Cloud Resumes

I have recently discovered some "Cloud Resumes" and wonder what on earth these people are thinking!

A "Cloud", in case you are unfamiliar with the term, is a graphically pleasing way to illustrate a list or large group of words.

In the case of a cloud resume, it involves writing out a list of your skills and personal qualities (so far I'm with you - you need this for your resume), then you graphically arrange them in a "cloud" or roughly cloud shaped grouping, with each item in a different size, font and varying shades of black through grey, sometimes colored.

It looks very attractive. But it is not a good representation of who you are or what you can do, unless you are looking for a job as a graphic designer!

So whether it's a cloud or some other creative form of resume, stay away from it - again unless you are looking for a job in the creative, artistic areas of work. Most employers would perhaps be amused, perhaps be exasperated, but either way it is highly unlikely you would land an interview.

Looking for a job is a serious business, so stick to business and keep ultra creativity, no matter how visually pleasing, for a more appropriate place and time.

Here are some really great products to help you with your resume:

Amazing Resumes! - Hugely Popular Software

Guerrilla Resumes - Authors Are Regularly In The Wall Street Journal, Ny Times, And Other Media

Need individual help with your resume?

Resumes: Don't bend the truth on your resume

It would seem an obvious statement but here it is. Don't lie on your resume.

Don't "bend the truth" either.

I had a client recently who was finishing a training course. He had finished the actual courses but still had to complete a certain number of hours practicum before he would have his certification.

On his resume he wrote that he was fully qualified, and was most annoyed when I told him he should not put that until he actually is qualified.

It would seem an obvious statement, but I come across it so often.

Misrepresentation doesn't work in the long run.

It may get you an interview and if you lie well enough at the interview it may well get you the job.

However, if you don't have what you claimed to have, sooner or later that is going to become apparent and it is grounds for instant dismissal.

I can appreciate how hard it is to know that you could get a job "if only...", especially in the tough job market we are experiencing just now. But lying is not the way to go.

Tell the truth. Make the truth sound as appropriate for this job as you possibly can, without exaggeration and without 'bending the truth'.

Need help writing an effective resume? I offer one on one assistance online and locally.

Or try this great tool.
.

Resumes: Don't overstate your abilities

One of the things that turn employers off is a resume that is so overstated that it's hard to believe anyone could be that good.

Even if it's not, even if it just stated you are really good at this type of work - make sure it's a genuine representation of what you can do.

You are not doing yourself any favors by getting into an interview for a job you couldn't cope with if you got it! Be realistic and truthful.

It's good to show how good you are in your resume, but don't overdo it.

No-one is "excellent" at everything. In some things we are just "competent", we may be "effective", or "proficient".

However, if you are "outstanding" at something, then you can say so - just make sure you really, really are that good before you write it.

Stories help.

If you have a one liner in your resume that tells of a time you totally reorganized the structure of the sales department, or that you were promoted withing 2 months of being hired because of your excellent communication skills ... if you have a story to back it up, then the employer can instantly see that yes, you do appear to have very strong skills in this area.

It's a tough call for most people to make themselves look as good as they really are (this is not the time for modesty) but not overdo it.

Take an objective look at what you can do, and be prepared to sell that, but know your limits. Keep it real.

I work one-on-one with job seekers to write resumes.

Target your Resume

One resume will not work for different types of work.

If you are applying for several jobs, say, in office administration, then one resume for all might do (although taking the time to target each more precisely to each job would be better). But if you are applying for office administration jobs and also for retail customer service work, the same resume cannot possibly demonstrate your strongest skills for both types of work.

Your resume does should only have the skills you can use in the job for which you are applying.

So if you are applying for office admin, where you will have no, or miminal contact with the public, your skills in handling cash, debit and credit will not be needed so should not appear in that resume.

On the other hand, when going for retail, minimal computer skills will be required, and those that are needed will not include using MS Word, Excel, Simply Accounting and other basic office software.

