The economy is a concern for everyone, and finding employment is not an easy task. So what can you do?
1. The first step is to develop a job search plan.
2. The second step is to develop a clean, polished resume.
The resume speaks volume about you. It is your marketing tool to a company’s HR person or recruiter. It is constructed to highlight your qualifications, work experience, and your education.
When writing your resume here are two pointers that I have learned:
1. Be honest about your work experience and education, a straightforward and truthful resume is the best option. A “padded” resume is often immediately apparent to experienced employers or recruiters and can result in instant disqualification.
2. Use “action” words, the power of language is the greatest tool. Words that denote action and success, such as “accelerated,” “developed” etc, provides the employer/recruiter with a strong picture.
On the negative side here are three things that you need to avoid:
1. Lying or adding misleading information on your resume. There are always ways for an employer/recruiter to check up on you and many do, so do not lie. Getting caught in a lie on a resume just says that you cannot be trusted.
2. Adding unnecessary information on a resume, for example, hobbies, is completely useless. You should save that section to describe any accomplishments that you may have made in your field, and 3. Dating the information in your work history in the wrong order can make your resume harder to follow. Work history must be listed with most current jobs at the top.
-Ken Kistner, Grant & Performance Development (CBT Technology Institute)