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Summarize Yourself with a Resume Cloud

August 3, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

resume cloudWhen visiting websites, especially blogs, you may have begun to notice words of varying sizes in a display off in the margin. Known as a tag cloud, or word cloud, these are visual depictions of the word content of a site.  Basically, they visually summarize the main theme of a website; the more a particular word is used in blog posts, the larger the font of the term in the word cloud.

By presenting a weighted view of a site, users immediately know the key concepts discussed there.  Now, you can easily see what your resume says about you by creating a resume cloud.  Just as a site visitor can quickly get information from a word cloud, you can quickly see what points stand out on your resume.  A resume cloud gives you a new perspective on your resume, demonstrating what really stands out and most likely what a hiring manager or HR personnel sees.

Creating your own resume cloud is very easy.  Simply paste the text of your resume into the form at http://www.jobgoround.com/tools/resume-tag-cloud/ and with the click of a button get your own resume cloud.  If you have several different versions of your resume, it can be very interesting to compare the different resume clouds. It’s interesting and fun to see what your resume really says about you and your experience.

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Job Hunting? Use Keywords in Your Resume!

March 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

resume writingIf you’re like many job hunters these days you’re looking for ways to get a leg up on your competition in the job market. One place to start is with the large job search engines and job boards, like CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com. But don’t just rely on endless searches through the countless and sometimes non-descript job postings. Make sure you post your resume and profile information and make them available for prospective employers. Many companies will do a search for candidates that match specific job posting requirements, and when they do, you want them to find you. So tailor your resume to make yourself easy to find!

One of the best ways to be easy to find by employers you want to work for and jobs you want to have is to tailor your resume for the job you want. Keywords are key! In your profile and your resume be sure to include a number of different keywords that indicate your skills, experience and interests. For example, if you want to find a job as a marketing consultant specializing in sporting goods, include keywords or phrases such as sporting goods, sports marketing, marketing consultant and sporting goods consultant. Anything that might apply to the industry in which you wish to work and the position you hope to attain will help employers locate you. Additionally, in your profile on the job search sites, be sure to include any and all pertinent information related to your experience. This will help employers filter you in when doing a general search for qualifications.

It can be easy to get lost in the big job search sites. Give yourself an edge on the competition by including important keywords in your profile and your resume when you post them for potential employers to view. Adding keywords can give you the opportunity to found by more employers.

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Resumes: One is Not Enough

February 17, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Writing a good resume is a huge undertaking. Summarizing your work and educational experience in a way that can market you to potential employees can be daunting. And it can be time consuming! But while you’re taking on the challenge, do it again. Having more than one resume can greatly improve your job hunting prospects, as well as making it easier when a customized resume is needed.

One resume is great if you’re applying for the same kind of position at the same kind of company doing the same thing every time you put your resume out there. This isn’t likely the case. When jobs and companies are similar, one resume will work. However, if you apply for positions in different industries or different types of departments within a company you need to have a slightly different focus or slant to your resume. A resume for a marketing coordinator at a telecommunications company is going to look different than a resume for a marketing coordinator at a clothing manufacturer. Focus your skills and experience on what the industry demands. When applying at tech companies highlight your tech skills and list your technical aptitudes and experience. When applying for positions at communications companies, present the skills that relate to that industry at the top of the list. You want to capture the attention of your prospective employer without making them wade through a list of skills that don’t apply to the position they’re trying to fill.

Although writing one resume can be daunting, and writing two can seem like a monumental task, take the time to make at least two or three different versions of your resume. Having a focus that is relevant to the market in which you’d like to be employed can benefit you in the long run.

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Elements of an Effective Resume

January 20, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Writing a resume can be a daunting task, but it’s an absolute necessity when job searching. A resume shows employers your work history, skills and experience. Here are a few elements to include that can help ease the resume writing process.

First, break down the information into sections. To start, you need a section for your name and personal contact information, one for your work experience, and one for your education. You can also add sections for technical experience, club and association membership, certifications, etc. Design your resume to fit your background. The second most important tip is to use bullets. Do not try to fit all of your information into long, descriptive paragraphs. Keep the information brief and include only pertinent information that describes your work experience and skills. Make sure you put the most important information first, and put an emphasis on your achievements instead of your responsibilities. Also, where you can, quantify the information. For example try to include information such as: how many people did you support, how much money did you save, how many pieces of product did you ship? Use numbers to back up your information. And the most important part of writing your resume is proofreading. Do it at least twice, ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors and no typing errors. Have a friend read it as well, they may catch mistakes you’ve overlooked.

When you start your job search, make sure you have an effective resume. Keep it concise, organized, informative and error-free for the best resume results.

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Resume Writing: Things to Avoid

November 30, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

If you’re updating your resume, or even starting a new one, you know there are certain elements to include. However, keep in mind that there are also some things that need to be left out.

When writing your resume, tell the truth. Though it’s tempting to want to stretch the truth, lying is a big no-no in resumes. Most Human Resources departments will do background checks with former employers and false information on a resume will not only ruin your credibility, but it will probably cost you the job. Never list your hobbies on your resume. Professional associations and memberships should be listed, but keep it to work related items not what you enjoy doing in your free time. Also, contrary to what some might think, you do not need to list every employer you’ve ever had. People with a lot of professional experience can begin to remove older positions from their resume, especially if they aren’t relevant to your career now and the jobs to which you are applying. Finally, leave the fancy font and designs off your resume. Keep it simple, professional, and easy to read.

Making sure you include all of your important work experience is vital to a successful resume. Keeping the extraneous elements off it is just as important. Make sure to avoid unnecessary information to ensure an effective resume.

