How to Write a Resume That Will Get You That Job

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By Michael Griffin

Is your resume strong enough to get you through to the next step in the job-getting process? A resume is a piece of your campaign to get a job. Each piece needs to do its job and your resume is no exception.

Resumes should be targeted. That is, the resumes that you send to potential employers should be changed to appeal specifically to their needs.

When you write your resume you should first write a core resume that contains your experience and background. The core resume has five basic sections that you will later change up to appeal to specific employers needs. Here are the five sections that you should include:

1. Contact information
2. Headline – a summary of what you have to offer.
3. Skills summary
4. Your professional experience – use action words and avoid the word “I.”
5. Education

If you are beginning a resume ignore all the templates out there and simply put it together in reverse chronological order – most recent job first.

After you have this core resume then you should craft the resume to specific jobs. As you describe your skills and on the job accomplishments have in mind the requirements of specific jobs that you are applying for. Put yourself in the position of the hiring manager who will be reading your resume. He may have several hundred emails and resumes that have come in from his on line posting. What will catch his eye? What would appeal to him?

Be sure you print out the resume and go over it. Look for problems you may have missed while you were writing it. Let someone else look it over as well. Often there are those places where we know what we mean but that make no sense or have a different meaning to someone else. Fresh eyes will help you find these areas. Be sure to do this several times. It is amazing how issues will pop up after laying the work aside for a few hours – then reading it again.

Every resume must be accompanied by a cover letter. The cover letter is addressed specifically to the company and job post that you are applying for. The cover letter should tell why you are the best candidate, it should highlight what you bring to the job, and why you want to work there. Finally the cover letter should ask for an interview.

Your resume and cover letter are your agents. They need to put you in the best light and create interest in you in the eyes of the hiring manager. Their whole purpose is to get you into an interview.

Learn more about how to write a resume. I invite you to learn to reduce your local job search time, to learn ways to automate job search, get tips for your cover letter, resume, and your interview skills at http://www.BlueprintForYourFuture.com.

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