Category Archives: Resume Summary

Job Change Success

Job Change Success: The Elements and Actions of Making a Job Changee

Job Change Success:  In this article you will find powerful tools that others have found helpful in making an effective career move.

Career Change Success: 5 Essential Elements

  1. Resume
  2. Resume Cover Letter
  3. Interview and Interview Preparation
  4. Thank You Letter
  5. Extra Tools and Tips

You don’t have to do everything for success. But you do have to do the right things. ~ www.jaywren.com

First, a Resume is Basic to a Career Change

Here is what you put into a resume and the order in which you put this information.  If you replace this information with your information, you will have written a resume.

Your name
Street address
City, State Zip
Phone
Email address

Rule 1: Never refer to yourself in the third person in the body of the resume.
Rule 2: Use factual accomplishments and not subjective opinions of yourself.

  • Example of a fact:  exceeded assigned sales goal by 30%
  • Examples of opinion; goal-oriented, creative, tenacious, strategic, honest, loyal:  For a person to
    use adjectives about themselves puts human resource people to sleep

Objective:  This is optional and often redundant.  Your resume has the objective of getting you interviews with an employer who sees a match in your location, your compensation, and your experience and that employer’s needs.  It is conventional to state an objective here but you can probably find a better use for the space.

Employment History (Most recent job first)

Company Name, Location, and Period of Employment (From to)
Most recent title:

  • Use bullet format.
  • List things you have accomplished.
  • Do not waste space on your just giving a job description.
  • List things that showed you made a difference.
  • Include increasing sales, reducing costs, promoting people, saving time, increasing productivity,
    etc.
  • Employers and recruiters search their databases for specific words.
  • List successes with specific industry words or functions.
  • Include the actual name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e. g, Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.

Next List Previous Titles at this company and again bullets on successes:

  • List your accomplishments.
  • Do not waste space on your just giving a job description.
  • List things that showed you made a difference.
  • Things you have accomplished include increasing sales, reducing costs, promoting people, saving time, increasing productivity, etc.
  • Companies and recruiters search their databases for specific words.
  • Include the actual name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e.g., Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.

Then include Previous Companies going back in time from most recent.

Education goes next after you have listed the first job you held after college or in your career:  Part-time or vacation jobs held while in school are sometimes not listed except as a bullet to the education experience.

Do not put references or salary information on your resume.

Second, Resume Cover Letter

Suggestions on writing a cover letter

Your Name
Street Address
City, State Zip
Phone Number
Email Address

Date

Name of person receiving your letter
Company Name
Street Address
City, State Zip

Dear First Name:

(If you come recommended by someone, list that person’s name here).  Name of person referred me to you.  I am writing to apply for as position as a (fill in name of position) with your company.  My resume is attached.

In my resume, you will find a record of success in (list competencies)

When may I interview with you?

Best regards,
Your Name

Third, Interview and Interview Preparation

Here is what you can do to have a better interview.

1) Prepare an agenda for the interview, things you want to cover.
2) Research the company.  Find articles on the company and use information from these articles in your interview presentation.
3) Research the job and be prepared to talk about how your skills fit the job.
4) Review your skills and the information in your resume.
5) Be upbeat and positive about the world, the way you might be on a Friday afternoon.
6) Take with you extra copies of your resume, a typed list of questions, and paper and pen for notes.
7) Bring examples of your work that show your skills and successes.
8) Be factual about the work you did and the work others did to make you a success.
9) In the interview, listen to the questions you are asked and be sure that you understand the question before answering.  If the question is too broad to enable you to give a good answer, ask the interviewing to help you understand better what he or she is trying to learn.
10) Be positive when you talk about your current company, your boss, and your job.  Emphasize that you are looking to make a change to get more of what the company interviewing you has to offer.
11) Write stories of your successes as preparation to discuss how you can contribute to a company’s business.

Outline for an Interview Agenda

Candidates have found that the following outline is effective in getting the job.

In using this type of outline to prepare for an interview, a person will have anticipated and practiced how
to handle many of the questions and contingencies that may arise in a job interview.

