Job Description
The task of writing (or re-writing) a resume is daunting. Who knew that one little piece of paper was going to be such a headache. Telling your buddy what you do for a living is relatively easy compared with transferring that casual conversation into professional lingo for your resume. Not to mention the fact these have to be worded to exemplify you in regards to the job listing.
With that in mind, the most influential factor in creating your resume is going to be the position you are applying for. Just as the objective summary showcased your professional goals, your work experiences just convey that you are the most well equipped candidate. This is going to be done using proper structuring, a few choice words, and a hint of creative writing. But first the formatting.
Your work experiences are ordered in chronological order. The first is going to be your latest and can be in the present tense (assuming you are still with them). For example, say "Developed marketing portfolios" instead of "I developed marketing portfolios". Easy stuff to begin with. All previous jobs should be listed using past tense, and should start with active verbs such as managed, developed, accomplished, etc. This plays an important role.
The sad fact about recruiters today is that many have become lazy. Software programs are used to scan through the resumes searching for keywords. As sad as this sounds, it is a reality. As such, I would recommend incorporating a few active verbs into the resume in case these programs are used. They certainly won't hurt your resume, so no harm is done. So rather then starting with "I was responsible....." begin with a bullet and the verb. Here are just a few examples to get you thinking:
- Managed
- Developed
- Created
- Communicated
- Interfaced
- Achieved, etc.
These drill down the amount of frivolous words used which will also benefit the live recruiter. The bullets are easy to scan to pick out your key points. On top of everything else, the resume is always being designed to make it easy for the recruiter to read.
Another very important point is to be careful with your word choice. The wrong word can either drastically exaggerate your work and completely undervalue it. A statement like "Managed a marketing project" is broad and implies you were there from start to finish running the show. If in fact your role was to tell other associates about the project. A statement like "Developed and executed the communication strategy for associates" is accurate, well worded, and professional, everything you want.
Additionally, make sure that the responsibilities you are listing are relevant for to the listing. I know I have said this time and time again but omitting the irrelevant is very important. We are after quality content over the size of the content.
The work experience section should follow roughly along these lines.
Your Position Title May 2006-Present
- Well worded bullet with key words woven in describing what you do
From formatting, to choosing the correct key words, to developing the short bullet statements, this job description writing process will typically consume the most amount of your resume writing time. This is the meat of your resume and needs to in top notch form. The devil is in the details. If you are having trouble with formatting Amazing Resume Creator has templates that will make it easy to properly format your resume. If the actual writing is what is getting you down, consider using ResumeWriters to give you a hand.
