Most writing about resumes comes from people experienced in hiring, usually by creating a pool of qualified applicants and selecting the best from that pool. They have an interest in organizing to make their jobs easier. In the course of working with thousands of people changing jobs, we have found some things that don't necessarily help recruiters organize, but do help the people behind the resumes. Use what makes sense to you.
We would like to hear about your experiences. To contact Sales Lab, email dickdavies@aol.com.
Here are five areas that professional resume writers use to improve development speed and the results job seekers get from resumes. Figuring out the best way to present these five areas creates your best resume.
Most resume writers use only two to three parts of this system.
1. Dates - Just use years. Most recent date includes "present" if you write the resume while you have any connection with your employer (including severance).
2. Title - Since you can only use one title for each chronology entry (I say so), use the best one.
3. Organization - I once consolidated three short positions over an18 month period when I discovered the subject had stayed to complete one project which was being passed around three different contractors.
Organize for your advantage.
1. Management Function-The four line functions are Research & Development, Production, Marketing and Finance. There are three staff functions, Human Resource Development, Secretarial and Legal (that's Corporate Secretary, not word processing), and External Affairs. In my experience, the best resumes have a functional positioning.
2. Skills and Experience-I once built a resume for an "Orchestra Conductor." At the same time I also built a functional resume for him that was positioned for Marketing/Fundraising/Public Relations. The Marketing resume got him the job as an orchestra conductor.
3. Industry experience-There are industries that require experience specific to that particular industry. Industries where you start at the bottom and gain experience, like computer programmers, wildcatters, soldiers and sailors (staying in their field) can use an industry experience positioning.
General Management/Corporate Vision
Marketing/Enrollment/Fund-raising
General Management Executive
Marketing/Operations/Finance
Hospitality Management Executive
Assistant to a Senior Executive
Information Systems Management
Marketing/Finance/Computing
Strategy
Applied Research-Product/Process Development
Sales/ Marketing Management
Direct Sales/Advertising/Promotion
Strategy Development & Execution...Team Building...Product Development Direct Sales . . . Sales Management
Account Development/Training/Promotion
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT /
ASSISTANT TO A SENIOR EXECUTIVE
Sales/Marketing Operations
Direct Sales/Training/Administrative
Systems
TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Assessment/Application/Commercialization
Computer Operations
Hardware Programs Networks
Macintosh, IBM PC's,
DEC, Nova, Micos , IBM 4330, HP 3000 Novell, TOPS, AppleShare, 3Com
A top telemarketer and award winning programmer ...I use telephones and computers to uncover competitive information, feed reseller networks, and close key accounts better than direct sales forces.
COLLEGE ACE TURNS PROFESSIONAL
Deadline-Proven Writer/Editor Seeks
Assignment
Times 14 is the best typeface for resumes. Use italic or bold, but sparingly. If you need more space, shrink the side, bottom, and finally the top margins before you reduce the type size. As you get older, your arms get shorter, so small type is harder to read.
I don't like words like "resume", "objective" "work history", and "education", to identify your "resume", "objective" "work history", and "education". If the reader can't tell what it is, write it better!
If you see a great advertisement that does not name the company, find the three best suspects and go talk to them all. Your chances are better at the two companies that didn't run the ad, because they aren't swamped with 500 resumes they have to read before they can hire someone.
When you call, don't ask if they got your letter (the only sane response is "no"). Instead tell them you want to meet them, and when they ask why, tell them the story you sent in the letter.
I had one prospect who got my letter ask me if I had been on the Tonight Show. He knew the story, just didn't know why.
Do you know organizations that need to communicate better?
Contact Dick Davies at Sales Lab,
for explosive growth, abundant cash flow.
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