Resume Writing

Resume is one of your most important initial job search tools.

The Objective

Your objective is a short and realistic statement of interest, and it indicates the type of position you are seeking. It can be a list of functions you wish to perform, or can be a professional title such as "Structural Engineer" or "Software Development Intern" at XYZ Company. Often, the problem with objectives is that they are either too broad or too narrow. To avoid this pitfall, develop a targeted and balanced objective; e.g., "Pursuing a research and development position in chemical engineering." Include the job title and the name of the organization if you know them; e.g., "Seeking a position as an Electronic Systems Design Engineer at The Aerospace Corporation."

You should have a variety of objectives that you can use to tailor your resume. In fact, you'll probably have several different resumes because you'll want to emphasize your skills and experience differently depending on the type of position for which you're applying. Chances are that you have the skills to work in various environments and jobs-there may be multiple industries were you could pursue job opportunities. At some point in your career, you may decide to change fields altogether. The years of work experience you have in an unrelated field can definitely apply to another field.

Skills can easily transfer from one position to the next. For example, if you have worked in retail, your communication and organizational skills are applicable in any number of positions and industries. Highlighting and including transferable skills in your resume is a great way to market your value to a potential employer.

Making It Work For You

There are many different formats you can use to produce your resume:

• the chronological resume, in which a person’s experience is described from most to least recent and focuses on the progression of the person’s career;
  
• the functional resume, which focuses on a person’s accomplishments;
  
• the combined resume, which includes a chronology of jobs and which highlights a person’s accomplishments as they apply to those jobs;
  
• and finally, the skills-based resume, which allows a person to emphasize their transferable skills acquired not only through work experience, but through school projects, volunteering, extracurricular activities and more.
  

The essential elements of the resume are always required: education, work experience, skills and abilities, references. These elements, however, can be strengthened to project a more proactive, marketing approach to the document.

Here are 6 new ideas to enhance your resume.

Academic Highlights describe different projects or assignments that you have completed and highlight your accomplishments. For example:

• Designed a spreadsheet to depict timelines and critical path for business proposal
  
• Created a model of a new home design as a team project for architectural planning
  
• You can mention teamwork, computerskills, research, complexity or what you learned as a result of the work.
  

Results-Oriented Job Descriptions focus on how you did the job and what you have accomplished as opposed to describing your basic duties. For example:

• Increased productivity in retail shop by reorganizing stock handling
  
• Investigated the need for and implemented Boot Safety program
  

Instead of a weak description of your responsibilities at your job, try thinking in terms of how you made a difference in the workplace. You may also want to format your accomplishments beginning with a keyword, followed by a description of your activity. For example:

• TRAINING – designed and conducted workshops for 300 staff on safety process
  

Testimonial can replace a career objective or profile in a unique manner. Pull a sentence from one of your reference letters and quote a testimonial on your behalf.

Keyword Summary: with the introduction of scannable resumes, content has changed from verb-based to noun-based. When a computer scans a document, it searches for keywords – nouns such as diploma, sales, budget, proposal, report, etc. A summary of skills at the beginning of your resume can give the employer a quick preview of your abilities.

Targeted resumes focus your accomplishments and skills in particular directions. If you have diverse experience in sales, computer programming and golf you could develop a resume for each of these areas and then expand your search for work in different directions. Or combine your experience such as computer software sales or programming for the golf industry.

Technical Contact Information ensures that you have provided the employer with as many access points as possible. With the technical explosion of cell phones, pagers, fax machines, extensions, e-mail, voicemail, and websites, you want to be certain the employer can reach you. At the top of your resume you should clearly identify what each contact number represents.

I hope these ideas have sparked some fresh thinking for you to attack your resume with new energy. A resume is a living document that must move with the times to attract a recruiter’s eye. The resume is your best marketing piece. Make it work for you.