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6 More Resume Writing Tips That Pay

Administrator — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:59:27 +0000

I have seen many hundreds of Professional resumes during my career in human resources. Very nice, competent, and well intending people sometimes sent resumes in which they made one or more “little” mistakes. Whether it was a misspelled word, the wrong prefix on a word, or fragmented sentence, how many resume mistakes does it take to prevent getting a job? Many hiring managers have a zero tolerance when it comes to such mistakes on a resume. Following are more resume writing tips inspired from things seen on people’s resumes.

Tip 1: Resume cover letters must communicate. Review your letter to be sure it does the following:

* Makes the case that you are the solution to the employer’s problems.

* Gets to the primary subject quickly.

* Solidly connects employer’s job requirements with your background and experience.

* Is written such that all sentences and paragraphs are short and easy to read.

* Makes a solid connection with the needs of the prospective employer.

* Has repeated use of the word “you” (i.e., remember that the theme of your resume is what you can do for them, not the other way around).

* Minimizes number of fonts used. One is preferable to me, with sparing use of italics and “bold.”

* Uses a clear and easy to read font that is no smaller than a size “10″ or “11.”

* Makes a simple but clear case that you would like to work for them.

* Expresses a reason why they should contact you.

* Factors in a reason to act sooner rather than later.

* Starts the letter by stating your conclusion upfront.

* Supports your position by presenting a quantifiable objective(s) and briefly mentions why is/are relevant.

* Restate major conclusion in a sentence or two at end of letter.

* Makes it easy to reach you: provides multiple ways that you can be contacted (i.e., home telephone, email, street address, and/or cell number at minimum).

Tip 2: If in doubt, keep it simple. Use an English word equivalent rather than French or Latin terms, and single-syllable words rather than multi-syllable terms. Examples include: “per day” instead of “per diem,” “per year” instead of “per annum,” “essential” instead of “sine qua non,” “genuine” instead of “bona fide.” An exception is if such terms are common in your industry.

Tip 3: Use specific, measurable terms versus those that are unclear. Examples: “we received numerous inquiries,” versus “we received 170 inquiries.”

Tip 4: Eliminate use of repetitive and unnecessary words. Example #1: “assisted in the preparation of…,” versus: “assisted in preparing.” Example #2: “responsible for the directing of…,” versus “directed.”

Tip 5: Use first-person and second-person words (e.g., “I”, “we,” “my,” “our,” “you,” “your,” “yours,” etc.), as appropriate, to personalize your resume and cover letter.

Tip 6: Sometimes it is possible to be too familiar with a document to see it objectively. Consider having someone else review your resume for you, such as a close friend, family member or a resume service.

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The Salary Game In Cover Letters And How To Play It Right

Administrator — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:57:39 +0000

Mario Churchill asked:

The whole process of applying for a job may be likened to an Olympic race. All may be highly qualified, possibly training to bag the actual trophy (in this case, the job) but only one gets the gold. It’s like a battery of games which may or may not bring you the much-needed job. Your cover letter is your arsenal that will help propel you to reach greater heights and get lucrative job offers.

A job offer is not complete without the issue of the salary. The declaration of salary is double-edged sword in your cover letter. It is a game, and a tricky one at that. If you want to be able to nail that job, you must be able to maneuver your way into this salary game, among many other things. The companies are particularly sensitive on the issue of salary expectations of their prospective applicants. Depending on their manner of screening applicants, your salary expectation may be formed for or against you.

It is very difficult to find the balance between a reasonable salary, an overly declared one or an underpaid one. If you put in too little an amount in your cover letter of your salary expectation, they might hire you but you will be at a losing end since they will no longer allow you to negotiate for higher pay beyond your salary declaration in the cover letter. On the other hand, if you declare a very huge sum, they might get turned off and boot you out of the list of applicants to be considered due to that.

The best way to avoid the nuances of the salary game is not to play the game at all. You heard me right. Do not ever declare salary expectations in your cover letter. Given that it is possible to decline stating your salary expectations, this is what you must do. However, if you should be forced to give an amount by the companies, you must give not an exact amount, but a range with which you can flexibly negotiate should you proceed higher and land that job offer. The range must be comfortable enough come actual salary negotiation time.

The range of salary that you will be giving must not be a product of whim. But it must be something based on research of people who have the same job. Know the average net worth of that job and base your salary range declaration according to that. This way, you will have enough justification for declaring such and such an amount. This will also lessen resistance on the part of your potential employer, who probably knows as well as you do how much this job is really worth.

You must also know the profile of the company you are intending to work for. Are they highly profit-oriented and willing to sacrifice the quality of screening applicant in lieu of lower employee compensation? Or are they generous? If your potential employer proves to be the former, you might as well think twice before filing for an application and being forced to play the salary game in your cover letter. Typically, the really good companies would not mind shelling out huge compensation for deserving applicants. And if you are the deserving applicant, why settle for less?

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