12
Aug

Resume Writing Tips to Succeed in a Tight Job Market

It’s an undisputed fact – today’s job market is tighter than ever before. During this period of economic strife and instability, competition for the best jobs is extremely stiff. Job stability seems practically non-existent. Turnover rates are at an all-time high, given the number of layoffs and agency closings. Millions of individuals are unemployed and clamoring for employment regardless of skill level. Whether you are a doctor, a chef, an engineer, a secretary, housekeeper or even a resume writer, individuals from all walks of life struggle to retain their current positions since the economic future is not promised.

But what route should you take if you yearn for a better opportunity or are even without a job right now? How can you ensure that your name is at least known to companies looking to fill positions? One way is to hire a resume writing expert to help ensure that your resume / CV goes to the top of the pile.

Let’s look at it in a simple way. If you want to build a new house, you can go online, research how to build a new house and go out and buy the materials to begin building your dream house. However, as building anything is probably not your expertise and you want the house built properly the first time, it makes sense to call in a professional builder who has all the expertise and experience in building homes. The same is true of the resume writer. You can easily pick up a pen and paper and write a resume, however a resume writer can do it a lot more effectively and professionally because they have the experience, knowledge and skills in the art of resume writing.

The first stage of building your professional resume includes starting off with supplying the information that you wish to have printed on your document. This includes the obvious, such as your basic information (name, address, phone number, city, state and zip code). You should also be prepared to have a chronological listing of your past and current employment (if applicable).

It is important to have an idea beforehand of how you’d like to word your list so that your job duties don’t sound mundane or discredit your actual tasks. Never simply state that you were just a “cook” if in reality, you were a culinary arts service person!

Make sure your resume includes targeted keywords that leave no doubt that your past employment was productive. Stay clear of the ordinary, eliminating redundant phrases such as “typed letters”, “filed documents” or “bussed tables”. Yawn!

Most importantly, you need to use achievements throughout your resume to highlight your skills. You need to turn your basic duties into “accomplishment statements” and, if possible, use quantifiable results to the duties you have performed. A successful resume will highlight achievements rather than focus on responsibilities.

Job seeking is a cut throat business and in order to succeed your resume needs to be 100% right, and it needs to be presented and formatted professionally and correctly. When you apply for a particular job you only have one chance to succeed. Make sure that you give yourself every opportunity to get that new job!

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

Expert Resume Writers: #1 for resume writing and Cover Letter Services

23
May

What is the most important aspect of Professional Resume Writing?

One of the biggest mistakes which candidates make with their resume writing or CV writing is preparing the document from their point of view. I recently sat down with a young lady who had graduated university top of her class and was seeking a role with one of the large law firms. She had written her professional resume and cover letter and was now ready to begin the application process. The resume was perfectly formatted and presented. As a graduate with no prior work experience she focused her professional resume on her academic achievements and also the extra curricular activities and community work she had been involved with over the years. From a readers perspective I was able to gain a very good first impression or insight into this candidate. Everything was perfect besides one major element. At the top of her resume was her name which she had bolded to make it stand out but had also changed the font colour to pink!

Does a Professional Resume have pink colour?

I couldn’t believe my eyes that she had decided to use a pink font on her resume. When I asked her why she had done this she said that she liked the colour and it also made her name stand out.

The most important aspect of writing a professional resume is targeting it towards the person who will be reading the resume. In this situation the hiring manager may be a partner in a law firm. Imagine how seriously a partner will take a resume application which has a potential candidates name in pink.

Another mistake many candidates make is trying to make their resume stand out from their competition by using fancy fonts or borders. A well formatted and presented resume and most importantly targeted resume, will stand out because of its professionalism. A hiring manager can easily identify the difference between a “fraud” resume with “bells and whistles” and a “legitimate” resume.

Ensuring that your resume stands out from the crowd is not about making the document a piece of art. How many times have you seen a resume being framed and hung up on the wall? The aim of the resume is to portray to the reader the value you can offer the business or organisation.

Remember that your resume is the first impression a hiring manager will make. Make sure that your first impression portrays the right professional image.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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22
Apr

Front Office Bankers Resume Writing

When it comes to resume/CV writing there is no magic formula to follow that will ensure your resume will be read. There are however clear dos and don’ts that will either add value to your resume or work in the negative by having your resume deleted. No matter if you’re a front office banker or part of the mailroom team, listing and identifying achievements and backing these achievements up with numerical examples is the number one way to make your resume standout.

red man Front Office Bankers Resume Writing

Too many times a job candidate will focus much of their resume on standard day to day duties. For example every person on the trading desk knows how to “analyze data”, “liaise with clients” and “maximize opportunities”. These are soft skills which are expected. It does not enhance your resume as it does not tell the reader anything. For example when writing a resume for an equity trader it is no longer good enough just to list these soft skills. In order to effectively write a good resume you need to clearly identify your areas of expertise but most importantly present quantitative examples

Writing your resume is not about reinventing the wheel, it is about ensuring that you adequately highlight everything that is required to make sure that your resume is selected and you are given the chance to present yourself in the interview. Divide your resume into sections and concentrate on using bullet points to make the resume clear and possible for the reader to scan.

As a banker, your professional experience is the most important aspect on your resume and needs to be placed on page one. However in order to make your resume stand out above the competition I like to include a short career summary, an introduction (2-3 sentences) which adequately summarizes your career. For example:

“Masters of Business Administration with seven years experience as an equity trader. With a strong background in analysis, risk management and strategic planning, I have planned, coordinated, and performed diverse trading functions in various sectors.”

Following your short career summary is the most important aspect of your resume which is listing your top key achievements in bullet point (5-6 key achievements) with an emphasize of using “keyword” rich words (These are words which are mentioned in the job description or words which headhunters or recruiters are likely to search for in their database)

Remember, the most important aspect of listing these achievements is backing everything up with quantifiable results of your work. Using the equity trader as an example, part of your success is measured in numbers so ensure your main achievements by including quantifiable examples

‘Increased cash flow by $15 million by consolidating …..”

‘Revenue and income growth of 55% over a 12-month period, through ….”

“Key member of an elite trading team that generated more than $65 million by ….”

The final part of your resume presentation is your work experience, education and professional memberships. Again the most important aspect is providing examples to everything you write and incorporating achievements as opposed to just listing day to day duties. Always ensure that you provide dates on your resume and that the resume flows chronologically. The document needs to be as easy as possible for someone to read. The more difficult you make your resume to follow the more likely it will end up being deleted.

As a front office banker, focus your resume on your leadership abilities and achievements to guarantee that your resume stands out from the crowd!

© RedStarResume Publications – Professional Resume Writing

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 Front Office Bankers Resume Writing

22
Mar

Best Resume Tips – Guaranteed To Help You Get Hired!

Secret Resume Tip from the vault

When a hiring manager first opens your resume the first place their eyes will take them is directly into the middle of your resume. I like to call this area “Prime Real Estate”

As such it is important that your greatest strengths, skills and achievements are highlighted in this prime piece of real estate.

What I like to do is create a KEY ACHIEVMENTS category

All you need to do is jot down your top achievements that best describe you.  No matter what stage of your career you are at, listing your achievements will add value to your resume and help you stand out from your competition.

© RedStarResume Publications – www.redstarresume.com

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