Continued from page 1
R - Review, rewrite, and re-read are
three R’s in
"Review Your Resume" step. Did you use action verbs, and were you consistent in
voice used throughout
document? Did you use a bullet format or other easy to read style that leads
decision maker through "your story"? Did you use a thesaurus and choose each word wisely so that key words were not overused? Did you look at it from
reviewer’s perspective? Would you be impressed by this document if someone sent it to you and you were
decision maker? Getting
initial information written out in
previous step is not nearly as difficult or demanding as this self-reflective step. Take your time with this.
A - Analysis and awareness of
completed product is
next area to be tackled. A basic checklist for this step includes: choose an off white, high quality paper; use a font size of 10, 11, or 12; choose a professional looking style font such as Arial or Times Roman; leave out graphics, underlines, and italics; and use spacing that is appropriate and pleasing to
eye. This is
step where you want to scrutinize
overall look of
document, asking yourself if it could be improved in any way. Never, ever, ever have any kinds of smudges, folds, corrections or other visible elements that detract from your resume. What would that say about you? Just remember neat, neat, neat.
P - The final step of proofing and proofing again cannot be over done. One of
most difficult things to do is find your own errors. You just don’t sea them. (See what I mean.) This is where you need to get others involved. Show
final product to your spouse, significant other, trusted colleague, or your best friend. Pick any two. Ask them to be brutally honest. That is
only way you will go away with a document that is as near perfect as you can get.
Writing about yourself and expounding upon your desirable qualities and characteristics is not something a person does easily or naturally. Keep in mind that what employers want are candidates who have good communication skills, are honest, display integrity, have great interpersonal skills and are highly organized. A resume, if done effectively, can provide a prospective employer with positive impressions linked to
attributes an employer seeks. Ask yourself one final question, "Am I trying for perfection in my resume?" Good! You should be because employers can tell if you are.
Read more about writing a killer resume at http://www.sbmag.org/resumes
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About the Author Barbara Snyder is a retired California Distinguished School Principal and Coordinator For Human Resources. She has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She holds elementary education, secondary, community college, and administrative credentials. She is currently the publisher of http://EducationResourcesNetwork.com, co-publisher of Strictly Business Magazine, http://www.sbmag.org.