  1. Why I am Interested in Working for Your Company
  2. What I Bring to a Company in Your Industry
  3. My Plans for Developing Your Business
  4. Ways that I Will Implement This Plan

WHY I AM INTERESTED IN WORKING FOR YOUR COMPANY

  •        The reputation of the company
  •        The long history of success of the company
  •        The appeal of the industry
  •        The opportunity to work in an environment that enables me to use my skills
  •        The company commitment to respecting and honoring their employees with programs
  •        The opportunity to work in the field of my choice

WHAT I BRING TO A THIS INDUSTRY

  •        Creatively and enthusiastically use the knowledge I gained in college to make the organization
    more successful
  •        Have a range of appropriate skills
  •        Have developed marketing strategies to include customer service, pricing, and product selection

Fifth, Thank You Letter

Your name
Street address
City, State Zip
Phone
Email address

Date

Mr. /Ms. Interviewer
Name of company
Street address, City, State Zip

Dear Mr. /Ms. Interviewer:

Thank the person for meeting with you.

Express your impression of the company.

Express your interest in the job.

Best regards,

Your name

Extra Tools and Tips

  1. Reference material
  2.  Work your network by making a list of every possible contact you have ever made in business and contact these people for ideas and opportunities.
  3. Ask for referrals of every person you contact.
  4. Lay out your goals as specifically as you can, but be aware that the more flexible you are in terms of money, location, and opportunity the more opportunities you will have available to you.
  5. Contingency recruiter or retained recruiter?  In practice, how a recruiter is compensated is not nearly as important as what contacts the recruiter has.  Typically, retained recruiters are conducting searches where the salary is above $750,000 and involve “C” level managers.
  6. Be organized.  Make a list daily of your contacts, what you discussed what action you have taken and what action needs to be taken.
  7. Read the want ads in the local newspaper, national publications, and especially trade journals. Become an expert on what is in the job market.
  8. Before approaching a company directly, research it thoroughly.  How is it structured?  Bottler, distributor, direct, or broker sales?  Public or private?  Do you have a referral to get your foot in the door, etc.?  Who are the key managers for the job you are seeking? To whom do these people report?
  9. Prepare for an interview the same way you would prepare for a major sales call, business review, or planning session where you are the key presenter.
  10. Follow up on contacts you have made.
Career Change Success

Career Change Success: The Elements and Actions of Making a Job Change

Career Change Success:  In this article you will find powerful tools that others have found helpful in making an effective career move.

Career Change Success: 5 Essential Elements

  1. Resume
  2. Resume Cover Letter
  3. Interview and Interview Preparation
  4. Thank You Letter
  5. Extra Tools and Tips

You don’t have to do everything for success. But you do have to do the right things. ~ www.jaywren.com

First, a Resume is Basic to a Career Change

Here is what you put into a resume and the order in which you put this information.  If you replace this information with your information, you will have written a resume.

Your name
Street address
City, State Zip
Phone
Email address

Rule 1: Never refer to yourself in the third person in the body of the resume.
Rule 2: Use factual accomplishments and not subjective opinions of yourself.

  • Example of a fact:  exceeded assigned sales goal by 30%
  • Examples of opinion; goal-oriented, creative, tenacious, strategic, honest, loyal:  For a person to
    use adjectives about themselves puts human resource people to sleep

Objective:  This is optional and often redundant.  Your resume has the objective of getting you interviews with an employer who sees a match in your location, your compensation, and your experience and that employer’s needs.  It is conventional to state an objective here but you can probably find a better use for the space.

Employment History (Most recent job first)

Company Name, Location, and Period of Employment (From to)
Most recent title:

  • Use bullet format.
  • List things you have accomplished.
  • Do not waste space on your just giving a job description.
  • List things that showed you made a difference.
  • Include increasing sales, reducing costs, promoting people, saving time, increasing productivity,
    etc.
  • Employers and recruiters search their databases for specific words.
  • List successes with specific industry words or functions.
  • Include the actual name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e. g, Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.

Next List Previous Titles at this company and again bullets on successes:

  • List your accomplishments.
  • Do not waste space on your just giving a job description.
  • List things that showed you made a difference.
  • Things you have accomplished include increasing sales, reducing costs, promoting people, saving time, increasing productivity, etc.
  • Companies and recruiters search their databases for specific words.
  • Include the actual name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e.g., Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.

Then include Previous Companies going back in time from most recent.

Education goes next after you have listed the first job you held after college or in your career:  Part-time or vacation jobs held while in school are sometimes not listed except as a bullet to the education experience.

Do not put references or salary information on your resume.

Second, Resume Cover Letter

Suggestions on writing a cover letter

Your Name
Street Address
City, State Zip
Phone Number
Email Address

Date

Name of person receiving your letter
Company Name
Street Address
City, State Zip

Dear First Name:

(If you come recommended by someone, list that person’s name here).  Name of person referred me to you.  I am writing to apply for as position as a (fill in name of position) with your company.  My resume is attached.

