How To Write A Resume | GigTide - Online Resume Builder

Archive for the ‘How to Write a Resume’ Category

Show You Are a “Match”

Posted On: Thursday, May 28th, 2009 - Posted By: Adam C.

Don’t Make Employers Guess – Prove It!

Know Your Audience:

You find companies in which to send your resume and cover letter. But do you know HOW these companies organize their search and selection processes? Your company research should include an investigation of HOW they receive your resume. Specifically, does a pair of human eyes review them first? Or are all resumes scanned into the company’s Applicant Tracking System first? If so, “you” are not being seen by human eyes unless your resume got the automated system’s attention first through your keywords. Mid-size to large companies who need to be able to handle a high volume of incoming applications simply cannot manage without such an automated system. If software is evaluating your resume for best fit, or match, you need to write your resume in a way that the software can best take notice of you and your talents.

Build in a “Keywords” Section on Your Resume:

A keyword section can be placed close to the top, down at the bottom, or along the side margin of your resume. Keywords are the items that a prospective employer needs to associate with you to know to what extent you are a suitable candidate for consideration. Keywords can encompass and showcase acronyms, buzzwords, software, equipment, processes, tools, job titles, context, and more.

It’s Your Career!

Keywords help to establish that your qualifications and experience are highly relevant for the position in question.

Do your homework: locate 3-4 ads or postings for a particular job title of interest (and suitable for your qualifications). Between them, come up with a list of 10-12 keywords that you can list on your resume.

Keywords are the important words you want a prospective employer to associate with you. They are also found prominently within job postings. You want your keywords to match their keywords (again, as suitable to your qualifications).

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

Need More Advice?

Get the resume help you need!

Build your resume with the GigTide Online Resume Builder and visit the CYJ website at www.changeyourjob.us.

Tags: audience, job search tips, job seeker strategies, resume keywords, resume writing, target audience
Posted in How to Write a Resume, Resume Sections, Writing Tips | 1 Comment »

Online Resume Templates: Updated Styling

Posted On: Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 - Posted By: GigTide

Resume Template Updates

Resume template and theme styling updates!

GigTide’s online resumes now look even better. We have gone through our styling and updating both the core styling and a few minor details that will ensure your resumes look like they should when employers see them. Major updates have been made to the experience and education sections — now providing a much improved reading experience.

Want to try out this feature risk free?
Contact us through our web site or via a direct message on Twitter to get a promotion code that gives you access to all membership features for a extended period of time.

Do you have other ideas you would like to see us implement to make your job search even easier? Feel free to leave a comment, drop us a quick note on Twitter (@gigtide) or connect with us on Facebook.

Tags: education section, experience section, Feature Updates, online resume, Resume Themes
Posted in Feature Updates, Resume Templates, Resume Themes | No Comments »

Chronological vs Functional?

Posted On: Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 - Posted By: Adam C.

Which Resume Style is Best for You?

Chronological:

Best when looking for work in your current industry
Highlights a strong employment history
Traditional, most familiar presentation style
Works best with most HRIS systems, online applications
(the automated search databases many companies use)

Functional (Skills-Based):

Best for career-changers to show off relevant skills
Downplays former industry, highlights re-purposed skill sets
Works best if uploaded as .pdf, distributed in Word, on paper
Non-traditional layout

It’s Your Style!

Think critically about what you want to convey. Choose a resume style that best supports your objective.

Recognize that each style has its pros and cons. Evaluate each one carefully.

Career changers with functional resumes should network first then send their resume and cover letter as a follow up to those conversations.

Resume style choices should always be preceded with a consideration of how each receiving company manages their search and selection process (HRIS).

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

Need More Advice?

Get the resume help you need!

Build your resume with the GigTide Online Resume Builder and visit the CYJ website at www.changeyourjob.us.

Tags: change your job, chronological, functional, resume styles, resume writing
Posted in How to Write a Resume, Resume Tips, Sample Resumes, Your Career | No Comments »

What Does Your Resume Say About You?

Posted On: Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 - Posted By: Adam C.

Feedback from HR Professionals

Your Resume Should Give These Impressions:

Focused, on target
You know your industry
Clear history, easy to follow
Highly qualified for the job in question
You know how to present yourself professionally

Your Resume Will Get Overlooked IF it:

Is not targeting a specific job
Does not have a cover letter associated with it
Is unprofessional in appearance (spelling errors, poorly formatted, stained or torn, etc.)

It’s Your Resume!

Think critically about what you want to convey, then plan exactly how you will accomplish that.

Your resume and cover letter should be well-connected in terms of visual presentation and supporting content.

Your resume and cover letter should entice the recruiter or hiring manager to learn more about you and how you can become an asset to the company.

Your resume shows your relevant history and links your experience to the job in question – your cover letter describes how you will use your experience to benefit the company, especially in the first 30/60/90 days on the job.

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

Need More Advice?

Get the resume help you need!

Build your resume with the GigTide Online Resume Builder and visit the CYJ website at www.changeyourjob.us.

Tags: feedback from HR, Resume Tips, resume writing
Posted in How to Write a Resume, Resume Tips, Your Career | No Comments »

Remain Objective: How to Target Your Resume to Your Audience

Posted On: Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 - Posted By: Adam C.

Speak Their Language:

Employers have a language of their own. That language consists of keywords, buzzwords, acronyms, and titles. You need to speak their language to demonstrate that you know what they want and that you are the right candidate for the job. You learn the employer’s language by doing your research: carefully review job postings and the company website; interview current or former employees about company culture; and read their press releases and financial reports.

Be Specific:

A targeted objective uses the exact job title of the position that a company wants to fill. You can simply list an objective statement of: “Seeking Customer Care Consultant position”. Or you can develop a bio statement that further demonstrates your qualifications for the job. For example: Customer Care Consultant with 3 years of demonstrated experience in building rapport, solving problems, and increasing sales”. From that point forward, every line of your resume should support that Objective, directly or indirectly.

It’s Your Target!

The WORST objective is vague and directionless. For example: “Seeking a challenging position that uses my education and experience and offers opportunities for advancement”.

Specific job titles help companies route your resume to the right recruiter. If they cannot figure that out easily, your resume won’t be reviewed by anyone.

Do not apply generically for currently open positions like everybody else is doing. Network and do your homework on the position and the company first. Then send a highly targeted resume and cover letter based upon what you learn.

Sending out 10-20 highly targeted resumes and cover letters each week is far more effective than blasting out 100 generic resumes. Demonstrate quality over quantity.

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.