Ten Resume Writing Tips You Can't Live Without

For some job opening, employers receive hundreds and even thousands of resumes. When you are looking for a job, how can you best promote yourself? How can you convince a prospective employer to pick-up the phone and call you for an interview?

Sought-after career coach and author of the critically-acclaimed book,The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets to Self-discovery, Theresa Castro states that you should take into consideration that your resume is the first exposure a potential employer will have of you. Given this, you shouldn't take your resume lightly. Castro offers a list of ten tips that will assist you in creating a winning resume and increasing your chances of getting called for an interview.

1. Do address employment gaps briefly in the cover letter only if the gaps are a significant amount of time such as maternity leave. Use a functional resume to address gaps in employment or changes in field of interest.

2. Think from the perspective of your future employer. What's in it for them? Why should this company call you? Keep in mind that your resume is not the only resume that will be considered.

3. Recognize that your resume is your"sales person". This "sales person"must convince the prospective employer to pick up the phone and schedule an interview with you. Ifyour "sales person" isn't convincing enough then guess what? There won't be any phone calls. Thus, take the time to make your resume sell, sell, sell...yourself.

4. Ask a friend or co-worker about your accomplishments. Some times, we don't readily recognize or recall the many things that we have done.

5. Make certain that your contact information is correct. It would be dreadful to think that an employer wanted to reach you but you mistakenly listed the wrong information.

6. Take advantage of internet technology and place your resume on various websites. There are numerous websites such as Monster, Career Builder and HotJobs that allow you to find a job based on your particular interests. In addition, there are websites that will list jobs that are specific to a particular industry. For example,Medzilla is a website that has job listings exclusively for the medical industry.

7. Demonstrate the key traits in your resume: leadership, communication, teamwork, decision making and problem solving. For leadership, how are you an innovator? For communication, are you approachable? Are you open-minded? Can you communicate effectively orally? In a written format? In regard to teamwork, can you work with others? What examples of teamwork could you illustrate from the past? As far as decision making is concerned, what have you done to play into the success of the companies for whom you have worked? In regard to problem solving, when have you seen the big picture and created a change that had a positive and quantifiable outcome?

8. Each job listing has a particular list of required experiences. If you possess these experiences, then make sure that you express this in your resume. You can't make any assumptions about what the potential employer knows about you or your work history.

9. Read your resume out loud. By doing this, you will find missing words, grammatical errors or content that just doesn't make sense.

10. Have at least three friends review your resume. You are utilizing their assistance to ensure that you haven't missed something or made an easy to fix mistake.

©2005, Theresa Castro

Theresa Castro, MBA is an executive career coach and author of The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secrets to Self-discovery. Goto http://www.DiscoverYourDreamJob.com to sign-up for a free 3 day mini-course.


