Reasons.

We have so many of them. Reasons to do things, reasons not to do things. Reasons why something is possible, and reasons why it’s not. Reasons to spend money, and reasons not to spend money. Reasons to give up, and reasons to take action.

Pretty much every decision we make is based on a reason of some sort or another.

Sometimes reasons conflict with each other. For instance, when I look at discounted mocha brownies in the day-old bin at my food coop, my brain comes up with many reasons to buy (and eat) the brownies. They are on sale! They will taste so good! I deserve it! Yet on most days, I do not buy them, because my reasons for not eating them far outweigh my reasons for indulging. I feel better. I look better. Kale will serve me so much better in the long run. Who cares if it costs twice as much and takes five times as much work to prepare?

Reasons at work in your job search

If you are a job seeker, you probably have lots of reasons to explain why you chose to apply or not apply for a particular job; why someone will or won’t hire you; and even why you are or are not going to hire a resume writer. You can choose to take the easy road, perhaps your default action (buying the mocha brownies), or you can choose to do something a little more difficult that will serve your career in the long term (invest in the kale).

Annabelle’s story

Two weeks ago I got a call from a woman (I will call her Annabelle) who was referred to me for resume assistance. Annabelle had just found out about a position that was available at a national non-profit in Washington, D.C., and she believed she was perfect for the job. The problem: Through her connections, Annabelle had discovered that the hiring process was quickly coming to a close, interviews were done, and the organization was making a final decision on the person they wanted to hire.

Annabelle had also been told by a friend at the organization, who also happens to be a friend of mine, that the language in her resume was confusing and that she should hire me to get it into shape.

Not giving up

Many people would have given up as soon as they heard the words, “We are too far along in the hiring process.” Others would have given up at the prospect of spending hundreds of dollars unexpectedly to overhaul their resume.

Annabelle could have listened to all the multitude of reasons against applying for this position. But she listened to the reasons to give it a shot.

After all, this was a job she wanted more than anything, and no one had actually confirmed that anyone been offered the job yet. Also, there would be more positions open in the future, so it couldn’t hurt to send in her resume.

Annabelle jumped into action. She hired The Essay Expert for two hours at our RUSH rate, reformatted her resume on her own, and, despite having a family emergency intervene in the midst of the process, managed to submit her materials to the organization the next day.

Was it worth it?

The day after sending in her application, Annabelle got an email: the organization wanted to talk to her. She was put through an expedited interview process, and during one of the interviews she could hear one of the managers there going through her resume line by line. He was impressed.

Annabelle moved forward with confidence, incredibly well-prepared for her interviews after having talked to me about every bullet on her resume.

Yesterday I received a call from Annabelle, who told me with great excitement that she had received an offer last Monday for her dream job. A job, you will remember, that was not available until the hiring manager saw Annabelle’s resume.

Annabelle’s job search, beginning to end, for a job at a national non-profit in Washington, D.C.: 4 days. Wow.

Annabelle did have a leg up because she had met the hiring manager at a prior event; her network played a crucial role in opening up this opportunity, as it does for many job seekers. She also believes, and I agree, that “a network can only take you so far; the resume is the only way others can justify your consideration to those who might not know you; it’s your only real voice in the matter.”

She continues (and I promise I did not write this), “No matter how well you think you fit the position, no matter how well you have your contacts lined up, if your resume does not accurately reflect your level of professionalism or capability, hiring managers will never see the true candidate that you are. Having an ill-prepared resume should be the last reason why you don’t go after or get considered for a job. There’s no reason you can’t have a great resume to represent yourself!”

Where are you stopped?

If you are a job seeker, where are you getting stopped? Are you letting reasons keep you from applying to jobs you are qualified for? Are you using a mediocre resume in applications for your dream job because you don’t want to hire someone to bring it up a level or two?

Do you believe that you can find a job in 4 days or do you think such a thing is impossible?

What reasons are you listening to? The ones that have you give up (the equivalent for me of eating mocha brownies) or the ones that will move you forward in your career?

