Top 7 Tips for Effective Resumes

From Laura Schneider, former About.com Guide

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Ever hear the saying "you never get a second chance to make a first impression?" Your resume gives a potential employer a powerful message about what kind of employee you would be. With only a few seconds to capture the attention of the reader and showcase your extensive skills, you need to make the most of your resume. Read on for resume tips and tricks.

1. Resume Tip 1: Spell Check and "Reality Check"

Before you submit your resume, make sure you give it a spell check using your word processing software. After you spell check it, have someone else give it a quick "reality check" to make sure that the spell checker didn't miss anything and to make sure that you didn't make a mistake that your computer can't catch. It is important that you get a second set of eyes to look over the document that could be responsible for your next job. Top Picks Sponsored Links Free Resume TemplatesCreate Custom Resumes Quickly! Templates Based On Your Occupationwww.PongoResume.com Free Resume TemplatesAmerica's #1 Resume Templates. Build a Perfect Resume. Free!LiveCareer.com/Resume+Templates Spell checkAvoid Spelling Mistakes with Free Spell Checker - Download for Free!www.DictionaryBoss.com

2. Resume Tip 2: Not Too Long, But Not Too Short

How long should your resume be? This is always a tough call. Some experts believe a one page resume is the perfect length. I would disagree, unless you really have few skills and experiences to share. Go into enough detail to give an accurate view of your skills, but not so long that the reader falls asleep. You do not need to list every project you have ever worked on. Summarize, but be inclusive. Top Picks

3. Resume Tip 3: Formatting Counts

Have 2 versions of your resume available. One to be viewed online, and one to be handed out at in-person interviews and job fairs. Fancy formatting with pretty fonts, lines, boxes and bullet points just does not make it through on most computers. Anything you send or submit online should have very basic formatting (spacing and paragraph breaks, for example). Top Picks

4. Resume Tip 4: Keywords are Key

When an employer searches a database, they use keywords. In general, they expect the results to be representative of what they are searching for. This should mean a couple of things to the resume writer: Include relevant keywords in your resume, because this is how you will be found. Don't stuff your resume with keywords that are not relevant of your experience. A list of keywords that do not represent your expertise should be avoided.

Check out How to Make a Resume for more on keywords. Top Picks

5. Resume Tip 5: Include the Basics

A technical resume should include the following information sections. An objective: 1-2 sentences describing what you want, customize this for the job you are applying for. Education: Any degrees you have completed or are working on, as well as relevant classes or certifications. Only include your GPA if it is very high. Experience: List your past employers and/or major projects you have worked on. Start with the most recent. Technology Summary: List only the technologies you know well.

Top Picks

6. Resume Tip 6: Have Multiple Versions

If you are in more than one role (or have skills that may fit more than one role) you should have multiple versions of your resume available that highlight those skills. For example, if you have years of experience as a software engineer, and also have project management expertise, have two resumes: one highlighting your software engineer experience and another highlighting your project management experience. Top Picks

7. Resume Tip 7: Make Your Resume Viewable

Recruiters and hiring managers like to search and "source" for candidates. If your resume (or bio) is not someplace where an employer can find it, then they don't know you exist

How To Make A Resume

Because of the volume of resumes employers receive, most of them now use some kind of resume tracking or applicant tracking system. This automates many of the tasks necessary for tracking candidates, and also makes it possible for an employer to find a resume they received months or years later. As a result of the technologies used, its important to keep your resume in a certain format that will be correctly read and interpreted by the systems. This used to be referred to as a scannable resume because of the hardware that used to scan paper resumes into the computer. Now, career websites and resumes received via email are "parsed" and stored in a database.

Once your resume is stored electronically, employers use keywords to match the stored resumes with their open positions. In order to find the resumes, employers (and recruiters) use keyword searches, usually a boolean search. Because of the technologies involved in parsing the resume, it is important to keep the format of your resume very simple and somewhat plain. This means that you should generally avoid fancy fonts, graphics and and other "special effects" that dont always make it through the technologies correctly, at least for your electronic resume (you might want a more elaborate version to hand out at job fairs, but it really isn't necessary). A resume that is not formatted correctly wont appear in a search for matching keywords, which greatly reduces your chances of landing interviews. I have seen some resumes come through with "gibberish" as a result of the writer trying to use charts or pictures on their resume.

