Matching Your Qualifications With Their Needs
The number of resumes received by employers continues to be overwhelming as the job market begins to pick up this year. The challenge for you, as a job seeker, is to get your cover letter/resume noticed - to stand out from the crowd. More and more candidates are using a cover letter/resume that demonstrates the match between the employer's requirements (Your Needs) and the skills and experience that they have to offer (My Qualifications).

An example of this type of cover letter/resume is shown below. For some candidates this can be a very effective tool.

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Six Tricks to a Clutter-Free Resume
Six Tricks to a Clutter-Free Resume

from CareerBuilder.com
In the world of job searching, bigger, flashier, more
colorful and louder isn't always better. While some
people feel the need to use elaborate fonts, bright
paper, or graphics and animation in hopes of getting
attention, it is often wiser to take a minimalist
approach to your resume.

One of the biggest reasons why simple is often safer
in today's job market is technology. Applicant
tracking systems help HR managers sift through the
numerous resumes they receive. This means that the
first person who reads your resume may not be a
person, but rather a computer, and that your paper
resume will be scanned in and turned into an
electronic file that is viewed by a computer system.
Because it is sent through a scanner, your resume
needs to be clear, concise and free from distracting
characteristics. Plus, more and more companies are
using online applications and requesting candidates to
paste in resumes on company Web sites, or use online
job sites to find candidates.

Having a simple resume is not just about scanning
systems and electronic submissions. It also means
carefully selecting which information to keep and
which to cut. If you want to make sure your resume is
clean, to the point and highlights your most important
qualities in the most effective way, consider the
following tips.

1. Forget the fancy fonts.
Yes, it is certainly fun to write your annual family
letter in a quirky lettering. But when it comes to
your resume, a boring font is always better. Stick to
the classics, like Times New Roman or Arial. These
fonts are typically read well by electronic scanners
and most e-mail systems, as well as human eyes.

2. Don't overdo the underlining, bolding and italics.
Some people feel like everything on their resume needs
to be highlighted in one way or another. But
electronic scanners get easily tripped up by
underlined words and italics. It might not be possible
to have your resume be completely italic free, but too
much of a good thing can be distracting to any kind of
reader.

3. Include old information sparingly.
Have you been out of college for more than 10 years?
If so, you can probably get rid of the section on your
resume that highlights your G.P.A. Are you still
including all of your past jobs, which make your
resume three pages long? Did you start your
professional life in a completely different career,
one that is now irrelevant to your current job? If so,
it's time to cut information that no longer belongs.
When you first start out, there is a reason you
include all of your work experience. But the more
experience you gain, the more selective you can be on
what to include. No, you do not need to tell potential
employers that you were a bartender in college. Some
jobs just don't apply!

4. Leave out personal information.
Unless your hobbies are directly relevant to your job,
they should be taken out of your resume. The same goes
for travel experience, marital status or the fact that
you sing in the church choir. When you write your
resume, try to think like the employer and include
only the information that is going to matter to the
company or the position you are seeking.

5. Write in sound bites, not paragraphs.
A resume is not supposed to read like a novel. Your
information should be presented in brief, concise
statements that include strong action words. A resume
should never be written in complete sentences or have
statements that begin with "I." A reader needs to be
able to glance at your resume quickly and know what
your strengths and experiences are. Don't make him or
her muddle through a lot of extraneous words to get to
the good stuff.

6. Keep the look professional.
These days, printed resumes are usually needed only
for an interview. Like the fun fonts, fluorescent,
patterned or textured paper is better suited to
invitations and personal letters than resumes. Choose
professional, plain paper and black ink. Leave
graphics and shading out, too. Make sure the hiring
manager knows what he or she is receiving. You don't
want your resume to be thrown out because someone
thought it was junk mail!

Your resume has an important job to do. It must
convince an employer that you are worth talking to,
that you are better than the rest and that you can do
the job – all in about 15 seconds. Make those 15
seconds really count with a resume that sends the
right message right away!


Copyright 2005 CareerBuilder.com. All rights reserved.

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RMIMA Home Page
RMIMA Home Page
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Colorado User Groups CTRN
Colorado User Groups CTRN
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Jobs at Tyco Health Care
Jobs at Tyco Health Care
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