Amazing Resumes

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It’s no longer a secret that the old-fashioned ways to find a job are flawed. And for good reason.

You see if you’re serious about finding a good job . . . and you want to do it NOW rather than months from now . . . then you have to do it differently from the way you heard it should be done.

For example, most people think they have to write a resume first. And so they spend countless hours writing and re-writing . . . tweaking and fine-tuning. Until they’ve got a document that they feel truly represents the best of what they’ve done and presents a solid work history.

Then they’re told they should distribute that resume as widely as possible . . . to companies, want ads, online job sites, agencies and recruiters. And then wait for the invitations to interview.

The problem with this approach is very simple. It doesn’t work! At least if you don’t want to wait months for an offer to materialize.

First of all, employers don’t care what you used to do for someone else. They want to know what you’re going to do for them. So your resume masterpiece will probably get trashed, if it even gets to the decision-maker’s desk at all.

Secondly, your resume will initially be screened by a personnel staff member or a lower level management assistant—not by the person who will make a hiring decision about you.

Thirdly, when you rely on your resume to find you a job, you’re putting yourself right in the middle of all your competition. You’re just one of thousands of resumes in circulation for that job opening.

So, like I said, if you’re serious about finding a good job in a short period of time, you can’t rely on your resume to get it. You have to use non-traditional, alternative approaches.

Basically, alternative strategies have a different starting point. First, they show you how to identify the companies and then the right hiring decision-maker that match up with your interests and skills. Then they show various techniques for getting in front of those employers without them seeing you as a job candidate.

These unique alternative strategies walk you through, step-by-step, the ways to establish rapport and chemistry with that person and bring him/her to the point where they can see you as a comfortable member of the team.

Now, the exciting news is, if you follow this non-traditional plan, you can be entertaining job offers in as little as 14 days!

Landing a great job can often be a tough undertaking. Qualifications and experience alone aren’t enough to get hired you need a well written resume with selling power.
Even with the endless list of resume programs, applications and templates available on the market there is still great demand for resume writing services.

If you’re a freelance writer or just a stay at home mom with great writing skills; a resume service could be your next career. This work at home job can be started with very little capital and has endless potential for expansion. Many successful authors started their careers in this field; if you plan on writing for a living there is no better place to begin.

What does this job entail?

Resume services handle every stage of the resume creation process; this includes researching a client’s backgrounds and job history, creating a new resume or re-working an existing one, design, printing and finally delivery. You don’t need any formal qualifications for this job, although a natural writing ability is a must. Organisational skills and an ability to market your services will also come in handy.

What you need to get started

To get your service off the ground you’ll need to create a work space in your home and outfit it with a computer, high quality printer, internet connection, scanner and fax machine. If you’re on a serious shoe string budget then you could start with just a computer and use the local print shop to send emails, faxes and handle printing.

Resumes and cover letters should always be printed on high quality paper with a slightly heavier weight than conventional printer paper white and ivory are the safest options and most commonly used. Start out with a small stock and buy more as you need it. Buy in bulk once you have a rough idea of how much business you will do each month it’s usually cheaper.

Getting the ball rolling

Create a brand around your service right from the beginning, pick a name and stick with it. As soon as you can afford it get business stationary with your logo printed on it. Consider getting an all in one business stationary package from Elance.com. At the time of writing this article, the cheapest package cost less than $200 (USD) and included a logo, business card, letterhead, envelope and fax cover sheet design.

Once you’ve created a brand identity carefully construct a few package options. Shop around the internet and enquire at local services to get a feeling for what you should charge. Provide the option for clients to receive their resume on a CD for later printing. Add a personal touch by purchasing a DVD writer with Light Scribe, this allows you to burn you own branded covers onto the disk.

Handling each client effectively

Each job will follow roughly the same path, carefully think about this process and create standard operating procedures to help your business run smoothly. Start all jobs by collecting your client’s last resume; this will give you a good idea of where the job is going. Construct a questionnaire which you can then send to your new client.

Here are a few example questions that you might include in your questionnaire.

• Are you creating your resume with a specific job or position in mind? (Use this information if you are including a career objective section.)
• Describe all responsibilities in the jobs you have held.
• List any relevant work achievements.
• List all relevant training and qualifications related to the job you plan on applying for.
• Provide all necessary personal details including physical and postal address, contact numbers and email address.
• When would you like this resume completed by?

