A powerful resume will not land you a new job. Not by itself. It must be supported by a great interview. Timely follow-up letter. Receptive employer. And, of course, the right job opportunity.
But there are several jobs that require perfectly targeted resumes. In these roles, your document can literally make or break your chances of winning a coveted position. Hiring managers take the time to scrutinize your writing skills, formatting and presentation — and weigh them heavily in the hiring process.
Let’s check out a few of these occupations:
Human resources
HR professionals coordinate staffing programs for their employers. Depending on your position and company, you may be responsible for screening resumes, interviewing candidates, negotiating salaries or developing corporate recruitment strategies from scratch.
When you apply for an HR position, you must demonstrate your knowledge of good recruiting and resume-writing practices. For this reason, it is essential that you make sound decisions about formatting and content. Choose a clean, attractive template. List your qualifications near the top of the page. Prepare text that highlights your achievements and transferable skills. Finally, look over your completed draft for accuracy. Every detail must be precise.
Education
Teachers help shape the ideas and abilities of children and young adults. They educate, supervise and inspire students in their classrooms. In most cases, employers search for teachers with appropriate credentials and genuine enthusiasm for the position.
Select a professional, easy-to-read format that states your credentials and experiences (or transferable skills), alludes to your classroom management style and portrays your sincere interest in the teaching profession. Here’s the clincher for teachers: Perfection is important! Proofread your document carefully to eliminate grammatical and typographical errors.
Writing and graphic design
Professional writers and graphic designers face unique challenges in their resumes. Here’s why: Each time you show your document to a potential client or employer, it will be viewed as a sample of your work. It must be appealing, well written and flawlessly designed.
At the same time, over-the-top language and layout may distract decision-makers from your strengths and attributes. For this reason, it’s a good idea to return to the basics when developing a creative resume. Remember that your document has a single job to do: Incite employers to contact you and schedule an interview. No more, no less.
Rather than simply stating that you have artistic talent, provide examples of successful projects and achievements. Reveal your creative skills through deliberate layout and writing choices. For writers, every sentence counts. For designers, original, subtle graphics can demonstrate your strengths without sacrificing professionalism.
Marketing and advertising
The best marketers know a thing or two about branding. They understand that certain communication and design strategies will grab hold of the targeted audience and produce desired results.
When applying for positions in marketing or advertising, your resume needs to serve as promotional brochure. Find a high-impact layout that draws attention to your most profitable attributes. Show your accomplishments in a way that makes hiring managers see dollar signs in their eyes. Follow up with clear, readable and persuasive text.
A superb document opens doors in almost every industry. But some positions require extra consideration. Layout. Content. Proofreading. Your resume choices matter.
Send your job search questions to Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.
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