Resume Improvement Tips
Although I had not engaged in an all out job search in a very long time, one thing that went without saying was the fact that I needed some resume improvement suggestions in order to assist me in my job search.
Fortunately, I did at least have a resume on file but it left a lot to be desired. What I discovered was that just as job hunting had evolved with the times so had the preferred resume styles and some of the preferred resume content. Of course what information is preferred and what information should be excluded will probably vary depending on who you ask. Really, you just need to be aware of different options.
Then, choose the one that you think is right for you. A good example of this is deciding whether or not to include your salary history. One article I read stated that this information should be included in your resume while another article suggested that it should not be included. In the end, I decided not to include it because the argument against including it was more appealing to me. The article against including this information suggested that to include it would be an open invitation to disaster as potential employers may be prepared to offer you a higher salary until they see your salary history.
They soon realize that you will accept a lower salary or they decide not to offer you a job a all because they determine that they are not willing to match the salary you are used to getting. In addition, they may decide that chances are you are only looking for temporary employment and will leave them as soon as you locate a job with a salary that’s more in line with what you are used to getting.
Furthermore, I found that while you can have a generic resume on hand for general purposes, it is probably best to adapt it to fit the job for which you are applying whenever possible. For example, it’s not necessary to go into a lot of detail about your job duties as a taxi driver when you are applying for a job as a computer programmer or vice versa. However, it is important to list each job if they are both within the time-frame that you are using for your job history. Simply avoid elaborating on the details of the unrelated job. Include the minimum job-duty information and then go to the next job.
Another good tip I received involved listing multiple positions that I held at different times while employed with the same company. In my case, I worked for my last employer for over ten years and, during that time, I held about six different positions. Initially, I had beginning and ending dates listed for each position along with the corresponding job details. Someone was kind enough to point out to me that even though I had the positions listed sequentially and indicated that each one was with the same company, at first glance it looked as if I had been jumping from job to job over the last ten years.
This made my job history seem unstable when in fact it was not. To remedy the situation, I revised my resume by creating a single time-frame to represent the entire ten years of employment and used bullets and line breaks to separate the different positions and the related job duties. Instead of listing the start and end dates for each position, I simply indicated the amount of time I spent in each position. This gave the clear indication that I spent ten years with the same company but in different positions.
These are just a few of the resume improvements I have been fortunate enough to learn about. I sincerely hope this information benefits you but I suggest that you don’t stop here. Continue searching for ways to fine-tune your resume. There are professional resume writing services available if you are willing to pay for them but there is plenty of free advice available as well. If you can afford the professional services, then I say go ahead and try it but if you don’t have the money to spend, then look for the free stuff and do your own modifications.
Initially, I didn’t put a lot of effort into enhancing my resume but I very quickly realized just how difficult the task of landing a good job can be these days. Shortly thereafter I began to work on improving my resume because I understand that I will need every possible advantage I can get in order to help me find a job.
Gain practical knowledge about internet marketing – make sure to go through this site. The times have come when proper info is truly at your fingertips, use this opportunity.
