When writing your next resume, remember this: You must tell employers exactly what you can do for them. Don't force them to figure it out for themselves.
The best way to do this is to start your resume with a clear objective or summary statement. Of these two choices, an objective with a job title is the better way to begin. It shows that you know exactly what job the employer is trying to fill.
Example:
OBJECTIVE
Restaurant Manager where more than 10 years of food service and management experience will contribute to efficient operations.
If you don't know the job title, you can start your resume with a summary. This will focus the reader on your relevant skills, while giving you a bit more flexibility to apply for different jobs.
Example:
SUMMARY
Seeking a position where more than 12 years of sales, management and operations experience will add value.
Whether or not to use an objective or summary is a sticking point for some people, who want to be considered for all jobs.
This is a mistake.
A focused resume is a powerful resume. A resume that tries to be all things to all people ends up being nothing at all. If need be, you can always write a second or third resume to give yourself more options.
Throughout the body of your resume, continue to focus, this time on achievements -- good things you've done for prior employers or while in school. By contrast, most resumes focus on job duties and responsibilities, which forces the employer to read between the lines and guess at your true value.
Be specific, using dollars and numbers whenever possible.
Example:
"Created and managed Client Solutions Division in 1998. Led sales, support and hardware teams to penetrate computer market. In one year, gained 80% of market share against IBM, while meeting sales goal of $5 million."
When you focus your resume on the job you want and the good things you've done, you make it easier for employers to envision the good things you can do for them. And that will make the phone ring.
Best of luck to you!
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Kevin Donlin owns Edina, Minn.-based Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1995, his firm has provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in 48 states and 23 countries.
Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, WCCO Radio, WLTE Radio and KMSP TV, among others. His articles have appeared in the National Business Employment Weekly, Home Office Computing magazine, Twin Cities Employment Weekly, the cnet online magazine and others.
Kevin can be reached through his Web site Guaranteed Resumes.
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