I encourage you to believe that you can turn impossibilities into possibilities if you put your mind to it. Please use Annabelle’s story as an inspiration. And if you have a voice in your head saying, “That could never happen to me,” don’t give up. There is always a different set of reasons you can listen to, if only you are willing.

Last week I introduced you to Loft Resumes, a service that provides custom-designed resumes to job seekers in a variety of industries. I also provided sample formats from some of The Essay Expert’s successful resumes. I then asked you to vote on which you preferred.
Here’s what the survey looked like for those of you who missed it…  I’d still love your input!

Thank you to the 25 people who responded to my survey! Here’s the tally:

“Do you prefer the designs of Loft’s designs or The Essay Expert’s?”

1 person preferred Loft Resume’s designs. [This person was in the insurance industry]

17 people (68%) preferred The Essay Expert’s designs.

1 person liked both equally. [This person was in the IT industry. Note that The Essay Expert has some  other formats you might like better!]

1 person did not like either one. [This response came from an attorney. I agree none of the formats presented would be appropriate for an attorney. For attorneys we use much more straightforward designs.]

5 people chose “Other” and provided the following feedback:

ATS Concerns - Essay Expert’s designs are better, but I fear the inserted box and other graphics might skew an Applicant Tracking System preventing the information from being read and stored, costing an applicant the job by not registering properly within its system. If physically scanned, the Essay Expert is more professional and provides information employers want. [from a career professional/resume writer]

My response: It is true that text boxes and graphics can skew an ATS system. Please rest assured that before a client submits a resume through an online system, we test the resume to make sure it is being parsed correctly by the ATS systems. We do this using Preptel, an online program that mimics the three major ATS programs widely used by large companies to screen resumes.

After posting my article, I was contacted by a representative of Loft Resumes who stated that their resumes do well in Applicant Tracking Systems as well. I would have to test a resume myself to know if that is an accurate statement (Loft does not advertise that their resumes are ATS-friendly).

Keep in mind that every job seeker must have TWO resumes: one for the computer robots and one for humans. Hiring managers, in my experience, really love The Essay Expert’s resumes. I do not have any information on their response to Loft’s designs.

Too Dense - I don’t like either one, they are both too dense with info, the eye doesn’t know where to go to quickly pick up the pertinent details. [from someone in the High Tech industry]

My response: Thanks for your feedback. Thankfully the hiring managers who looked at The Essay Expert’s resumes appreciated something in the resumes, since both of these candidates got job offers for their targeted positions! Neither was in High Tech, and we would certainly use a different format for a high-tech position.

Industry-Dependent Design - It greatly depends on the industry/position. If in creative industry would prefer LOFT.  AND…
- I think Loft’s resumes are a little too designy — the design has more impact than the information contained within it. But Loft’s could be very good for people in the arts, film production, etc.

My response: In fields like marketing and sales, you might be right that LOFT resumes could be viewed more favorably. In a field like graphic design, of course, it would be preferable for the candidate him or herself to design the resume!

- It’s position AND audience specific.

My response: I couldn’t agree more. We use different looks and feels for every industry we work with.

As stated above, if the audience is a hiring manager a highly formatted resume is generally viewed favorably; recruiters hate them.

Even The Essay Expert’s samples here might be too “fancy” for an accountant, although two responders in Accounting and Finance stated they were very likely to purchase an Essay Expert resume and very unlikely to purchase a LOFT resume.

One responder whose industry is aerospace/defense wrote, “The Loft’s [formats] would never work in my industry.”

And I received one response from a person in “consulting” who stated he or she would be very likely to purchase from The Essay Expert and very unlikely to purchase from Loft.

- I like LOFT designs for their uniqueness. They are probably appropriate for someone in more in a creative field versus an executive position. I like Essay Expert’s designs for their clean, uncluttered appearance. They are easy to read and probably more scannable than the LOFT design.

