How to Use a Functional Resume Template to Create a Chronological Resume

If you aren't getting call-backs from your resume, try this: Create your resume using a functional resume template. Then turn it into either a chronological or combination resume format. Here's how...

When Is a Good Resume Like Swiss Cheese?

When is a good resume like Swiss cheese? When it stands strong even if it has a few holes.

Yes, I’m saying sometimes you can openly have holes on your resume that don’t hurt you… as long as you build a strong structure around those holes. Continue reading...

What's the Top Resume Format?

Chronological? Functional? Combination? What do employers consider the top resume format and which one should you use?

Continue reading this post...

Why Do I Get Jobs I Don’t Like? Is it My Resume?

If you keep getting jobs you don’t like, it could be because, on your resume, you write about tasks and responsibilities you don’t like doing. Continue reading...

How to Write a Resume When “You Just Want a Job… Any Job”

I know you say, “I just need a job, any job.” But let’s face it, you don’t want ANY job. There are jobs you aren’t qualified for (astronaut, brain surgeon, maybe a few others); and there are jobs that you simply aren’t willing to do (a job that requires you to lift really heavy things or gets you dirtier than what you want your mother-in-law to see). What you really mean is that you’re willing and able to take a job as long as it’s not one of the ones on your no-fly list.

So that’s where you need to start: Continue reading...

Value Added: Diversity in the Workplace... And On Your Resume

Your appreciation of diversity in the workplace is not only politically correct, it's highly valued by employers. Companies spend big bucks to further the diversity cause, so it makes sense that employers look for job candidates who already have proven success managing and working with diverse populations. Continue reading...

Perfect 10: Better Questions Yield a Better Resume

To get resume writing help, you could hire a professional resume writer, or you could get free resume help by asking yourself these 40 probing questions.

Perfect 10: Better Questions Yield a Better Resume
by Bridget (Weide) Brooks, editor of Resume Writers’ Digest, and “Write Great Resumes Faster”

A great resume can be the difference between getting called in for an interview, and hearing nothing at all from a prospective employer. But coming up with information to include in your resume — especially attention-getting accomplishments — can be difficult. These questions, compiled from professional resume writers, can be a great starting point to help write a good resume.

Questions to Assess Your Job Target/Desired Job
These are questions to clarify your job objective:

• What specific job titles are you targeting? (Please be specific regarding level, functional role, industry, and any environmental factors that are important to you.)
• How realistic is that goal, do you think?
• Can you identify 1-3 job postings for the type of position you're interested in?
• If you had all the money you needed and you didn't need to work, what would you do?
• In your performance reviews, in what areas did you receive the highest scores or the most positive feedback?
• What do you want to be "when you grow up"?
• If the "ideal" position were to become available, how would you describe it?
• What type of job are you looking for - and with what type of employer?
• If you could customize your career and create your own job, what skills would you use and how would you apply them?
• If you want to make a transition (new industry or job function), how can you make that shift?

Questions to Capture the Essence of Your Current Job
If your current job is relevant to your target position, spend some time identifying the key areas of expertise in the job you have now:

• When a stranger asks you, "So, what do you do?" what is your answer? If an interviewer asks you the same thing, how would your answer be different?
• What is the most important part of your current job?
• Can you tell me about a typical day in your own words; what is predictable, what is difficult?
• What was the company's purpose in hiring you: What were you brought in to do? (And were you hired, recruited, or promoted into this position?)
• Can you name three critical functions of your job that would impact the company/department if you were not at work one day?
• What do you enjoy most about your current position? The least?
• What percentage of time do you spend on the "A," "B," and "C" aspects of your job?
• How does your current job fit within the context of the organization? Who do you work with? What other areas do you support? What interactions do you have with customers?
• What are you accountable for?
• At the end of the day, what makes you feel good about what you've done?

