Wednesday, February 21, 2007
General Resume for All Jobs? No Way!
Question
I need to write a resume but I am not sure what field to target because I have various skills. I recently obtained US residency, so this opens more doors than I had available to me before. Basically, I need a good job.
I have a way with speaking with people from all classes, fluent in Spanish and English, have technical experience with safety equipment, construction experience, but my real strengths are in managing people and I have an innate ability with numbers (something I never pursued). Any advice?
I live in the Denver area and I'm 46, very healthy and an extremely hard worker. Enneagram indicates I'm the "Achiever." So do I start with a very general resume?
-- Luis
Answer
by Roberta Rosen, Career Coach
The simple answer is: No, don’t write a general resume. Instead, write a resume that supports the type of work you want to do next. (See Your Resume is About your Future, Not Your Past).
It’s so important when beginning a job search to be aware of your strengths. You have done a wonderful job of listing your many competencies. When writing your resume, however, you need only include the strengths that are relevant to the job you are seeking.
That’s why, if you were my client, I would ask you: What kind of job would you most enjoy? Which of your strengths would most interest a company needing your talents for that particular job?
One way to help figure out the answer to the “which strengths” question is to search job postings on Indeed.com or other job search sites, and find a job description that interests you.
That job description will give you clues as to what to include on your resume. For example, a job posting for a foreman on a construction site might list these requirements: labor supervision, hands-on construction experience, vendor relations, and bilingual Spanish/English. That would tell you which of your strengths to list, wouldn’t it?
Likewise, if you choose a different job posting, such as teaching math to Spanish speakers, you’ll find quite a different set of requirements, which would indicate a different set of strengths to emphasize in your resume for that job.
You need to customize your resume for each job application. It may sound like a lot of work, but it’s worth it. Competition in the job market is fierce and your extra effort is bound to pay off!
Roberta Rosen has been the career coach on Susan Ireland's team since 2001. She works with job seekers at all levels in person or by phone and helps them with career change, interview preparation, salary negotiation and career advancement.
Susan Ireland’s Two Cents
Luis, you might be interested in my resume site espanol.susanireland.com, which explains - in Spanish - how to write an effective resume for the U.S. job market.
Job Lounger, do you have a question? Email it to me and I’ll post your question and an expert’s answer here in The Job Lounge.
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3 comments:
Excellent advice. While customizing your resume to each job does require a certain amount of commitment, it's like anything else, the more you do it, the better you will become. Continuously customizing your resume to different jobs that you think will be a good fit for you will make you an expert, and soon you will be able to customize a resume it in much less time.
A general resume is never a good idea, because employers aren't really looking for "general" qualifications. By customizing your resume, you can show off what makes you different from all of the "general" people out there and get yourself noticed and interviewed. Good Luck!
Juan Rodriguez
Editor, JustJobs.com
Hello bloggers, here’s an excerpt from an article I published a while ago on locating jobs in the US:
Nowadays, one of the job seekers' biggest help is the immense Internet database. Many companies are hiring people over the Internet, some of them testing the candidates in advance and others by just looking at the resumes and performing online interviews. Also, there are plenty of online recruitment agencies, which are very helpful to both categories: employers and candidates.
Some of these agencies offer even consulting and professional reorientation courses. Competing on the work market is a beneficial experience for most of the job seekers as they are always in touch with the employers' requests and demanding and they also learn to evaluate themselves.
Consulting courses are very helpful for a job seeker as they gain precious information about how to create a strong resumes, cover letters, and how to present themselves at a job interview or how to negotiate your salary. If you think you are prepared for a certain position, but there are no vacancies at the time, you can simply go directly to the certain institution, leave your CV and maybe if you are lucky, you will have a spontaneous interview, which will automatically get you hired.
While looking for a job in the US you have to start by having a positive way of thinking. The US work market is very dynamic and changes occur every second. You have to be prepared to adapt to changes really fast and to keep following your aim. While looking for a job, try to take advantage of your spare time (if any) and prepare yourself for the job that waits for you. Read more about the company, which has selected you for a job interview next week. This way not only you gain more information, but you will also be able to decide if this is the job you are looking for, if it really suits you.
Anyhow, it is best not to cancel a job interview even if you have the feeling that it won't suit you. Just give it a try, this can be a good experience and you never know, maybe it is the job you were looking for.
Regards,
Michael S.
For more resources on finding a job in Louisiana and New Jersey employment please see my blog.
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