Provide more than just a typewriting service

Many people use a resume service to get an edge over their competition. To be successful you’ll need to offer more than just a typewriting service. Don’t simply list a clients experience and qualifications; include relevant achievements, successes, strengths and awards.

Market your service for success

You’ll mostly rely on word of mouth to market your service. Also consider placing ads at local colleges and universities, unemployment offices and in local newspaper classifieds. Elance.com, the freelance matching service mentioned earlier has great potential to generate new clients from all over the world. Once you have some experience, sign up for an Elance account and start bidding on resume jobs.

Final word

Be careful not to spend too much time on one job. Once you have completed a few resumes work out an average time that should be spent on each job and try to always stick to it.

Do you have a career, or are you one of those great number of people looking for a job? Your ‘job search’ will soon end if you only know the basics to a good application. When you apply for any job, you would need to submit a resume along with a cover letter. The cover letter serves as an introduction to the resume.

Upon submission of your resume and cover letter, your first interaction with the prospective employer takes place. Your cover letter will be your sure-fire ticket to an interview or a telephone call.

Professionalism is the fundamental factor to success. You have to make sure that you got all things right, from the name of the company, the employer, to the letters structure, design and copy.

How you actually present your credentials will determine your competitive edge; the letter itself will outline all your skills/experiences that will set your separately from other job applicants. You have to establish what your abilities are; and as to how these abilities will benefit the company.

You need to capture the employer’s attention starting on the first paragraph. Tell how you learned about the opening, and you can even name drop to make your letter more personalized. Write as if you’re having a conversation with the employer.

To further understand how to write a good cover letter, here are the do’s and don’ts:

Do’s

-address a specified employer on the letter salutation

-know the position you are applying and the company

-sell yourself in the right manner

-use action verbs and marketing words to make an impact

-seek help from a professional when writing your letter

-use a professional and formal format

-consider the use of bullets, bold highlights

-check for typos and misspelled words

-thank the employer for reading your letter

-double check names, titles, company address

-write a letter that is original

-use quantifiable examples

Don’ts

-assume any detail regarding the employer’s gender

-start with a dull introduction

-re-use resume information

-use clichés

-exceed one page for the letter

-bother with creative fonts, page layouts, and color

-forget your signature

-forget adding your contact details

-forget to check for typos and spelling

-expect the employer to act on your behalf

-forget to attach your resume

-use big words

-use paragraphs with block style

-use generic or form letters

-generalize attributes

-forget to call or follow up

If you incorporated all these things while writing your cover letter, then you will surely have an effective and attention-grabbing letter.

If you want more information about cover letters, there are a lot of websites in the Internet that you are free to visit. You can even get copies of examples or samples of cover letter.

You can also seek for online professional help, however, certain amount of fees is charged. As long as you’re confident enough that you can do it yourself, why not write your own cover letter? At least you get to write what you really want, and mind you, personal cover letters are much more effective than ‘ready-made’ letters.

Start now, and make your own letter. Who knows, your job is just waiting around the corner.

I'm back in Hollywoodland! This is my story as a character actor from the Midwest to So Cal. From stage to film.. From Blake Edwards to "Saving Star Wars" which won an award at the London Sci Fi Festival in 2004. http://niswanderrocktheater.com

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Like it or not, your cover letter is the first document that creates an impression about you (good or bad). Because first impressions really count, you need to take a careful approach to writing cover letters in order to avoid rejection. Here are the 10 major don’ts you need to avoid:

1. Don’t use cover letter templates, however good they may be. There are three things you must know that go against these templates: 1) they are stale & boring 2) most templates are likely to have been downloaded from internet 3) therefore, yours will be exposed as being identical to many. Use samples to get ideas on how to write your own unique letter.

2. Don’t write a lengthy first paragraph that will only bore the reader. A lengthy first paragraph also dilutes your impressive qualities and eventually weakens the entire letter – this is the last thing you want to happen.

3. Don’t exclude your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP. Remember that the cover letter is your sales letter; you should highlight your main strengths and prepare the reader psychologically to want to read further.

4. Don’t write a vague letter without mentioning specifics, such as the job title and job code/number if you are responding to an advertisement.