My response: Thank you! I believe I addressed this comment above.

“How likely would you be to purchase a resume design by Loft Resumes, The Essay Expert, or Another Service?”

Overall, my readers (who I admit might be predisposed toward resumes by The Essay Expert) are much more likely to purchase a resume designed by The Essay Expert than they are to purchase a resume from Loft or another service. It was also striking to me that 50% were very likely or somewhat likely to purchase a resume from The Essay Expert.

A gift to you!

Thank you for your support, and if you responded to this survey and are considering purchasing a resume package from The Essay Expert, I will be happy to offer you a 20% discount on any package (maximum discount $100), offer good through April 30, 2012. Note you must complete the survey to qualify for this offer! This is your reward for being a loyal reader and participant in my interactive media opportunities – and for reading to the end of this lengthy article!

Resume format is a personal preference, and also a way to make an impression on hiring managers. A poorly formatted resume might be overlooked regardless of its content, and a beautifully designed resume might get positive attention because of its strong marketing value. If your design is bland, your resume could be met with a yawn; yet if you go overboard with graphics, you could turn off the very people you’re wanting to impress.

How do you want your resume format to stand out from the crowd?

On-Line Formatting Services

I was recently offered an opportunity to refer clients to Loft Resumes, a website specializing in professionally formatted resumes. I am honestly hesitant to recommend this service for many reasons, but I thought I would get your opinion before passing final judgment. Do you think this design service would be valuable for The Essay Expert’s clients?

Let’s go to the website for Loft Resumes to check out their offered formats.  Here’s what I found (please click to explore):

LOFT Resume’s formats are visually more complex than those provided by The Essay Expert. But are they better?

Resumes designed by  The Essay Expert

(Click to view full resume samples)

Which do you prefer between Loft Resumes’ formats and The Essay Expert’s?

Your opinion is requested…

To make this fun, I designed a survey! Please check the boxes below to share your opinion. Thank you!

Thank you for answering this survey! I’ll let you know when the results come in!!

In February 2012, the Career Thought Leaders Consortium published their Findings of the 2011 Global Career Brainstorming Day: Trends for the Now, the New & the Next in Careers.

My particular interest lies in resume trends, and you as my readers expect me to be up to date on these matters!  Here are the Top 12 findings in the resume category from the best of the best in the career industry:

1. Resumes are not dead!

Every job seeker still needs one to present to employers, recruiters and network contacts. That said, the LinkedIn profile is becoming as important if not more important as an entry point and must be crafted to complement, NOT duplicate, the information in the resume.

2. Brevity Reigns

The 3-page resume, however, is going extinct. Keep your resume succinct and preferably to one or two pages, even if you are a high-level executive. This means concise writing, short paragraphs, brief lists of bullet points, and good organization and branding to assist the reader in quickly assessing your strengths. The top third of the first page is prime real estate.

3. Extra Extra! Leverage Addenda

Addenda are welcome attachments to short resumes when you have additional accomplishments to convey that did not make it onto the two-pager.

4. Keep it Chronological

Stay away from functional resumes. Hybrids are okay but reverse-chronological resumes are still the preferred format for recruiters and hiring managers.

5. Smart-phone Savvy

Keep in mind that some people will be reading your resume on their phones. This means you need good headlines and a compelling top third to half of the resume to encourage scrolling down.

6. RoboResumes

Keep ATS systems in mind. Preptel is a good way to make sure your resume is formatted properly to make it through the system.

7. Retro Resumes

Resume paper is still in style for when you present your resume in person! And it’s “retro” – you can send your resume in an actual envelope and perhaps get some positive attention for taking the time to do so in this email-centric world.

8. Hyperlink it!

Put links on your resume. QR codes are becoming popular, as well as other URLs that link to additional material about the job seeker.

9. Be human

Don’t skip the community service, continuing education, civic background, etc. Your character is being evaluated more than ever! And you are encouraged to put a testimonial on your resume. Why say it yourself when you can have someone else say it for you?

