Sharper Resumes:Focus on Results, Relevance, Tailoring

More than ever before, a job seeker’s resume must be carefully composed in such a way that each word on the page supports a specific career objective. And it better be all about benefits of hiring you: 75% or more of the content needs to prove your worth and demonstrate the RESULTS you will bring to your next employer. Features (for example, 20 years of progressive experience) can’t sell like specific benefits (improved profitability by 25% in 2008) .

Sharper Resumes:Focus on Results, Relevance, Tailoring

More than ever before, a job seeker’s resume must be carefully composed in such a way that each word on the page supports a specific career objective. And it better be all about benefits of hiring you: 75% or more of the content needs to prove your worth and demonstrate the RESULTS you will bring to your next employer. Features (for example, 20 years of progressive experience) can’t sell like specific benefits (improved profitability by 25% in 2008) .

I challenge you to read your current resume, line by line, and ask yourself with the question so what? At the end of each sentence. Ask yourself whether a statement can that be expressed as a specific quantifiable contribution to the company’s bottom line. It can be difficult, and at times you will have to estimate, but the more you are able to assess your value to a company, you will be more likely to win and retain a rewarding position.

Chef Resume Writing 101: What's In a Name?

In the last five years as a career services professional, I have found that approximately 90% of my clients are hell-bent on having their name appear on their resumes as follows:
"George M. Smith" or "Susan W. Dingle"

It ends up on the resume only about 5% of the time. I will, naturally, put any truthful bit of data on the resume as my clients dictate (after all, they are paying me). But first they get my professional opinion, so we go through the following discussion on names.

Chef Cover Letter Writing 101: Paper and Electronic Letters

When I think of the average job seeker’s approach to cover letters, I’m reminded of the Publishers’ Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. You know, all those crazy coupons and stickers and NASA-level procedures on how to put it all together correctly. You become excited that you’re going to win that $10-million prize because the letter says so…it has your name all over it, just as if they wrote it to you personally, right?

Of course, most people get it that the “personalized” letter from the Publishers’ Clearinghouse is actually produced by a word processing system with a mail merge feature. Likewise, most hiring executives can spot a form letter even if it has their name inserted at various points.