So when applying for the retail position, putting in your resume that you are very computer literate is good, but your skill with office software is redundant and should not appear.

It is one of the hardest things for a job seeker to do when writing their resume - to elimiate skills of which they are rightfully proud, but which will not be valid in the job for which this resume is intended.

So streamline your resumes to include only the skills for that specific job.

You'll find the employer rewards you for your clarity and relevance by inviting you in for an interview more often.

Need more help one on one writing your resume?

Should you get your Resume professionally written?

Should you get help writing a resume?

Well firstly, I don't like the word "should"! Is getting help writing your resume a good idea?

If you don't know how to write a good one, or writing this type of thing is not your strength, then yes, it is.

Is getting your resume professionally written for you? That is a more difficult question.

It depends on how the process is done.

If you just fill out your work history and information on a form and hand it in for a resume to be written for you, totally by someone else, without your input, then, no, I don't recommend it.

Why not?

Because then you will have a resume that is totally impersonal and describes you in someone else's "voice."

An example of someone else's voice, in the world of books rather than resumes, would be to imagine Dr. Seuss writing (in his usual style) a horror book. It might be very amusing ... or not ... but it would not be in the same "voice", or feel the same, as a horror book by legimate horror book best selling author.

The reason is that these two people have very different styles of writing, and are satisfied with totally different output.

I am not suggesting that either you or your resume writer are into either horror or Dr. Seuss. My point is that the resume will not sound like you if someone you have probably never met before writes it alone.

If you need help with your resume, the best way to get one, is to find a professional resume writer who will work with you.

You are present when the resume is being written. You will be asked questions, and although the resume writer is the one who can turn the phrases, and knows how to draw out your skills for the specific job, you are there being asked if you feel comfortable with what your resume says.

After all, if the resume succeeds and gets you into an interview, you are the one who has to live up to it in front of the employer.

The employer has "got to know you" through your resume. It's all s/he knows about you. It should have given him or her a taste of who you really are, and you should feel comfortable sticking up for everything your resume says.

So yes, by all means, get help to write a dynamic resume that will present you in the best possible light for each job for which you apply. But make sure you are part of the process. Not just supplying information ahead of time - be part of the process of creating the resume. It makes a huge difference.

I assist people, individually, by distance and locally, to write effective resumes. We work together on the process. If you would like to learn more about how....

If you prefer to learn how to write your own resume, I recommend these resources:

The Best Resume And Cover Letter Step By Step Secrets Exposed. This Resume And Cover Letter Step By Step Guide Creates Amazing Job Offers In Less Than 33 Days -- Guaranteed!

Guerrilla Resumes. Gets You Hired For The Job You Want, In 45 Days. Or Your Money Back! Written By 2 Employment Pros With 30+ Years Of Experience

How To Write A Professional Resume. Learn The Secrets Of Writing A Professional Resume Fast! Step By Step Guide Shows You The Way. Written By A Human Resource Professional. Excellent Resume Advice!

Never mention negatives in your resume or cover letter

In a nutshell: It's your job to tell the employer what you DO bring to the job. It's the employer's job to work out what you DON'T bring!

So, let's say computer skills are required. You have great computer skills, but there is one piece of software listed in the job ad that you have no experience on.

Your resume and cover letter should tell in great detail what glorious experience and expertise you have with the software you use. They could also mention (assuming it's true) that you are a quick learner on new and company-specific software.

If the employers looks closely enough at your written material to work out you don't have one experience with one specific piece of software he needs you to use, this mention of learning quickly can help.

However, you then have to be prepared to support that in the interview, with a story of how you learnt some software very quickly, and perhaps, without formal training.

But, to get back to the point, your job on cover letter and resume, is just to list the skills you DO have. Do not mention anything you lack.

After all if you we introduced to someone and they were asking about your work history. You would tell them what you had done only. You would not be likely to say "I am a computer programmer. I have not been a rocket scientist, an astonaut, a personal trainer........" They can work that out from what you tell them you HAVE done.

