The Effective Resume

Is your resume being read or is it being put aside on indefinite hold? Why are some more effective than others? As strange as this sounds, most resumes are written without a clear understanding of their true purpose. Simply put, a good resume should motivate management to interview you. Generating interest is not the same as providing information.

What creates that type of interest? Accomplishments, achievements and detailed accounts of contributions to former and current employers can make a potential employer realize that you might be a valuable addition to his or her staff.

Tell your story of accomplishment. Don't "save it for the interview" because you may not get that chance. A resume is a personalized and customized marketing document. If it is written as a routine, chronological record of jobs you have held, it will fail to generate interest.

Another important point to consider is whether or not the information in your resume is easy to pick out. Don't expect your resume to get more than 25-30 seconds of review before someone makes a decision to look at it further or throw it away. It is critical that the important points of your record, the achievements which make you a good candidate, be presented in a way that will be easy for the reader to find. Important points should be in bold, underlined, italicized, indented and bulleted. Make that information jump off the paqe and grab the managers attention.

Regardless of your position, your contribution to your employer should be made obvious on your resume. Companies are in business to earn a profit and a resume which shows a positive impact on a corporate bottom line and is easy to read is much more likely to be reconsidered and reviewed after the others have been thrown out.

Finally, in this age of computerization it is a relatively simple matter to customize your resume for each position you seek. Of course, we do not refer to changes of fact. Above all, it should be an honest document. However, with whatever knowledge you have about the company and position you are pursuing, highlight the four or five accomplishments and skills which are most likely to arouse their interest in you.

Take a look at the following resumes. We consider them to be good examples of how resumes should be written.

Sample Resume 1

Sample Resume 2

Sample Resume 3

Sample Resume 4

 
FPC of Huntsville
3311 Bob Wallace Avenue
Huntsville, Alabama 35805
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(256)534-7334 Fax
careers@fpchuntsville.com