Resumes and Other Written Materials for a Job Search

Resumes and Other Written Materials for a Job Search

-There is no one way to write a resume or cover letter
-In the end, let common sense be your ultimate guide
-Consider the person who will be reading your resume

Writing Resumes and Letters in the Language of Employers by John L. Munschauer

-Your resume should display to the employer, “What can the candidate do for us?”

Why Use a Resume?
-To get a job or interview
-Should never be longer than a page and your experience should be listed chronologically
-Remember that the main purpose is to send a message and don’t get caught up in making it pretty and eye catching
-Imagine yourself as the employer looking at yourself seeing what you have to offer
-Don’t confuse customers by flaunting things that don’t speak to their needs

Giving your Message
-Employment “I want”
-Employer “I need”
-Perfect resumes that arrive in the mail won’t even be read if the cover letter doesn’t impress the employer
-Refrain from “I have done this...” and “I have done that”
-The example letter proved to the employer that the writer was a problem solver

The Importance of Knowing What the Job Is All About
-Understand there is a need for people who can get things done
-When employers advertise and list the qualifications they seek, the best way to respond is to send a resume outlining the qualifications.

Letters of Application
-To figure out how to make the letter of application more effective imagine being on the receiving end
-Cute tricks and cleverness don’t work at big corporations

Good letters contain:
Business letter appearance – neat and printed on 8 1/2” X 11” paper
They were succinct
No misspellings or grammatical letters
-All good letters have one thing in common – they’re simple

The most effective letters reviewed followed a similar pattern:
The first paragraph stated who the writer was and what he wanted
The second paragraph indicated the purpose of the letter and information relative to the qualifications
Final paragraph suggested a course of action

Hard Work and Attention to Detail Make for a Good Letter
-Most people won’t write effective letters so see it as a chance to set yourself apart
-Write it and rewrite it
-Get a teacher or someone in the word business to proofread your letter

Don’t Delegate the Job of Letter Writing
-The thought process used in writing letters and resumes is more important than style
-Don’t delegate your thinking to someone else or the letter will sound phony
-Think about the employer’s needs and then think about what you offer and relate that to what you would like to do
-Prepare a resume even if you don’t use it – it is valuable in preparation

Resume Preparation
-The resume should look sufficiently attractive to get an employer to read it
-These resumes get about a 20 second scan to see what they’re worth

Nancy Jones - A Good Resume Made Better
-Do not sound long winded
-Offer information and skills relative to the job objective
-List all your credentials that testify your ability to do the work

Janet Smith – The Proper Use of Headlines
-A resume should be able to be skimmed to pick up important information
-Headlines can help the reader select specific things of interest
-When planning headlines ask yourself, “What words will catch the reader’s eye?” and “Does this say something to the employer?”

Mark Meyers – The Functional Resume
-Creating a resume based on functions
-Wrote his resume in a conventional form in which he listed education then experiences in chronological order and finally his activities and interest
-A better way to do this is to feature the functions of the job he wanted and then describe things he has done that relates to it

Preparing a Resume for a Specific Job
-Try to tie in as many experiences as possible that correlate with the job description
-In a functional resume, different functions can be highlighted and specific experiences can be rearranged under different headings to make it more effective

Bruce Gregory Robertson – A Resume Reflecting an Active Mind and Body
-Employers look for candidates that are able to learn and not so much for what they know
-List traits about yourself that show you could move up in the company


Michelle Trio – The Curriculum Vitae
-Resume for academic positions – does not need a statement of goals or interest
-List many achievements
-In an academic resume, not only does the employer look at the person’s publications and research they are also interested in the prestige that person can bring to the department

The Job Objective
-A resume should open with an objective but it should be stated a certain way
-Use the headline CAREER INTEREST
-The employer shouldn’t have to study the resume to know what you want

One Page or Two
-Better to keep it at one page but length depends on the message
-A resume needs white space and headings that stand out so don’t cram everything in one page if it’s going to appear very crowded and hard to read

Additional Advice About Resumes
-Get your friends to critique your resume especially if they are in a related job field
-Look at the resume from a few feet back and check its appearance, does it look neat? It is easy to read?
-Ask your critics, “What message to you get about me?”