Draw From Job Ads To Create Your Resume

4:22 PM

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Before an artist can sit down to a blank canvas and paint a masterpiece, he needs a reference point such as a garden or bowl of fruit. Similarly, job seekers need job ads to identify their required skills.

You are probably like most people when it comes to describing what you do on a day-to-day basis. You are on autopilot. You can do your job with your eyes closed because it is fairly routine with the exception of a few special projects.

So why do you draw a blank when it comes to writing your resume? Sure, you can cover the basics, such as the industry, the products involved and maybe even touch on the types of clients and department you work in.

But what about really getting into the nitty-gritty about the scope of your responsibilities? Do you know how to break it down and align it with the requirements of a position?

This exercise is designed to help you work it out. Let's review a job ad for a nurse.

* Must have experience assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating pediatric patient care within a large medical facility.

* Must have experience planning for expected outcomes of care for those patients assigned.* Must have experience performing interventions according to identified priorities, plan of care, and hospital policies.

* Must have experience promoting interpersonal relations with patients, family, and physicians.

* Must have experience communicating pertinent information about patient, nursing unit, and activities as appropriate.If you were a nurse who had to write a resume, you might compose the following statements:

* Provide exceptional nursing care to patients.

* Work well with patients, families and nurses.

* Report problems to physicians requiring immediate attention.

So, what is missing from this information? In reviewing the requirements, you can see that it is too general and does not provide enough detail to qualify for a position in a particular unit, within a certain type of medical facility and working with a specific patient population.

Many people might prescribe to the theory that nursing is nursing. But this is simply not the case. A nurse works in either a private practice setting, a nursing home or a large medical center. He or she can work in any one of numerous specialty units such as pediatrics, critical care, Operating Room or Medical Surgical. The list of units is extensive.

Would a hospital searching for a pediatrics nurse quality this job seeker for the position? Chances are they would be more likely to quality the job seeker who wrote the following in his or her resume:

* Provide quality pre- and post-operative care to 8-12 pediatric patients on a busy pediatrics unit with 40 beds.

* Collaborate with medical and mental health teams to identify and manage patients' and family needs.

* Develop patient care plans and discharge plans.

* Coordinate patient admissions and transfers.

* Educate patients and their families with a focus on expectation, prevention, medication, at-home care and pain management techniques.

Now the reader can see what the patient population is, the type of unit, and the scope of responsibilities. This is only a brief to make a point.

To take it further, examine each requirement and think about what you do along those lines. Modify the sentences to make them your own and real. The requirements are an excellent tool to help you identify what you do, and to find great key words. In the end, you will be giving the reader what they are looking for in a candidate.

For more resume and career information, visit Q&A Resume Samples

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Does Your Resume Have Bells and Whistles?

9:26 PM

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There are ordinary, straightforward resumes that are considered conservative and traditional. You’ve seen them many times. In fact, your resume might fall under this category.

Sometimes conservative is preferable, especially if the field is clinical or academic. However, there are ways to create interest without going overboard. Plainly prepared resumes do little to convince a hiring manager to read beyond the first few lines because nothing stands out and the resume fails to tell a professional story. Sadly, there is probably a lot of good experience being overlooked.

To compete in today’s downturned job market, a resume must grab a reader’s attention and hold it. But how do you accomplish that goal without overdoing it visually? Well, there are many bells and whistles that can be used in a professional resume that make a resume interesting, targeted, content-rich, compelling, interesting, and story-telling. The short list includes:

1. Heading Statement
2. Career Profile
3. Company and Position Overviews
4. Select Achievements
5. Testimonials, media mentions and awards

A resume has a purpose – to convince a hiring manager that you are the right candidate. To ensure you do that, start with a format. It should be consistent in font, indents, bolding, bullets and line choices.

To make yourself clear, use an objective statement instead of a standard objective. It is a direct, in-your-face way to immediately communicate what type of candidate you are.

For example, instead of including a standard Objective category followed by a typical statement that reads, seeking a position in customer service utilizing extensive experience and education, start the resume off with, Customer Service Representative. Plain and simple, in all caps and bold.

