Polish That Resume - Meet Employer Needs

With the current unemployment rate, now might be a good time to dust off the resume and re-circulate it. Whether you are looking for a new job or hoping to snag a better one, you need to be able to bring value to the company in order to be considered for an interview. Take a good look at your skills.  Where do your strengths lie?  What training and experience do you have to offer?  Should you consider obtaining more education or training? Think about your employment history.  Have you included all tasks you have completed that bring out your best talents and abilities?  Did you receive any special recognition or awards?  Were you promoted?  How was your attendance and punctuality?  Were you a team player?  Can you work with little or no supervision? Match yourself to the job.  What is the company you are applying to looking for in a job candidate?  Do your attributes align with the company's needs?  Does your resume reflect how you can be an asset to the company? Concentrate your search where your skills match the employer's needs. Where will you begin your job search?

Career Advancement

To advance in your career, demonstrate your value to your employer and those around you. Be highly visible and take charge of situations when warranted. Continuously challenge yourself and members of your team. Act like management material by following these guidelines:

• Take advantage of every available opportunity to learn and grow.
• Establish behaviors that stand out positively in the minds of supervisors.
• Develop excellent critical thinking skills.
• Be a self-directed worker who performs duties with proficiency.
• Act professionally at all times and display integrity and ethical behavior.
• Take on extra responsibilities and help others.
• Become an expert in your field.
• Participate in lifelong learning to keep your expertise up to date.

Take a long, hard look at your personal qualities and adjust your strategies to align yourself closer to the way management-level people behave. With an inner drive and a determination to achieve, you can position yourself to rise to a higher level. What steps will you take to advance in your career?

Resumes that Increase Interview Opportunities

Looking for a new job or wanting to change jobs? Here are some tips for preparing a resume that will get you noticed:

• Use a heading that includes your name (typed in bold and capitals), address, phone number (where you can be reached easily), and a professional-sounding email address.
• Limit the resume to one or two pages--employers do not have time to read through several pages no matter how much experience you have.
• Use a current style--check one of the many resume books or find a sample online.
• Add a summary of your skills and accomplishments in two or three sentences at the top of your resume in place of a job objective.
• List your work experiences chronologically backwards, highlighting accomplishments instead of just listing tasks. Limit work experience to the last ten years. Do not include irrelevant work experience.
• Make sure your achievements stand out--you don't want them to be overlooked.
• Show that you can deliver results and solve problems--demonstrate your skills through examples.
• Use numbers, dollars, and percentages where possible.
• Customize the resume to the specific ad you are answering or to the position you want.
• Make your resume internet friendly by eliminating bullets, underlines, and fancy fonts.
• Eliminate personal information such as health and marital status.
• Proofread carefully and then have someone else proofread for you.

Once you polish your resume, send it out to as many places as possible. It cannot do the job if it is not circulated.