The Perfect Resume for Job Applications
84Many "experts" will tell you to write a new resume for every job application. I don't agree, and I've had a very high record of success in applying for jobs in my career. I've even been complimented on my application! So I can vouch for the fact that this method works.
When he opens the envelope, the first thing an employer sees is your cover letter, not your resume. If your cover letter isn't smart, he may discard your resume without even looking at it. However, if you write a 'killer' cover letter, you can have the job in the bag before he even reads your resume!
It can be a great time-saver too, especially in a job market where you have to apply for lots of jobs. If your cover letter is tailored, you don't need to write a new resume - just clip your standard resume to the letter. Make your letter relevant and informative, and it can almost guarantee you an interview.
 | Amazon Price: $14.50 List Price: $29.95 |
How to Write your Resume
So, now that we know your resume is going to be an enduring, unchanging document (you're going to use the same one for every job app), we know it's worth spending time to make it perfect. It goes without saying that it should be well laid out and beautifully formatted, with no typos!
You want your resume to fit on the minimum number of pages, so don’t leave acres of white space on the page. Use one inch margins all round.
Start with your name, in large, bold type, centred at the top of the page. Follow this up with your address and contact details in normal type. Don't include email or phone numbers that you don't want an employer to use - e.g. your current work number.
You're not obliged to include personal details like age, marital status or number of children, and in many countries it’s against the law for employers to request those details. However, there may be times when it can pay to volunteer the information anyway.
For instance, you might be going for the kind of job where the stability of a wife and family is seen as an advantage. Or if you’re baby-faced, it may pay to mention your age, to ward off any misconceptions about your maturity at the interview. Consider how these facts are likely to influence your interviewer and make your own decision.
When describing your experience, it's important to be honest, but you can be selective about what you include!
- A good tip is to use years instead of exact dates (e.g. "2003 to 2005" instead of "December 2003 to January 2005"). That way, gaps in your employment history become less obvious - you can leave out those disastrous few months at Company X, and no one will know.
- If you changed career direction at some point and would rather forget your earlier jobs, you can. Just head your list of roles with "Relevant Work Experience" instead of just "Work Experience". For instance, I'm a manager now and don't want to highlight that I was a humble secretary for many years, so my resume starts with my first supervisory role. That also conveniently disguises my age!
- For each job, give the job title, summarise the responsibilities in two or three lines, then mention some key achievements in bullet points. Needless to say, there's no need to mention any failures!
If your qualifications are a selling point, put a "Qualifications" section straight after your name and address at the beginning of your resume. If they’re not quite up to scratch – or if they’re not relevant to the jobs you’re applying for – relegate them to the end.
For some years, including hobbies or interests was seen as unnecessary and even detrimental. Now, the tables have turned, and you should mention them – usually as the very last item in your resume. Employers want to see that you have a life outside work!
*
All text copyright Marisa Wright. Photo courtesy of Daoist56 on Flickr.
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (7)
- Funny
- Awesome (3)
- Beautiful (1)
- Interesting (1)
CommentsLoading...
I wish to apply for ....... As you can see from my attached resume, my qualifications and experience are ideally suited to this role as follows:"
Then list each bullet point, and for each one, give details of an incident or a job which show you have what they're looking for.
excellent technique
Thank you.
A few years back, I stopped using cover letters. Didn't seem they were in style anymore, and in positions where I was required to hire or at least offer input into hiring people, myself and others immediatly skipped past any cover letter that was included. Now, it seems that cover letter have once again become mandatory, and this article helps get me thinking on the right track.
Cameron, I agree - if I get a cover letter that's obviously just "I enclose my resume, I want the job", I skip straight past them. The bullet-pointed ones tend to catch my attention, though, because they've obviously got some solid info in them.
This is great information and certainly timely. Thanks for sharing.
I've been working with colleagues from my field helping them to get a great resume, 'cause the were not getting job opportunities. After reviewing their resumes and giving feedbacks they started to get calls!
I guess that researching this subject to me has been very helpful, as well for those who I can help.
Great hub!
Do your homework: Something as simple as a Google search can give you enough background on the addressee to personalize the cover letter and make it relevant to the person making the decision about whom to hire.
Hi Marisha,
Excellent hub. Thumbs up!
Jyoti Kothari
Great advice, I was completley stumped on my cover letter, this really helped!
Tagan.
Marisa,
Of all the how-to and advice hubs and articles I have read on a myriad of subjects this one is perhaps the most concise and helpful of all. Rather than hinting at a method or technique intended to sell a service or product you actually provide real information and viable examples. I stand in applause.
Great hub,
That's amazing you have 100/100 score.
Keep up the great work and btw, this is really useful.
This is a Great Hub on Cover Letters, but I'm surprised that you don't recommend ever changing your resume around. I find a skill-based, targeted resume very effective in standing out from the "Dear Sir/Madam" stack of other people's resumes.
hi,,can you help me to how to make a cover letter ..im applying for a customer service.hope u guys can help me..tnx!
@just jobs, I agree that a targeted resume can be useful - but if your cover letter highlights the required skills, it's already done the job. And if people take the time to write a cover letter AND a targeted resume for each position, they're more likely to start talking themselves out of applying for so many - which is counter-productive.
To be able to catch the employee eye with a resume , the resume must stand out. Consider adding some graphics to the CV or print on a sheet of paper that isn't white
Sorry, Jobs, but I think that's terrible advice. Consider the style of company you're applying to - unless it's a creative-type organization, childish gimmicks like colored paper and pictures will get your resume rejected quick-smart.
