Make Your Resume Apart of the 21st Century!

1. Keep your resume on your mobile device for sending at a moment's notice. Many of todays PDAs are equipped with internet access and MS Word which will allow you to send your resume out and update it as well. Take full advantage of your PDA's power.

2. Consider creating a Visual CV. It's free. You can showcase your use of social media tools, post a video and samples of your work.

3. Add your resume to your LinkedIn page as a SlideShare presentation.

4. Your resume is your marketing document. Is it engaging and an interesting read? If not, add case "stories" to add a personal touch.

5. Highlight your accomplishments. Quantify and qualify as much as possible.

6. Does your recruiter have the most up-to-date version of your resume?

7. Resume must be letter perfect. In this tightly competitive market, you don't want your resume to be eliminated due to spelling errors.

8. Make sure your current contact information is listed. Include Linkedin as well.

9. Use social media tools to their fullest advantage. If you are job hunting, consider posting your resume to your Facebook page.

10. Arrange your content in reverse chronological order, starting with current status and work backwards. Recruiters prefer this format.

Should I use a a Video Resume?

Talk to an executive recruiter - or better yet, a professional "we'll get you hired for a price" recruiter - and they'll tell you that these days, resumes sent to large firms are first scanned for keywords and format and that only the appropriate survive. Digital vetting has come to the human resources profession; moreover, the notion of creating a single page resume that will jump out of a pile of similar documents and generate an interview has become a frightful challenge.

Some enterprising individuals have decided to harness digital technology themselves and create video resumes. At present this is a fledgling professional function - more a popular notion than anything else - but like all things Internet, it is likely to grow rapidly provided enough HR professionals find them useful and not too time consuming.

A video resume is usually the creation of its subject. Certainly there are digital graphics designers who work with video and who will prepare a video resume for a fee. But the enterprising individuals who are attempting to use them currently are, for the most part, creating their own. Like a good YouTube piece, a video resume can make use of limited and short video bites interspersed with stills. That format allows the resume creator to provide the usual information in print and reinforce it with video and voice over that reinforce the image he or she wishes to portray.

Like a good cover letter, a good video resume is designed to leave an impression. For that reason, the best of the lot - and there are not yet many - use humor to catch the eye, and ear, of the reviewer. Some are parodies of the profession - one applicant for a Washington lobbyist profession worked up a video resume about himself that was a take-off on campaign commercial clichés. An example: "Valeria Vegas. The job needs Valeria and Valeria needs the job!"

There have also been examples of video resumes that were overly self-complimentary and that have become tremendous embarrassments to the person(s) who created them because they have been put into wide circulation on the Internet. Those that are standard, personal introductions simply add dimension to what has traditionally been a single sheet of paper. When in doubt keep it simple.

At least one company has emerged touting itself as a site for the posting of video resumes and posting of video materials from companies who are recruiting. This organization has, to date, a few hundred participants. There are a number of firms that will create a website for the job seeker and turn it into a job-seeking site that incorporates both video and text - and, presumably, graphics - in order to create a complete presentation.

If you are going to put a video presentation of yourself into circulation that you wish to be taken seriously, it is important to remember that the Internet is still heavily populated with anarchists and cynics. A video that is meant to demonstrate intellectual superiority or enthusiasm can be looked on by many online as rampant puffery, worthy of a good laugh. If that's the case, your video resume may go much wider circulation than you'd like and become a subject of ridicule.

Use of a personal website for this purpose would seem to be the best choice. You can garner the help of professionals to assemble it and you can send it out in the form of a URL. In the direct mail business, the trick is to get the recipient to open the envelope. With a video resume, a dedicated URL (as opposed to a confusing YouTube page with all the sidebars) puts you one click away from a personal presentation - half an interview, so to speak.

Using a video resume is a gamble that may or may not be worth taking depending on the type of job you are applying for, but if your video is well done and professional it could be the determining factor that could land you the interview. After all, getting in the door seems to be the hardest part of the "job" for job seekers nowadays.

Video Resume Insights from Brian Krueger with CollegeGrad.com

Example of a well done Video Resume

Writitng the Federal Resume

A federal resume is a tool for gaining or advancing one's career in the government arena. At its core, it is similar to the standard private sector resume. However key differences exist in the type and amount of information provided. Therefore, in order to be successful with federal employment, it is necessary to be mindful of these differences.

Unlike the private sector, federal resumes are reviewed by people rather than software. Further, these individuals are seeking information that demonstrates that the application has direct knowledge or experience of the position he/she has applied for. Therefore, it is necessary to review the specific job announcement for the skills and knowledge required. A resume that speaks directly to the skills and duties of the position and uses key words related to the position is most effective. It should use previous experiences, often accompanied by quantifiable results and accomplishments, to directly show that a candidate can perform the duties of the position being applied for.

