Premiere Vendor in the Omaha, Nebraska Copywriter, Copywriting Service Directory at Marketingtool.com.
| RESAMAZING! Crystal-Clear Résumés |
lighten up...
| © Luc Viatour GFDL/CC |
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| Please call 402-341-9014 to notify Zero Gravity that résumé information is forthcoming. Then fill out this form as thoroughly as possible. Skip any items or sections that don't apply to you. There's space at the bottom for additional information. Thanks! |
| MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING are very important. Many employers understand the rigors of military service and the thoroughness of military training. Be sure to include all the places you were stationed; employers value intercultural experience and adaptability. If you run out of room, use the extra space at the bottom of this form. |
| DOES MY PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER REALLY CARE that I was president of my fraternity? Yes! Leadership is leadership — and LIKABILITY is the number-one factor in selling, market- ing, and retaining customer or client loyalty. |
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| In HIGHER EDUCATION, please include specialization(s) or concentration(s). Depending on how long you've been out of school, you might also include education abroad, research projects, and other noteworthy activities. If you run out of room, use the extra space at the bottom of this form. |
| IN EMPLOYMENT, please include supervisory experience (number and type of employees supervised), budget responsibility, training responsibility, teams and committees, publications, etc. (There is space below for membership in professional organizations.) |
| IF SELF-EMPLOYED, please include, if relevant, number of employees, number of clients, and growth in both areas; training you provide; strategic partnerships; interns; sponsorships; community service as a company; etc. |
| INTERNSHIPS can appear in HIGHER EDUCATION or (for greater detail, or if very recent) EMPLOYMENT. |
| HOW FAR BACK SHOULD I GO? It depends on how old you are and how many jobs you've had — as well as the nature and relevance of the previous employment. In 1976 and 1977, I worked in Washington, D.C., for a federal agency that was technically within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. That entry got bumped off my résumé years ago, but if I were applying today for a job where I thought my Washington experience might be an asset, I would mention it in my cover letter: "I spent two years in Washington with an Executive Office of the President agency, working closely with presidential aides and members of the agency's congressional oversight committee...." |
| PERSONAL INFORMATION: It's nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of a certain amount of "personal information" on a résumé, particularly if you have active hobbies and pursuits. The more well rounded and "in motion" you appear, the more likely you are to become "multidimensional" and thus memorable in the minds of prospective employers. Instead of a list of skills and qualifications, your résumé becomes dynamic, projecting robust health, energy and other intangibles, such as commitment and responsibility. |
| THE BIGGEST MISTAKE people make when preparing their own résumés is selling themselves short. For years I prepared résumés for ex-farmers in south central Kansas. Most of them were proficient carpenters, mechanics, electricians, plumbers, builders, managers, and bookkeepers, and they possessed adaptability, tenacity, and a variety of other attributes — which they thought were "nothing special." They had experience with contracts, insurance, securities, government agencies, sales, and meteorology. They also tended to be healthy and unafraid of long hours and hard work. But they had no idea how to translate these assets into an effective résumé. There's an art to highlighting your attributes without bragging, and to softening your liabilities without lying. Professional résumé preparers know how to construct a portrait that shows the BEST side of the REAL you. Please list ALL your skills, proficiencies, hobbies, and avocations, even if you think they're not relevant to your career. They might say more about your "fit" with a company and its people than can otherwise be conveyed. |
| RESPONSIBILITIES: If you were an assistant to someone, you are perfectly justified in listing that person's responsibilities as they applied to you: "Assisted in hiring, training, and evaluating sales staff and preparing departmental budget." Especially important are assignments involving supervising, handing money, applying technology, policymaking, and other tasks that demonstrate trust. |
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| "WHEN I LOOK AT résumés, I look for details," says Rhonda Mitchell, a former marketing executive at the University of Arizona Extended University. "I want to know what people did and when they did it," adds Mitchell, who for three years owned Mitchell Public Relations and Advertising in Tucson. "Specifically, I want to know their primary responsibilities and achievements. This gives me an idea of the kinds of things they can accomplish in my organization." |
| QUESTIONS? E-mail Mary@LifeIsPoetry.net or call 402-341-9014 |
lighten up...
| "I prefer a one-page résumé, although there are times when two pages are necessary to fully describe a person's background and experience," says Jane Lee, president of Jane Lee Communi- cations, a PR firm. A longer résumé can be just as accessible as a short one if it's "succinct and to the point." She prefers "bulleted phrases" over complete sentences in narrative or paragraph form. "I want the résumé's appearance to be well organized so that I can skim it and get an over- view. I want to see a clean look and white space. "I find the 'functional résumé' annoying.... I don't want to have to dig for information." |