TIPS FOR REVISING RESUMES

Why do resumes fail?

12 Accomplishments Employers Want To See Increased revenues Saved money Increased efficiencies Cut overhead Increased sales Improved workplace safety Purchasing accomplishments New products/new lines Improved record keeping process Increased productivity Successful advertising campaign Effective budgeting

Here are the reasons given in a survey of employers:

No accomplishments (78%) Negative visual impact (55%) Poor or no cover letter (40%) Lack of objective (36%) Format problems (32%) Irrelevant data (29%) Inadequate job description (12%) Time gaps unexplained (10%) Resume too long (10%)

Every time you apply for a specific position, certain aspects of your resume need to be modified to suit the unique requirements of that position. The most common changes occur in the objective statement and discussion of experience/qualifications. Make sure that you highlight those aspects of your career that you think will most positively impact the hiring decision. For instance, if you have qualifications suitable for a marketing and management position, and you are applying for a general management position, it is important that you highlight your managerial skills, placing them on the top of your list of accomplishments/qualifications. This is what you need to do for stage 3 of the Resume Project.

Most recruiters base their decisions on the RESUME 4Q. Here are a few tips on revising your master as well as specific resumes. 1) Duty Based vs. Accomplishment/ Skills Acquired Based: Incorporate your accomplishments, instead of simply telling what your duties are/were in any job. Tell what skills you acquired while in that job. Examples:

Worked as sales manager (x) Managed all sales activities for the car accessories division

VS

Worked as sales manager Managed all sales activities for the car accessories division Increased sales by 3% in the Sep 05- Dec 05 quarter Learned fiscal management skills Learned office management and handling employees in a large setting

2) Be very specific Examples: To acquire a creative development position within the entertainment industry that would utilize my vast (2 years) technical experience vs. To acquire a creative developer position in a film production company that would enhance my experience in using visual aid and special effects technology. 3) Disregard mundane job details: Responsibilities included checking customers out Maintained files and reports, did data processing, cashed employees' paychecks.

4) Wherever possible Use Power Words 5) Spruce up the Objective Statement: The career objective is a succinct statement that describes what you want out of a job. It lets the recruiter know if you are suited to the position. It is also an opportunity for you to market yourself by mentioning your skills and motivation. Research by Bright & Earl (2000) found that a career objective influenced recruiters to think applicants were more suited to the job they had applied for. Objective: I am an expert in building large, scalable services based on open protocols. That person didn't get any calls back, even though he had built .COM infrastructures that served literally millions of users email, web services, etc. The person was quite brilliant with technical things, but didn't write a resume that would get past the clerk: It didn't include any buzzwords or technology that the clerk could recognize nor a tangible position/title that was open. How could the clerk classify such a resume? It has to get past the clerk to get to the hiring-manager. A better statement would have been: "A senior architect of UNIX-based (Solaris, Linux) email and web services that lets me utilize my experience in building extremely scalable systems with high up-times." He did change his resume to something similar, and soon started getting phone calls. 6) Employment History

List the most recent job first. List dates, position title, name of organization and what they do if they are not well known. List your achievements rather than duties or responsibilities (all sales assistants may have identical duties but you may have exceeded sales targets, been recognized by a customer service award or been promoted - these achievements highlight that you are more capable than the average employee).

There is no need to include jobs you held for less than a month unless they were very relevant. Be positive (no need to mention dropping out of unit, or arguing with boss). Tailor the information you provide to the job you are seeking. If you know they are looking for someone with people skills, highlight your achievements in this area.

7) Education List all the qualifications you have gained, but only list courses or projects within your degree if you think they will be of interest to the employer. Example: Graduate Diploma - Human Resource Management University of New South Wales Relevant Courses: Workplace Industrial Relations, The Management of Training 1997 - 1999 Bachelor of Science - Psychology Major University of New South Wales 2000Present Tailor this section to the job you are applying for. Don't just repeat your transcripts. Highlight particular knowledge and skills gained in the course that are RELEVANT to the job. You could also highlight any relevant research projects, thesis topics or applied projects. Many graduate employers are interested in your academic achievements. Highlight any achievements such as: awards, prizes, good results (credit average or above overall or for relevant subject areas). Consistently good grades show consistent quality and effort. Include accredited education qualifications, such as diplomas and certificate courses from TAFE or other education providers. This helps to display your range of skills and your motivation to learn practical skills. Short courses (eg First Aid, Customer Service) can be included under Professional Development or Training 8) Spelling and Grammar

How important is accurate spelling and grammar? In 'Resumes that get short listed' (2000) Bright & Earl found that "even one error reduces the chance of the candidate being short listed by between 30 and 45 per cent." It is, therefore, essential that all spelling and grammar are correct. Employers regard your resume and cover letter as an indicator of your written communication skills and your attention to detail. Use the spelling and grammar checker, but with caution. Use Australian or UK English spelling if you are applying for jobs within Australia. Use American English spelling if you are applying to US companies in Asia or in the US. You should also edit for context and meaning. This generally involves reading your application out aloud to check that what you are saying makes sense and is appropriate to the concerns of your reader - the employer. Font The font in a resume should not be too small and difficult to read. Choose one plain font (Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana are good). The size should be equivalent to Times New Roman 12 pt. No underlining. No color. Bullet Points or Prose? Use a combination. Complete sentences allow you to show off your written communication skills.

Good Luck with your Resumes.