Writing a Powerful Resume
By: Maureen E. Harrop
The presentation of your resume to a potential employer is another example of “You never have a second chance to make a first impression,” which I’ve discussed in prior articles.
Yes, your resume is intended to assist you in securing a new job; however, its primary purpose is to make a lasting first impression on potential employers since the time they spend reviewing thousands of resumes is only a few seconds. Employers want to know who you are and what you can do for them. Period.
Powerful resumes contain basic information as well as unique information. The “unique” factor is the focus of our discussion today since that “first impression” is so key to getting your foot in the door.
One unique idea I like that began a number of years ago is colored paper. I prefer the soft colors, not the bright ones, mainly because printing shows up better on soft colors like pale yellow, green or blue; and, I think it looks more professional. Of course, this is impossible when emailing or faxing a resume, but it works well for the hard copy you would bring to the interview or mail in advance. Another unique idea is tailoring your resume for each employer, which of course is very time consuming, but is effective. For instance, stating in your “Objective” something like, “My goal is to work for XYZ Company because it is the leader in the “X” industry and is ranked in the Top 5 for employee-centered employers.” Another idea is to simply add this information in your cover letter, rather than modifying each resume.
There are software programs, which can help you create a distinctive resume, or you can simply review sites containing sample resumes for ideas. I reviewed one such product called Easy Job Resume Building which sells for $29.99, and provides some useful information and helpful wording ideas (http://easyjob.net/). There’s also a free program (http://www.gold-software.com/download412.html) for comparison purposes. There is no guarantee you’ll get the job using these software programs, but it will certainly help reduce the time and stress of writing it yourself.
For more information on this topic, visit these sites:
http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resume_02.html
http://www.resumeedge.com/
http://resumewritingagent.com/
Maureen Harrop is President of Claridis, Inc., a training and consulting company, specializing in the Latino/Hispanic workforce. Claridis has produced Telly Award-winning videos in Spanish, utilizing Latino actors. These films are unique because they are not dubbed or subtitled. They were designed for use by training and human resource professionals for their bilingual and Spanish-speaking employees. English versions are also available. Maureen has a Master’s Degree in Education and has been in the human resource/training field for 27 years. Customer service training is an additional area of expertise for Maureen.
For more information, visit her web site: www.claridis.com or e-mail her at maureen@claridis.com or call (888) 701-2879.
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