10. There’s no one-size fits all.

You need a different resume for each position you apply for, and then you need separate versions for the recruiter, the hiring manager, and the ATS software. How overwhelming can that be? That’s what career professionals and resume writers are here for. Hopefully we can make the process just a bit less overwhelming.

11. Vital Stats

You don’t need to include your street address in your resume header anymore! DO include your LinkedIn URL, web address if you have one, your city and state, ONE phone number and ONE email address.

12. Ever heard of Twitrez?

If you are media-savvy, you may have used the Twitrez tool to communicate your value proposition in a series of 10 tweets, 140 characters each. The idea is that each message can stand on its own and the combined 1400 characters “create a cohesive overview of a candidate’s core qualifications and value.” Or maybe you’ve tweeted your twesume?

I can see what’s next for The Essay Expert – it’s writing Twitter resumes!  Stay tuned…

“Resume Oblivion” has been a hot topic in the news. The Wall Street Journal published an article, Your Resume vs. Oblivion, reporting that the percentage of large companies using computerized Applicant Tracking Systems to screen candidates is in the high 90%; almost all Fortune 500 companies rely on these programs.

The article points out that “the systems, which can cost from $5,000 to millions of dollars, are efficient, but not foolproof.”  Specifically, “Tracking software …  may miss the most-qualified applicant if that person doesn’t game the system by larding [sic - I think they mean loading] his or her résumé with keywords from the job description.”

The article offers advice, which I recommend reading, on “How to Beat the ‘Black Hole.’” However, the advice is not comprehensive.  The first item, for instance, instructs job seekers to “mimic the keywords in the job description as closely as possible. If you’re applying to be a sales manager, make sure your résumé includes the words ‘sales’ and ‘manage’ (assuming you’ve done both!).”

Pardon me for saying so, but the above advice is 1) rudimentary, 2) a no-brainer and 3) limited in its value. The problem is that 99% of the people applying for a sales manager job are going to have the words “sales” and “manage”  in their resumes! Therefore, you will not get higher on any list by including these keywords. The same goes for most of the keywords in the job description, since many job seekers are getting savvy about matching their resumes to the posting.

The Wall Street Journal is not the only major news provider who delivered misleading or incomplete information on this topic. Take NPR’s 16-minute segment entitled Keeping Your Resume Out of Online Oblivion, where callers related stories of how they got interviews despite the reign of Applicant Tracking Systems.  View it here:

You will hear some creative solutions in this spot on how to make it past the computers. You will also hear something misleading:  that hiring managers (i.e., human beings) program the ATS software to screen for certain terms.

Do you really think that a company like Google or Starbucks is going to have a human being sit there and punch keywords into a computer for each of the thousands of jobs they post every day? Think again.

No, human beings do not program these systems — the systems program themselves! The keywords the computers are looking for are determined by the computers. And this is why qualified candidates are so often overlooked.

In my estimation, to beat a computer you need a computer. That’s why I make sure that every one of my clients who applies to a mid- to large-sized company puts his or her resume through a computerized system, Preptel’s Resumeter. I have written about this program before (see How to Write a Resume that Beats the Computers), and I keep becoming a bigger and bigger fan. Preptel gives an actual view of how your resume is read by the computers, and, starting later this week, will coach you step by step through the process of fixing the formatting. Isn’t that better than the vague advice given in the WSJ article to “keep the formatting on your résumé simple and streamlined”?

Preptel will also tell you what keywords the computers have deemed important. Trust me, you won’t figure these out on your own. Here’s a sample:

adding creative input
bim publishing software
or ad tags
the bim publishing
widgets pages content
with station contacts

If you include even one or two of these wacky strings of words in addition to the ones in the job description, your resume will move up in the pile. Add three of the strings and you will have a great chance of success, especially if you also meet the other qualifications in the job description. If you’re not sure how to incorporate the keywords you need, and don’t want to register for Preptel yourself, The Essay Expert will be glad to work with you and give you a free report on how your resume is stacking up.