Information in a federal resume is most commonly presented in chronological format. However, a candidate's educational history should be listed prior to the individual's work history. The highest level of education attained should be listed first followed by earlier schooling including high school. If college coursework has been completed, but a degree was not received, the number of course hours completed should be indicated. Further, the work history should be listed in reverse order with most recent experience listed first. Finally, the resume should cover the candidate's work history for at least the last 10 years.

Once the content of the resume is drafted, it is necessary to ensure that it is properly formatted. The resume is usually in a commonly accepted font such as Times New Roman or Arial with the main text in 11 point type. The margins of the document should be no less than 1 inch. Given the amount of information to be conveyed, a federal resume, which averages 3 to 5 pages in length, is typically longer than the private sector resume.

There are several key pieces of information that must be included on a federal resume that are not typically utilized on a private sector resume. The first of these is the placement of the announcement number, title, and grade of the job being applied for at the beginning of the resume. Additionally, it is necessary for the candidate to include his/her social security number and veteran's preference. For each position listed on the resume the number of hours worked per week and the hourly or annual salary of the position should be indicated. Further, if it was a government position, the GS numbers and grades for current or past federal jobs. Finally, the supervisor's name, phone number, and address for each position on the resume should be provided; whether the recruiter has the candidate's permission to contact the supervisor must also be indicated. If a candidate specifies that a recruiter does not have permission to contact a supervisor listed on the resume, it is suggested that this issue be addressed in the cover letter that accompanies the resume.

In addition to the formal resume above, candidates for federal employment typically need to address knowledge, skill, and abilities.

By observing a few stylistic and information differences, candidates for government employment can create a resume that speaks strongly to their abilities to perform the duties of the job to which they are applying.

What Should You Avoid In Your Resume?

What Should You Avoid In Your Resume?

Drafting the perfect resume can be as much about not saying the wrong things as about stating the right ones. There are certain things that have no place in your resume and you should take care to exclude these elements from your resume.

Spelling Errors, Grammar and Syntax:

Your resume should have flawless grammar and syntax. Spellcheck is a common feature of most word processing programs, but grammatical and syntax errors are more difficult to spot and computers will miss many of them. Have a friend or relative review and, if they are unreliable resources, I recommend Strunk and White: Elements of Style to help you fix many common grammar errors.

Further things to strongly consider NOT doing

• No personal pronouns
• Eliminate Slang, flowery language or fancy fonts
• Eliminate Jargon and Irrelevant details

When in doubt ask the many professional resume writers on this site and on the web. The help is there. You just have to ask for it.

What If I Have Employment Gaps?

Many people don't have flawless career histories and have gone through a rough patch where

they may lose their jobs by being laid off or fired. There is a very small group of professionals

who actually have undisturbed work histories.

Talented professionals with employment gaps are limited by a chronological resume or work history format and may benefit from a functional resume. A functional resume highlights an applicant's skill and forgoes the detailing of his/her work history.

Advantages

Professionals who are re-careering, as it is now known, or changing from one career path to

another, would find functional resumes very useful. The key is to match relevant job experience and even hobbies to your new career of choice. For example, if you've been working as a

salesperson and are now looking to work as a hospital administrator, highlighting your quota

accomplishments would put you out of sync with your new career objectives. In this case showcasing your attention to detail when performing administrative tasks may make you a more viable candidate.

If your hobby is writing a blog on baking for your friends and your professional experience is as a factory worker, your writing experience becomes relevant if you are interested in being employed as a writer for a print or online publication. Your work as a factory worker may be largely irrelevant. These skills can only be showcased when you use a functional resume.

Disadvantages

Keep in mind that not all potential employers are comfortable with the functional resume and still adhere to the chronological resume.

Solution

Use a combined format that merges the chronological and functional resume in a seamless manner. It starts with a detailed listing of the applicant's skills and ends with a chronological listing of the applicant's work history which is usually enough to satisfy recruiters and employers.

Example

Sue Smith

72 Park Place

San Fernando Drive, CA 00000

suesmith009@somesite.com

OBJECTIVE

Enter in one or two sentences your goal and type of job you want.

Be as specific and clear and concise as possible. This part should get the resume reader's

attention.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Briefly list your accomplishments and awards.

• I am the right candidate because...

• Cite these successes by their importance to the type of position you're seeking.

Discuss your skills, grouping them in three to five functions. Describe one or two of your

former jobs for each skill.

Example of how to showcase your skills:

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS:

Organizer and Creator, Housecleaning Service, Little Rock, Arkansas, 4/2000-7/2000

Instituted a local housecleaning service. Devised advertising scheme. Developed efficient

cleaning routine.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

Public Relations Office Assistant, University of XY, Sleepy Hollow, Alabama, 10/2000-

8/2002

Acquired public relations abilities through alumni communications. Designed reunion

weekend signs and posters.

EDUCATION

School Name, City, State

B.A., Major, Minor: Minor, 19xx

GPA: xx, Major GPA: xx. Briefly note any awards, committees, offices held or affiliations

from school. Do so in a concise way and remember to emphasize any related issues to the

job or field you want to enter.

~ Excellent References Available Upon Request ~