Think
of a resume as the most important tool you have
to sell yourself to future employers. It outlines
your skills and experiences so an employer can
see, at a glance, what you could bring that
organization. A resume has one goal: to get
your foot in the door!
A
resume makes an instant and lasting impression.
While you may have everything it takes to succeed
in a particular position, your resume is only
effective if an employer immediately wants to
meet you in person. The first hurdle your resume
has to clear—bypassing the “rejection
pile” for the “consider pile”—usually
takes less than 30 seconds. The more carefully
you prepare your resume now, the more likely
someone is to read it later. So how do you create
a resume that captures people’s attention
and gives you the best shot at an interview?
First of all, an effective resume focuses on
a specific job and, when possible, meets the
employer’s stated requirements for that
position. Your resume needs to describe more
than your education level and jobs you’ve
held in the past. You must also recognize what
skills, interests, and experiences are needed
to succeed in the occupation—and then
highlight those on your resume. The more you
know about the responsibilities and skills required
for the job—and organize your resume around
these points—the more effective your resume
will be.
It
will be difficult to begin writing your resume
until you identify the career field and types
of employers that will be the focus of your
job search. America’s Job Bank offers
a variety of resources to help you determine
possible career paths—especially those
that are in fast growing industries. There are
links available from the America’s Job
Bank web site to America’s Career InfoNet,
which is a guide to the latest job trends, employer
and state profiles, and career exploration resources.
The other resource link from AJB is to America’s
Learning eXchange which has listings of online
training and educational resources. Your school
career center and library also offer resources
worth checking out.
Once you know how you will use the resume, then
you will be better equipped to write an effective,
targeted resume that gets results. You will
likely spend a considerable amount of time developing
your resume,choosing the right words and phrases
to describe your marketable skills and experiences.
Don’t let this discourage you. Writing
the perfect resume usually requires several
revisions. It’s hard work, but don’t
forget a well-crafted resume can be your ticket
to your dream job!
By CESER, the Center for Employment Education
and Research
