Question:
How to write Effective Resume ?
Answer:
CV writing is critical in controlling the image you
present to employers. The stronger the skill and
experience descriptions are in your CV--the higher the
number of interviews and salary offers you will
receive
Tip 1 - Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You
Want
With employers receiving hundreds of CVs you must make
sure that your CV hooks an employer's attention within
a 5-second glance. A great way to do this is to use
job titles and skill headings that relate to and match
the jobs you want. For example, compare the headings
Roger used in his before CV to the headings used in
his after CV.
Before:
Accounting / Recordkeeping
Administrative
Computer Skills
After:
Management of A/R and A/P Accounts
Computerized Accounting Applications
Departmental Administration / Recordkeeping
Which set of headings are the strongest for an
Accounts Payable / Receivable Manager position?
Even though Roger's title was Accounting Assistant, he
actually managed over 1,000 A/R and A/P accounts.
Using skill headings that market the true nature of
Roger's job duties will generate him more interviews
and higher salary offers.
Tip 2 - Use Design That Grabs Attention
Employers make snap judgments when glancing at your
CV. If they see unrelated job titles or skills the
likelihood is very high that they will make an
immediate assumption that you are not qualified for
the job you want. Adding to this problem is the fact
that employers don't have the time to read through
each of your job descriptions to determine if you have
the skills they need.
You Must Do That For Them! The design of your CV must
highlight the most important information about your
work experience, skills and education. At first glance
this information forms the image that employers have
of your skills and abilities.
Tip 3 - Create Content That Sells
CV design should get attention but it's really the
content of your CV, the descriptions you include of
your skills and abilities, that determine how many
interviews you generate--as well as the level of
salary offers you receive. Compare the before and
after statements from Roger's CV shown below:
Before:
Maintained records for accounts receivable and
accounts payable accounts.
After:
Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable and payable
accounts working directly with the Chief Financial
Officer
.Which of these examples presents Roger as being more
qualified, having higher skills and worth a higher
salary? As this example illustrates, our image of
Roger is changed and elevated when we read the after
example.
Tip 4 - Quantify and Use Power Words
As Roger's after statement demonstrates, using numbers
to describe your achievements and responsibilities can
greatly expand and elevate your image. Using numbers
and quantifying creates vivid images in our mind when
we read them, whereas general statements like the
before examples are easy to skip over or forget.
Typically the more specific you can be in describing
your duties the better.
Another strategy that is extremely important in
controlling the image that employers develop about
you--is to use Power Words or verbs that match the
level of position you want. For example, Roger wants
to use the experience he's gained to move into a
management position. To strengthen his image he should
use as many "management oriented" words as possible.
Which example below do you think is the strongest?
Typical Verbs:
Gave work assignments to staff of entry level
accounting clerks.
Power Words:
Directed workflow, supervised and trained accounting
staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts
receivable and payable accounts.
Tip 5 - Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify
Key Words
Learning how to analyze the key words that employers
provide in help wanted ads and job descriptions is a
key element in creating powerful CVs. For example,
read the ad Roger found for an Accounts Receivable
Manager below and see how many key words, phrases, or
skill descriptions that it includes.
Accounts Receivable Manager
Seeking experienced A/R Manager to oversee accounts,
manage billing and collections, train accounting and
clerical staff, develop status reports for management
and prepare monthly balance sheets. B.A. Degree or
A.A. Degree with minimum of 2 years experience
required.
Even though this ad is small it contains 12-13 key
words or phrases that should be addressed in Roger's
CV. Roger can also key words from an ad like this to
create headings for his CV such as:
Key Word Skill Headings
Management of A/R Accounts
Billing and Collections
Supervision of Accounting and Administrative Staff
Balance Sheet and Management Status Reports
Tip 6 - Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs
In addition to the skills or needs listed in the ad
shown above, the employer will have many more needs
that Roger should identify and address in his CV and
cover letter. For example, this employer will need
someone who can deal effectively with other
departments, research accounting issues and records to
solve problems. To beat today's heavy competition for
jobs, it's important that you identify and anticipate
the full range of needs each employer faces and show
how you can solve those needs.
Tip 7 - Sell the Benefits of Your Skills
Most CVs provide a list of duties that each applicant
has been responsible for--without explaining the
benefit of those skills to employers. For example, a
secretary's CV might state she can type 80 wpm and is
extremely accurate. This statement lacks an
explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy
benefit an employer's bottom line. The real benefit is
that the employee can produce more work and ultimately
save the employer money. A better statement for this
person's CV would be:
Selling The Benefits of Skills
· Achieved top production volume by maintaining high
degree of accuracy with typing speed at 80 wpm.
· Cut labor expense over $6,000 annually by
eliminating the need for part-time wordprocessing
staff.
Tip 8 - Create An Image That Matches The Salary You
Want
As you write your CV, keep in mind the level of job
and salary you want. Be sure to create an image that
presents you at the appropriate level. For example,
language used in a CV for an $8 an hour position is
much different than the language used for a $16 an
hour position. I recently met Lynn, who had held a
Health Insurance Claims Management position making
$42,000 per year. She had retrained for the accounting
field and hadn't yet gained any "direct accounting
experience" although she had prepared monthly
accounting reports as a Department Manager.
I was appalled when she shared the CV she had been
counseled to create. It began with this statement:
Seeking an entry level position in the accounting
field.
Now what pay rate do you think this statement would
motivate employers to offer Lynn? A much better
statement would be:
Seek an Accounting position utilizing my experience:
· Managing a department and accounting for up to
$250,000 in monthly claims.
As you can see, the last statement greatly elevates
Lynn's image and will be much more likely to generate
salary offers comparable to her last pay rate.
Tip 9 - Prioritize the Content of Your CV
Another big mistake that job seekers make is to list
very important data in the lower sections of their job
descriptions. As you compile statements for your CV,
prioritize them by importance, impressiveness and
relevance to the job you want. Remember that a strong
statement which uses power words and quantifies will
affect every statement under it. Read the two examples
below. Which one has the most impact?
Unprioritized
Maintained records control, filing, office supply
purchasing and equipment maintenance.
Managed front office functions to support the
President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales
Representatives.
Prioritized
Managed front office functions to support the
President, Vice President and staff of 20 Sales
Representatives. Maintained records control, filing,
office supply purchasing and equipment maintenance.
Tip 10 - Tweak and Target Your CVs and Cover Letters
You will generate many more interviews by tweaking
your CV and cover letter so that they address the
specific skills each employer requests. For example,
Sally originally wanted a customer service position,
then found an ad for a Retail Management opening. How
well qualified do the headings in the left hand column
present her for the Retail Management position? Do you
think the headings in the right hand column will
generate more and better interviews for Retail
Management positions?
Customer Service - Retail Management / Customer
Service
Cash Accountability - Cash Accountability /
Supervision of Retail Stations
Computer Skills - Retail Accounting Applications
Sally's actual title had been Lead Cashier, even
though she managed her own retail cashiering station
in addition to 6 other cashiers and stations. Once
Sally had created her original CV, it only took about
5 minutes to tweak and relabel her skill descriptions
to fit Retail Management positions. This "relabeling"
is entirely truthful and is extremely important in
landing more interviews because it allows job seekers
to apply for, and look qualified for, a wider range of
jobs.
