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November 30, 2005
Load Your Resume with Keywords
Your e-resume must be loaded with keywords.
This advice really relates to all resumes in the era of the keyword-searchable database, but it's especially important for e-resumes. Job-hunting today increasingly revolves around the mysterious world of keywords. Employers' use and eventual dependence on keywords to find the job candidates they want to interview has come about in recent years because of technology. Inundated by resumes from job-seekers, employers have increasingly relied on digitizing job-seeker resumes, placing those resumes in keyword-searchable databases, and using software to search those databases for specific keywords that relate to job vacancies. Most Fortune 1000 companies, in fact, and many smaller companies now use these technologies. In addition, many employers search the databases of third-party job-posting and resume-posting boards on the Internet. Learn more at The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
Cover Letter Must Be Addressed to Named Individual
Addressing the letter to "Dear Personnel Director," "To Whom It May Concern," "Dear Sir or Madam" (or worse, "Dear Sirs") instead of a named individual is a major mistake. The largest employer in Central Florida tosses cover letters in the circular file if they are not addressed to him personally. "To Whom It May Concern" shows the employer that you were not concerned enough to find out the name of the person with the hiring power. Read more at Cover Letters: A Key to Gaining A Competitive Edge in the Job Market.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:40 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2005
Your E-resume Must Be Accomplishments-Driven
This advice actually applies to all resumes. Accomplishments are the points that really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. In fact, there's a direct relationship between keywords and accomplishments in that keywords can be tied to accomplishments rather than job duties, so a good way to make the leap from keyword to a nice, contextual bullet point is to take each keyword you've identified as critical to the job and list an accomplishment that tells how you've used the skill represented by that keyword. Learn more at The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)
Why is a Cover Letter Necessary?
A cover letter should always accompany your resume. Few employers will seriously consider a resume without a letter. A cover letter tells the employer exactly what kind of job you want to do and tailors your qualifications to that job. Learn more by reading Cover Letters: A Key to Gaining A Competitive Edge in the Job Market.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2005
Resume Fundamentals
You probably have about 30 seconds to convince a potential employer that you deserve an interview. A resume summarizes your accomplishments, your education, and your work experience, and should reflect your strengths. View an outline of a typical chronological resume -- best suited for entry-level job-seekers or those who have stayed in the same field at Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
Cover Letter Should Be More than an Afterthought
The cover letter is usually an afterthought, dashed off to accompany a resume into which you've poured blood, sweat, and cash. Its potential as a powerful marketing tool frequently is overlooked. Learn more by reading Cover Letters: A Key to Gaining A Competitive Edge in the Job Market.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes
and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2005
Resume Preparation Do's and Don'ts
Here are some keys to successfully preparing and writing a resume. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)
Frequently Asked Questions About Cover Letters
Frequently Asked Questions About Cover Letters
Downsizing. Rightsizing. Corporate restructuring. You've heard the buzzwords. You're terrified. And you're ready with a spanking, new resume. But at a time when employers are inundated with resumes, how can you make yours stand out in the crowd? Find out by reading more at Cover Letters: A Key to Gaining A Competitive Edge in the Job Market.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
We regret that we have had to temporarily close this blog to comments because of an assault of spam. If you'd like to comment, please e-mail khansen@resumesandcoverletters.com.
We regret that we have had to temporarily close this blog to comments because of an assault of spam. If you'd like to comment, please e-mail khansen@resumesandcoverletters.com.
Posted by Katharine at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2005
Keys to Successful Search Engine Registration for Web Resume
Career experts suggest that job-seekers who are conducting a thorough job search consider creating and publishing a Web resume. Besides the advantage of having your resume available 24/7, developing a Web-based resume also gives you the opportunity to build an online portfolio to showcase your best work (which you can then link to your online resume).
