Resume and Application Letter Writing - Essay Example

Chapter 18 Conference Report: Resume and Application Letter Writing I. Introduction Resumes and applications letters are very important selling tools for a job hunter. These tools provide the prospective employer written evidences of the skills and the qualifications of the job application (see conference transcript answer to the question what is a resume). Since most employers have to deal with several job applicants, they only take an average of 20 seconds to scan the resumes and application letters in front of them (Whitcomb, Susan Britton. (2006). The resume or application letter does not grab the attention of the employer in the first 10 seconds that application will probably go into the trash. As it is, writing an attention grabbing resume is a must. Effective resumes are interesting, brief, concise and to the point (Whitcomb, Susan Britton. (2006). Well written resumes and application letters are very important to creative a positive first impression on the prospective employer and get that precious interview appointment. This report is a consolidation of ideas presented by the students during the online interaction on the topic mentioned above. The author of this report has provided additional information to fill in the gaps in the report to make it more comprehensive and relevant to the readers. This report is divided into two pain parts to wit: discussions on resume formats and discussions on the dons and don’ts of resume writing. II. Resume Formats There were three basic resume formats discussed by the group online. These resume formats are (a) chronological format, (b) functional format and (c) combination format. The chronological resume which outlines the applicant’s job experiences in a reverse chronological order is the most widely used resume format. Technically, the reverse chronological resume illustrates the candidate’s career growth in the past years and capitalizes on the experience gained by the applicant through his or her previous work. (See conference transcript answer to the question “How does a chronological resume differ from a functional resume, and when is each appropriate?”) Many employers prefer to review this type of resume for the following reasons, (a) they are more familiar with this type of resume, (b) the chronological resume is easier to understand and it highlights the career growth and stability of the applicant and (c) it gives the employer and idea of how productive the application has been in the past several years. Although the chronological resume has many advantages, it also has its disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages of the chronological resume is that it highlights the employment gaps in the applicant’s resume. Unexplained employment gaps in the resume can work to the disadvantage of the job applicant and may even cost him or her that precious job interview. (See conference transcript answer to the question How does a chronological resume differ from a functional resume, and when is each appropriate?) While the chronological resume focus on the progressive work experience of the applicant, the functional resume focus on the work experience and the skills of the applicant which are relevant to the position being sought (Bennett, Scott A. (2005). In other words, this format directly highlights the experiences and the capabilities of the applicant. The primary goal of this format is to communicate to the prospective employer the degree of professional competency of the applicant (see conference transcript answer to the question How does a chronological resume differ from a functional resume, and when is each appropriate?). As it is, the functional resume works well for those people who want to make career changes and those people who have varied work experiences (Bennett, Scott A. (2005). This type of resume allows the applicant to sell him or herself on the basis of his or her skills and not on lengthy employment experiences. Another advantage of this resume format is that employers who are looking for people with specific skills prefer to review functional resumes. Like the chronological format, the functional format also has its disadvantages. First, the functional resume can lead the employer to suspect that the applicant is hiding something. Job recruiters and prospective employers may get suspicious when an applicant leaves out dates and employment titles in his or her resume. Second, some employers find it difficult to interpret what is written in a functional resume. It is a given fact that most employers are interested in the actual companies that the applicant worked for so when the applicant omits these information from his or her resume, the prospective employer may lose interest in him or her. (See conference transcript answer to the question “Why some employers are suspicious of the functional resume?”) The third resume format that is currently used by jobseekers around the world is the combination of the chronological and the functional format. The combination format presents comprehensive information about the work experience and the skills of the applicant. This type of resume help explains the employment information gaps in the applicants resume. (See conference transcript answer to the question “Describe the advantages and disadvantages of chronological and functional resume formats. Do you think a combination format would be an appropriate format for your new resume? Explain why or why not) Applicants who have out of the workforce for a while and are seeking to start their career anew will benefit from this type of resume (Bennett, Scott A. (2005). However, since this type of resume has the tendency to repeat information, not many jobseekers are inclined to use this format. Many prospective employers do not like to read lengthy combination resume so it would be better for jobseekers to stick to either the chronological or the functional formats (See conference transcript answer to the question “Describe the advantages and disadvantages of chronological and functional resume formats. Do you think a combination format would be an appropriate format for your new resume? Explain why or why not). III. Dos and Don’ts In Resume Writing A large part of the online discussion focus on the dos and don’t of resume writing. Here, the participants of the online discussion gave comments on various aspects of resume writing specifically on the types of information to be included in the resume, the choice of worlds, format, what attitude to take towards resume writing and others. Below is a summary of the discussions. Although it is important to state the applicant’s career goals and aspirations in his or her resume, the applicant should not make that fatal mistake of turning his or her resume into a kind of personal statement. A resume is not a history of the applicant’s life but rather, it is a document that outlines why the applicant can be of use to the company. Employers are not interested about what the applicants have been through in the past but rather, they are interested on how the experiences of the applicant can help the company grow. Good resumes adopt the “you” attitude. This means that the resume should address the needs of the company and the person who is reading the resume directly and make a connection. To establish as direct connection with the prospective employer, an applicant must do some research about the company that he or she wants to work for and tailor fit his or her resume to the needs of that company. Resumes that provide a direct answer to the needs of the employers are more likely to win that coveted interview. All employers are looking for employees who will be assets to the company so applicants must see to it that they highlight information that may be useful and interesting to their prospective employers. (See conference transcript answer to the question “What is a resume', and why is it important to adopt a "you" attitude in preparing one?) Resumes that give clear statistics as to the achievements of the applicant are preferable. For instance, giving the number of time that the applicant performed certain tasks will give the prospective employer a clear idea of the degree of professional experience