| Big Blend e-News Sign Up! Trivia, Giveaways, Articles, Videos, Event News, Radio Shows and More! |
This site developed by Big Blend Magazine™. copyrighted since 1998. No part of it
may be reproduced for any reason, with out written permission from Big Blend Magazine,
P.O. Box 90153, Tucson, AZ 85752. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily
that of this publication or any of its staff. We reserve the right to edit submittals.
All subject matter is intended for general information only and not to be take as
personal advice in any matter. Although every effort is made to be accurate, we cannot
be held responsible for inaccuracies or plagiarized copy submitted to us by advertisers
or contributors.
Big Blend Magazines Big Blend Radio Shows Big Blend Marketing Contact Us
Your Resume's
Building Blocks
By Ford R. Myers, President of Career Potential, LLC and author of “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring”
Regardless of format, every resume will be composed of some standard sections. Below
is a quick guide to the main elements that should be included in every resume.
Personal Information
Always include your full name, street address, phone numbers
(home and cell), and e-
Summary
A brief statement of who you are, where you’re “coming from,” and what skills
and expertise you have to contribute to an organization. Five or six lines maximum.
This will target and focus the reader on where you might fit into the big picture
of their organization. Targeted and specific is better than general and vague. The
content of your Summary must be oriented toward the benefits and contributions you
offer as a professional. (You can think of the Summary as the “headline” in an article.
If the reader is captivated by the “headline,” they’ll go on to read the body of
the “article”).
Professional Experience
Your past jobs, roles and responsibilities, and accomplishments.
This is the “body of the article,” and where most employers and recruiters will focus
90% of their attention. The information you present here, and how you present it,
can decide the fate of your candidacy within about 10 seconds of scanning time! Use
good journalism habits and put the most important or impressive facts first within
each job. Make your Professional Experience section easily “scannable” by using bold
headings and bullet points. Be specific and results-
Education
List the schools, academic degrees, and years in which you earned them.
(Note: you might choose not to include the dates if you graduated a long, long time
ago.) Include degree, major, and any honors or special achievements. Generally speaking,
the longer you’ve been out of school, the less important this information is to an
employer.
Affiliations, Professional Development, or Related Experience
Include work-
Many clients have asked about including their “Objective” at the top of the resume. I advise them not to use an objective, for two reasons. First, unless you clearly state otherwise, the reader will automatically assume that you are seeking an opportunity at the next level of the field or niche you’re already in. Second, the objective is much better addressed on your cover letter, wherein you can really tailor your comments to the specific company or position.
Here are five quick “rules of thumb” to keep in mind as you develop your resume:
1. Be brief (less is more)
2. Be specific
3. Be active (at the beginning of every sentence, use strong action verbs)
4. Be selective (focus on information that is truly relevant to your career goal, and edit out the rest)
5. Be honest (never ever lie on a resume). If you lie, you will always lose in the long run.
Use the guidelines above to create your own “effective selling” resume, in order to get people interested in interviewing you. If you find that your resume isn’t getting the results you want, change it!
Remember, your resume is a “living document” that will be edited and updated throughout the course of your job search – and your entire career!
Ford R. Myers is a nationally-
