Effective Resume Writing: Part One – It’s All in Your Head

Writing your resume is a mandatory step in your job search. If you want it to go quickly – at least as quickly as possible – and smoothly, then there are guidelines that you might want to adhere to. Resume writing is not rocket science but it is difficult. Anyone can put together a document with dates, companies and tasks associated with each one. But not anyone can actually write an effective resume. Why do job seekers fear the resume? Maybe it’s simply because they know that if it’s not up to par (and beyond), then their chances of getting a job are slim. At least a job they really want. What are your reasons? They most likely include the above reason as well as many others. One reason is simple because you don’t like to write; to be more exact, you don’t like to write resumes. Understandably so. You can’t inject a lot of personality into your resume. It’s pretty much facts, figures and you putting forth your best effort to show why you’re perfect for that particular job. If you think about, it’s really not an easy task. I know, I’m supposed to be encouraging you, right? Well, that’s coming – don’t worry. I just wanted to take a moment to instill a bit of realism so that you can appreciate the power of your resume. Get your head in the game It’s imperative that you take this seriously. If you brush off your resume like it’s no big deal then employers will think it’s no big deal to dump your resume. See how that works? So while you’re sitting down to start thinking about your resume, get excited. Think about how great it would be to be in a job you love with a higher salary, more perks and a better company morale. That excitement – believe it or not – will help carry you thru the writing of your resume. Time to put away the modesty It’s difficult for some people to write about themselves and not downplay their achievements. That spells doom for a resume and the respective job search that goes along with it. Your resume will fail if you are modest to the point of not showcasing all the high achievements that makes you a ‘catch’ for that employer. Now, I don’t want this to be misconstrued into something about over exaggerating and lying. That is not okay. There are so many ways an employer can find out the truth that it’s not worth the risk. Besides, can you imagine how foolish you’ll feel if you get the job and are expected to be fluent in something that you know nothing about? You’ll lose respect from your supervisor, not to mention your co-workers. It’s just not worth it. If ‘tooting your own horn’ is an issue, you have to get over it. Pronto. This is your career you’re talking about. So, are you ready to really start working on your resume? It’s just about time to get down to business. Stayed tuned for Part 2 where I’ll discuss how to flush out all your achievements – even when you don’t think you have any.