The same goes for the resume and cover letter. Give all the benefits of what you have done and can do, and leave it at that.

I assist job seekers with resumes and cover letters (USA & Canada).

Resume Presentation

You can learn all you want about the best way to write content for your resume, but if it is not presented well, you may still not be on the interview list.

Paper: forget all the pretty pastels, shun any fancy or brightly coloured paper. A simple white or off white is best. If you want to go upmarket, try linen textured paper. It looks just like "regular" paper, but it has a lovely soft feel to it.

But, really, just regular 20lb copy paper is fine.

Make sure it is clean, uncrumpled and unsmudged.

Do not staple your resume. Busy employers often want to make a copy of incoming resumes, and a staple then becomes a nuisance as it has to be removed before automatic feed copying.

Do not fold your resume. Buy 9"x12" brown envelopes (very cheap in the dollar store)and use these for resumes and cover letters.

Use only one, or at the most two, fonts for the resume. You may use one for heading and another for the body. Or you can just use the same font, bolding, enlarging, or perhaps capitilization for the headings.

Your name should be the largest item on the page. Headings should all be the same size, and all body text should be the same size.

Only use italics or capitals for headings. They are more difficult to read than regular text, so should be used sparingly.

Leave lots of white space. An over crowded sheet of paper is not enticing to read. Give the employer the basic information of your skills and experience. If s/he wants to know more, s/he can invite you to an interview and ask you in person!

Remember that employers are people too, and when faced with a mountain of resumes in application for one job, they are not going to wade through anything that appears ill prepared or distasteful.

Make your resume and paper representation of yourself: professional, efficient and easy to deal with!

Need more help writing your resume?

.

Do have questions about Resumes & Cover Letters?

I will be posting answers to readers questions regularly on this blog.

Send your questions to:

resumequestions1@gmail.com

Resumes: How to hook the employer

How long will the average employer look at your resume?

15 - 30 seconds!!

Not long to take in all your life's achievements.

So how on earth can you get the employers attention if he's just going to skim over your resume?

When an employer looks over resumes quickly, what is read is on the first half of the first page of the resume.

Also what is read is in bullet points, for quick and easy reading. Not in paragraphs that take more time and concentration.

So, when you put together your resume, after your name and contact information, and your job objective, put a bulleted list entitled "Highlights".

Make this list of short, one liners, and include the main skills and experience that this employer is looking for, so you will hook him in that crucial first few seconds.

One way to find what is likely to hook any employer, of course, is to read the job ad if there is one, carefully. Whatever you have that's in the advertisement, you reword, so you don't come across as a parrot just regurgitating the ad, and put in your highlights.

If you have any special skill or experience that you know will interest this employers, put that in the highlights whether or not it's mentioned in the ad.

About 6 - 8 highlights only.

If the employer is hooked by that, he will probably go on to read the rest of your resume.

Need more help with resumes?

Looking for more help with a professional resume?

.

Resumes: Employers don't read, they scan

How long will the average employer look at your resume?

15 - 30 seconds.

That's not long so here's how to give maximum readability in that short time span.

• write bulleted items, preferably of one line and no more than two
• do not use unnecessary words, such as "the" and "a" - just miss them out
  
• do not use "I". "my" or "me"
• use powerful descriptors such as effective, efficient and successful
• use statistics where ever possible: Increased sales by 15% in 6 months

Other information:

• group bulleted lists under different heading so no one heading has more than about 6, or at the most 8 bullets, and no less than 3
• Whenever you tell the employer you did something, the last bit of that one-liner should tell him/her what benefit that is to them
• for example: Reorganized filing system, saving 3 hours filing work per week, ensuring quick, easy access to files for all staff

Success happens when you:

• Take time to write your one liners.
• Use simple bullets, no fancy checkmarks or designs.
• Make your resume on that will stand out enough in the first 15 - 30 seconds that the employer will give the time it takes to read it in entirity.