Instead of including a standard Summary of Qualifications category filled with attributes that say what everyone else's resume is saying, such as excellent communicator and team player, list what the employer is looking for. You can get this information from the job ad requirements.

For example, if the position is Project Manager, make sure you have a subcategory about Project Highlights. If the job title is Training Facilitator, make sure you include a subcategory about Training Facilitation.

You can place these subcategories under your Profile section at the top of the resume. Remember, you want to GRAB their attention, not bore them at the onset.

It is always a good idea to include a brief overview of what the employer is about so the reader can appreciate your role. You can find this information under the About Us section on a company's website. Modify their information and only include a line or two that covers the type of industry, its products and services.

Instead of jumping right into what you do line-by-line, group all your day-to-day experience in a paragraph and list your most interesting experience under a subcategory called Select Achievements, Core Contributions, or something along those lines. Then bullet those select statements.

Testimonials, media mentions and special awards are good things to add to a resume. But it has to be done properly. You can format the resume in a way that includes a panel on the side to place an excerpt in italics, followed by the person's name or job title or both.

Another way to include special mentions is to include a line above and below the statement to create a visual border before the Professional Experience section to create a natural divider that also contains the testimonial.

If you are a Program Manager, emphasize the programs your planned, developed and implemented under a Program Coordination section. If you are an Information Technology professional, list your Project Highlights and Technical Expertise. If you are a teacher, list Lesson Highlights.

Whatever you do, use sections that are named appropriately to create a focus. It is also a creative way to get the right keywords in the resume.

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Rehearse For Your Job Interview Performance

9:18 PM

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If you feel like pulling the curtain on the job interview moments before you arrive for fear of failure, you have not properly rehearsed. Remember, the show must go on if you want to land that job.

Confidence in a job interview is something you must build before that day arrives. It is not enough to be sure of who you are; you must know who the hiring company is, as well. That takes research and lots of thought about what information might be exchanged based on that knowledge.If you are thinking that an interviewer is going to ask you dozens of questions about your background, think again. You have been invited to the interview because they read your resume and have pre-qualified you. So, if they do ask you questions about your background, it is probably to see how you communicate.

There are many interview strategies used these days. One of the more popular include behavioral-style interviewing, which is basically a set of questions that are posed to see how you behaved in certain scenarios on the job. It is not just about what you did, but how you handled yourself and solved problems.

Sometimes they will ask you off-the-wall questions that have absolutely nothing to do with the job itself. That is to see how you react to the unexpected. Many job seekers prepare word-for-word what they are going to say in an interview. That is a big mistake. There is no way of knowing what will be asked. When you realize that your overly prepared responses will not get their debut, your anxiety will rise and you might appear too nervous and, ironically, unprepared. So how do you build your confidence before you arrive to your much anticipated job interview? Start by researching the company.

There are many sources available online, including news archives and the company's own website. Gain an understanding of how the company was founded, how it grew in products, service and locations. Think about how you qualify for the position in detail and how your experience would be an asset to the company. Think about things that you want to know about the company, not just about your salary. You want to convey that you are very interested in the company, not just about getting a job.

If you are aware that the company was recently acquired, acknowledge this information in the interview and ask how the acquisition affects the position you are interviewing for. For example, have the responsibilities changed or broadened in any way?

Asking questions based on what your research reveals is a great way to learn about the company. Moreover, it shows your interest and sets the stage for a conversation because this approach is natural, not (obviously) rehearsed. Keep in mind that it is not enough to be qualified. The interviewer must like you, as well. There is always the human factor to consider. You are speaking to a person, not taking an online survey. For this reason, posing questions about their company will help you to establish a rapport with the interviewer. You will also make a great first impression.

Knowing that you are armed with knowledge of their company and have lots of key questions to ask will prove to be a powerful confidence builder. As you pose your questions and they respond at length, you might even forget you are interviewing. That is a good sign that the interview is going well. Just be careful not to let your guard down, laugh too much, or get personal. Keep your edge at all times. As long as you are in control of your own behavior, you will feel more prepared, relaxed and confident. That, coupled with your qualifications



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