II. Job-Search Letters
 Resumes:
General Advice & Miscellaneous Tips
Types (Functional, Chronological,
Combination)
Electronic Resumes
Cover Letters
Portfolios
[Getting the Job
Part I: Preparation]
[Getting the Job Part III: Interviewing]
[Getting the Job Part IV: Miscellaneous]
General Advice & Miscellaneous Tips
• How to choose a good resume
writer
Getting help from a bad resume writer is not only a waste of money, it
could actually lose you the chance at a good job interview, making it a very
pricey mistake.
• Why use a professional resume writer?
For the same reason IBM, Proctor & Gamble and Microsoft use one, except
they call them advertising agencies.
• Guidelines
for selecting a resume service
• Showcase your
"home run" accomplishments
Written records of your work results, achievements, successes, and
accomplishments are the heart of your marketing campaign. They explain the essence of your
"track record."
• How to write
a masterpiece of a resume
This on-line guide presents the basic principles of writing powerful and effective
resumes.
• Four
resume tools for an effective job search campaign
An effective job search requires four types of resumes for use in four different types of
submission approaches. Each of these resume "end products" serves a distinct
purpose in your job search.
• Why your resume
shouldn't tell white lies
You may be tempted to inflate your job title, fudge dates of employment, or exaggerate
your educational credentials so that you come across as a more qualified candidate. It's
not a good idea.
• Enter
not into temptation
Some industry sources estimate that as many as 30 percent of all job seekers provide to
employers false or misleading information. The extent of these incidents range from
innocent omissions to blatant fabrications.
• Five
easy steps to a gold medal-winning resume
Try adopting the same philosophy for resume writing as gold medal winners in the Olympics
have for their respective sports: winning results come from practicing good form and
keeping total focus on their performance.
• Insider tips to
confidential resumes
The placing of confidential resumes is becoming more and more common in the industry
today. Depending upon the level of confidentiality required the
following techniques can be employed.
• ResumeTutor
This interactive workbook is designed to make resume writing less of a pain and hopefully
a bit more fun. While ResumeTutor won't actually write a resume for you, it will teach you
a lot about how to write a resume.
• Resume
Proofreading Checklist
Your resume reflects the effort and care you will take in your job, so it is important
that your resume be perfect. Print a copy of the Resume Proofreading Checklist and mark it
up to help you gauge your progress.
• The resume
question: One page or two?
Have you heard the one page/two page resume debate before? You're not alone if you've
agonized over it. Unfortunately, there's no right answer, but there are times when one is
more effective than the other.
• Too
much honesty can cost you a new job
"Some job hunters never get to the interview cycle because, in their cover letters,
resumes, and/or telephone discussions, they feel compelled to describe the circumstances
surrounding their departure from their last job, or what is motivating them to seek a new
position."
• Action
phrases and power verbs
Describing your work experience isn't easy. To help you, Monster.com has
compiled a list of action phrases and power verbs. The purpose of using them is to show
employers that you know how to get results.
• Making
headlines with your resume
Newspapers and magazines use eye-catching banner headlines to sell copies of their
publications. You can use this technique to sell yourself to prospective employers.
• Two dozen hot
resume tips
Helpful hints from resume expert Yana Parker.
• Improve
your resume 100%
Whether you call them results, accomplishments or contributions, including
quantifiable results in your resume is the single best way to land a job interview.
• Retooling
your resume to change fields
So you want to move to a different field entirely? Go for it, but don't forget to give
your resume a makeover.
• Quiz to rate your
resume
This quiz covers those resume items that are extremely important in landing you the
maximum number of interviews and top salaries.
• What HR
professionals look for in a resume
While career experts argue amongst themselves, human-resources professionals today agree
on what constitutes a perfect competitive resume.
• The career objective
Although it is critical to make some sort of a declaration as to what type of position you
are seeking, using this heading is often inappropriate and can do more harm than good.
• How
to take care of weaknesses on your resume
Do you have a unique circumstance that might raise a recruiter's eyebrows when reviewing
your resume? Your first impulse might be just to lie about your past experience, put there
are other ways to still make yourself attractive to an employer without necessarily being
deceitful.
• Consulting,
freelance, temporary or non-paid work on your resume
Work is work. Experience is experience. It does not matter whether or not you
were paid, or how you were paid -- on payroll, as a consultant or through an intermediary
firm.
[Top of Page]
Resume
Types: Functional, Chronological & Combination
• Which type of
resume is right for you?
A discussion of the various types of resumes and their advantages and disadvantages.
