Work
Experience
21) For each job that you held in the past, you need to
give a general appreciation of what your
responsibilities were. Many recruiters face this same
problem: they don't really have an appreciation of what
candidates actually did. Job seekers sometimes assume
that enumerating a few of the things they did in their
prior jobs is sufficient. Not necessarily. Here's a
simple trick: don't only focus on the things that you
did. Also focus on your responsibilities.
22) It is important for recruiters to have a general
appreciation of what you did in a prior job for many
reasons:
- Clarity: You want to be clear. You don't want to leave
the recruiter scratching his or her head.
- Perspective: The recruiter wants to have some
perspective in terms of what you did so he or she can
situate your accomplishments or work experience in the
right context.
23) Emphasize the jobs in which you demonstrate skills
that are relevant to the position you are seeking. Don't
fall into the trap of giving the same weight to all your
past jobs. Some jobs are more relevant than others and,
accordingly, should be given more focus.
24) As mentioned earlier, even though the heading is
"Work Experience," you should not only write about your
work experience. Always keep in mind what the
requirements for the position are and word your
experience in function of those requirements.
Accomplishments
25) Once you have given a general appreciation of your
duties, describe your main accomplishments or the major
projects you worked on, and how you brought added-value
to your previous employers.
26) How to showcase your accomplishments?
Discuss the problem that you
encountered. Discuss what you did to resolve that
problem. Discuss how it ended up benefitting the
employer.
27) Remember to use action verbs. You want to sound
proactive, like you can make a contribution. Resumes are
based on the past, yet should be future-oriented. Never
forget that. The past acts as your springboard towards
the future.
28) When you write down numbers, use this format:
- "1,000,000" instead of
"1 million"
- "Saved XYZ $1,000,000 by restructuring manufacturing
operations." vs. "Saved XYZ $1 million by restructuring
manufacturing operations."
- As you can notice,
"$1,000,000" stands out more than "$1 million."
Education
29) The education portion of your resume is not only
about showing that you have a degree. Dig deeper to see
if there are things that you can mention that relate to
the position you are applying to. If you are a new
graduate in law and are applying for a position in
corporate law, why not showcase the extensive list of
courses you took in corporate law alongside your grades
for those courses to show your interest?
30) Don't disregard activities or associations you were
involved in. Employers are also looking for "soft
skills" such as people skills or teamwork. In addition,
you never know, you may share common experiences with
some of the recruiters (he or she may have been in the
same association or played in the same basketball team
as you). |
