Resume Writing Tips for Success
Three Things Your Resume Needs To Get Noticed* Profile or Summary of Qualifications Section
* Keywords Section
* List of Achievements
What"s Your Value Proposition?
The profile section or summary of qualifications section is your Unique Selling Proposition or Value Proposition Statement and answers the question, "why should we hire you?". It is a good way to open your resume and entice the reader to continue. It is a summary of who you are, your skills and your expertise. Your profile section should be as focused as possible. Too often people create a profile that is generic because they don"t want to limit themselves in their job search. They argue that they want the prospective employer to consider them for any or all available positions. Unfortunately this approach is doomed to fail because if you don"t know what it is that you want, then the hiring manager won"t either, regardless of the available openings. If this is you, then by all means, create more than one resume with each one focused on a different position.
How to Get Found in the Search
Keywords are important because nowadays, most companies require you to complete an on-line resume submission form on their website. The company recruiter or human resources professional will then perform a search of their database to pull up all qualified applicants so that they can begin scheduling interviews. If your resume does not contain the keywords that they"ve used in their search of the database, your resume will not come up. You should include a list of at least six keywords in bullet point form on your resume.
What Benefits Do You Offer The Employer?
Your list of achievements will generally follow the two aforementioned sections. Your achievements help the hiring manager to paint a picture in his or her mind as to what type of benefit they might realize from hiring you. Your achievements should communicate some benefit to the employer such as saving money, making money or saving time. These are benefits that all companies want. You should try and use numbers or percentages in formulating your accomplishment statements. Start by describing the situation or problem then, describe the steps you took to resolve the problem and finally the result you achieved.
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