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Are Resume Services Tax Deductible?

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

If you are debating having your resume professionally rewritten you’ll be pleased to learn that the fee for such services may be tax deductible.  Expenses may be itemized on Schedule A and according to IRS Publication 529, resume services are a qualifying job search expense.

However, in order to deduct expenses, there are three conditions which must apply to your job search.

1.    You must be looking for a new job in your same occupation. If you are looking to change careers, your job search will not qualify for deductions.
2.    There must not be a “substantial” break in your employment.  The IRS does not define “substantial”, so be sure to find out the details of this one if you think it may apply to your current situation.
3.    You have previously held another job – or in other words, this can’t be your first job search.

But, if you meet the three criteria above, there are numerous job related expenses that you may be able to deduct.  Actually, most expenses relating to your resume are deductible.  The big ones like resume writing services and distributions even down to the postage used to send out your resume.

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A Good Resume for Every Occasion

August 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

You may have already heard the good resume advice that says it is critical to tailor your resume to each job you apply on. However, this is not necessarily true. Better advice is to create several different resumes for different types of jobs. The reason you cannot use the same resume everywhere is because you want to emphasize different things for different types of jobs. However, tailoring your resume for every single job is an ineffective use of your job search time.

If you are looking for a management position, you will want to point out every occasion when you were in charge of others or took responsibility. However, if you are looking for a customer service job, you may want to focus on your past experience dealing with people. If you are looking for something that you have no paid experience doing, you may want to create a resume that focuses on your volunteer work or your education.

By creating several different resumes, you will be able to save yourself a great deal of time and effort. You can tailor cover letters to specific jobs. That is quite sufficient for your job search. Customized cover letters are perfectly suited to your job search and are a good use of the time you have dedicated to finding a new job.

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Your Resume – An Employer’s First Impression of You

July 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Before a prospective employer ever gets to shake your hand they will already have formed somewhat of an opinion about you. How? By looking at you is your resume.

A resume has to tell this prospective employer why they should call you and grant you the opportunity to meet with them for the chance of gaining employment. Ah, and you thought it was just to tell where you went to school and what jobs you’ve held in the past. Because your resume will be a direct reflection of you, make sure that it is clean, symmetric, and to the point.

Remember that along with your resume, the prospective employer will be viewing many others so yours must stand out. I don’t mean to put it on pink card stock or even to dress it in a binder, but there should be a certain amount of flare to it. Try using some, but not tons of, italics, bold, bullet points, and other font magic to dress your resume up.

Make sure that you are giving an accurate description of yourself, but don’t write a book. Too much information will have them thinking you are a blow-hard that is full yourself, not good. A good rule of thumb is keeping each section of writing to six lines, or less. I could personally write about six pages of information about the college I attended, but my perspective employer isn’t really going to care about who my favorite professor was and where I ate my lunch.

Most importantly, you need to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors in your resume. If you are like I am with spelling, there will be plenty of corrections that will need to be made. Use your spell checker, that’s what it is there for!

Getting your foot in the door at the workplace of your dreams is sometimes a very difficult task. This can be made just a bit easier by ensuring that your resume is not only worthy of you, but also worthy of being read in the first place.

Jason Kay is a professional resume writer and regular contributor to JobGoRound.com, which provides job search tips, interview advice, and resume service reviews.

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Top 5 Professional Resume Services

June 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

As you already know, resumes are the key that unlock the door to the job of your dreams – the job that will provide a secure financial future for you and your family. Whether you are still young and single or married with children, a great job can provide you with the resources to achieve your goals. The hardest part is landing that great job. Although you may have the required education and experience, there is always going to be someone out there who has more – more education, more experience, and more awards.

There are companies out there who can help you get your foot in the door by helping you create a killer resume. These companies are known as professional resume services and there are many online which you can choose from. Some of the most popular professional resume services include:

Although you are bound to find less-known professional resume service providers who will offer this service for next to nothing, it is more important to select a company or individual provider who can boast real results. After all, when it comes to your career, you don’t want to miss out on an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because you were trying to skimp around the edges and keep your costs down.  All of these professional resume writing services have been highly rated by former customers of the services. JobGoRound.com maintains the resume writing service reviews.

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Stand Out From the Crowd with a Video Resume

May 7, 2009 By admin 2 Comments

What is one way to stand out to an employer? By uploading a video resume of yourself. A video resume is basically where you give the employer all of the information he would normally get from a paper resume – and then some – on video tape. You then send your video resume off to the employer, who will watch it and will (hopefully) be won over by your wit and personality.

There are many reasons why a video resume is a good idea, some of which include:

  1. A video resume gives you a chance to showcase your personality and/or people skills, so that you can convince the employer that these traits will make you an asset to the company.
  2. A video resume gives you the chance to show the employer how well you perform while under pressure, a quality that many employers look for in their potential employees.
  3. A video resume gives you a forum to present your case and the space needed to elaborate on your special skills, education, and experience. You can essentially talk to the employer and give him reason after reason why he should choose you – something you can’t do with a paper resume
  4. A video resume allows you to stand out from the crowd and get noticed right away. This benefit is a very important one in a corporate world where employers are inundated with hundreds of resumes for one open position and where a majority of paper resumes are tossed aside when they fail to impress the employer within the first few sentences.

The idea behind a video resume is to show the employer a little bit of who you are and convince him that you are the perfect candidate for the job, instead of relying on a lifeless paper resume to do the job for you. In the end, the goal of a video resume is to persuade the employer into scheduling an interview using this unique approach, when otherwise your resume may not have made it much further than the trash bin.

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