The only information a potential employer usually has about you as a job candidate is the information presented on your resume and cover letter. It is also the only information that a hiring manager may have about the other five hundred candidates. Given that there are often a large numbers of candidates applying for one position, you need a resume that will stand out and say, “Yes. Select me for the interview. ”
Without those interviews, you will not be getting any offers even if you are the most qualified. So in order to achieve this goal of getting a job offer, the compressed version of your achievements must be stellar. Keep in mind that this is a summary of your achievements, not of your life story. Most importantly, write a well-organized resume. In working towards this goal, keep in mind the goal of your resume. This goal is to get you an interview. Be sure that your resume stays within those boundaries and is neat and well organized. In the same vein, keeping your resume neat and organized will ensure that you know the contents of your resume inside and out. Many college grads fill their resumes to hide any experience lacking, and when they land the interview, hesitate when being asked specific questions about information included on the resume. Avoid this situation by arriving at the interview fully prepared to elaborate on anything you have included on the resume. A resume that sticks to the aim of getting an interview will be a resume that is carefully thought through and well organized, and is focused on things relevant to your career past and career future.
An effective resume conveys that the employer needs you. If you manage to secure an interview, you have won half the battle. Approach the interview as a live transmission and expansion of what has been stated in your resume. Do not view the interview as an hour of scrutiny on your life and experiences. Remember, your resume was good enough to be noticed, and your life achievements created the resume; thus you deserve the job. When composing your resume, review every point you have included, and check to see that it both states something positive about you and is said in an original way. Use words that indicate that because of you, things happen. Your presence was a catalyst in moving the company forward. Don’t be shy; the resume has no place for modesty. In other words, your resume should turn heads.
While achieving the goal of the resume – the interview, continually work to make the resume organized. Organization applies to all levels of the resume: the aesthetic format, the ordered placement of the facts, and the previous jobs you choose to include. The aesthetics should be friendly to the eye and help to draw attention to the most important points. Those that are most important should always be located nearer to the top. Bullet point formats are popular for their neatness and visual aid in drawing attention where it is due.
