Nuclear Education

When drafting your resume, it is easy to fall into the habit of focusing on the past. After all, much of your resume will consist of a list of things you’ve done—from positions you’ve held to special awards you’ve received to degrees you’ve attained. A resume is, in fact, a compilation of your professional and, in some cases, personal history. Therefore, admittedly, much of your resume will have sentences and clauses that are in the past tense.

And yet, a resume should also be a forward-looking document. In other words, it should not simply indicate where you’ve been—it should also inform a potential employer about where you’re headed. As a result, in order to craft a truly effective resume, you must be somewhat futuristic in your thinking. This means clearly articulating your career goals within the text of your resume.

First Step: Define Your Goals

Placing your career goals on your resume can be quite a challenge if you do not have a clear idea of what those goals are. If you are in this position, you’re certainly not alone. Many of us have difficulty visualizing where we would like to be five or ten years down our career path. In a number of cases, this may be the result of selling ourselves short, thinking that the highest levels of achievement in our chosen field are closed to us because we are lacking in some area—interpersonal communication, written communication, decision-making ability, or other job skills which are critically important for managers.

However, if you talk with someone who has made significant progress in his or her career, you might be surprised to learn that this individual also faced feelings of inadequacy or believed that he or she was ill prepared for the job now held. Even sons and daughters of business owners often have to start out in entry-level jobs before they master the skills and expertise needed to run a company. In other words, it would be wrong to assume that a corporate executive is inherently more talented or more intelligent than you are.

Through research—interviewing executives, reading business magazines, and talking to members of professional organizations that you belong to—you should be able to develop a clearer idea of what your career goals are. Perhaps you would like to secure a managerial position…maybe you’d like to teach at the college level…or perhaps you would like to own your own company some day. Jot both immediate and long-term goals down on paper so you have some idea what kind of information you’d like to convey on your resume.

Showcase Your Goals

Once you have defined your career goals, it is important that you showcase them on your resume. Of course, there are various schools of thought about how to highlight career goals most effectively. Which approach you ultimately decide to take depends on a number of factors: what your colleagues and mentors consider to be most effective; what you yourself are comfortable with; and what is the most appropriate approach for the position you’re attempting to pursue.

One effective means of spotlighting your career goals is by placing them under a “Career Objective” category in your resume. This category affords you the opportunity to clearly articulate the direction in which you’d like your career path to go. If you have more than one career goal to list, it’s perhaps most effective to list your goals in bullet-point format.

But there are also some other creative ways you can indicate your career goals on your resume. For instance, in the supplemental information you provide for each position you’ve held, you can indicate how that particular job—or the duties that came with it—helped to move you toward your career goal. As with all the other text in your resume, this information should be stated clearly and succinctly. A simple phrase can inform a prospective employer about how a position aided you in developing the skills needed for achieving your career goals.

Avoid the Temptation of Omitting Critical Information

Unfortunately, some job seekers become so focused on their career goals that they feel that they have to radically alter their resumes in order to demonstrate their dedication to their goals. Such an approach is sure to backfire because it creates a resume that is misleading. When an employer discovers that you have omitted key information, he or she may be understandably reluctant to hire you.

For instance, consider the following scenario: You’ve just learned about a position that is available at a highly-respected company known for its fantastic promotion policies, benefit packages, and other perks. This is exactly the type of job you’d like to have—not only because of the opportunities it presents, but also because it would help you immensely in accomplishing your long-term career goals.

You decide that a resume re-draft is absolutely essential. However, when you begin the re-writing process, you decide to give a major makeover to the “Experience” section of your resume. You eliminate every job that does not directly relate to your career goal. By “streamlining” your resume, you hope to increase your chances of securing the position you desire.

Unfortunately, things in the business world are not that simple. By omitting references to certain jobs in your resume, you are doing a disservice to your employer—and to yourself. You are making it appear as if you’ve been headed in the same direction throughout your career when, in fact, your career might have taken a number of twists and turns. In addition, your streamlining has resulted in the appearance of serious gaps in your work history. If a would-be employer believes that you were unemployed for long periods of time, he or she may simply place your resume in the reject pile.