of the applicant (see conference transcript on “qualifying resume statements” instructor’s comments). When writing a resume, the applicant must highlight his or her achievements and how these achievements helped the company that he or she used to work for. A good resume therefore must contain a summary of the applicants work experience and achievements. The goal here is to let the prospective employer see the potential benefits that the applicant can bring into the company. Aside from highlighting the achievements, the applicant must clearly state his or her interest to come for an interview at the most convenient time of the employer. The applicant must let the prospective employer feel that he or she is available. The applicant also needs to provide the employer contact address and number so that the employer can contact him or her anytime. A poorly organized resume is reflective upon the personality of the person who prepares it so it is very important to get the resume organized. Employers do not like sloppy employees so when they come across applicants with poorly organized resumes; they tend to shy away from those applicants. Moreover, a disorganized resume may be taken by the employer as a sign that the applicant has poor communication skills. A resume that is lengthy and does not give a clear impression of what the applicant wants does not sit well with job recruiters and employers. Aside from being clear and well organized, a good resume must be free from errors. Applicants must observe proper grammar, punctuations and courtesy in writing the resume. (See conference transcript answer to the question “What are the most common problems with resumes?) Employers do not like resumes with typo and grammatical errors. Most employers assume that people who have typo and grammatical errors in their resume are careless and unrealizable so job applicants need to be very careful when it comes to these things. It is therefore very important for applicants to proof read their resume a number of times before they send them to prospective employers. Proper formatting is also very important. Applicants should use white plain paper and blank ink in printing resumes (See conference transcript answer to the question “What are the most common problems with resumes?). The paper itself must be unlined and free from any smudges or stains. Employers are very keen when it comes to these things. When they see smudges or stains in the resume, they assume that that applicant is careless and sloppy so applicants should make sure that they submit clean and stain free resumes (See conference transcript answer to the question “What are the most common problems with resumes?). Resumes are supposed to be businesslike so it is not appropriate to use colored ink or fancy fonts in resumes. A good resume must be easy on the eyes so one should never use fancy fonts or formats on his or her resume unless he or she is vying for a job that requires artistry and graphic creativity (See conference transcript answer to the question “What are the most common problems with resumes?). The tone adopted by the applicant his or her resume is very important. The use of action words or verbs in the resume is very important (see conference transcript exercise “Change the following statements to make them more effective for a resume by using action verbs). However, the applicant must know how to temper the use of words to create the right impression. Too strong may be interpreted by the employer as a sign of arrogance on the part of the applicant. On the other hand, too weak words may be interpreted by the employer as a sign of indecisiveness and weakness on the part of the applicant. To merit a second glance, a resume must standout from the rest. A bland and uninteresting resume usually does not merit a second glance from the employer. On the other hand, a glossed up resume can harm the applicant’s chance of getting that much needed interview. A good resume therefore need to be brief, concise and direct to the point to merit a second look from the prospective employer. As much as possible, applicants should never volunteer any irrelevant information in their resumes. Irrelevant information will only clutter the resume and make it hard to interpret. Is it necessary to include personal information on the resume? According to experts, it is not necessary to include the personal data in the resume. When the personal data of the applicant is not relevant to the job he or she is applying for, there is no need to put personal data in the resume. On the other hand, there are times when putting personal information on the resume can help the applicant land an interview. For instance, as pointed out by one of our discussion participants, volunteer work that does not qualify as valid work experience may be stated by the applicant in his or her resume to justify gaps in his or her employment records. Moreover, stating some important personal data can also lend more credibility to the applicant. For instance, in the case presented by one of our discussion participants, the fact that his wife volunteered at the DODEA School proves that she is still involved and integrated with a school system even if she is not holding a teaching position at the moment. (See conference transcript answer to the question “What elements are commonly included in a resume?” and “Should you include personal data on a resume? Explain your answer.) Should the applicant state in his or her resume that he or she has been fired from his or her previous job? Yes, it is necessary to set the facts straight right from the beginning. Hiding the fact that the applicant has been fired from his or her job may haunt him or her in the future. Any unexplained gaps in the employment of the applicant can appear suspicious to job recruiters and employers. The applicant can always explain what happened to the prospective employer what happened during the interview. (See conference transcript answer to the question “You were fired from a finance job for the reason of being inefficient, would you include a terminated job in your resume`?”) When writing resumes for international readers, it is important to highlight useful information including political and religious. However, the applicant should only emphasize his or her leadership or personal achievement connected with his or her political and religious experiences. Stating this type of information will help the employer decide whether the job candidate has leadership potentials and that he or she is dedicated to his or her job. We have to understand that most employers are looking for long-term employers so they prefer to hire people who are known to stick to their commitments. (See conference transcript answer to the question “If your work history involves religious or political activities, either paid or volunteer, explain how you might present this information on curriculum vitae intended for international readers.) Is it important to use keywords in writing resume? In this digital era, the use of keywords is very important especially when applying for a job online or posting resumes on the internet. Some employers simply scan databanks to find possible employees these days so there is a big possibility that an applicant will miss a lot of opportunities if he or she does not use keywords in his or her resume. (See conference transcript answer to “Test section: Why use a keyword summary?”) IV. Conclusion Every job applicant should never take resume writing for granted. The resume is not just a tool to get that coveted interview; it is also a window to the applicant’s personality, work habit and ethics. If an applicant wants to create the right impression on a prospective employer, he or she should see to it that his or her resume is clear, concise, well-organized, professional looking and informative. A good resume should grab the attention of the employer within the first 10-20 seconds. References: Bennett, Scott A. (2005) The Elements of Résumé Style: Essential Rules and Eye- Opening Advice for Writing Résumés and Cover Letters that Work. AMACOM Transcript from the Online Conference Whitcomb, Susan Britton. (2006) Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer, Third Edition. JIST Publishing, Read More