{"id":5567,"date":"2009-09-21T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2009-09-21T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/blog\/?p=5567"},"modified":"2018-11-21T00:01:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T08:01:15","slug":"5-ways-to-rescue-your-rotten-resume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/5-ways-to-rescue-your-rotten-resume\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways To Rescue Your Rotten R\u00e9sum\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you’re anything like my friends, your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is probably a little stale and perhaps a lot rotten. I’m sure your skills are not rotten and don’t deserve to be trashed as rubbish. But honestly, very few job hunters know how to write a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that lands them a job interview. Since having income is an important step towards getting rid of debt<\/a>, putting money into your online savings account<\/a>, building an emergency fund<\/a> and getting rich slowly, it pays to review your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 for rottenness before sending it out.<\/p>\n I’ve been on both ends of the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 game. I’ve reviewed hundreds of r\u00e9sum\u00e9s as part of a hiring team. I’ve also applied to numerous jobs in various fields using countless r\u00e9sum\u00e9 types. Over the years I’ve discovered why few r\u00e9sum\u00e9s stand out and why most could use a rescue. If you’re looking to land a job interview and haven’t had much success, then grab a life preserver and try these five ways to rescue your rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n Tip One: Match Your Skills to Employer Requirements<\/b><\/i> How to make a match:<\/p>\n Linking customized examples that demonstrate your experience, skills, and knowledge to a specific job posting helps you:<\/p>\n Need some examples and help? Download my Make Your Match worksheet<\/a> to rescue your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 from the rotten pile.<\/p>\n Tip Two: Add Action Words!<\/b><\/i> Example verbs in action:<\/p>\n Can’t find the right verbs to match your skills? Learn how to word your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 right by adding the 6 action words that make your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 rock<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tip Three: Use Your Keywords<\/b><\/i> To find qualified candidates, some employers use software programs, internet job boards, and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 databases to search for those applications matching the keywords they target. In today’s world of keywords and search engine technology, if your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 doesn’t contain the right mix of job-specific keywords, then your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may stay buried in the digital dungeon that is a candidate database even if you’re fully qualified for the job. Now that’s rotten!<\/p>\n Keyword nouns tend to be the hard<\/em> skills and industry-specific qualifications that employers look for in a job candidate. Here’s where to find your keywords:<\/p>\n A great place to get keyed into your keywords is to review five to ten employment ads with similar job titles and see which words are repeatedly mentioned. Once you see a pattern, highlight and list these keywords and be sure to include them in your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and cover letter.<\/p>\n Tip Four: Choose the Right R\u00e9sum\u00e9 Format<\/b><\/i> Chronological R\u00e9sum\u00e9 Format<\/i> Use the chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 if:<\/p>\n The chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is the type most hiring managers expect to see. It’s quick to read, easy to follow, and provides a ready-made template for interview questions.<\/p>\n Functional R\u00e9sum\u00e9 Format<\/i> For example, if you developed skills through a hobby or volunteer work and you now want to use those skills in a paid job, those skills might not show up in a chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 but they could stand out in a functional format where you’re not limited to describing your skills under job titles.<\/p>\n Use the functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 format if:<\/p>\n A small word of warning: Many hiring managers are highly suspicious of candidates boasting their skills in functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9s<\/b> since this format can often hide questionable employment records. But despite this negative, the functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 can land you the job interview if you do it right by grouping your relevant skills into sub-sections and have the right qualifications to match the job requirements.<\/p>\n Tip Five: Remove These Rotten R\u00e9sum\u00e9 Words<\/b><\/i> Responsible For<\/i> Employers want the numerical facts.<\/strong> Write percentages, dollar amounts, and numbers to best explain your accomplishments. Be specific to get the point across quickly. Prove you have the goods to get hired.<\/p>\n The r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that avoids vague responsibilities<\/em> and sticks to facts detailing figures, growth, reduced costs, number of people managed, budget size, sales, and revenue earned gets the job interview.<\/p>\n Detail Oriented<\/i> If you have the details, do share them with the hiring manager.<\/strong> Give the facts, the numbers, the time lines, the dollar figure, the quantitative data that sells your skills and disorients the competition.