Questions to Elicit Information About Your Accomplishments
Accomplishments are the most important part of the resume. Gathering relevant, quantifiable accomplishments can be a challenge:

• What have you achieved in your job - have you saved your employer any money or achieved any other quantifiable measure (helped the company make money, become more efficient, improve safety, improve customer service, etc.)?
• What do you do for the company that someone else did not, or would not, do?
• How was your performance measured in reviews - and what was the outcome (awards, recognition)?
• What key problems did you identify - and how did you help solve them? (Please describe in the Challenge-Action-Result format.)
• Were you chosen for any additional assignments? (What were they?)
• What would you rate as your top three skills?
• What have you done that has broadened your responsibilities?
• Why are you good at what you do?
• What do others say about you and your work?
• What have you introduced at your firm that has never existed before Sˇ or what did you improve upon?

Other General Questions
Sometimes there are questions that don't fit neatly into any other category, but that can help improve the overall resume:

• Do you have a copy of your job description or any performance evaluations?
• What are your top 3-5 strengths and personality traits?
• What are you best known for at work?
• How did you find your most recent job?
• What sets you apart from other candidates for this job?
• Why are you a good employee? Why are you better than average?
• If you were asked to select your replacement, what qualities would you be looking for?
• What will be different about your next job?
• Is there anything that you don't want to do in your next job? (Especially something that you might be good at, but that you just don't enjoy doing?)
• Anything else you'd like to add?

Using Your Answers
Getting good information from is just the start - how you incorporate the answers into the resume will help determine how effective the resume is. If you’re having difficulty putting the pieces together, a professional resume writer can help you turn your answers into an interview-winning resume — so you can have a great resume that will get you your next job faster!

— Bridget (Weide) Brooks, CPRW is the editor of Resume Writers’ Digest, a trade newsletter for professional resume writers. She is also the author of “Write Great Resumes Faster.” She can be reached via e-mail at editor@rwdigest.com.

Other posts on how to write a good resume:

5 Ways to Spotlight Transferable Skills on Your Resume
Quiz to Uncover Your Skills
Third-Person Technique for Resume Statements
How to Pick a Professional Resume Writer

5 Ways to Spotlight Transferable Skills on Your Resume

Spotlighting transferable skills on your resume is always a good idea, especially if you're making a career change, upgrading your professional image, or have a less-than-perfect work history. Do all you can to make your transferable skills pop out during an employer's initial eight-second scan of your resume. Here are a few techniques for making that happen. Continue reading....

Recession -Proof Jobs

This video explains how to find a wide range of jobs in the healthcare and education fields. It also includes advice on what transferable skills to highlight on your resume to meet those job requirements.

New Zealander on US Job Hunt

From a Job Lounger:
I moved from New Zealand to America last year; my wife is an American citizen. I have a few resume-related questions.

Question #1:
I have not yet been issued my Green Card so I have a valid Employment Authorization Document to use in the interim to gain employment. All my work history on my resume shows that it was based in New Zealand so I am not sure if I should exclude any mention of my legal work status from my resume and hope that they ask questions rather than just ignore me. If not, how should I present my status on my resume? My concern is that ‘work authorization document’ may confuse and deter some employers because it shows I am neither a citizen or permanent resident (yet) so they may think that I require sponsorship.

Answer
I suggest you write "Currently hold a Work Authorization Document (WAD). Green Card (or US citizenship) anticipated 2009" at the end of your resume. Large US companies with human resources departments will understand what this means, and small companies will know to ask you about it (or easily look it up online).

Question #2:
How do I convey the extensive experience I gained while working in an IT Service Desk back in New Zealand? I don’t want to bore the employer with long-winded details, making my resume span to three pages, but I fear the title “Service Desk Operator” could be misinterpreted as under-qualified despite the responsibilities held in that position (systems and network administration, application support and some application development). I feel obligated to put the official job title that was on my contract, “Service Desk Operator.” Is it common or accepted practice to manipulate the job title, in my case to something like “IT Systems Support”?

Answer
Using a combination resume format (a chronological format with accomplishment statements organized by skill headings under each job title), here's how to list your most recent experience:

200x - 2008, Service Desk Operator (equivalent: IT Systems Support)
Company, City, Country

Systems and Network Administration
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.

Application Support
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.

