Resumes

The Local Government Institute's website at http://www.lgi.org/ResumePrepTip.htm offered a suggested outline and list of questions that should be answered in a resume from Dynamite Resumes by Ronald and Caryl Rae Krannich.

1. Contact section: Who are you and how can you be reached?


2. Objective statement: What do you want to do?


3. Education section: What have you learned?


4. Experience/Employment section: What can you do? What have you done?


5. Professional activities and accomplishments: How have you been recognized?


6. Miscellaneous: What else do they want to know about you?"

Here is a sample resume from Google images with five key elements of a resume listed.

Readers of this blog may ask "Why a posting about resumes, I thought this was going to be about interviews?" My answer is quite simple. You will not have an interview to prepare for if you do not properly prepare a resume that catches the eye of an employer or recruiter.

When an interviewer, or recruiter in my position, is looking over resumes, if a few mistakes arise the candidate may be set aside immediately. After going to work Friday and sorting through the numerous resumes that are emailed every week, I recalled a few grotesque resume errors. For one thing, always remember to read over your resume before you send it in. Some mistakes over the years have included the following: one candidate misspelled his/her own name; another time the name at the header of the second page did not match the name on the front page of the resume. Apparently the candidate had used a friend's resume as a template and did not make all of the necessary changes. If you cannot even get your name correct on a resume, how can the rest of the information be trusted?

If you a serious about receiving a response from an employer, include all possible and relevant contact information in its complete form. What good is an address that does not include the city, state and zip code of the candidate? How will an employer call you back if there is not a phone number included?

I remember times of staring at resumes trying to find the candidate's current occupancy or position. Recruiters do not want to spend time hunting for this information, present it clearly and concisely. It is also important to list as your occupancy what your job truly is, which is not necessarily the title given to you. For instance, you may be a "Sales Manager" according to your company. However, if in actuality you do not manage people but rather are initiating sales, you are most likely a "Sales Representative". If you place "Sales Manager" as your title you will not be qualified for the position for those companies seeking a manager who will contact you and you will not be contacted for the position you are actually qualified for because from your resume it looks as though you are overqualified. This is clearly a lose-lose situation.

Resumes are your initial contact with prospective employers. Please do not make a poor showing, just because you want to get the resume sent off as soon as possible. Check it over, several times. It will be well worth your time!