<\/p>\n Looking for more rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9 words in need of a rescue? Avoid these 6 words that make your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 suck<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rotten R\u00e9sum\u00e9 Conclusions<\/b><\/i> Also, be sure to update<\/a> and edit<\/a> your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 frequently so you’re ready for every job opportunity. If you’re still feeling stuck then check out these free r\u00e9sum\u00e9 examples<\/a> to get going. It’s a lot easier to see what makes a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 awesome and then do the work to rescue your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you’re anything like my friends, your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is probably a little stale and perhaps a lot rotten. I’m sure your skills are not rotten and don’t deserve to be trashed as rubbish. But honestly, very few job hunters know how to write a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that lands them a job interview. Since having income is an important step towards getting rid of debt<\/a>, putting money into your online savings account<\/a>, building an emergency fund<\/a> and getting rich slowly, it pays to review your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 for rottenness before sending it out.<\/p>\n I’ve been on both ends of the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 game. I’ve reviewed hundreds of r\u00e9sum\u00e9s as part of a hiring team. I’ve also applied to numerous jobs in various fields using countless r\u00e9sum\u00e9 types. Over the years I’ve discovered why few r\u00e9sum\u00e9s stand out and why most could use a rescue. If you’re looking to land a job interview and haven’t had much success, then grab a life preserver and try these five ways to rescue your rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n Tip One: Match Your Skills to Employer Requirements<\/b><\/i>
\nNews Flash:<\/em> Your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 isn’t about you.<\/strong> It’s about how well your skills and experiences match the employer’s job requirements. If your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 reads more like a personal history book then you’re heading to the rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9 pile. Sorry. The most effective r\u00e9sum\u00e9s are clearly focused on a specific job title and address the employer’s stated needs.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nIf your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 seems dull and lifeless, chances are you need to activate it with some action words. Action words, or verbs, bring life to an otherwise rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9 by setting your skills on fire, giving your credentials authority and power. Verbs are important to include since they show hiring managers what actions you’ve taken in previous jobs. You’re being hired to do<\/em> something, so show what you’ve done<\/em> by preceding your skills and experiences with action verbs!<\/p>\n\n
\nWhere action verbs activate your r\u00e9sum\u00e9, keywords are the nouns that explain to hiring managers what things you performed the actions on. Employers want to know the skills and qualifications you offer, so explain what<\/em> skills you possess with the right keywords and get yourself onto the interview list!<\/p>\n\n
\nStruggling to format your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 isn’t much fun \u2014 I think we’ve all been there \u2014 but choosing the right format for your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is actually easy. Aside from academic r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, there are two common r\u00e9sum\u00e9 formats, they are: chronological and functional.<\/p>\n
\nThe most popular r\u00e9sum\u00e9 format is the chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9. The chronological format lists your most recent employment history (or education) first, ordering your jobs by date in a time line. This is the traditional method of formatting a r\u00e9sum\u00e9, and places more emphasis on your job titles and your employment history over your skills. Chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9s can work best for job seekers with a stable career progression in one or two fields.<\/p>\n\n
\nThe functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 focuses attention on skills and achievements, rather than job titles and places of employment, making it a winner for career changers or new college graduates. Functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9s give you the platform to showcase only skills and experiences of which you are most confident – which means your work experience is described by showing the transferable skills you mastered in a Relevant Skills<\/em> section.<\/p>\n\n
\nUsing the wrong words on your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 can really make it rotten. You may be surprised with these rotten words though, especially since these words are common, they are accepted, and they litter the average r\u00e9sum\u00e9 with buzzword badness. Here’s how to rescue two<\/i> rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9 words and turn your application into one<\/i> solid winner!<\/p>\n
\nOf course you’re responsible for something. But how many? How long? Who? What? When? Rather than waste the hiring manager’s time reading a vague list of responsibilities, be specific and use quantitative figures<\/a> to back up your cited skills and accomplishments.<\/p>\n
\nGOOD:<\/strong> “Wrote six user guides for 15,000 users two weeks before deadline.”<\/div>\n
\nWhat does detail oriented mean? Give the specifics to the details with which you are oriented. Please, orient your reader to the details!<\/p>\n
\nGOOD:<\/strong> “Wrote custom press releases targeting 25 news agencies across Europe.”<\/div>\n
\nR\u00e9sum\u00e9 writing is not rocket science. But your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 must impress the reader in seconds to be effective. Otherwise, your skills and experiences will be recycled faster than you can say “paper shredder”. But if you follow these five simple rules you too can stay out of the hiring manager’s trash and land that job interview.<\/p>\n
\nNews Flash:<\/em> Your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 isn’t about you.<\/strong> It’s about how well your skills and experiences match the employer’s job requirements. If your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 reads more like a personal history book then you’re heading to the rotten r\u00e9sum\u00e9 pile. Sorry. The most effective r\u00e9sum\u00e9s are clearly focused on a specific job title and address the employer’s stated needs.<\/p>\n