Application Development
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.
- An accomplishment statement that demonstrates you have this skill.

Question #3:
I have one great letter of recommendation. Is it acceptable to attach this to my resume when submitting job applications or should I only submit it if asked? Should I take it to the job interview?

Answer
You'll need to make a case-by-case decision on this one. If you're applying online, you won't have an opportunity to include a letter of recommendation. If you're applying via snail mail, you could include the letter although it's not expected that you do so. Definitely bring it to the interview and offer it if asked about references.

Missing Skills on a Resume

Question
On your resume, what should you do if you're missing some of the required skills listed in a job posting? Let's say you meet 90% of the required qualifications, but you're missing the other 10%. Should you mention this in your cover letter and try to explain why it is not a concern? Or is it best to be tacit on the issue and hope it's overlooked, and you can deal with it in the interview process (if you get that far)?

Answer
Ask yourself how you will compensate for the missing skills once you're on the job. Are you a quick study who will pick them up? Are you looking for a management job in which you can delegate those tasks? Are you planning to take a course in your extra time to come up to speed?

If you have a plan for bridging this gap, say so discreetly in your resume, without mentioning specifically that you don't have specific qualifications. For instance:

- In your Summary section you could say: Quick study, especially in such-and-such areas.
- In a Summary statement you could refer to your "Skill at delegating responsibilities effectively."
- Under Education you could list the course you've just enrolled in, which will cover the missing qualification.

If you really want this job and the missing skill is highly relevant, find a way to pick up the skill quickly so you can add it to your resume. If you can't, then avoid the issue all together and keep your fingers crossed that you'll get an opportunity to discuss it in an interview.

Accolo: An Online Job Seeker – Employer Community

John Younger is president of Accolo, an online community of job seekers and employers seeking mutually beneficial employment matches. That’s a mouthful of words -- something I usually avoid. But as I spoke with John recently during my interview with him, I realized his company is more than an automated human resources system – it’s a group of smart, caring people who facilitate job searches and job placement with a higher goal than simply profit. And that’s what makes that mouthful meaningful!

Like other online job boards, Accolo posts job openings for its client employers. Job seekers can select jobs they want to apply for, submit their resumes, and go through a recruitment process. Here’s what seems to be unique about Accolo: It treats both the employer and the job seeker with equal respect and value.

In the traditional recruiting world, an employer might engage a live human being called a recruiter to find candidates for a job opening. The recruiter’s loyalty belongs to the employer because the employer is the one paying the recruiter for his or her service. Crudely put, the job seeker is a commodity who generates money for the recruiter when he or she is placed in a job.

Although Accolo performs the task of recruiting for its client employers, it does so with a level of integrity and thoroughness that honors the job seekers as much as it does the employers. You see, Accolo knows that the real name of the game isn’t just the numbers on its paychecks from the employers. It’s really about building lasting, growing relationships (among job seekers, job seekers’ networks of other job seekers, employers, and Accolo) that are based on trust.

Here’s how it works: A job seeker joins Accolo (for free). He then completes an online form, which includes the basics: name, address, etc., along with his resume (more on the resume later in this post). The job seeker then searches Accolo’s database for jobs he’s interested in, based on profession, industry, skills, location, etc. While browsing through the job posts, if he sees a job that a friend might be perfect for, he can click on a button to have that job post sent to his friend. Aha! The Accolo community expands through a trusted referral!

Each job on the Accolo site has a human Accolo consultant who handles that application process. The consultant has spoken directly with the hiring manager to understand what’s required for the job, what the company culture is like, and how success is measured for that particular job. He also knows for sure that the job is, in fact, not yet filled (not always true for jobs listed on other job boards).

Together, the hiring manager and the consultant develop a set of unique multiple-choice questions specific to the job, which each applicant is asked as part of the online application -- a first virtual interview, if you will. If the first interview indicates an applicant is a possible match for the job, he is asked to answer more questions, which involve written answers -- think of it as a second virtual interview. If things are still looking up for the job seeker after his second round of questions, he’s invited for a phone or in-person interview.

