Professional Resume Writing – Detailed Accomplishments

When was the last time you updated your resume? Most of us only think about a resume when we need one and it then becomes a huge task! Especially if you have been with the same employer or owned the same business for several years.

Even more important than your career history on your resume, are the details that are required in order to highlight your accomplishments. These detailed accomplishments are necessary but may be difficult to recall years later. Reducing costs, increasing sales, increasing efficiency, but by how much? Managing a team, working with customers and suppliers, but how many? What was the gross profit on that sale two years ago or what was the total value of the project you worked on five years ago?

I’m not suggesting you have a polished resume ready at all times but I do recommend that you keep notes with detailed information that will be available to you when you need it. Noting and reviewing your accomplishments on a regular basis is also an excellent exercise in personal growth increasing your self-esteem, confidence and motivation.

When you experience your next great accomplishment in your career, write down the details! You never know when you may need them.

Contact Elite Resumes for a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Keeping a clear perspective and the old adage, “take it with a grain of salt” are very important factors when you read, Ali Hale’s, “Mental Bias – Would You Like Fries With Your Warm Fuzzy Platitudes?” found at SidSavara.com.

“We tend to accept questionable, even false statements about ourselves, if we deem them positive or flattering enough.”

“People who expect to be successful are more likely to succeed. People who expect to fail are more likely to fail. We live up to our expectations.”

There are more quotes and lots of great links available throughout this post on, The Forer Effect, subjective validation, Self-fulfilling Prophecies, Hindsight bias, Illusory correlation, The Power of Coincidence and the Law of Attraction.

A very interesting read and Ali Hale leaves us with some cautionary advice, “Be aware of the mental biases that we all have, and look out for vague language, general statements, the creation of self-fulfilling prophecies, and a reliance on coincidence.”

CareerBuilder.com has released a new survey of unusual (and fun) jobs. With so many serious issues in today’s turbulent economy, it seems a break from the norm is in order. For the top results from 8,700 workers reporting unconventional jobs held during their career go to http://tinyurl.com/6fyx4y to check out the full list from A to Z.

These are my favourites:

• Cat Nanny
• Elf at Santa’s Workshop
• Quality control/taster for chocolate factory

And these are my not so favourites:

• Autopsy Assistant
• Grave Digger
• Parachute Tester
• Yawn counter at a sleep clinic

What do you think? Anything here that may inspire you to consider a career change? On a more serious note, if you are interested in a professional résumé or require some professional career coaching during your transition give us a call.

CNN.com posted a great article by Mike Hargis, CareerBuilder.com, Social networking do’s and don’ts, which provides some valuable information about your online profile and whether it will get you hired or fired.

It is clear that hiring managers are checking out the online profiles of potential candidates and studies show the information is an influence on their decision to hire or not to hire.  Although job qualification is reported as their top priority, controversial information, such as drinking, drugs or inappropriate photographs could very likely eliminate you from consideration.

A recent blog, Use Common Sense When Sharing Online Information, was written after the reported news of Virgin Atlantic firing 13 employees for criticizing the company and their customers on Facebook.  Yes, there is plenty of evidence that your online profile can get you fired!

Here are just a few tips provided by Mike Hargis, vice president of customer care at CareerBuilder.com on the dos and don’ts for social networking sites:

• Do update your profile regularly
• Don’t badmouth your current or previous employer
• Do join groups…selectively
• Don’t forget others can see your friends

Your resume is a professional document, not a personal document.  It has the potential to be reviewed by a hiring professional and digitally scanned by a computer and neither will spend more than a few seconds “reading” your resume.  Within these few seconds, you can be assured that the professional and the computer have no interest in whether you are a golfer or a bowler, unless these are the positions you are applying for!

Here are a few things that should NOT be included in your professional resume:

Hobbies, religion, age, marital status, every job you’ve had since you were 16, political views, sexual preferences, photographs, physical characteristics, health issues, prejudices, negative or boring words and your criminal record.

You would think that this goes without saying, that common sense should prevail, but I just received comments today from someone who is positive that the professional reviewing a resume is interested in knowing about an individual’s hobbies!

Approximately 30 seconds will be allocated to reviewing one of potentially hundreds of resumes and in that time frame, here are a few things that will be noticed and will be of interest:

Your name and contact data, a neat format devoid of unequal spacing, indents, white space or formatting discrepancies, correct spelling and grammar, consistent font type and size, a clear, concise, quantified list of accomplishments beginning with enticing action words and significant keywords that relate to the position.

If you are not sure about what NOT to include in your resume or even if you are sure, it is best to consult with a professional resume writer.  Call for a free resume critique!

Yesterday I wrote about the misconceptions surrounding the job of a recruiter in, “Head Hunters, Search Firms and Recruiters. What do they really do?” At the same time, it came to my attention that there seem to be just as many misconceptions about the purpose of online web sites as there are about recruiters.