More Resources

Interview Preparation Made Easy: Create An Interview Preparation List
Here's a quick way to compare your own job experience and qualifications with those that your prospective employer is looking for in a specific job position. Make an "Interview Preparation List".
Working as a Knowledge Worker in the Information Age
The old adages: "It's not what you know, but who you know" and "High Tech, High Touch" could be the mottos of knowledge workers in the 21st Century.Never before in the history of the world has both networking and interpersonal communication been potentially easier, broader, more wide-spread and paradoxically, more difficult.
Workplace 911
I've watched a few episodes of Nanny 911 and with the chaos, out of control children and seemingly irreparable behavior, it strikes me as a precursor to Workplace 911. No, not a new reality TV show, but everyday workplace problems.
How to Get the Job You Want in Any Economy... Act Like a Headhunter
Having spent the last few years of my career in the staffing and recruiting industry, I'm asked all the time by friends and relatives if I can help them find a more desirable job. I've helped my fiancé get a job, helped my college buddies get jobs after graduation, and even helped a few high school buddies find jobs having not seen them for years.
How to Turn a Job Search into a Career Find
The only way to find a new career is to stop looking for a job Career success requires the identical effort and targeting as setting a course for continuous professional development.Job opportunities are found through the strategic use of the same steering mechanism that successfully sells products and services: Positioning, Exposure and Marketing.
Employment Under A Microscope
A certain amount of oversight is involved in almost any job. The more important, the more highly skilled, the more successful the position, the lower the degree of oversight.
The 10 Biggest Career Change Mistakes - And How to Avoid Them
Career change is no walk in the park.If it was easy, the castle gates would have burst long ago under the stampede of restless corporate warriors.
The Night Worker
In the process of musing about our perennially awake world for my Social Psych blog, I started to think about our present work world and how its operations have changed the lives of millions of workers.I manage a 24/7 emergency crew (mental health).
Take Charge of Your Job Search: 12 Steps to Success
Despite what many people may say, a job search does not have to be an unpleasant experience. There are those people who choose to take charge of the process, who actually find the process to be very rewarding and stimulating.
Growing Up On A Delaware Farm
Growing up on a Delaware farm was a wonderful and rewarding experience for me.I grew up in an area where a couple of dozen families in an area of about hundred square miles had farmed, married each other and been a stable community for centuries, along Delaware Rout One just north of Lewes.
You Are Not Entitled to a Job!
Résumé TipsSome basics about job hunting..
How to Crash - Proof Your Job Search
Think you have the speed, endurance, and know-how to fix what's broken? Bet not. The smartest people in the world are those who can leave their ego at the door, and know when its wise to seek help.
Update Your Resume Today
A friend was just promoted to a position of vice-president of a company. I am happy for him and the first thing I told him after congratulations was "update your resume".
Tips on How to Write High Impact Letters of Recommendation
Congratulations. You've been asked to write a letter ofrecommendation for an employee or colleague.
Have Some PASTA with Your Interview
When cyclists prepare for a big race, they always make sure they load up on the carbs. It is not uncommon to have a pasta feed the night before an important event so that the athletes can store up some of the carbohydrates they will be burning up the next day.
6 Steps to Re-inventing Your Career
Meaningful work honors the deepest part of your being. It is the embodiment of your gifts and talents and all that you value.
Dont Quit Your Day Job! Convincing Your Boss To Let You Telecommute (Part 2 of 2)
Ok, so you've determined that you have the right skills and qualities todo your job effectively from home. You're sure that your job is wellsuited to telecommuting.
What A Former Stay At Home Mom Knows About Creating A Stunning Resume That You Dont
Recently I was asked to touch up a friend's resume. Her challenge was simple.
Bartending School Online- Earn Your Bartender Training From Home
Many young adults flock to bars, lounges and clubs on a weekly basis. They spend hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars on entertaining themselves and their friends.
Mystery Shopping - An Excellent Part Time Job Or Additional Income Source
Though the name itself may seem a bit mysterious, the concept of mystery shopping is actually straightforward. Also referred to as secret shopping, performance evaluations, service checks and frontline evaluations to name a few, mystery shopping allows companies to obtain a "snapshot in time" by trained researchers who know in advance what they are to evaluate.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Can Nurses Be Entrepreneurs?
Yes, Nurses can be entrepreneurs. In today's market place nursing has a unique service to offer not only to hospitals but nursing homes, private care and doctor offices.
How to Change Career Horses in Mid-Stream
You'll get wet but the reward just might be a more fulfilling ride!In Survival is Not Enough, author Seth Godin says change is the "new normal." Rather than thinking of work as a series of stable times interrupted by moments of change, Godin says we "must now recognize work as constant change, with only occasional moments of stability.
Rich Career, Poor Career
What makes for a rich career? It is more than just the salary and benefits. A rich career is one that suits your talents and provides an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution, as well as one that provides the right compensation.
Stacking The Deck In Your Favor
Many people do not bother to look at their own magnificence and without that view it is not likely that we will recognize the need for strategies to maximize our strengths. When we buy an outfit for a special affair, we automatically try to coordinate each piece so that they enhance one another and amplify our sense of "looking good" from head to toe.
Learning a Foreign Language
Many people love learning languages or would like to learn a language and use their language skills in a job. In today's global economy the demand for language skills continues to grow as governments, businesses and organisations build relationships with foreign interests.
Is Your Resume Doing ITS Job?
Is it opening doors to new opportunities? Does it compel the reader to think, "Hey! This applicant can ?put that one on top of the 'call in for an interview' pile!" Does it showcase what you have accomplished for past employers as well as what you can accomplish for the potential employer?Your resume is your personal marketing tool that must immediately convey to the reader that you CAN and WILL be a positive driving force to further their organization's mission. They have a need to QUICKLY get thru all the resumes received in response to their job posting so you've got to QUICKLY grab their attention.
So You Want To Be a Nurse When You Grow Up?
You're interested in becoming a nurse. How do you get into the field? First of all, you need to assess your basic interest.
Handling the Dreaded Why Did You Leave? Question
If you left your last job under less-than-ideal circumstances, you probably dread the "Why did you leave?" question that almost always comes up at job interviews. Here's how to handle it.
Career Searching: A Vision Without A Plan is a Hallucination
Success is not always something you necessarily find when you arrive. It may be the journey that gets you there.
Want to Work for Yourself? Those Dream Jobs Dont Just Happen, Theyre Created
While traveling in northern California last October, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning's Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities.
Business Dress for Women: Making Impact
Buying a suit can be an important investment when you are trying to improve your look for business or career advancement. Wearing a standard off-the rack suit for business or a job interview does not always mean success.
Create A Rappin' Resume
(Percussion sounds emanating from who knows where while you listen to the cadence of the words below.)It's time to sell yourself.
Dissatisfied With Your Job? Stop Putting Your Attention on What You Dont Want!
If I were to ask you the percentage of time you spend thinking about what you don't want, what would it be? And the percentage of time thinking about what you do want?Experience with my clients has shown me that most of us spend a lot more time thinking about what we don't want. Some examples when it comes to our job include:-I hate my commute.
Writing CVs and Resumes for Professionals with Examples
Tips on writing your Skills and Achievement Based CV (ABCV) by Mike Kelley at First ImpressionsConducting a job search is like marketing and selling a product -- with YOU as the product. The best way to market yourself is to go through this sales sequence.
Five Mistakes That Can Derail Your Job Search
No matter how much time and energy you invest in job seeking, critical mistakes can derail your efforts. Consider the following job search scenario.
Reinvent Your Career In Five Simple Steps
The phrase "reinventing yourself" seems to be popping up all over lately. Just a few days ago a friend asked me how he could do it without starting completely over.
For Effective Decisions, Look Beyond Career Stereotypes
You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex. But when you make a career or business decision, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?"Insurance sales reps must be gregarious.
4 Niche Job-Search Tips
Looking for a job on the Internet can be daunting. Where do you start? What Web sites are best for your industry?If you're suffering from "job search overwhelm," take heart.
Tips for Terrific Telephone Interviews
Telephone interviews don't just happen; they are the result of action you have taken. For example, when you are networking and the company representative becomes interested in your skills; when a company representative calls you in response to a résumé you have sent; or when you have previously set up the telephone meeting.
Out Recruit The Competition
We hear from our clients that they "hope the candidate takes the job." Hiring a candidate shouldn't be a guessing game.