Be Open-Minded

Recognize that your career goals can change throughout your employment. As a result, you may need to tinker with the career goals text in your resume every so often. This is not an admission of defeat—rather, it is simply an indication that, as your work experience broadens, your ultimate objectives may evolve, taking you along paths you never dreamed possible.

This is incredible fullest list of 37 questions and answers by theme “How to build a resume”, wchich can help you to “sell” yourself most profitable – to get a job of your dream with salary you want.
1. What is A Resume?
A resume is a presentation of your qualifications for employer. It lets your employer know what type of job you are seeking and highlights your education, experience, skills and other relevant information. A resume (or CV – Curriculum Vitae) only may be the tips to potential employer for determination whether or not you will be interviewed.
2. Does a resume always need to be only one page?
Resume (CV) length should not exceed 2 sides of A4. How much of those two sides you fill depends on how much you have done.
3. Should the education section always be near the top?
If you have recently completed formal education your academic achievements will form a major part of your qualifications, and it is recommended to place these near the top of your resume.
4. Is an objective always necessary?
No, it is not crucial. But however an employer will be impressed if you have a focused idea of where you want your career to be heading.
5. What if I haven’t done very much to fill up my resume?
This does not matter. If build a resume is a problem – use sensible formatting and fonts so that you comfortably fill one side of A4.
6. Do hobbies and personal interests need to be shown?
It is not imperative but it can provide an employer with an insight into your personality.
7. Must references be included?
One note that ‘References available on request’ will be sufficient.
8.What should be on my resume?
Contact details, Date of birth and nationality, an introduction, employment history, academic qualifications, hobbies and interests are enough for resume building.
9. What shouldn’t I put on my resume?
Religion, references, sexuality, why you left your previous jobs, all your school grades, a photo, lies should not be included into resume.
10. Do I have to include all of my exam results?
No, just the most recent.
11. In what order do I list information?
Contact details at the top, a brief introduction, employment history, education, interests hobbies. Follow this simple instructions:
– The heading is first.
– The objective is second.
– All other headings are listed as they relate to your job objective. Build a resume that highlight your objective and enhances you as a candidate for the job you are seeking.
12. What sort of paper should I print it on?
The best quality that you can get your hands on, but don’t get paper that is too thick .
13. In what text format should I save my resume so that it can be e-mailed?
Employer unequivocally can read your resume in *.txt attachment. However this format does not allow you to include attractive formatting. The MS Word document or PDF will probably be suitable. If you want to be certain you could paste a txt version of your resume into the body of the e-mail and attach a Word or PDF version.
14. How can I ensure that my resume will be read?
Resumes (CVs) usually aren’t read at first. They are scanned. So, how to build a resume to be easily scanned:
– Present information in concise, compact statements.
– Leave irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate information off your resume.
– Organise your information so that the reader doesn’t have to hunt for your skills.
15. Do I need more than one resume?
Construct a ‘core resume (CV)’ using the ‘How to build a killer resume’ guide then configure that to the recipient each time you send it out.
16. How far back should I go with the information I put on my resume?
Ten years is usually required. However, there are certain situations in which experience from more than ten years ago may be advantageous to show on your resume.
17. What are some common components of a resume?
They are:
– Identification: Your name, address, and home and/or message phone number with area code, and e-mail address should be placed at the top of the resume.
– Objective: Describe your career or professional objective. Be specific and include what you want to do for the employer – not what you want the employer to do for you.
– Summary: Used by the candidate with experience; briefly state your achievements, the range of your experience and the environment in which you have worked.
– Employment: Describe your job history in reverse chronological order – most History recent first.
– Education: Build your resume with list of educational experience, most recent first.
– Skills: Include into your resume (Curriculum Vitae, CV) foreign language fluency, knowledge of computers including specific hardware, software, operating systems and anything else that may be relevant.
– Community: Create a resume with information about any volunteer efforts, including name of organization, dates and a brief description of your activities and experiences.
– References: List professional references on a separate page. You may want to state that references are “available upon request”.
18. How long is the standard resume?
See question #2. The general tips of resume building are to use enough space to provide all info and to write only relevant information about yourself.
19. What resume style is preferred by employers?
There are three resume building styles: Chronological, Functional, and Combination. Chronological resumes present your work history and experience most recent first. Functional resumes focus on the skills and abilities that have been acquired and can be applied to new career opportunities. Combination resumes combine elements of both the chronological and functional formats.
20. Are All Resumes Alike?
I wrote above there are three basic types of resumes. The format you select should be the one you believe will best allow you to target your education, experience, and skills towards your career objectives.
21. What is a Scannable Resume?