If you’re a do-it-yourself-er, sign up for Preptel’s Free Trial and get a reduced subscription price of $19.99/month. I can’t think of a better investment to make in your job search.

Are you a talented professional with amazing accomplishments, but who is getting nowhere applying for jobs through job boards?  If so, you are not alone, and you are fighting an uphill battle.  The fact is, job seekers get only a 1-3% response rate from the major job boards.  That means you might have to send out 100 resumes to get just one response!

There is a trick to getting a higher response from the job boards, which I talk about in detail in How to Write a Resume that Beats the Computers.You also need some other strategies. There are plenty of jobs out there that are not posted on job boards, and that even your networking contacts don’t know about. The company itself might not even know they want someone like you until you show up!   Mary Elizabeth Bradford, who won a Career Innovator Award at the 2011 Career Directors International conference, has packaged a Job Search Success System that will help you present yourself powerfully to find those hidden jobs.

The basic premise of Mary Elizabeth’s system if that you need strategies to connect directly with companies.  You cut out the “middle man” (recruiters, HR, job boards, etc.).

Most companies go through at least five steps to fill a position before they will post the position to a major job board. They get on the phone to a few trusted colleagues. They look to see if anyone internal is qualified to be promoted. They alert their staff to refer someone they might know. They launch an intimate campaign to try to fill the position waaaay before the general public is notified. And if after a few weeks, the position is still not filled, perhaps they contact a related association to post the job on their “Members Only job” — or they contract a recruiter.  Job boards are a last resort.

Can you break through to the Hidden Market?

Mary Elizabeth emphasizes, “ANYONE (and I mean even if you are right out of college) can enjoy the benefits of the hidden job market. These jobs are available on all levels and in virtually all industries.  The trick is to hone your focus so you actually achieve the results you want.”

What are the advantages to you of connecting to the hidden job market?  You get more job opportunities, more market leverage, less competition, a shorter interview process and bigger offers.  You still might want to send resumes out via the internet as part of your strategy; but why would you focus there exclusively when you can have so much more control over your next career move?!

You might be wondering precisely how to tap into the unadvertised job market. There are three strategies recommended by the Job Search Success System that help you focus on and find great jobs that will never see a major job board.

Tip #1: Have a plan

Launch a proactive job search. Know precisely what you are looking for, then reach out to get it. Know your primary target market(s), primary positions sought, geographic parameters, and timeline.

Tip #2: Pick three main job search strategies for tapping into your market

Here are two examples of techniques you can utilize:

Offer your skills to growing or changing companies: Companies that are expanding, merging, acquiring other companies, rolling out new products or services, or moving are likely to be seeking new employees to help them with their transition.

Make direct company contact: Contacting a company directly is a great way to take leadership and control over your job search. Are you interested in looking at the higher education market in your state or the top organic food manufacturers in the US? Or maybe the fastest growing healthcare oriented businesses in your city? All of these “lists” are accessible to you and allow you to tap right into your market of focus.

Tip #3: Manage your job search like a marketing campaign

Make a simple plan to move forward. Pick the hours and days each week that you plan to invest in your next career move. Block out those times and stick to them! Honor your commitment to your job search just like you would honor your commitment to your present employer to show up on time each day.

During your job search, keep things simple and focus on your actions, not their immediate results! This way you can celebrate your initial “successes”  – the completions of your daily and weekly goals. The results will unfold elegantly and abundantly and you will enjoy the satisfaction of success whether you are investing in marketing yourself or basking in the warm glow of landing your third or fourth interview!

How are job boards sounding now?  If you are ready to try a new strategy, I highly encourage you to look into Mary Elizabeth’s award-winning Job Search Success System.

And please report your success to both Mary Elizabeth and me.  I love success stories and look forward to hearing yours!

Everyone is saying to post your resume to Google…  so how do you do it?