• The right
resume
Choose a resume format that fits your job history and target position.
• Resume styles and
examples
The chronological and functional resume formats are the most common. However, there are
other formats which combine aspects of both these styles.
• Three
resume types
• What
is a functional resume?
A functional resume catalogues work experiences and abilities by major areas of
involvement in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses rather than focus on specific
jobs or dates of employment.
• The functional resume
This format is best suited to an individual who is changing careers and who has
transferable skills and experiences.
• The
chronological resume
This format is ideal for an individual who has had a series of positions within a field or
industry and who wants to develop their career in the same field.
• The
combination resume
Sometimes neither of the above formats will adequately suit a job seeker's needs
and a combination of formats is required.
[Top of Page]
Electronic Resumes
• CareerMosaic
Resume Writing Center: Electronic Resumes
Tips on ASCII and scannable resumes, plus keyword suggestions.
• Preparing the
ideal scannable resume
Tips for writing and formatting a scannable resume that computers can read.
• Choosing your best
electronic resume format
The purpose of an electronic resume is to apply for jobs online that produce interviews.
There are three popular methods for applying for jobs online: 1) via electronic mail or
e-mail; 2) via electronic forms or e-forms; 3) or via the World Wide Web as a Web page.
• Applying
for jobs online
Whether you are applying online to a high-technology company or a public relations firm,
the specific employer you are applying to will determine how you prepare your resume
before submitting it electronically.
• Scamming
the resume scanner
Now, more and more companies are turning to resume scanning equipment
and software to weed through their stacks of resumes, and if you thought impressing
finicky personnel people was difficult, wait until your resume passes under the eye of
their computer counterparts.
• Keyword
resumes for online submission in ASCII, scannable formats
• How to ensure
confidentiality in an electronic resume
In today's job market, you must take measures to protect yourself from not only
unsolicited contact, but from the deadly unsolicited reference that can cost you your job.
[Top of Page]
Cover Letters
• CareerBuilder's
"How to" Guide: Cover Letters
Excellent overview.
• Quintessential
Careers: Cover Letter Tutorial
Sixty-four page guide written for college students and new grads, but handy for everyone.
• CareerCity:
Cover letter tutorial
• A basic cover
letter overview
The cover letter is a one-page marketing tool that allows you to tailor your resume
submission to specific job descriptions. It is as crucial to getting an interview as the
resume itself.
• Cover letters
that generate higher salaries and more interviews
Since you never know the preference of each employer, you need to make sure that your
letters and resumes both grab attention and sell your top skills -- so that employers are
motivated to call you regardless of which document they've looked at first.
• Tips
on writing better cover letters
The following steps will put you on the road to writing letters that hit home, talk to the
reader and build rapport.
• Gotcha
covered
Here's how to writing a cover letter that reveals the right things.
• Writing cover letters
that sizzle
If the cover letter does not create a sense of excitement and entice the reader, it is a
waste of your time for writing it and a waste of time for the reader reading it.
• Tips on
writing a persuasive cover letter
The cover letter is your opportunity to go beyond the resume and its focus on the past and
other employers and talk about what the reader cares most about -- themselves.
• "Tee
it up" to make your career search more productive
One solution to the cover letter preparation dilemma.
[Top of Page]
Portfolios
• Why use a
portfolio in your job search?
A portfolio can help a job seeker or career changer present his or her talents in a
convincing and fresh manner.
• Using job
search portfolios in an uncertain labor market
Advantages of professional portfolios and items to consider including when constructing
one.
• Portfolios
aren't just for artists
If you really want to wow your potential employer you need to "prove" your
case. You need to sell yourself to the interviewer, and portfolios are an excellent
vehicle for doing just that.
• Executive portfolio
Why settle for a standard two-page resume when a detailed, graphically sophisticated
portfolio would present your background and talents so much better?
• Show what you know with
a portfolio
In a job search, your resume can help you get an interview. But a portfolio,
when used appropriately during the interview, can help land a job offer -- providing you
have done your pre-interview research and targeted your portfolio to show how your skills
can fill that company's needs.
• Your
job skills portfolio: Giving you an edge in the marketplace
How to develop your portfolio and the best resources to explore portfolios in more depth.
• Portfolios
take resumes to new levels
People who present professional portfolios find jobs nearly twice as fast as those people
who do not.
• Expert offer
tips for assembling a job-seeker's portfolio
If you're like most workers, you've collected a small pile of certificates and
thank-you letters over the years. Are they worth anything to future employers?
Carmen Croonquist says they are, if they're displayed well and used
strategically.
[Top of Page]
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