A scannable resume is one that may be “read” by a computer equipped with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) hardware and software. They scans your resume and puts data into a database. The software then creates a summary of your resume and ranks it among other qualified candidates for the position. This process, sometimes called electronic applicant tracking, is gathering popularity among medium- to large-sized companies as an initial employment screening device.
22. Why are the Employers Using Scannable Resumes?
Scannable resumes have advantages for employers:
– Employers can simply search through their database and identify names with the specific experience, skills, and qualifications.
– Human Resource departments can be much smaller because this technology speeds up the entire hiring process.
23. What is an Online Resume?
An online resume is a plain text document (*.txt) which can be cut-and-pasted into online forms. It can be used by resume builder because ASCII files are recognized by PC’s, Macintoshes, UNIX Workstations, and mainframe terminals.
24. Why do I need an Online Resume?
You can build a resume in online version and to send it to companies who are soliciting resumes via e-mail. Frequently the companies who are calling for resumes want them in the form of a plain text document sent in the body of an e-mail message – NOT PDF, NOT MS WORD.
25. Can’t I just send my resume as an email attachment?
Sending any attachments through email can be tricky, and the last thing you want to do is make a potential employer work to read your resume. There are many types of computer systems, increasing the risk that the program that you create your resume in will not be compatible to the computer of the receiver, making it impossible for them to open up the attachment. The online resume solves that problem as you import it directly into the text body of the email message. Its simple, plain text look is easy for employers to read through email.
26. What is a Functional Resume?
The Functional Resume is a resume in which the resume builder organized information by skill sets. These resumes design focus on individuals whose education and experiences do not obviously match their career objective.
27. Who Should Use a Functional Resume?
Functional Resumes can be used for people who have a History or Psychology degree. In these cases it may be easier for the student to highlight their Communication, Computer Skills, Leadership, Research, Administration, and Management. A functional resume allows such people to feature their volunteer and other non-paid experiences. It also includes individuals who have multi-track job histories, or work history gaps.
28. What are the Benefits of Using a Functional Resume?
Functional Resumes are beneficial in these ways:
– Utilizes volunteer, unpaid and non-work experiences.
– Demonstrates precisely the skills that the employer wants.
– Eliminates work history that does not support your current objective.
– Directs the emloyer to what you want them to notice.
29. What is a reference?
A reference is someone who knows you well and can builds talk about your job related qualifications with a potential employer. Many employers will want a list of your references, including addresses and phone numbers.
30. How many references do I need?
You will need at least three to five references as a recent college graduate. It is also a good idea to tailor your references to the job for which you are applying.
31. Who do I ask to be my reference?
Someone who knows you well through a job, class or organization. Find someone who can make a positive statement about your skills, work habits, and other qualifications. There are three main kinds of references:
– Professional References are the best help, it can provide the potential employer with specific work habits and abilities.
– Academic References can also assist you in finding a job in your chosen field, for example a professor in your major can attest to your knowledge base and study habits.
– Personal References are usually not recommended unless the potential employer specifically asks for them. Generally, personal references get the least amount of attention from employers.
32. What Is A Cover Letter?
A cover letter is an accompanying letter that serves as the introduction to your resume. No resume should be sent without one. The cover letter is created separately and individually for each position for which you express an interest.
33. What Is The Purpose Of The Cover Letter?
The purpose of the cover letter is to introduce yourself to an organization, demonstrate your interest in the company or a specific vacancy, draw attention to your resume and motivate the reader to interview you. A cover letter tells a potential employer that you are available, qualified, and interested in employment. Cover letters personalize your resume by briefly highlighting your strengths as they relate to the position sought.
34. How Should Cover Letters Be Organized?
The cover letter typically consists of three parts: Introduction, Body, and Closing. Within these three parts you must get the following three points across:
– Why you are specifically interested in the organization?
– Why they should be particularly interested in you?
– When and how you will contact them to follow up on your letter and schedule an appointment.
35. Should cover letters be personalized to match each job opportunity?
Yes, certainly! The cover letter is your chance to personalize the resume to highlight your strengths as they relate to the needs of an employer. Often this means simply changing the address, salutation and opening paragraph to specify the employer. The manual of resume building recommends to personalize the cover letter in any manner that you can because such cover letters assist in grabbing the attention of an employer.
36. Should a cover letter always be included with a resume or application?
YES, of course! Cover letters clarify what are you seeking and highlight your strengths to an employer’s needs.
37. Where Can I Learn More About Resume Writing?
Available steps are:
– Look at the sample resume handouts, and the many resume-related resources in the Career Discovery Center.
– Request Career Services to present a Resume Writing Workshop to your club or organization.
– Schedule a Resume Review with a Career Associate.
– Make an appointment to discuss your resume with a member of the Career Services staff.
– Look for additional FAQ pages, including Action Verbs to Enhance Your Resume.

