Resume & Career Resources

Getting a job position worth having is war in disguise.  Outside the castle walls there is a swarm of competing applicants looking to tear you limb from limb.  As you move from reception to the interview area, booby traps show themselves in the form of trick questions and employer bias.  And around every corner you are sure to be greeted by a beast of a man wearing full body armor.

And that guys name is Challenge.

Fortunately, there are certain tips…  ammunition, if you will… that the best resume writers have used for years to conquer Challenge and earn the best jobs in the country.  These same bullets are here, in this article, for you to use in your own battles.

Resume Builder Bullet: Make the first impression count

Your clothes. Your shoes.  The paper you print your resume on.  All of these things make a statement about who you are… so you better make sure that they’re saying the right thing.

As a resume builder, using the best quality paper is priority #1.  Stay away from the thin white photocopy paper… show your employer that you mean business.

Always check and double check the grammar of your resume and your cover letter. Use a common resume format and a cover letter template to give you the proper structure. And make sure the paper itself has no smudges, rips, stains or missing ink.

When you go in for the interview, your clothes should be immaculate.  Clean your shoes, iron your shirt, wear a new tie.  Remember, the first words in any conversation are NOT verbal, so make sure your clothes is sending the right message.

Resume Builder Bullet: Chase opportunity like a mad dog after a squirrel

Hiring managers are usually up to their neck in resumes at all times.  Sometimes resumes get lost. Other times they are inadvertently dropped in the trash can. The point is that even if you’re the most qualified applicant, you can lose out on the opening if you don’t stay at the front of the pack.

The easiest way of doing this is to follow up your resume with a phone call.  There is no harm in doing this, and most will see this as a sign of having real interest in the position… which is a very good thing.

Others have actually gone to the offices of the employer to inquire about the progress of the resume.  This can be a great way of getting an impromptu interview… and at the very least becoming more than a sheet of paper in the eyes of the hiring manager.

Of course, going over the top and annoying the hiring manager isn’t a smart strategy.  However, being a little aggressive can go a long way to getting you a sit down.

Resume Builder Bullet: Sharpen your resume to a sword’s edge

Flowery language is for love sonnets, not for a professional resume.  All of the irrelevant information and facts must be eliminated.

Keep your focus on the position at hand, and tailor fit your resume and cover letter to the position.  Making your resume razor-sharp will get you noticed for your attention to detail. And that attention will convert to interest as they realize how your skill set delivers exactly what the company needs.

So there you have it… a full metal clip to beat Challenge and land that dream job. Use them, and your career will advance.  Ignore them at your own peril. Good luck and happy (job) hunting.

Common knowledge is that career gaps on your resume is a bad thing. But what looks even worse is having been terminated from your last job. The question is: as a resume builder, should you omit any previous terminations?

Of course you could and take your chances… many candidates do.  However,  if you were at your previous job for any real amount of time, the work gap will be glaring.  Beyond that, pesky little things like termination often find their way to the attention of an interested interviewee. If you’re a serious candidate now, you may not be for long.

Being terminated is simply a disadvantage, and it does NOT automatically qualify you from the position.  However, it does mean you have one extra hurdle to deal with between here and there.  Here’s how to hop the hurdle with grace:

Be honest

Rule #1 of successful resume building is to be up front and transparent with you potential employer.  As I mentioned, those white lies tend to come back and bite you. Don’t try to sweep them under the rug.

In your resume, be very explicit about having been laid off.  This is opening the door for the interviewer to ask why, which they undoubtedly will.  When they do, you’ll have the opportunity to…

Explain what happened

Why were you laid off?  If you were laid off because you came in late 5 days in a row… that’s tough stock to sell.  However, if you lived 3 hours from work, your employer knew your situation, and it was only 10 minutes you may have a leg to stand on.

Your best bet? Be as specific as possible. Explain exactly why you were laid off, and give any justifications you have (if any). Once you’ve built this base of honesty, you’re sincerity alone should keep you in the running for the position.

On a side note: never paint your previous employer as a bad person (even if they were).  Talking bad about them just serves to make you look bad. Instead, focus on the specific disagreement, not on the person you disagreed with.

Fish for a reference

This tip may be a bit far fetched, but I’ve heard of many a resume builder pulling it off.  The basic strategy is this: If you were let go of for less serious infractions, go and try to land a letter of recommendation from that employer. Include it with your resume, and you’ve essentially killed any real concern about the termination.

This is particularly effective when you were laid off because of company redundancy or financial reasons.  However, no reason for termination is off limits.  If you think there’s a chance in the world you can get one, it’s worth going for.  The worse they can say is no.

So, there you have it.  Remember that no disadvantage is unbeatable.  Face it head on, give it your best shot and never stop at the first no.  You’ll be back on the saddle in no time.

Resume builder beware: the fastest way to get your resume promptly inserted in the garbage can is to ignore structuring common practice.  There is no space for creativity when you’re crafting your resume… unless you are applying for a graphic design position.

Assuming you don’t fall into that camp, let’s go over some of the most common resume formats.  The one that is right for you is a personal decision, but all of them have been field tested and proven effective.

Chronological Resume

The chronological resume is one of the most familiar formats, and for just reason.  Instead of wasting space on arbitrary facts, the chronological resume gets right to the point.

The format goes like this:  First, you list your work history starting from most recent and descending into older positions.  The next section would be dedicated to relevant education you’ve received.  Finally, you would touch on specific skill sets that you have as a potential employee.

This type of resume is weighted towards previous experience, which makes for a strong pitch for the seasoned employee.

Skills Resume (A.K.A. Functional Resume)

As a resume builder, the functional resume format is a good choice IF you have more skills than real world experience.  Your skills are quickly brought to the forefront, and they remain the theme throughout the resume.

Experience summaries are trumped by professional capability emphasis, and career progression takes a back seat to developed skill sets.  The format goes as follows:  After your contact information, we move directly into job qualifications. Next comes a run down of relevant skill sets.  Finally, job history is comfortably sat at the bottom of the resume.

Combination Resume

As the name implies, the combination resume is a mixture of the two most common resume formats: skills and chronological.  The resume builder may very well find this option as the most powerful and flexible.

The general format goes like this:  Right after your contact information at the top, we build a section for developed skill sets.  This is immediately followed by an in depth look at previous employment experience and titles held.  Unlike the typical skills resume, previous experience is elaborated on to the depth of the chronological resume.

Generally speaking, the most qualified candidates use the combination resume.  This is simply because they bring so much to the table in both verifiable experience and skill sets.  With the combination resume, the resume builder can deliver all of these selling points in a tight, focused and easy to read format.

In conclusion

The resume builder process is simply one of finding out what a potential employer needs, and creating a sales pitch (read: resume) that demonstrates how you fill that need.  For your resume to work, you simply must think about the potential employer more than you think of yourself.

And a major part of doing this delivering your sales pitch in a fashion the buyer (employer) is used to and comfortable with.  Classic formats like those described above are the way to do exactly that.