I received this question from one of my subscribers, and will answer it soon.  But first, are you an online job seeker?  If so, I have some important recommendations for you.  Seriously…  keep reading!

Here are my top 4 recommendations:

1. Have a 100% complete profile on LinkedIn.  If you need help, contact The Essay Expert.
2. Fill out all the information on your Facebook profile completely, and post only professionally appropriate photos.
3. Maintain a Twitter account with your first and last name as your Twitter handle (eg. @BrendaBernstein).
4. Post your resume on line and link to it from all the above accounts.

Who recommends this four-pronged strategy? At least one highly successful recruiter, Shally Steckerl of Arbita, Inc. EVP, who presented to a group of career professionals at the Career Directors International annual conference in Savannah, Georgia on October 21, 2011. I was there and I was convinced.

Issues to Consider When Posting an Online Resume

Before posting your resume on line, consider privacy issues. You probably do not want to post your home address details to the entire world. City and state will suffice. You may or may want to make your phone number available to the public. (In my opinion, a public phone number is a relatively low risk and will allow recruiters to contact you.)

For an email address, consider creating a designated email for your job search and use that one on your resume. You will then cut down on any spam and you’ll be able to keep all your job-search related emails in one place, with a low risk of having them get lost amongst other messages.

How do you post your resume on line?  The answer is coming very soon…

There are many ways, and I will suggest just a few here:

1. Post it on Google docs. Here’s an article from SimplyBlog that does a great job of explaining how to do that! How to Post Your Resume with Google Docs You might need to change your Google Docs view to the old version of Google Docs if you can’t figure out some of these instructions, or you might be able to translate the instructions to the new version. I went ahead and published my resume to Google Docs. See Brenda Bernstein’s Resume!
2. Post it on indeed.com. Indeed is a highly recommended job posting site, free to both you and employers who post jobs there. If you post your resume, you will be given a URL for your resume page. The cool thing about indeed.com is that you will get a resume Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS’s) can read! You can then save it as a pdf and use it to apply to other jobs that use ATS software.
3. Create a website. The Essay Expert can help you with this. You can have a page with your resume and link to it from your other social media profiles.  BTW, everyone reading this article, if you haven’t done so already, should go ahead and purchase the domain name for your first and last name or some version of it!  Be ready with the domain so when you want to create your website you can do it.
4. Attach it to your LinkedIn profile.  First download the application Box.net and then you will be able to upload your resume.  The resume will then be available to people who visit your LinkedIn profile.

Following the above recommendations will set you up to be successful with your online job search.  Stay tuned for more tips and tricks for online job searches coming up in the next few weeks!

Were these tips helpful?  What other questions do you have?  Please comment below!

What’s the “right” way to write a resume or conduct a job search?

People ask me questions all the time about how many pages a resume should be; whether to include an Objective statement; what the value is of a web portfolio; etc. The fact is, there is no clear cut answer to many of these questions, and the answers change year by year, even day by day. They certainly can change depending on who you are, what industry you’re in, and what your experience level is.

Ask the Experts

Given that resume writing and job search strategies are constantly changing, I feel fortunate that there is a coalition of experts who spend a lot of time thinking about these issues, and even more fortunate that they share their wisdom each year.

On December 30, 2010, a consortium of 156 career experts from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. met to brainstorm about career and employment issues. They published their findings on March 14, 2011 in Findings of 2010 Global Career Brainstorming Day: Trends for the Now, the New & the Next in Careers. As my readers, you are privy to the valuable findings of this group of Career Thought Leaders.