So what makes Accolo special? Its Candidate Bill of Rights. I won’t post it all here, but essentially, Accolo promises:
1. To keep information confidential
2. That all jobs are validated
3. That each applicant is considered for a job fairly
4. That each applicant will get closure and follow-up no matter what the outcome

Okay, now that you know how impressed I am with Accolo, here’s what I learned about the nuts and bolts of creating and submitting a resume online.

Search optimization: When a search engine “reads” a resume in its database, it searches the content from beginning to end, giving priority to keywords in the beginning of the document. Therefore, important information and keywords should be put near the beginning of the resume to make the “best impression” on the search engine (otherwise known as search optimization).

Here’s a technique John Younger recommended: Make a long list of keywords that describe your relevant qualifications, including hard keywords (like computer applications or manual skills) and soft keywords (like people skills and personality traits). Prioritize all those keywords. Using the top six or so keywords from your list, create a sentence that summarizes you as the candidate of choice (the candidate who will take away the employer’s “pain”). Incorporate this sentence into your job objective statement so that it’s concise and says what differentiates you from others.

Here’s how John’s technique would work if I applied for a job as a technical writer:
- My top six keywords might be: write, edit, documentation, organize, user manuals, and technical.
- My job objective statement might read: Technical Writer with ability to organize, write, and edit technical documentation for user manuals for novice and savvy readers.

Keyword section: Near the end of your resume (that you’ve already loaded with keywords), create a section called Keywords. In this section, put all those hard and soft keywords from that long list you just created. If there’s a choice between various forms of the word (noun, verb, adjective, or gerund; e.g., manager, manage, management, or managing), include all forms. If your list gets really long, John says it’s okay to insert a little flair here and there (e.g., “You’re still reading!” Or “Haven’t found it yet?”) for the amusement of the human reader. Of course, if this sort of humor doesn’t suit your personality, don’t do it.

Upload your resume: Given the choice to submit your resume as a copy-and-paste or an upload of your MS Word or PDF version, pick Upload. This will deliver a resume to the hiring manager that’s most like your beautifully formatted hardcopy resume. By the way, don’t upload a resume that contains images, or colored print or background because these features can make the resume hard to read on the employer’s screen or when printed.

Copy and paste your resume: To copy and paste your resume into the online resume system, first open your resume in MS Word (or whatever word processing application you used to create it). Copy the entire document and paste it into the specified window on the resume website. Review your online resume, adjusting the spacing and indents as needed to make it attractive and easy to read, even though some of your desktop publishing features may have been stripped from the document. Check that characters such as bullet points, ampersands, and quotation marks transferred accurately. Most online systems have perfected the ability to recognize and reproduce these characters, but you should proofread your resume carefully to be sure it’s perfect. Just as with a hardcopy resume, this online resume will be the first impression an employer has of you, so make it a good one! By the way, on most resume sites, it’s What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG, pronounced wiz-ee-wig), meaning your resume will look the same on the employer’s computer screen as it does on yours.

If your hardcopy resume is two pages, delete any reference to the second page that might have appeared at the bottom of page one (e.g., “continued” or “1 of 2”). Keep your name at the top of page two so that when the employer prints your online resume to hardcopy, your name will identify the owner of the second page, should the two pages get separated.

One final piece of advice: When answering online questions as part of the application, be honest -- don’t try to game the system. On Accolo, the questions are designed to create good employment matches for both the employees and employers, which ultimately serves all parties’ interests.

My interview with John Younger was part of my research to update my E-Resume Guide. I’ll take this opportunity to thank John for sharing his insight and expertise with all of us here in The Job Lounge. In future posts, I’ll tell you about my interviews with other online resume and human resources experts.

Hate Your Job? Resume Help!

If you keep getting jobs you don't like, review your resume to see if that's what's drawing those jobs to you. On your resume, don't mention tasks, responsibilities, and projects you don't want to repeat in your next job. Emphasize the skills and projects you enjoy, so employers will consider you for jobs that require those skills. In other words, ask for what you want. You just might get it!

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. So do I start with a very general resume? Continue reading...