5. Don’t address your cover letter â??To Whom It May Concern’. It shows that you don’t care enough to do your research to find out who is receiving the resume packages.

6. Don’t use fanciful fonts. Don’t unnecessarily use capitalized or bolded words, or grandiose phrases. Don’t send the letter without nixing silly spelling or grammatical mistakes.

7. Don’t use cliché language such as “As afore mentioned, I am enclosing…” This will only irritate the recruiter. Instead use simple phrases such as, “enclosed please find my resume.”

8. Don’t include personal information like your race, sex or marital status in the cover letter. These things are against the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, and as such will not impact the decision whether or not you are called for the interview.

9. Don’t use copies of the same cover letters with just the address and date lines changed to send for similar jobs. If you don’t customize the entire body, the letter may either be irrelevant or a mistake may silently make it into the final draft.

10. Don’t brag or make statements that can’t be quantified. You should be humble, yet accurate - employers these days often verify your statements for accuracy (and uncover exaggerations).

The trick with the cover letter is to capture the reader’s imagination as soon as they begin reading. This entails keeping your cover letter neat and tidy with a simple format, and avoiding common errors, such as the 10 listed above.

When considering the best way to write your resume, there are many things you can do to help you land your dream job. This can include anything from using the correct type of paper to using the correct words and phrases. This article will provide resume tips for landing your dream job.

TIP # 1: Your resume should be neat and tidy without spelling errors.

This is an important resume tip that everyone should adopt. Even though it might seem like common sense, many people still submit resumes containing smudges, dirty fingerprints, or grease stains. Employers have been known to receive resumes containing common spelling mistakes. Even if you are not great at spelling, you should run the spell checker for your word processing program, before submitting your resume.

TIP # 2: The resume should be typed and printed on quality computer paper.

This second resume tip can also help you to land your dream job. The resume should never be handwritten. It must always be typed, even if this means using an old typewriter to accomplish this. Submitting a handwritten resume is very unprofessional. Also, it is a good idea to use quality computer paper to print your resume. Using scented paper or multicolored writing paper with designs is viewed as unprofessional. This will create a bad impression with most employers. This is not the time to pull out your leftover funny, fancy or frilly stationary. Plain paper or understated letterhead is best in this situation.

TIP # 3: Construct a draft resume first.

It is a good idea to first review what qualifications the employer is looking for exactly, and then construct your resume to illustrate this. For example, if the employer would like to hire someone with extensive marketing experience, your resume should highlight your previous employment in which marketing was one of your responsibilities.

TIP # 4: Ask a friend’s opinion

After you have written your draft resume, it is a good idea to ask a friend or associate’s opinion. You should ask a person who has experience writing resumes and hiring people, or one who has been successful at getting hired themselves to review and critique your resume and cover letter. Accept their constructive criticism and adjust your documents accordingly. This step could help you immensely since your reviewers will see what the employer would be seeing while you still have time to make improvements.

Follow these brief, but important tips and you will be closer to landing your dream job.

The IT job market is still one of the hottest markets and commands the highest resume response from job seekers. Given the sheer volume of resumes that a hiring manager has to sift through for each position, only the strongest resumes actually get past the initial 30 second screening. The national average for resumes received for each IT position advertised is 300 and increasing.

1.Make Your Resume Searchable: Using the right keywords is the key for making your IT resume web searchable. It is not enough to mention the skill sets you have, but you must also use them effectively. For example, if ORACLE and VB.NET is your forte, then you should use phrases such as “database programming” and “testing”. Another thing about keywords is that resumes these days are simply being scanned electronically for inclusion into company databases. If you are not using the right IT keywords for the position advertised, your resume may not even see a human being.

2.Choose The Right Format: Although different formats have pros and cons, for IT positions, the functional resume format is ideal for its effectiveness in highlighting your skills and experiences. This saves time for hiring managers and you stand a better chance of getting shortlisted.

3.Emphasize Your Skills: The key to cracking the IT job market is really your skills. Emphasize your skills with short sentences such as “programmer with 8 years experience in COBOL and Oracle, and last three yeas as team leader”. Another example could be “eight projects in 6 years in C++, SAS, HTML, CAD, and TCP/IP”. This also showcases your additional skills in areas such as leadership, management and interpersonal skills (which are sometimes lacking in IT candidates).