Resume Format
Here are some practical tips for formatting your resume: Use a simple font. Do not use a decorate font. Times New Roman and Arial parse most accurately and are the "standard" fonts for business communication, which your resume is. Use a standard font size. For business communications, fonts of 10 and 12 points are the norm. Avoid using charts, pictures, tables or graphs in your resume. These rarely make it through. If you have information that needs to be in that format, consider an addendum to your resume or, perhaps, a web page that you have created that stores the information, with a link to the web page from your resume. If you are applying for a job where it's important to show off your formatting or creative skills to land a job, such as a Web Designer or Graphic Artist position, distribute copies of your fancy paper resume at interviews. Better yet, send both a fancy and plain resume format, or create a fancy Web resume and portfolio, and include the URL in your emailed resume or cover letter.

Sample Cover Letter

Use this sample cover letter when you do not have a contact name to address your application to. Your street address (line 12) City, State, zip Month Day, Year (current date) Balance the letter on page by adjusting the spacing here. Even if you are applying electronically, the employer may print this out to read, so it should look nice. ABC Company Company Street Address City, State, zip code SUBJECT: RESUME OF JOHN JONES (in caps) I read with interest your advertisement for engineering positions at ABC Company. Your company is one of the leaders in the electronics industry, and I am interested in being employed by a company with your background. Enclosed is a copy of my resume that details my academic qualifications and practical experience gained through the cooperative education program. As you can see from my resume, I have a firm foundation in electrical engineering. Thank you for taking your time to review my resume. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my education, practical skills, and background would qualify me to be a member of the ABC Company. Please contact me at 555-555-5555 or name@email.com to set up a time for an interview. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, (3-4 blank lines) Your Signature goes here if sending hard copy. Then 3 blank lines JOHN JONES (your typed name, in caps) Enclosure Use Enclosure at the end if you are submitting your cover letter and resume via hard copy. If you are submitting via email, change this word to Attachment instead. If you have some work experience, you will want to use a different cover letter format. See Cover Letter Samples for ideas. Sample Cover Letters - Suggested Reading Resume Writing Guidelines Sample Resume How to Make a Resume

Since less than 10% of interviewees ever follow-up with a thank you letter, doing so can help you stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips for writing your thank you letters, as well as links to examples of thank you letters to use as a guide.

How To Write A Thank You Letter

You should plan to send a thank you letter within 24 hours of your interview. While some professions would expect a mailed hard copy, in the technology industry, emailed thank you letters are considered the norm. When you write your thank you letters, use these guidelines while writing: Express Your Enthusiasm: Convey your interest in and enthusiasm for the company and the position for which you interviewed. Try to be specific about why you are interested and how you are a good fit for the team. Address Unresolved Points: Address any issues or questions that came up during the interview that you feel you did not fully answer. This letter is your last chance to make a positive impression on the interviewer. Personalize It:You will likely be one of many interviewees, so you need to set yourself apart from the other candidates so they will remember you when you leave. In your letter, highlight a key point from your interview that you believe the interviewer will remember, and therefore remember you. Additionally, if you meet with more than one person, consider sending them all thank you letters, each one a bit different; you may not know exactly who in the group will be making the decisions. Getting a business card from each interviewer will help you with names and titles when you sit down to write your thank yous. Reiterate Your Expertise: If the company communicated its specific needs, issues or challenges, use your thank-you letter to demonstrate how you can meet those needs. Highlight Your Successes: Similarly, if the company communicated its ideal qualifications for a candidate, use your thank-you letter to outline how you meet or exceed those qualifications. Proofread, and then Proofread again: Make sure your thank you letter conveys a professional image by ensuring it is free of typos and grammatical errors.

Thank you Letters

Here are links to sample thank you letters that you can use as guidelines for writing your thank yous. Note that these are written in formal business letter format. You may want to modify them for email by taking out the name and address heading, depending on the culture of the company you interviewed at. Greenway Court Eugene, OR 97401 503-555-0303 Mr. Archie Weatherby California Investments, Inc. 25 Sacramento Street San Francisco, CA 94102 Dear Mr. Weatherby, Thank you for taking the time to discuss the insurance broker position at California Investments, Inc., with me. After meeting with you and observing the company's operations, I am further convinced that my background and skills coincide well with your needs. I really appreciate that you took so much time to acquaint me with the company. It is no wonder that California Investments retains its employees for so long. I feel I could learn a great deal from you and would certainly enjoy working with you. In addition to my qualifications and experience, I will bring excellent work habits and judgment to this position. With the countless demands on your time, I am sure that you require people who can be trusted to carry out their responsibilities with minimal supervision. I look forward, Mr. Weatherby, to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision. Again, thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,

John Oakley

Lilian Garcia