In each of the following articles 50 of the top online web sites are listed. There is little variance in the top web sites that are provided, however, each of the articles are written to attract readers with very different interests, which should dispell the misconception that the people on these sites are only those who are searching for a job.  Whether you are interested in social media, managing a business or job seeking, there are few sites that you would want to rule out. “Personal Management” is the name of the topic given to one of the articles and seems very appropriate when referring to these online sites.

50 Online Applications and Sites to Consider

50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence On

Top 50 Web 2.0 Tools for Job Seekers

These days, if you want to be found, you need to be online!  That’s not to say that the purpose of these sites is solely to provide an opportunity to be found by a potential employer.  Whether on a professional site or a social site, and the differentiation is narrowing by the hour, such as LinkedIn, Naymz or Facebook, you are among millions of users.  Some will post their needs and and some may not but whether they are searching for a job, a friend, a relative, customers, information, references or professional colleagues they could all very well be on the same online site.  Even the online sites specifically related to job seekers, such as Monster and Workopolis do not consist solely of those seeking a job, since there are no rules to remove your posted resume upon becoming employed.  In fact, maintaining your resume online may provide you with further opportunities and could shorten the length of an unexpected job search.

It is very likely that the majority of people don’t really know what headhunters, search firms or recruiters, as they are now more commonly referred to, actually do. In your job search it is important that you are known by recruiters because they do actively search for candidates to fill positions for companies. The misconception is in thinking that that these people are going to assist you in your job search or provide you access to companies. This is completely the opposite of what they do.

Recruiters work for the employer and NOT the job seeker. As a job seeker or potential candidate, you cannot pay a search firm or retain the services of a recruiter unless you need to hire someone. They are retained by and paid by the company/employer. After they refer a candidate to their client/company in need of filling a position and that person is officially employed, the recruiter is paid for this service. Their average fee is approximately 30% of the first year’s salary.

As a job seeker, you could very well be the next potential candidate on a long list of candidates that the recruiter is looking for to fill a position so make sure you are on their list. Never turn down an opportunity to interview with a search firm. You won’t be considered if you’re not on their list. But remember, the recruiter is not working for you so don’t expect to hear back from any of them unless they think you are a potential candidate for one of their clients.

More jobs are found through networking than by any other means.  37 Ideas to Grow Your Job Search Network Right Now, is a must-read article for anyone, employed or not, providing a simple list of everything you need to do in order to grow your network online and offline.

Included in the list are #1. a simple email address, #5. & 6. join LinkedIn, #9. & 10. business cards and referrals, #16. follow industry blogs, #27. hire a career/job search coach, #37. use thank you notes.

Jacob Share, in concluding this article written for Job Action Day 2008, says, “Like a tree, a network requires caring and time to branch out to its full potential.  The more you invest in your network, the more you’ll get out of it.  Even if you can only afford a few minutes per day, start growing your nework as soon as you can and continue nurturing it until you need its fruits.”

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, just to name a few, are websites that are available for anyone to share information online.  The following blogs, also just to name a few, have been written about sharing information online and the consequences, positive or negative that can result.  The basic message really is, use a little common sense when you post information to your online sites.

The Influence and the Power of Your Words

Online Posting and Your Reputation

Social vs. Professional Online Networking Sites

Hundreds of articles continue to show up regarding the demise of individuals who are not using common sense when posting information online.  Virgin Atlantic sacks 13 staff after Facebook criticism!  Yes, 13 of Virgin Atlantic’s cabin staff were sacked after they made a conscious decision to go online and criticize the company that employed them and the customers that support the company!  A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said, “There is a time and a place for Facebook.  But there is no justification for it to be used as a sounding board for staff of a company to criticise the very passengers who ultimately pay their salaries”.

Using a little common sense when sharing online information will help to serve your best interests, especially if consideration is given prior to posting it for the world to see.  News travels fast.

In today’s economic crisis, the number one job available is in SALES!  These positions are currently the most sought after as an increase in sales could potentially be the key factor in the survival of many companies caught up in today’s economic turmoil.

Increasing sales is one of the few definitive options available to the decision makers of many companies and organizations at a time when so much is beyond their control.  The fluctuating dollar, volatile stock markets and wavering economies of neighbouring countries have resulted in widespread, growing concerns over the viability of many businesses.  An economic crisis, forecasted by some, as the worst since the Great Depression of the 30’s.

Many people are currently in career transition and those who are not could potentially be in the near future.  Statistics show a continuing decline in the length of tenure in all executive positions.  Although it may not seem to be at the time, this transition can be a positive opportunity for your career development.  By acquiring knowledge and a clear understanding of current trends in our market place, recognizing the significance of fulfilling your own needs, focussing on your strengths and following your passion you can set the goals needed to create a path to success.

If you require the professional advice of a career transition coach, professional branding strategist or master resume writer please do not hesitate to contact us.