In my resume, you will find a record of success in (list competencies)

When may I interview with you?

Best regards,
Your Name

Third, Interview and Interview Preparation

Here is what you can do to have a better interview.

1) Prepare an agenda for the interview, things you want to cover.
2) Research the company.  Find articles on the company and use information from these articles in your interview presentation.
3) Research the job and be prepared to talk about how your skills fit the job.
4) Review your skills and the information in your resume.
5) Be upbeat and positive about the world, the way you might be on a Friday afternoon.
6) Take with you extra copies of your resume, a typed list of questions, and paper and pen for notes.
7) Bring examples of your work that show your skills and successes.
8) Be factual about the work you did and the work others did to make you a success.
9) In the interview, listen to the questions you are asked and be sure that you understand the question before answering.  If the question is too broad to enable you to give a good answer, ask the interviewing to help you understand better what he or she is trying to learn.
10) Be positive when you talk about your current company, your boss, and your job.  Emphasize that you are looking to make a change to get more of what the company interviewing you has to offer.
11) Write stories of your successes as preparation to discuss how you can contribute to a company’s business.

Outline for an Interview Agenda

Candidates have found that the following outline is effective in getting the job.

In using this type of outline to prepare for an interview, a person will have anticipated and practiced how
to handle many of the questions and contingencies that may arise in a job interview.

  1. Why I am Interested in Working for Your Company
  2. What I Bring to a Company in Your Industry
  3. My Plans for Developing Your Business
  4. Ways that I Will Implement This Plan

WHY I AM INTERESTED IN WORKING FOR YOUR COMPANY

  •        The reputation of the company
  •        The long history of success of the company
  •        The appeal of the industry
  •        The opportunity to work in an environment that enables me to use my skills
  •        The company commitment to respecting and honoring their employees with programs
  •        The opportunity to work in the field of my choice

WHAT I BRING TO A THIS INDUSTRY

  •        Creatively and enthusiastically use the knowledge I gained in college to make the organization
    more successful
  •        Have a range of appropriate skills
  •        Have developed marketing strategies to include customer service, pricing, and product selection

Fifth, Thank You Letter

Your name
Street address
City, State Zip
Phone
Email address

Date

Mr. /Ms. Interviewer
Name of company
Street address, City, State Zip

Dear Mr. /Ms. Interviewer:

Thank the person for meeting with you.

Express your impression of the company.

Express your interest in the job.

Best regards,

Your name

Extra Tools and Tips

  1. Reference material
  2.  Work your network by making a list of every possible contact you have ever made in business and contact these people for ideas and opportunities.
  3. Ask for referrals of every person you contact.
  4. Lay out your goals as specifically as you can, but be aware that the more flexible you are in terms of money, location, and opportunity the more opportunities you will have available to you.
  5. Contingency recruiter or retained recruiter?  In practice, how a recruiter is compensated is not nearly as important as what contacts the recruiter has.  Typically, retained recruiters are conducting searches where the salary is above $750,000 and involve “C” level managers.
  6. Be organized.  Make a list daily of your contacts, what you discussed what action you have taken and what action needs to be taken.
  7. Read the want ads in the local newspaper, national publications, and especially trade journals. Become an expert on what is in the job market.
  8. Before approaching a company directly, research it thoroughly.  How is it structured?  Bottler, distributor, direct, or broker sales?  Public or private?  Do you have a referral to get your foot in the door, etc.?  Who are the key managers for the job you are seeking? To whom do these people report?
  9. Prepare for an interview the same way you would prepare for a major sales call, business review, or planning session where you are the key presenter.
  10. Follow up on contacts you have made.
A Winning Resume Compels the Reader to Interview You.

Resume Writing Made Simple: Here’s How

Resume Writing: Are you sending out your resume and not getting interviews? These tips will help you write a resume that attracts interviewers.

Resume Writing Made Simple: Here’s How

The fact is that most people don’t read your resume.  If they look at your resume at all, they spend 5 or 6, maybe 10 seconds to scan your resume before deleting it.

By writing a simple, effective resume, you will not only increase how many people read it; you will have a useful tool.  You can use the dates from your resume to complete job applications.  If you keep your resume simple, you can easily revise your resume to fit different jobs.

Accomplishments versus Experience

Experience Counts but Accomplishments Count More.

Here are three examples of how to word a resume loaded with accomplishments:

Increased sales 10% by setting a deadline for the purchases.

