Professional resumes... how tough are they to compete against? Very tough, says this former recruiter. Level the playing field by learning the Top 10 features of professional resumes.
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Professionally prepared resumes are competing against... you. That s right, if you re in the job market and you ve written your own resume, professional resumes are directly competing with you for those coveted interviews. To see how well your resume stacks up against the pros, consider the following...
Top 10 Features You re Likely To Find In Professional Resumes
1 Advantageous Format. The professional resume writer has selected a format (chronological, functional, or a combination of the two) that complements the unique qualifications of the candidate, emphasizing positive attributes of work history and accomplishments, de emphasizing the less flattering.
2 Targeted. The professional resume is tailored (targeted) toward a specific goal or objective, rather than being too general and too accommodating toward too many possible career alternatives. A resume targeted to a specific job opportunity will quickly rise to the top of the resume pile, edging out those with broader or nonexistent objectives.
3 A Hook. The professional resume leads off with an objective statement or profile (summary) section that serves as a hook, a strong and compelling introduction to the candidate. A hook, as its name implies, begs further reading.
4 Straightforward. Experience and education are chronicled in a straightforward and easy to read manner. Employment gaps are either nonexistent or reasonably explained.
5 A Picture of Action. The writer has employed action verbs when crafting job descriptions and accomplishments. Both are crafted with care and minimal embellishment. Job descriptions are devoid of mundane and rote responsibilities.
6 Big Blocks Beaten Back. Large blocks of text are made digestible. Reorganized, for example, as bulleted lists.
7 Appropriate Buzzwords. The professional resume speaks to the candidate s profession. A teacher s resume would include buzzwords appropriate to the field of education; a programmer s resume would incorporate the technical jargon one would expect in the computer field.
8 Keywords Utilized Effectively. Keywords are selected with care and utilized expertly, ensuring that the professional resume will surface in database searches.
9 No Gaffs. On professional resumes, you ll find no spelling errors, no grammatical errors, no photos, and no personal information or references.
10 Easy On The Eye. The writer has balanced written text and white space. The professional resume is a pleasure to read.
Can you compete with a professional resume? Most definitely. But it does take the time and inclination to study the craft. And it helps to have some marketing acumen. The resume is, after all, a marketing document. Expect to burn through multiple drafts before you get it right. How will you know when it s right? If your resume is generating phone calls and job interviews, that s a good sign.
For many of us, though, the challenge is daunting. Or we haven t the time to get up to speed on resume techniques. Or we ve got an existing resume that simply isn t generating the results we d like, and we don t know why. If you re in that camp, not to worry. You re only two or three clicks away from a professionally prepared resume.
Author Resource:
David Alan Carter is a former recruiter. Writing for the website http://www.TopResumeServices.com, Carter has put together Resume Writer Reviews of the Web's most popular resume services, reviewing quality of workmanship, spelling out their pricing, and giving each a star ranking.
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