4.Avoid Mistakes In Terminology: There are job seekers that still write industry terminology incorrectly, which usually has disastrous consequences on their job search. Example, “data warehousing” is often written as “dataware housing” or worse, “data wearhousing”. Proofread your resume thoroughly, then have a friend do the same.

5.Cut Down Lengthy Paragraphs: Summarizing your resume will definitely score points over writing long paragraphs. You don’t want your extraordinary skills to get lost in a maze of words. Certifications such as MCDBA, MCP+1, & MCSE should be listed in a stand-alone fashion.

6.Highlight Accomplishments. Mention your responsibilities and specific accomplishments in your current position, giving examples of the platforms used for both back-end and front-end operations.

7.Omit Personal Information. Avoid unnecessary personal details; they will only be distractions.

8.Summarize Your Resume At The Top: Summarizing key elements at the top makes more impact and encourages the employer to continue reading. An executive summary, well written, can do an excellent job at keeping the reader engaged.

9.Avoid The Temptation To Overdo: Treat your resume as your calling card. You must be able to substantiate everything that you have written. For example, if you are applying for an Oracle Financial position when your specialty is really database management, you will be exposed. Additionally, you will lose your chance to be considered for any other position that the employer may have available.

10. Proofread The Resume: Nix grammatical and spelling errors. There is no excuse for typos or misspellings in a resume. Because IT resumes have highly technical words, you have to proofread them more closely.

Getting your resume just right for the initial shortlisting is not hard if you stick to IT resume writing basics. By following these 10 tips, you will be able to write and market your IT resume successfully and land that job.

When writing a cover letter, the heading includes the address and the date. The name of the employer is written underneath, as well as his title/position. Indicate the company name and the address.

The heading usually goes “Dear Mr/Ms (name of the employer)”. It is preceded by the position you desire. Make sure it is short and sweet. Two to three sentences can do.

The second paragraph is the longest. You can break it into two so it won’t look too boring to read. Indicate your accomplishments and skills. Highlight on why you are qualified for the job.

Do not forget to mention evidences to the points you claimed. Cite activities, projects, internships or work experiences.

The final sentence summarizes what has been discussed. End the letter with two to four sentences that are requesting for an interview and thanking the reader for his time and consideration.

But sometimes, the best way to get your point through is by presenting a concrete idea. If you are explaining to a person how to write a cover letter, it is not enough that you tell him what to put in the heading, the body and the final paragraph. It helps that you show him an example of a cover letter.

Date
James Maxwell
Asterix Engineering
4877 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90210

Dear Mr. Carey:

I recently completed my internship with an engineering group in Southern California. There, I was responsible in managing a small project. I am seizing this opportunity to perform in the similar way with Asterix Engineering. I believe that my experience and my background will aid me in becoming an asset to your business in the short period of time.

I have done mapping assignments, conducted surveys, participated in experiments, founder formations and performed the structural design and analysis of a grocery store. I was responsible in producing the general lay-out for the transportation system. I surveyed the area and produced the traffic analysis after conducting a survey and researching on the rules and regulations of the city. I also wrote a thirty-five page report showing how feasible the building is to the location.

I have excellent mathematical skills and I am quite conscientious when it comes to completing tasks with minimal supervision, as well as meeting deadlines. Given the opportunity to finish an assignment, I have no difficulty in developing a plan that meets each needs of the project.

I am interested in participating in your project after I have read your company brochure. There is also an article in the Engineering Journal about your business’ participation in building a new grocery store in the location. Attached is my address as well as phone number. I will be calling your office after ten days to follow up on the status of my application. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Apple Manson
14999 Hilltop Lane
Montana, CA 99444
(919) 367-xxxx

This is a good example of a cover letter. It has an excellent explanation of the accomplishments. It also shows that the writer researched on the company. It clearly highlights a match of the writer to the company she is applying for.

For a clearer picture on how to write a cover letter that will get a possible employee’s attention, you can seek the help of the internet. There are countless sites offering examples of cover letters that you can use as format.

As a new graduate, you probably feel you don't have much to offer in terms of "real-world" business experience. Your experience is an et as long as you have the right tools and right knowledge to present yourself effectively.

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