Reduced costs 15% by requiring competitive bids from suppliers.

Built customer base 25% through increased cold calls.

Remember to emphasize achievements and not just tasks or the name of the positions you held.

Simple, powerful format that holds the reader’s attention

Keep your resume simple.  Follow the most popular format.  Here is the format most people use.

Your contact Information first: Name, phone number, email

List your most recent jobs next.  Include the dates of these jobs.  In addition to accomplishments, include skills that match the job requirements the employer listed in the job specifications.  Use bullets to list your accomplishments.
Close your resume with your education.  Include any academic accomplishments or recognition.

Killer Cover Letter

[Name of Person]:

The purpose of this email is to submit my resume for [name of position].

I have a car and live locally to your position. I am available for employment immediately.

May I provide you with additional information on my experience?

Thank you for reviewing my resume,

[Your Name]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your email address]

Cut out the deadwood.

Hobbies, references, compensation, long paragraph, details on jobs with well-known functions, details on jobs that date back in time are examples of deadwood.

Other examples include an objective or a summary at the top of your resume.

Headlines sell the story

Resume Headlines and Why They Matter

 Resume Headlines and Why They Matter

“Writing headlines is a specialty – there are outstanding writers who will tell you they couldn’t write a headline to save their lives.” – The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership, Bill Walsh

Resumes headlines are also known as resume titles.  They serve several purposes.  Here are two of them.

First, they raise the number of times your resume appears in keyword searches.   This purpose is critical to ensuring that hiring managers even find your resume on the Internet or in their database.

Second, in a glance, the hiring manager or the recruiter can decide whether to take time to read your resume.  In most cases, resume readers do little more than glance at resumes before deciding to read them.

Headlines in the Resume Objective

A good place to insert the headline is in the objective statement.  Headlines should be at the top of the resume.  Resume writers put the objective at the top of the resume.

Headlines in the Summary of Experience

A headline should be concise.  Overloading a resume with an objective plus a summary of experience is not wise.  It could discourage hiring managers and recruiters from reading your resume.

If you are going to use either as a headline for your resume, I recommend that you use a summary of experience.  A hiring manager or a recruiter will decide to interview you based on your experience.  They usually infer that your career objective matches their interest by the mere fact that you have applied for a specific job.

Writing attention-getting resume headlines just got a lot easier.

Writing great headlines is not always easy.  Some people have special skills for writing the headline in media.  In many cases, media companies leave the headline writing to the copy editors.  To repeat the opening quote, “Writing headlines is a specialty – there are outstanding writers who will tell you they couldn’t write a headline to save their lives.”

However, here is a simple tip for word selection for your resume headline.

In a very straight forward fashion, just copy the job title and other wording from the job description.  Then paste the same wording into your resume headline. When hiring managers or recruiters are doing resume searches, they are logically looking for wording that matches the wording of their job description.

Headlines sell the story.  Let a great one sell your story.

The Simple Way to Write a Killer Resume

The Simple Way to Write a Killer Resume

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy.  It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.” David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man

During the three decades I worked as a recruiter, I scanned thousands of resumes.  I say scanned, because I spent less than ten seconds looking at most of these resumes.

Hiring managers and recruiters don’t actually read most resumes.  Resumes must grab the reader’s attention.  They must compel the reader to read them.

If they don’t, hiring managers and recruiters just don’t read them, and, if it’s your resume, you don’t get an interview.

I contracted with over a hundred hiring companies, and I received positive and negative feedback on resumes.  Here are three things I learned.

Accomplishments

State what you did as accomplishments.  For example, don’t simply say that you did A, B, and C.  Say that you accomplished #1, #2, and #3 by doing A, B, and C.  You will increase the impact of your resume and separate yourself from other people who just list job titles.

Simple Format

Layout the resume in a simple format with the most important information at the top of the resume.

Keywords

Use keywords. These are words that will show up in a resume search.  These words are job titles, names of companies and products, names of skills, names of schools, certificates, degrees, etc.

Here is a simple format.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Your name
Street address
City, State Zip
Home phone
Cell phone
Email address

OBJECTIVE AND SUMMARY
Stating an objective or a giving a summary at the beginning of the resume is common practice.  Stating an objective or providing a summary is optional.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY 
There is no sentence structure in a resume.  The wording in a resume is simply a series of statements of actions and accomplishments.

For example, this is a sentence: I doubled the company’s sales in 6 months.
This is resume wording: Doubled company’s sales in 6 months.