The latest trends in resume writing and job search strategies include:

1. Your Google results are the new resume. Build a strong online presence so you look good when those results come up. And monitor your Google results routinely in case of anything fishy!
2. Keep it short. Three-page resumes are discouraged, regardless of your experience level. Use “extras” or addenda if necessary for publications, technology qualifications, consulting experience, etc.
3. Culture fit is more important than your skill set. Companies hire people, not resumes.
4. Web portfolios are not as useful as you might think in most industries.
5. Brand yourself! Keep your brand consistent throughout your job search documents.
6. DO use a Core Competencies or Key Strengths section.
7. DO put a testimonial or two on your resume.
8. DO use tasteful graphic touches, including borders, text boxes or graphs when appropriate.
9. Show the company what YOU can do for THEM. Write resume bullets that clearly show the problem you solved and how you solved it.
10. If possible, write your intended job title instead of “Summary of Qualifications” above your summary. This structure makes your objective clear, and allows you to write a summary of your offerings instead of an objective.
11. DO send paper resumes! They will make you stand out from the crowd.
12. DO send a cover letter. Do not expect that it will be read. However, in some cases it is read first, so assume it will be read.
13. E-cover letters (in the body of an email) can be short and sweet.
14. Have a bio available in addition to a resume as an alternative introduction to a resume.
15. Format your resume in Microsoft Word .doc format. Have a plain text resume available as well.
16. Use Twitres (www.twitres.com) to display your resume on Twitter. Use Box.net to display your resume on LinkedIn (Box.net is my personal tip)
17. Networking is still the absolute best way to get a job. Job boards just are not an effective tool for job search, although you should use them as part of your strategy. Only 13.2% of external hires in Fortune 500 companies came from job boards, whereas 26.7% came from referrals and 22.3% came from employer career sites. Overall, somewhere between 65-95% of all new hires come as a result of networking. That’s a pretty staggering statistic!
18. Social networking an essential job search strategy, and LinkedIn tops the chart. 80% of recruiters use social media to recruit candidates. You absolutely MUST have a strong presence on LinkedIn, “the #1 online networking platform for job seekers” according to the report.
19. Clear skeletons out of your closet if you can. With so many candidates vying for each open position, any red flags mean your application is put in the “no”pile. Employers will go back 20-30 years to make sure your record is clean.
20. Become savvy with virtual technology. You might be required to attend a virtual interview, or you might choose to create a web-based resume or portfolio to get some extra notice. Need help to manage it all? Many job seekers are hiring virtual assistants just to keep up with it all!

If you want to read more detail about these top 20 points, please go to the full article, Findings of 2010 Global Career Brainstorming Day: Trends for the Now, the New & the Next in Careers.

Were you surprised by any of the findings? What did you learn? Please share in the comments below.

This article was originally posted at New Grad Life.

A common misconception about resumes is that they are meant to describe what you did in your past jobs. In actuality, the most effective resumes are written from a FUTURE perspective. In other words, your resume will work if you think about what a potential employer would want to know about how you WILL perform. What experience do you have that will make you a contribution to their firm or organization?

Photo by Ed Brambley, CC-BY-SA 2.0

If you are writing a resume from the perspective of the FUTURE, here’s what will happen:

1. Measurable Results. You will write detailed bullets that demonstrate your capability to achieve measurable results. That means: include numbers as often as possible. Don’t just say you tutored students; say how many and by how much their grades improved. Don’t say you were successful; tell us exactly what results you achieved. Don’t just say “increased;” tell us by what percentage. Your readers will imply that you can produce similar results for them.

2. Finding Relevance. You will think about the purpose and priority of each item on your resume. Does it matter that you worked as a bartender if you are now applying for marketing positions? Maybe, if you you were a student working 20 hours/week and still maintained a 3.8 GPA, or if you were the highest-tipped bartender at the establishment. Additionally, bartending demonstrates your ability to multitask and interact with a wide variety of people. But it does not need to take up three lines on your resume, just because it’s what you did; you can make it a short bullet under your “Education” section to show you were doing it while in school full time.

3. Deleting Irrelevant Items. You will delete anything that is irrelevant or of minimal importance to your future. These things include stuff you did in high school. High school activities are no longer relevant – you had 4 years of college to become who you are now, and if you did less in college than you did in high school, looking into the future, the logical conclusion is that you will do less and less as time goes on.