Top 8 Resume Myths

 

There was a time when myths ruled the world. Myths were used to explain why the crops did not grow or why villagers got sick or why it did not rain. Despite the significant strides humanity has made since the Ancient times, it is very surprising that myths continue to proliferate even in the corporate world of the 21st Century, especially with resume making. Most of these resume myths have handed down from one generation to another by word of mouth, and in writing by some, giving more credence to these myths and making them more believable.

 

 

We shall deal with the top eight (8) common resume myths, examine them and expose the folly behind them. After separating the fact from fiction we hope that you will learn something from this exercise and make your own excellent resume

 

Myth 1. RESUMES SHOULD NOT EXCEED 1 PAGE

 

People who give credence to this myth argue that regardless of a person’s experiences or his competencies and skills, it is always possible for a job applicant to reduce all his accomplishments, experiences and skills in a one-page resume format. The basis logic this myth is not difficult to understand. People think that Human Resource Managers and professionals do not have time to read resumes in a more-than-one-page format and that they will prefer a single-page resume compared to a two-page resume.

 

 

Nothing could be farther from the truth. While it is true that a job applicant’s failure to condense his resume in one-page resume may leave the impression that the resume is verbose and wordy, there is, however such a thing as a resume that is “too brief.”

 

 

A job applicant who has an extensive employment history may find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to actually prepare a one-page resume. We advise you not to make this mistake. You will be committing a serious injustice to yourself by omitting important achievements and significant accomplishments in your career. It is not a one-page resume that the employers what to see but an extensive listing of your accomplishments and achievements that is relevant to the position you are applying for.

 

 

In sum, if you are held more than three jobs or have worked for more than three employers, we strongly recommend that you list down all the relevant accomplishments and achievements even if it reaches the second page.

 

 

Myth 2. MORE THAN THREE –PAGE RESUME IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN A SINGLE-PAGE RESUME

 

Myth 2 is the exact opposite of Myth 1. Both are equally wrong!

 

 

While writing your resume in more than three pages gives you the opportunity to fully disclose all your accomplishments and achievements, the reality is that the Human Resource Manager do not have the time and patience to read everything that is written in your resume. You have to realize that these professionals have to scan through hundreds if not thousands of resumes. With the explosion of Internet technology, the task of Human Resource Managers and employment professionals in scanning through resumes has become more difficult. Writing your resume in this manner will only give these professionals justification for not reading your resume.

 

 

Excellent resumes are similar to a woman’s skirt. It should be short enough to attract attention but long enough to cover the essentials. Resumes that are either too short or too long will not do the trick. We strongly suggest that in writing your resume you should limit it to no more than two-and-a-half pages in length.

 

Myth 3. UNUSUAL AND UNIQUE RESUMES GIVE THE EDGE

 

Advocates of the third myth argue that in resume writing it is absolutely imperative that the job applicant captures the attention of the Human Resource Manager. As a result, job applicants have gone to great lengths just to attract the attention of these professionals. Some have used orange resumes or black resumes. Others have gone as far as attaching a full-body picture on their resume. Others have made a collage out of their resume. Do not make the same mistakes as these job applicants.