The history in a resume is just a list that includes employment periods, performance, skills, responsibilities, accomplishments, and education.

(Most recent job first)
Company Name; company Location, From –to
Most recent title, Location, From – to

Use bullet format.
•        List things you have accomplished.  Do not waste space on your just giving a job description.  List things that showed that you made a difference in the positions you held.
•        Use facts—for example, exceeded assigned sales goal by 30%, reduced costs, promoted people, saved time, increased productivity, etc.
•        Employers and recruiters search their databases for specific words, so list successes with specific industry words or functions.  Include the real name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e.g., Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.

Next List Previous Titles at this company and again list successes and accomplishments in bullet format.

Then include Previous Companies going back in time from most recent.

EDUCATION
Normally, education goes at the bottom of the resume.  People who have recently received an educational degree or credential that alters their employability might consider putting education at the top of the resume.

Other items that might go at the bottom of the resume are awards, extra skills, volunteer work, or perhaps some relevant college employment.

How to Shorten Your Resume for Readability

Avoiding the following items might make the difference whether a hiring manager reads your resume.

Objective
Summary
Hobbies
References
References available on request
Compensation
Long paragraph formats
Long-winded discussions of core responsibilities
Too many details on jobs with well-known functions
Details on jobs that date back in time
Paragraph formatting
Third person reference

More Career Articles
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Resumes for Managers
Resumes for Recent College Graduates

Employment Gaps on Your Resume

If you have employment gaps on your resume, you are not alone.  It is not usual for job seekers to have employment gaps.  People take a year off work to travel.  Some people have these employment gaps from periods of recession.  In other cases, job seekers have been in a situation where the need for their skills was very low.

In other cases, job seekers have taken off to take care of their family.  In some cases, job seekers have gone through personal problems, such as depression or drug addiction.

There is no way to know how an employer will view gaps in your employment.  Each employer may view gaps in experience differently.

When you write your resume, you might omit the dates of the unemployment and omit the explanation for a gap in your employment.  If the question comes up in an interview, simply say in a short statement why you have the gap in your employment.  Write and rehearse giving an answer that is true, believable, and completely provides an explanation for your absence.  For example, if you took a year off to travel, you might simply say, “I had the money and the opportunity to travel places I would not likely be able to see if I waited to visit them.”

Effective employer recruiters will notice the omission of the dates of unemployment and will often not ask you about these gaps until you have an interview.

Qualifications

Typically, the first thing that an employer looks for are your qualifications.  If you have strong qualifications for a job, an employer might disregard the gap in your employment on your resume and invite you in for an interview.

You will find greater success by being selective about the jobs for which you apply.  If you send out hundreds of resumes to companies that have no need for your experience, you will have few interviews relative to the number of jobs for which you apply.  The fact that you have a gap in your experience will have little bearing on your getting a job when you are not qualified for that job in the first place.

Therefore, write your resume to show how your qualifications fit the job opening.

Resumes that are Short and Sweet

Here are some tips for creating resumes that are short and sweet.  These tips will help resume readers see you as a great applicant.  Your credentials will stand out immediately.

Eliminate the summary of your experience.

People often include a summary of the experience at the top of a resume.  The information in your summary belongs with your accomplishments within the body of your resume.  Putting a summary of your experience at the top is unnecessary, is a reading burden, and wastes space.

Eliminate your high school graduation if you are a college grad.

People who have to read resumes do not need to read that you have a high school diploma.  The fact that you have started attending college or have graduated from college shows that you have a high school diploma or the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Eliminate full sentences for your accomplishments and skills.

  1. Increased revenue by 10%
  2. Managed a team to create nationally recognized software development process
  3. Fluent in French, conversant in Spanish
  4. Type 55 words per minute
  5. Operated forklifts and narrow aisle trucks

Eliminate non-skill or education information on your resume.

Hobbies, interests, references, and personal recognition do not belong on your resume.

Include information on certificates and credentials you are studying or have completed.

Even if the certificates or credentials do not apply specifically to the job for which you are applying, a brief statement on these additional studies may broaden a resume reader’s view of your skills.  There may be jobs beyond the one for which you are applying and for which these studies make you fit.

Include information on your major, minor, and other important studies.

  1. Majored in computer science
  2. Minored in math
  3. Completed advanced studies in data analysis
  4. Received a certificate for heat transfer engineering
  5. Interned as an assistant project manager at [specific company]
  6. Studied music for a year under the orchestra master at [name of school]

Include a specific area on your resume for volunteer work.

