I believe in change, and especially career change. From my perspective, if you’re not changing, you’re not growing! My life and career have been wonderfully diverse! After working, living, or traveling to over 30 countries alone, I often joke that I have been gainfully unemployed- I mean self-employed- for the past 20 years. My work as an independent contractor in the international tour, travel, and meeting planning industry for 12 years, and now as an career educator, writer, and consultant, has allowed me to not only work, live, and travel to nearly 30 countries, but to interact with nearly every industry and professional association on three continents.
THE BIRTH of RESUMES THAT WORK(TM)
I chose to launch Resumes That Work(TM) in 1996 several years after returning from a two years teaching assignment in the proud capital of Madrid, Spain. Upon my return, it was easy for me to tap into anyone of my many skills sets, craft and submit a customized resume. Although like with many sales pursuits, there were always more nays, than yays, I eventually always received offers for yet another interesting, “out-of-the-box”, contract, project, or consulting gig.
Seeing this chameleon quality, my friends and colleagues were quite simply- Amazed! Like me, many of them, were, multi-talented, super creative, well-traveled, and non-linear. They erroneously believed that it was impossible to put their life in a two-dimensional resume format. Imagine putting Picasso, Da Vinci, or even Bill Gates in a two-dimensional world. Having written multi- versions of resumes for myself and the opportunities I created in North America, Europe and Asia, I stepped forth as The Resume Writer for the creative, unconventional, and “foreign”
That was 12 years ago. Now as a business and career coach, I love guiding others towards choosing and creating work they love. What differentiates me from other resume writers, is that I create a customized resume ( a new palette of colors) for each client. They love it , and so do I!
Okay, enough tooting my own horn.
HOT TIPS for successfully crafting a resume GUARANTEED to get you an interview.
1. Include your e-mail address in the heading- street address is not necessary.
2. Include a Summary of Professional Strengths or Highlights of Qualifications in the top third of your resume. (Objective statements are useful for entry-level positions, or for a specific position within the same company or industry). Research shows that a resume must grab the reader’s attention with the first ten seconds.
3. Choose a resume that fits your situation (functional vs. chronological). I have been moving more towards functional resumes in the past year, particularly for mid-life career changers.
4. Include name of company and your position title with each entry along with the number of years there. If you were there less than a year, reconsider listing this as a “job”.
5. Your resume needs to be ACCOMPLISHMENT based. Each entry should start with an action verb and include a SARS (Situation, Action, Result) statement.
6. Pro-bono experience is a great “gap-filler. Include unpaid positions (volunteer work) that demonstrate you have the skills and experience for the job. More companies with evolved leadership are valuing a well-rounded human being with life experience, rather than an uninterrupted work history.
7. A resume should be one page. Keep your resume to two pages, although three is acceptable for senior positions, authors, presenters, and academians. Myth: A resume should be one page.
8. Do not include references in your resume- the statement “references available upon request” is not necessary.
9. The average amount of time spent reading a resume is between 30-45 seconds. Be sure your resume is well formatted with bullets, error-free, and very easy to read -(Arial, Times New Roman: 10-11pt font is best).
10. Remember, your resume in not as much about your history as it is about your future! Describe your experience and accomplishments in a way that matches where you are going, not where you have been.
11. Be sure to include a well-crafted cover letter with your resume.
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