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December 05, 2005
The Ugly Ducklings of the Resume World
Job-seekers and resume writers have strived for years to develop ways to make resumes visually appealing and graphically interesting -- through font choices, bold and italic type, rule lines, bullets, centering, indents, and more -- only to have all that formatting thrown out the window in the e-resume world. Text-based e-resumes are the antitheses of the gorgeous documents that job-seekers hand to employers at interviews and career fairs. The fact is that most e-resumes aren't intended to be visually attractive because their main function is not to be seen but to be searched in keyword-searchable databases. Read more on how to make your text resume visibly appealing 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 01:52 PM | Comments (0)
Introduce Your Resume; Don't Repeat It
This entry is one in a series by Deb Walker on avoiding the top three cover letter mistakes:
Repeating the exact same things you wrote in your resume is one of the most common cover letter mistakes. No one wants to read the same thing twice. By the time most people have finished writing their resume, they feel that they have run out of ideas and just cut and paste to create a cover letter.Instead, the cover letter should be what sells the reader on your skills. Like the jacket-cover introduction to a good book, the cover letter should give the reader a taste of the great things to come and encourage them to read more.
If you are don’t have any idea what your top skills are and how they will help the company, neither will your reader. Take the time to craft the right words and statements to make your skills shine.
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 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2005
It's Not Hard to Create an E-Resume
It's surprisingly easy to create an e-resume once you get the hang of it. There's more that one way to create a text-based e-resume, but the most common method involves saving your word-processed (usually Word) resume in text (.txt) format, re-opening it in a text editor program, such as Wordpad, Notepad, or Mac's Simple Text, and then making a few adjustments in it. One good resource that can walk you through this process include this part of the Electronic Resume Workshop from Susan Ireland. 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 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
Know Your Audience's Hiring Motive
This entry is one in a series by Deb Walker on avoiding the top three cover letter mistakes:
A major mistake is not understanding the hiring motives of your audience Job-seekers target their resumed to three basic audiences: executive decision-makers, resume screeners, and third-party recruiters. Each of these groups has its own hiring motives.Executive decision-makers are looking for candidates who will have a significant impact on bottom-line initiatives, such as time saved, income generated, revenue built, etc. Resume screeners are searching for candidates who directly match the lists of qualifications in the job description. Third-party recruiters are looking for selling points to help position you as a top candidate. Knowing these hiring motives will help you craft your cover letter specifically to catch the attention of your particular hiring audience. By appealing directly to the reader, you are creating an immediate bond that will make you a stronger candidate.
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 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2005
Most Resumes End Up in Keyword-Searchable Databases
More than 80 percent of employers are now placing resumes directly into searchable databases and an equal percentage of employers prefer to receive resumes by e-mail. Eighty percent of Fortune 500 companies post jobs on their own Web sites -- and expect job-seekers to respond electronically. All these stats mean that you need at least one other version of your resume that can go directly into a keyword-searchable database with no obstacles. To read more about how to format an electronic resume, go to 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 01:40 PM | Comments (0)
Could Your Cover Letter Be Hurting Your Job Search?
This entry is one in a series by Deb Walker on avoiding the top three cover letter mistakes:
As a career coach and professional resume writer, I’m often asked “How important are cover letters to my job search?” My answer is, “It depends on how long you want to search for your next job.” If you are in no hurry to get interviews, then don’t worry about your cover letter.The fact is I’ve never met a job searcher who wants to have a painfully slow job search. The whole point of sending out resumes is to get multiple interviews as quickly as possible. But many job seekers still unwittingly sabotage their efforts by using substandard cover letters. Instead of helping you, your cover letter may actually be hurting your job search.
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 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2005
Formatted Print Resume is Just One Tool
A job-seeker simply cannot succeed these days with just the traditional formatted resume intended to be printed out as a visually pleasing marketing piece. The formatted "print" resume is still important, but it can no longer be the only resume tool in your kit. Read about electronic resumes 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 01:32 PM | Comments (0)
Cover Letter Editing Tip
What's the best way to make sure your cover letter is well-written and on target? If your time frame will allow it, put your cover letter down, and then pick it up a day or two later as though you were the prospective employer. Does it grab and hold your attention? Is it concise? Is it free of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors? Is it interesting? If you were the employer, would you know what this job-seeker wants to do and why he or she is the best person to do it? Would you invite this job-seeker for an interview?
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 01:28 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Avoiding E-Resume Backlash
Employers are being bombarded by poorly crafted online resumes to the point where this once-promising mode of job-hunting may be losing some of its effectiveness. A few simple precautions can help ensure that your resume won't get lost in the e-glut. Read more at Common Sense Steps Can Prevent Employer Backlash Against Online Resumes.
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 12:50 PM | Comments (0)
Include USP in Your Cover Letter
Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). An advertising term, the USP is the one thing that makes you better qualified to do the job than anyone else. The USP should answer the question: "Why should I hire this person?"
Want more? See 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.
Posted by Katharine at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)