But there is a lot more involved than just slapping your current resume onto a Web page -- and you do not need to be a Web guru in order do everything you need to do to create a successful Web resume. So how do you go about the process of creating a Web-resume? Visit Resume Found: Keys to Successful Search Engine Registration to learn more.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
Three Kinds of Cover Letters
There are roughly three kinds of cover letters, each corresponding to a different method of job-hunting. Most successful job-seekers will find that they do not employ any one method or use any one kind of cover letter, but rather a combination of all three. To understand the three kinds of cover letters, read more at The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)
November 25, 2005
Should You Consider a Functional Format for Your Resume?
Today's resumes generally fall into one of two broad categories. They are either chronological (actually reverse chronological, listing all your experience from most to least recent) and functional, which lists experience in skills clusters. If you're planning to create your resume for the first time or update your old resume, you might wonder whether a functional format is right for you.
Among jobseekers who should consider a functional format:
A more comprehensive list of jobseekers who should consider a functional format is available at Should You Consider a Functional Format for Your Resume?.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
All about the E-resume
The e-resume, short for electronic resume, is a vital tool for today's job-seeker. But what exactly is an electronic resume? Even among career experts, opinions vary about what is or is not an electronic resume. It's a broadly used term that covers several types of resumes. What ties these resume types together is mode of delivery. Rather than traditional modes of resume delivery -- snailmail, faxing, and hand-delivery -- e-resumes are delivered electronically -- via e-mail, submitted to Internet job boards, or residing on their own Web page. Then there are sort of middle-tech cousins of e-resumes, scannable resumes -- used less and less frequently these days -- that are in print format but are ready to become electronic resumes through optical scanning.
To learn more about the many forms of e-resumes, read more at The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about E-Resumes and Posting Your Resume Online.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)
November 24, 2005
How a Cover Letter Makes You Stand Out
A cover letter highlights the aspects of your experience that are most useful to the potential employer, and you can earn points for knowing what those aspects are. Employers get hundreds of resumes, especially when they advertise a choice position. Employers are also very busy. Often the person screening resumes skims each for only a few seconds. Your cover letter can call attention to the skills, talents, and experience the employer is looking for. Read more about creating a dynamic cover letter at
The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)
What is a cover letter?
Also known as a letter of introduction, letter of application, transmittal letter, or broadcast letter, it's a letter that no smart job-seeker should send his or her resume without. Few employers seriously consider a resume that is not accompanied by a cover letter; thus, a dynamically written cover letter needs to be part of your job-search strategy.
Read more about creating a dynamic cover letter at
The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2005
Well-Crafted Cover Letter is Key
This entry is one in a series by Deb Walker on avoiding the top three cover letter mistakes:
A cover letter that is poorly written may cause your resume to be ignored. But a well-crafted cover letter will invite and encourage the reader to take a closer look at your resume. You’ll make a positive first impression before your resume is even opened.Rather than making your cover letter an afterthought, take the time to really consider the type of presentation your cover letter will make. If your resume isn’t winning you job interviews, consider hiring a professional resume writer to help. It’s true what they say: You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
Don't Overuse the Word “I”
This entry is one in a series by Deb Walker on avoiding the top three cover letter mistakes:
A cover letter that begins nearly every sentence with “I” is as boring as a conversation with someone who only talks about himself. That kind of person one avoids at all costs. Is that the way you want your reader to see you?Focusing all the attention on yourself may seem like a good way to sell your skills. But it can also reflect lack of interest in the company, in the job, and in making a real contribution to that workplace. There’s a good balance to be drawn between selling yourself and selling what you can do for the company.
Creating variety in the sentences of your cover letter is an easy way to show your interest without being self-centered. By shifting the emphasis to the recipient/company—and away from yourself—you can prove that your main interest is not just in winning the job but also in doing it effectively. Try to rewrite sentences that start with “I,” “me,” or “my,” to start with “You,” or “Your.” Show how you can make a difference for them.
Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.
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Posted by Katharine at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2005
Hiatus
The gap between the subsequent and preceding entries represents a short hiatus.
Posted by Katharine at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)