| Check out this imaginary resume, used to apply | | | | achievements, right under your brief job |
| for a job as admin assistant at a small and also | | | | description. |
| imaginary company: | | | | 3. Have a career highlights list:If you've had a fairly |
| Julie Jobseeker | | | | long and successful career, choose the top two or |
| Objective: Team player wishing to use skills to | | | | three highlights to put in a special bulleted section |
| obtain employment in challenging office | | | | just under your Profile or Qualifications summary. |
| environment. Skills include: | | | | A sentence or two for each will do, with more |
| - MS Office, Simply Accounting | | | | details coming later under the job description. |
| - Excellent communication skills, verbal and written | | | | 4. Use testimonials: Something that can be very |
| - Highly organized, thrives in fast paced | | | | effective on resumes when appropriate is |
| environment Experience: | | | | testimonials. They can be very simple yet |
| Wowee Widget Company 2004-present | | | | eye-catching, particularly if they're from someone |
| Administrative Assistant | | | | known in the community, and they tend to carry |
| Duties:Filing, bookkeeping, photocopying, greeting | | | | a lot of weight and make someone stand out |
| and serving customers. Also did bank deposits and | | | | from the crowd. Pull out a sentence or two from |
| answered phone. | | | | a letter of reference, an award, or perhaps a |
| Let's stop there, because that's probably as far | | | | letter from an employer commending your |
| as the employer will read, seeing as he has 300 | | | | performance. Just be sure you have permission |
| other resumes to get through. Now, what have | | | | from the person you're quoting, because you'll |
| we learned about Julie? Well, we've learned that | | | | have to include their name and position. (The |
| she's an admin assistant who does...stuff that | | | | phrase "Julie Jobseeker is a fabulous admin |
| admin assistants do. | | | | assistant!" with no name looks highly suspicious. ) |
| If you were the employer, would you jump at | | | | Also, make sure to use a work reference, not a |
| the chance to hire her? Would you read this | | | | personal one, preferably one that relates directly |
| resume and think, "Wow! Having her in our office | | | | to the job you're applying for. So the quotation, |
| would be like a shot in the arm! We'd look | | | | "Julie made great lattes when she worked here,." |
| forward to coming in every morning!" Ummm...no. | | | | would be helpful if she were applying for work at |
| Would it surprise you to know that Julie is a | | | | a restaurant or coffee house, but would probably |
| charismatic, energetic, popular and loyal employee? | | | | be worse than useless when applying to be an |
| That she is trilingual plus she signs fluently in | | | | administrative assistant, as would "No one works |
| American Sign Language? That she came up with | | | | harder or has more integrity than Julie!" if it were |
| a brilliant marketing idea that made the Wowee | | | | a quote from Julie's Mom. So how does Julie's |
| Widget Company $20,000 in one week, an idea | | | | resume look now? |
| that came to her when she was serving as a | | | | Julie Jobseeker |
| volunteer at a building project in Namibia? Of | | | | Profile: Energetic and organized administrative |
| course it would surprise you! How could you | | | | assistant, with a talent for streamlining office |
| possibly know any of this if you'd never met her | | | | practices to make them more efficient and |
| and only read her resume? How could the | | | | cost-effective. Disciplined and amiable. Known for |
| employer? | | | | going the extra mile to keep the customers |
| Your resume is your most important marketing | | | | happy. |
| tool. You have 15 seconds to grab the hiring | | | | Skills include: |
| manager's attention and make him or her think, | | | | - Mastery of MS Office, Simply Accounting |
| "Hmmm. Interesting. I think I'll read further." Bland | | | | - Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, |
| and personality-free resumes just won't do this in | | | | in English, Spanish and Chinese (plus ASL) |
| a time where one job posting can bring in stacks | | | | - Highly organized, with a talent for multitasking |
| of resumes. So what should you do? | | | | and staying on track while under pressure "Julie is |
| | | | a consummate professional as well as a popular |
| 1. Be an individual: Figure out what makes you | | | | employee. She keeps everything running smoothly |
| special and let your resume reveal this, and the | | | | with her expertise and charming personality." Al |
| sooner in the resume the better. Right in the | | | | Wowee, President, Wowee Widget Company |
| Profile section, sum yourself up in a few concise | | | | Professional Experience: |
| sentences, using words and phrases that are as | | | | Wowee Widget Company 2004-present |
| free of clichés as possible. Show the employer | | | | Administrative Assistant |
| what you have to offer them, not what they can | | | | Filing, bookkeeping, photocopying, greeting and |
| do for you. Show that you're special, and that | | | | serving customers. Do bank deposits and answer |
| they'd be lucky to have you as an employee. | | | | phone. |
| 2. Stress achievements, not responsibilities:Just | | | | - Received Wowee Employee of the Year award |
| writing the words "administrative assistant" or | | | | (out of 100 employees) two years running. |
| "sales manager" will give most employers a pretty | | | | - Conceived and implemented highly successful |
| good idea of what kind of thing you did at your | | | | Widget giveaway campaign that made the |
| previous jobs. Of course, you still need a | | | | company $20,000 in one week, or 150% over |
| sentence or two to outline the job, more if it was | | | | expected revenue. |
| a complicated or unusual job, and you do need to | | | | - Organized and ran the yearly Wowee Marathon |
| get those keywords in your resume, but what | | | | For Charity, raising a total of almost $3M over the |
| you want to highlight are the things you achieved | | | | last 5 years. Better, don't you think? This resume |
| at that job. Did you come up with a new process | | | | presents Julie as a real person; someone who |
| that saved everyone time and money? Did you | | | | might be a highly desirable employee for your |
| work on a project that was highly successful? Did | | | | company. (Too bad she's imaginary.) |
| you do something extra, something beyond the | | | | So stop using a bland, boring and generic resume |
| call of duty? If so, be sure to mention it - perhaps | | | | - give it some personality. Give it your personality. |
| in a short bulleted list of job highlights or | | | | |