solicited
Specified
Spoke
Suggested
Summarized
Synthesized
Translated
Wrote

Creative Skills

Acted

Adapted
Began
Combined
Composed
Conceptualized
Condensed
Created
Customized
Designed
Developed
Directed
Displayed
Drew
Entertained
Established
Fashioned
Formulated
Founded
Illustrated
Initiated
Instituted
Integrated
Introduced
Invented
Modeled
Modified
Originated
Performed
Photographed
Planned
Revised
Revitalized
Shaped
Solved

Data/Financial Skills

Administered
Adjusted
Allocated
Analyzed
Appraised
Assessed
Audited
Balanced
Budgeted
Calculated
Computed
Conserved
Corrected
Determined
Developed
Estimated
Forecasted
Managed
Marketed
Measured
Netted
Planned
Prepared
Programmed
Projected
Qualified
Reconciled
Reduced
Researched
Retrieved

Helping Skills

Adapted
Advocated
Aided
Answered
Arranged
Assessed
Assisted
Clarified
Coached
Collaborated
Contributed
Cooperated
Counseled
Demonstrated
Diagnosed
Educated
Encouraged
Ensured
Expedited
Facilitated
Familiarized
Furthered
Guided
Helped
Insured
Intervened
Motivated
Prevented
Provided
Referred
Rehabilitated
Represented
Resolved
Simplified
Supplied
Supported
Volunteered

Management/Leadership Skills

Administered
Analyzed
Appointed
Approved
Assigned
Attained
Authorized
Chaired
Considered
Consolidated
Contracted
Controlled
Converted
Coordinated
Decided
Delegated
Developed
Directed
Eliminated
Emphasized
Enforced
Enhanced
Established
Executed
Generated
Handled
Headed
Hired
Hosted
Improved
Incorporated
Increased
Initiated
Inspected
Instituted
Led
Managed
Merged
Motivated
Navigated
Organized
Originated
Overhauled
Oversaw
Planned
Presided
Prioritized
Produced
Recommended
Reorganized
Replaced
Restored
Reviewed
Scheduled
Secured
Selected
Streamlined
Strengthened
Supervised
Terminated

Organizational Skills

Approved
Arranged
Catalogued
Categorized
Charted
Classified
Coded
Collected
Compiled
Corrected
Corresponded
Distributed
Executed
Filed
Generated
Incorporated
Inspected
Logged
Maintained
Monitored
Obtained
Operated
Ordered
Organized
Prepared
Processed
Provided
Purchased
Recorded
Registered
Reserved
Responded
Reviewed
Routed
Scheduled
Screened
Submitted
Supplied
Standardized
Systematized
Updated
Validated
Verified

Research Skills

Analyzed
Clarified
Collected
Compared
Conducted
Critiqued
Detected
Determined
Diagnosed
Evaluated
Examined
Experimented
Explored
Extracted
Formulated
Gathered
Inspected
Interviewed
Invented
Investigated
Located
Measured
Organized
Researched
Reviewed
Searched
Solved
Summarized
Surveyed
Systematized
Tested

Teaching Skills

Adapted
Advised
Clarified
Coached
Communicated
Conducted
Coordinated
Critiqued
Developed
Enabled
Encouraged
Evaluated
Explained
Facilitated
Focused
Guided
Individualized
Informed
Instilled
Instructed
Motivated
Persuaded
Simulated
Stimulated
Taught
Tested
Trained
Transmitted
Tutored

Technical Skills

Adapted
Applied
Assembled
Built
Calculated
Computed
Conserved
Constructed
Converted
Debugged
Designed
Determined
Developed
Engineered
Fabricated
Fortified
Installed
Maintained
Operated
Overhauled
Printed
Programmed
Rectified
Regulated
Remodeled
Repaired
Replaced
Restored
Solved
Specialized
Standardized
Studied
Upgraded
Utilized