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 Nearly every article or book you will ever read will claim that they are the ultimate authority on resume writing. We're not going to make that claim here today. But we will tell you that we thoroughly research every resume writing article before we publish it. In fact, one of the advantages of an e-zine is that you are getting up to date information.
Not only do we thoroughly research each article on resume writing before it is published, but we also provide examples of well-written resumes whenever possible. This way we are assured of delivering to our readership the kinds of information that most people are looking for on the web.
Writing a Resume that Stands Out
When you are writing your resume, you want to make it stand out from the rest of the crowd. You're in competition with many other individuals looking for a job, so you want your resume to make a lasting impression. Depending on the recruiter or the human resources person involved, there may be over one hundred applicants for a single job, so they need to narrow the field quickly. And that screening process is a problem for many job applicants.
Have you ever read a job posting and known in your heart that you are a great fit for the job? You know, the kind of job you could do without breaking a sweat. Your heart starts pumping and you open up your electronic resume. You give it the once over and send it in, then you wait... and you wait. Nothing happens, no call. It's their loss right? No, it's your loss because you missed out on an great opportunity.
Tailoring Your Resume to a Job
If you were such a good fit for the job, then the recruiter should have known that just by reading your resume. Your resume should have been written to demonstrate how you're uniquely qualified for the job - but it didn't. History is such a great teacher if we learn from it. Don't repeat past mistakes when writing a resume.
You need to take steps to improve your chances the next time a job opportunity presents itself. So how can you do this? Well one of the ways is to tailor your resume to each type of job you're looking for. But we're getting ahead of ourselves because resume writing is more than just creating a customized resume.
Choosing the Best Resume Style
Writing a good resume, which is a resume that delivers results, starts out by choosing the best resume style that balances the job you're seeking, your job skills and your work history. So you're first stop on your resume writing journey should be a review of each of the different resume formats used today:
- Chronological Resumes - the chronological resume format is the most commonly used resume format in use today. It is a good format if you haven't had any employment gaps in your work history since it emphasizes your career timeline by listing your employment in reverse chronological order.
- Functional Resumes - the functional resume format is a good choice if you are new to the workforce or are looking for a career change. With this format, you put your career achievements right up front.
- Combination Resumes- the combination resume format starts out with a functional approach, and then finishes up with a chronological style. It is the most effective resume format when it comes to the marketing your services.
Resume Templates and Wizards
Once you've figured out which of the above three resume formats will work best in your situation, you're next stop will hopefully speed up the whole resume writing process by using resume templates and wizards:
- Resume Templates - you can use a resume template as the foundation for your resume. A good resume template will not only outline which sections to include in a resume, but also explain what type of information is best included in each of these sections.
- Resume Wizards - you can also use a resume wizard to speed up the resume writing process. Wizards are normally packaged with word processing applications and if you use one, just make sure the finished resume is packaged exactly as described in the resume styles mentioned earlier.
Resume Writing Help
If you're trying to write a resume, and you're struggling, then you really need to step back from the entire process. While writing a resume should be a structured process, writing the content should also come naturally.
If you're looking for some resume writing help you might want to take a look at some of the resume writing resources we have to offer such as Resume Writing Tips or our simple How to Write a Resume. We also have a career dictionary as well as offering over 300 examples of resume power words.
Resume Writing Samples
If you're a visual person that really just needs to take a look at some examples before you're able to start writing, then we can help there too. In fact, we have a variety of resume samples including:
You can find our complete and up to date list in our feature article on Resume Writing Samples.
Resume Cover Letters
Resume cover letters are an important, but often overlooked, part of the resume writing process. You can spend days writing a resume that looks polished and professional but you need to keep things in perspective because your cover letter is your introduction to your next potential employer.
Don't make the mistake of not dedicating the time and attention to your cover letter that it deserves. Be sure to take advantage of the information we've already put together on the topics such as how to write a cover letter and well as our offering of free cover letter templates.
Distributing a Resume
Finally, our article on Resume Posting Service can help you to better understand the three ways to leverage the speed of the Internet to get your resume some exposure - resume blasting, resume distribution and using a resume posting service.
You might also want to consider preparing an electronic resume. In this information age, electronic resumes are becoming an extremely popular way of re-formatting your resume when sending it out electronically to a hiring company or if you know if it is going to be scanned into an electronic resume database.
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