Volunteer work and community service are important things to have on your resume.  They are particularly meaningful to a person reading your resume when the experiences fit the job for which you are applying.  List the organizations and functions just the way your list companies and skills or accomplishments in your resume.

How to Bridge Employment Gaps in Your Resume

If you have gaps in your resume, you are not alone.  Long recessions and a restructuring of the economy in the United States have created new complications for people who need to find jobs.

New types of jobs often require that job seekers develop new skills.  In some cases, job seekers must receive certifications, credentials, or licenses that require formal training.  Some of this training can require that job seekers take time from work.

The result is that many people go through extended periods of unemployment.  According to an article in USA Today, 20% of the people who have lost work over the past 5 years are still unemployed, and many of those who found work are in temporary jobs.

Knowing how to handle unemployment gaps on your resume is important.

There is value in doing consulting work, temporary assignments, and even volunteer work.  Include information on your resume to help people know what you are doing in addition to seeking a new job.

Job searching involves fundamentals.

The uncertainty of job searching can challenge you mentally, emotionally, and physically.  Your finances become uncertain.  Trying to focus on job searching is just part of the mental challenge of finding a job.  Finding mentors and working with friends can help you stay focused and positive as you go through the daily grind of getting a job.  Practicing the fundamentals of contacting employers, making applications, and continuing to seek employment are all critical to finding a job.

Your social media profile has a role in job search.  

Maintain consistency between your social media and your resume.  If you place a record of your career track on LinkedIn or Google Plus, make sure that the records you keep on those websites and profiles on other sites are consistent with each other and with your resume.

List employment periods in years.

Job seekers frequently list periods of employment in years only.  The goal of your resume is to get you to an interview.  If there are periods of weeks of unemployment in your past, getting to an interview to discuss those periods of unemployment is better than not getting to an interview at all.

How to Write a Resume

How to write a resume: having a resume is an essential part of getting a job for most people.  I based the information in this article on two sources.  The first source is the hundreds of resumes I have read as a corporate recruiter.  The second source is the feedback I have received from hiring managers, staffing managers, other recruiters, and from interviewing hundreds of applicants.  These are suggestions only, but the layout is a working format.  If you replace the information below with your information, you will have written a resume.

A resume is similar to a job application.  When you complete a job application, you will need to list the jobs you have had, where you performed those jobs, and when you had those jobs.  Therefore, you will find it useful to have your resume with you as you complete job applications.

Related Articles
Resumes for Managers
Resumes for Recent College Graduates

CONTACT INFORMATION
Your name
Street address
City, State Zip
Home phone
Cell phone
Email address

OBJECTIVE AND SUMMARY
Stating an objective or a giving a summary at the beginning of the resume is common practice.  Stating an objective or providing a summary is optional.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY 
There is no sentence structure in a resume.  The wording in a resume is simply a series of statements of actions and accomplishments.

For example, this is a sentence: I doubled the company’s sales in 6 months.
This is resume wording: Doubled company’s sales in 6 months.

The history in a resume is just a list that includes employment periods, performance, skills, responsibilities, accomplishments, and education.

(Most recent job first)
Company Name; company Location,   From –to
Most recent title, Location, From – to

Use bullet format.
•        List things you have accomplished.  Do not waste space on your just giving a job description.  List things that showed that you made a difference in the positions you held.
•        Use facts—for example, exceeded assigned sales goal by 30%, reduced costs, promoted people, saved time, increased productivity, etc.
•        Employers and recruiters search their databases for specific words, so list successes with specific industry words or functions.  Include the real name of your product categories, product names, sales accounts, functions (e.g., Profit & Loss, Market Research or Software Names, New Product Development, Market Insights, Innovation), etc.

Then include Previous Companies going back in time from most recent.

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EDUCATION
Normally, education goes at the bottom of the resume.  People who have recently received an educational degree or credential that alters their employability might consider putting education at the top of the resume.

Other items that might go at the bottom of the resume are awards, extra skills, volunteer work, or perhaps some relevant college employment.

HOW TO SHORTEN YOUR RESUME FOR READABILITY
Hiring managers only spend seconds looking at each resume.  They are going through stacks of resumes, often in documents that they have to open one at a time.

Avoiding the following items might make the difference as to whether a hiring manager reads your resume.

Objective
Summary
Hobbies
References
References available on request
Compensation
Long paragraph formats
Long-winded discussions of core responsibilities
Too many details on jobs with well-known functions
Details on jobs that date back in time
Paragraph formatting
Third person reference