2012 resume tips
That means creating a resume that will help you market your best transferable skills read more of our career change tips on this more in-depth blog post. Hiring managers have short attention spans. Here are some tips to help you navigate the career change process successfully and land a job in your new field. Put some effort into writing a compelling cover letter. These connections are not always obvious.
How to Make Your Resume Last Longer Than 6 Seconds
View Cart Checkout. For this year, I am bringing it back again, but I have added a whole new top 10 list, making a combined mega-list of 20 common pitfalls for writing the federal resume work experience section. The new top 10 includes the most common problems we have seen in working with our clients this past year with writing a federal resume that will get an applicant Best Qualified, Referred, and Interviewed.
These tips are based on federal resume writing classes taught at more than 30 federal agencies in with varied occupational series specializations, missions, and grade levels. The work experience section is the most important section of your federal resume, and the hardest part to write.
If you correct these common pitfalls in your resume, your chances of getting Referred and selected for an interview will dramatically increase. Try it and let me know what happens. Write me at kathryn resume-place. It was a common myth that you had to write it in one paragraph. The big block legacy lives on today.
The format that I saw most often this past year in my federal resume writing class for federal employees was one huge paragraph for the work experience section of the resume. Each paragraph should feature one skill set or one accomplishment. This format will be more successful and more readable for someone in human resources HR who could be reading from 30 to resumes.
In many resumes that I have reviewed, accomplishments are often either not included or blended in the middle of a paragraph that could be up to lines or more. The HR specialist or the hiring manager will not be able to determine what you have achieved for your current agency. Your goal is to get the interview. Most vacancy announcements now include a self-assessment questionnaire where you score your skill level. Did you know that you must also back up your questionnaire answers with proof in your resume?
We often find this connection between the questionnaire and the work experience section missing. The HR specialist will compare your answers to your resume, and they do have the authority to reduce your score if your resume does not demonstrate the level of expertise that you are stating in your questionnaire. THE FIX: After you have completed the questionnaire for an application, make sure you go back through your work experience section and check that your work experience section provides adequate proof for your questionnaire answers.
The busy HR specialist will be looking for keywords from the announcement. If they receive resumes, they will focus their search on specific skills. Many applicants use the same resume to apply for a variety of job announcements, and these applicants will not be recognized as having the specific set of skills needed for a position.
Analyze each vacancy announcement for keywords by looking for 5 to 10 words that are repeated throughout the announcement. I know this takes time, but with a little practice you will be able to analyze an announcement and add the keywords into your resume in about half an hour. But the reality is that you are not completely off the hook with KSA writing. KSAs are frequently still listed in the vacancy announcement. They are there so that you will know what Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities are required for the position.
They are also most often covered in the questionnaire. Most resumes that we review do not include accomplishments that speak to the KSAs in the announcement. Write examples of accomplishments or write statements that clearly demonstrate that you have the KSAs for the position.
Including these accomplishment statements within the text of your resume. You could actually put a page resume in the builder, and we have seen people try to do just this. Hiring officials will focus on the most recent 5 years of your career. They will also read and consider up to the last 10 years of work experience. Prior to 10 years, they will scan quickly.
Print our your current resume to see how long it is, and adjust it accordingly. The upload resume feature seems to work well for vacancy announcements where the questionnaire managed by applicationmanager. PROS: The resume that you upload can be formatted for plain paper reading.
You can use bold type, centering, indentations, and other helpful styling techniques. THE FIX: I am starting to use the Upload resume feature, but when I do, I ensure that I include the critical compliance information, such as: month and year, hours per week; supervisor name; supervisor phone; salary; full address and location of the employer for each position for 10 years.
Sometimes employees get into a job that is not great. Or you may have a job in the past that simply has nothing to do with the position for which you are applying. I have seen resumes that spend too much time describing the jobs that I would basically call irrelevant. You can keep the job s on the resume; just keep the description short. The One Year Specialized Experience is a deal breaker for your application. This is a very simple, but sometimes overlooked, requirement.
One of the very first sections I look at in the vacancy announcement is the qualifications section and the One Year Specialized Experience. At the Resume Place, we make it a priority to feature the One Year Specialized Experience in a resume with accomplishments that prove the level of that experience.
If you have personally experienced this, then take it to be an indicator that there IS something in your resume that could use adjusting. Carefully review your resume again, using this top 10 list and the top 10 list of If you still cannot determine where your resume needs strengthening, consider getting some professional eyes to help you look over your resume for its weaknesses. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Post comment. Skip to content. Facebook page opens in new window Twitter page opens in new window Linkedin page opens in new window YouTube page opens in new window. Problem 2: Weak Presentation of Your Accomplishments In many resumes that I have reviewed, accomplishments are often either not included or blended in the middle of a paragraph that could be up to lines or more. Problem 3: Lack of Proof Most vacancy announcements now include a self-assessment questionnaire where you score your skill level.
Wishing you the best for your federal job search in ! Here is How to Get Started. Related Posts. May Free Webinars May 9, Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
Katy Cowan gives her top tips on creating a memorable and readable CV – anything missed? Add to the Thu EDT. 14 Tips for Writing a Rockstar Resume. Under these uncertain resume rules for circumstances, rules and structure provide a . Ever Resume tips and help.
There are several resume formats you can use to present information to employers. This format is best used by those with a consistent work history and increasing job levels over time. If you have significant gaps in your career or have changed industries or positions multiple times, you might consider using a functional or combination resume format.
When it comes to applying for a new job, your CV could be just the ticket to get you that initial foot in the door and secure an interview — but how do you ensure your CV is added to the interview pile rather than thrown straight in the bin? Putting together a successful CV is easy once you know how.
View Cart Checkout. For this year, I am bringing it back again, but I have added a whole new top 10 list, making a combined mega-list of 20 common pitfalls for writing the federal resume work experience section.
Resume Writing Tips for 2012
Written by Jeff Dunn. So much has been written about how to write a resume. Let me share a few key tips I have found to be true in 20 years of corporate recruiting:. If you are focused, it is easy to assess whether your skills, education and experience support your goal. Typical Objective : Challenging job where I can use and enhance my skills in a business setting.
The Resume 2012 Style
Resume styles change. Is yours up-to-date? I am not a professional resume writer. However, I do know lots of great writers and love engaging in discussions about this document. What I want to share with you are some of the basic guidelines for you, the job seeker based on conversations with recruiters, hiring managers and professional resume writers. I very seldom write about this topic, because so many others do. This was updated in and recruiters spend 7. Read the update here.
This should cheer you up: You spend days, weeks, maybe even months working on your resume, fiddling with fonts and wording and getting it into perfect shape for your dream job.
Resume rules for Resume Guidelines. Match your cover letter to your resume.