 

 

While it is true that these kinds of resume attract the attention of Human Resource Managers, it does not necessarily mean that they will automatically schedule you for an interview. On the other hand, this plan may even work to your disadvantage as the manager may think that you are not serious about your job, or you are eccentric or you are immature. We do not believe you want your Managers to have this kind of first impression about yourself!

 

Myth 4. CHARACTER REFERENCES ARE A MUST

 

People who give credence to the fourth myth argue that by including a list of your character references to your resume you personality will be enhanced. They think that this will give the Human Resource Managers the impression that the job applicant is more qualified than the other candidates. While it is true that listing two or three of your references in the resume may give you the appearance of being reliable and trustworthy, it is equally true that references are not as important as listing all your achievements, accomplishments and qualifications. It will be better for you to wisely use this space and include therein everything that has relevance to the position being applied for.

 

 

Reality check: employers will not ask for your references unless they have actually shown interest in you as a potential candidate. You will not get their interest simply by enumerating your references. The key is to convince them first that you are the right man/woman for the job.

 

Myth 5. SALARY HISTORY ADDS TO YOUR GLORY

Supporters of this myth argue that if you have received substantial salary raises throughout your career, then you must include your Salary History. Their reason is obvious. They think that by showing your salary progression you create an image in the Human Resource Manager’s and employment professionals’ mind that you are important in your own company. It creates an impression that you are a contributor and are valued in your own company.

 

 

The following reasons however will suggest that it will be better for you to make good use of the limited space in your resume by including your accomplishments and achievements:

 

1. It is suggestive that you are more interested in money that the kind of work that you do

2. Human Resource Managers would rather see in your resume what you can give them not what you want to receive from them.

 

3. Focusing on you high value before convincing them that you are worth the money may turn off your employers

 

The better marketing strategy is not to immediately reveal how costly you are instead let them know first how important you are and what you can contribute to the company.

 

Myth 6. SPORTS AND HOBBIES SHOULD BE SPECIFIED

 

Another myth that found its way in the corporate world is that it is a must for you to include your sports, hobbies and other extra-curricular activities in your resume. The advocates of this myth would want you to believe that Human Resource Managers and employment professionals are looking for well-rounded individuals whose skills are not limited to what they are applying for. They want you to think that you will have an edge over the other job applicants if you will create an image that you are multi-talented, physically active, and interesting individual.

 

We strongly advise against this plan. While we believe that you should continue with your sports and hobbies, we do not find it necessary for these topics to be included in your resume. You should realize that an extensive enumeration of all your sports and hobbies in your resume may even create a wrong impression about you. Your employer may think that you are not interested in your job. Or they may think that you devote more time to extra-curricular activities rather than your job. Or they may think that you have an unhappy marriage and you make sports and hobbies as your outlet. We do not believe you want your employers to have this first impression on you.

 

 

Myth 7. AGE, SEX, MARITAL STATUS, HEIGHT AND WEIGHT MUST BE INCLUDED

Of all the Resume Myths this is considered as the worse. Age, Sex, Marital Status, Height and Weight have no place in a resume. Please be reminded that because of the enactment of civil rights legislations decades ago you no longer need to include personal information about yourself. The Civil Right Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 have rendered this idea obsolete. From the point of view of employment professionals and managers they are not interested in seeing your personal information for fear that job applicants may later on complain that they have been discriminated against. Besides, including personal information in your resume may even work against you as the Human Resource Manager may even use this personal information as a way of excluding you from the short list of candidates.

 

 

We strongly suggest that instead of writing personal information about yourself you should make good use of the limited space by emphasizing your accomplishments and achievements.

 

Myth 8 PERSONAL PHOTOS MAKE YOUR RESUME MORE APPEALING

 

Unless you are applying for the position of a commercial model or an actor or actress, you personal photo has no business being included in your resume. No matter how attractive you think you are it is better practice not to include your personal photo in your resume. Again, we would like to emphasize, your appearance simply has no relevance. Instead, we strongly suggest that you make good use of the limited space by emphasizing your accomplishments and achievements.

 

 

If you need more help in writing or editing your resume please visit our website at www.ewritegigs.com.

 

Photo credits: Flickr.com