Let us help you look your best on your resume and in all your writing. The Essay Expert provides writing help with LinkedIn profiles, resumes, cover letters, and other writing projects.

Is your Education section taking up too much space on your resume?  Are you finding it hard to fit in all the information you think is important?

Here are some of your resume Education section questions answered – maybe even questions you didn’t know you had!  These tips will help you pack in lots of information without taking up half the space on your resume.

1. Should the Education section come first or last?

If you are a new graduate from college or graduate school, or if you are applying to graduate school, your Education section genrally goes FIRST on your resume (after your header). Why? Because it’s what you’ve done most recently, and/or it is most relevant. (If you are unsure as to what is most relevant in your particular situation, ask an expert for advice.)

If you have been in the working world for 2 years or more, your Experience section will more likely come first, and Education might be last or close to last on your resume.

2.     What should the basic format be?

1. List your educational institutions in reverse chronological order, just as you do with your employment history.
2. The most important part of each school section is the name of the school you attended. Put it in bold and/or Small Caps, followed by the city and state. Use the same format you use for your employers.
3. Next put the degree you received. If you are anticipating a degree, write “Candidate for B.A,” “B.S. expected,” or “M.A. anticipated.” Fill in the appropriate degree of course.

Here’s an example (click image for full size):

You might like a centered format if your Education section is toward the end of the resume.  For example (click image for full size): 

3. Do I need a separate line for my GPA and for each of my honors?

If you need to save space, there is no need to put your GPA and honors all on separate lines. You can combine these onto one line, and you can even put them on the same line as your major. How you combine things will depend on how much room you have on other lines. Here are some possibilities:

1. BA in Political Science, cum laude, 2006 (GPA: 3.41)
2. Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, concentration in Psychology, May 2005
   Major GPA: 3.73; Cumulative GPA: 3.683

4. How should I list Honors and Activities?

You do not need an entirely separate section for either Honors or Activities. Only create these separate sections if you need to fill space! Instead, put them under the appropriate school.

Do you have a lot of honors and/or activities? If you need space, you can group them together. For instance, you can have a bullet that says “Honors:” and name your honors, separated by semicolons. Then have a bullet that says “Activities:” and list your activities, separated by semicolons. Not sure how to handle the dates of all these things? Try putting them in parentheses after the honor or activity, and before the semicolon.

Examples:

1. Honors: Undergraduate Honors Thesis Research Grant (Honors Program award); Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society; Golden Key International Honour Society
2. Honors: Dean’s List (2006-2009); Baylor University Alumni Scholarship (2005-2009); Greek Women’s Leadership Award (2009); Midwest Conference Academic All Conference Team (2008 and 2009)
3. Activities: Latino/a Student Association, Secretary (2006-2007), Delegate/Community Service Committee (2005-2007); Mexican Student Organization, Social Chair (2005-2006); South American Student Association, Member (2004-2007)
4. Activities: Varsity Women’s Basketball Team, Four Year Letter Winner; Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, Board Director (2006-2007) and Member (2004-2007); University Chapel Choir, Member (2004-2007)

5. Do I need a separate section for Study Abroad?

No! Study abroad is part of your undergraduate education. It can be a bullet, or if you want to emphasize it because of your international interest or language ability, you can bold it. Do not put a space between your undergraduate degree section and the study abroad section, unless you need to fill space.

Example of bullet format:

[end of undergraduate section here]
•      Junior-year semester at University of East Anglia, Norwich, England (1993)

Example of bolded section under undergraduate section:

[end of undergraduate section here]
Reid Hall, Columbia University, Paris, France
Summer 2003 Study Abroad (Coursework: 19th Century French Painting, French Language)

6. How long should the Education section be?

Unless you’ve earned five different degrees from five different schools already, your education section generally should take up a maximum of a third of a page. This means it’s important to get Experience to put on your resume and not rely on your Education to get you a job!
Implementing these 6 suggestions will give you a great start on the Education section of your resume, making it both efficient and effective.

Did these tips help you with your resume?  Please comment below.