Good advice on how to write a good resume. Always remember that a resume is representation of yourself to the recruiter/employer. Therefore, you need to make sure that your resume catch their attention at the very first glance.
Wow! THis is really breathe taking. Thanks for this eye-openner.
Absolutely agree with the cover letter theory; however, a winning resume is a work in progress.
This has helped me in understanding the actual meaning of Cover Letter and to write my own Cover Letter. Thank You so very much.
Brilliant hub :-) really useful to me at a time of applying for positions thankyou
Great hub. Thanks a lot. 'Tis time to look for a job for me.
I think you should target each and every cover letter to the job you are applying for. It's very important that the cover letter is tailored exactly to the job description, as many employers will not look past the cover letter unless there is something in it that speaks to them.
Great hub .... marisa ...... I think we must include strengths, achievements and projects undertaken ..... because that will bring out the skills of you .....
super hub ..... super awesome, super useful and super beautiful ..... keep the good work up .......
Great Hub. In today's age people don't take the time and consideration to really craft their resume and cover letter to properly represent them, particularly at higher level job opportunities. Keep up the good work.
One can see that luck is not just the factor along with ability, right!
Useful tips indeed.
Another great tip is to not get carried away with the white lies. I was hired by a nameless accounting company that had a Forensic research dept that actually check all my courses and degrees and certificates... whoops imagine if I’d lied...
Why write a cover letter that looks like everybody else's? Why not try one that shows that you understand the "pain" that drove the company to offer that job in the first place, and that you've relieved that "pain" successfully in other places? Be specific to the company you're addressing. Sure, it takes more time. But companies can spot a boilerplate letter a mile away.
Instead of looking like everyone else, why not try this?
Ms. Barbara Blank
Managing Editor
Passionate Gecko Lover Magazine
455 Lacertilia Way
Entomon, AZ
Dear Barbara:
I read your article in the July issue of Passionate Gecko Lover on "The Importance of Proper Temperature Levels in Gecko Habitats." I completely agree with your statement that "geckos are the up-and-coming pet among the under-30 crowd." I am sure that that development will bring your magazine quite a circulation boom.
Yet I wonder if that success might not tax your creative staff beyond its limits. When I was an editorial assistant at Cat Staff magazine, we launched a new mag, Fabulous Ferret, that reached numbers in its first six months we'd projected for two years down the road. Both magazines not only survived, they thrived, with Ferret winning Best New Publication from the prestigious Academy of Pet Animal Publications. And I learned how to meet excruciating deadlines and perform the work of two people at once, sometimes in 12-hour shifts.
If you'd like to discuss the needs brought about by your well deserved status, I'd love to share some thoughts with you. Continued success to you and your team.
Regards,
Janet Jobseeker
You might be surprised at the result.
Good hub!!!!!!
It is true that if your resume is good, then you will catch employer attraction immediately. The points highlighted in the hub like in cover letter, it must be included like- x number of years' experience, a particular skill, knowledge of a subject, a relevant qualification, a quality, e.g. "team player", "leadership qualities", "able to use initiative". All these points are immeasurably fruitful for job aspirants. Thanks a lot for sharing and keep on hubbing.
Muy rapido para a prender el trabajo
I disgree. Why would they read a cover letter that looks like your resume, if its the resume they don't want to read?
I'm not sure what you're saying, Dean. Your cover letter should NOT "look like your resume". Instead, it should highlight the specific qualities the employer is looking for, so the employer can see, at a glance, that you're the right candidate.
Hey Marisa Wright,
Interesting approach to résumé writing. I was always taught that you should tailor each resume for every position that you apply for. Now that many companies use software to evaluate keywords on resumes before the hiring managers look at them, it is very important to tailor your resume with keywords.
Also, I was taught at the University of Wisconsin-Stout that a hiring manager will often look at the résumé BEFORE the cover letter, since the cover letter takes more time to read. In other words, they'll read the cover letter if the résumé highlights their needs...
Either way, we can probably both agree that the best way to write a resume is to experiment with it and see what produces results! Thanks for the hub :)
That's awful news about companies using software to evaluate resumes - if human resources has been reduced to that in a company, what regard do they have for people?
As a manager, I always glance at the cover letter and most times, discard it - but that's the point, if I see a letter that catches my eye, I will read it and that's the candidate that will stick in my mind,and wind up on my shortlist.
Hi Marisa thanks i found it very helpful , i am just wondering can you apply for US job openings using a EURO type CV,or it will be trashed ???
Oops!hi there...nice hub,and I find your hub informational,I'm a fresh graduate and I will follow your tips.
I am applying for a job as a teacher. This is a good info, thx for sharing!
These are helpful tips on what to include and what is not really necessary to include in a resume.
Job Search Links
- My Euro Cv Resume
Standard resume for applying to jobs in the EU - Homeless and job-hunting: youth do it tough - ABC News
It is hard enough to find a job if you are an average jobseeker. - Job Interview: Interview tips, questions and advice
How to ace a job interview first time. Tips, questions and advice - Class of 2009 faces bleak job prospects | Top News | Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - Almost two-thirds of students leaving universities this summer do not expect to find a graduate-level job in an economy hit by recession and rising unemployment. A survey of more than - Rsum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lissie Level 1 Commenter 4 years ago
Good info here - for years I timed by travels to come back within the calendar year so there appeared to be no gap between jobs - one ended in Jan one started in Dec you'er not lying if you use only years. However where I have taken a calendar year out to travel or study i list it - no one cares that you travelled - they just dont want you to have been behind bars!