The following resume writing tips are well known in the industry but for those who find themselves returning to the job market after a lengthy tenure, it may be worth reviewing to ensure you are aware of some of these do’s and don’ts of resume writing.

These 10 tips represent what NOT to do:

• Do Not use colourful or glossy paper, fancy fonts, symbols or underlining.
• Do Not leave blank white spaces or go beyond a 3 page document.
• Do Not add your photo to your resume.  There are only a few positions that would require a photo such as a model or an actor.
• Do Not use an  outdated or silly Hotmail or AOL email address. It only takes a matter of seconds to establish a professional email address.
• Do Not complete contact details without including your customized LinkedIn address and a phone number that you can be reached at.
• Do Not use, “I”, “My”, “He”, “She”.  This is your resume, not a cover letter.  Use bullet points and begin each accomplishment with an action verb.
• Do Not lie about your past jobs or qualifications.  It’s not worth getting the job today just to lose it tomorrow.
• Do Not leave out graduation dates or leave gaps in your work history. Leaving it out will only send a red flag. If you’re not willing to tell the whole story on your resume, should you be trusted to reveal it in an interiew?    
• Do Not include religious or political affiliations or personal interests and hobbies on your resume.
• Do Not list references on your resume and there is no need to note that they are “available upon request” as any recruiter or human resource professional expects that they will be available.

Send your resume to Elite Resumes to receive a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Are you able to answer the following, frequently asked questions about resume writing?

How many pages should my resume be?

Do I need to list references on my resume?

Should I list all 20 of my previous jobs?

Is there a particular font that is more acceptable than others?

I’ve heard that you shouldn’t underline anything on a resume.  Is this true and why?

Is it acceptable to use abbreviations?

Do you include high school info in a resume?

Should I include the political and religious organizations I am involved with?

Should a resume for an undergraduate be kept to one page?

Is it necessary to include an objective?

Should the education section always appear at the end of the resume?

What type of results should I be expecting from my resume?

Is it acceptable to have more than one type of resume?

How should I list the degrees I have acquired from other countries?

Should I list my hobbies and interests to let a potential employer get to know me a little better?

What is the difference between a Functional and a Chronological resume?

How do I show my personal brand in my resume?

Is a tag line important?

Why shouldn’t I use resume.doc when naming my resume?

Do I need to include my customized Linkedin url on my resume?

If you are writing your resume and are not sure how to answer any one of these frequently asked questions STOP now!  You do not want to give a hiring professional any reason to discard your resume. Contact Elite Resumes for the answers to these questions or submit your resume for a free resume critique by a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

How much feedback did you acquire before sending out your resume? Never send out a resume that has not been reviewed by at least a dozen people! Your resume is your key marketing tool. It will either get you in the door or it won’t. Don’t miss out on an opportunity!

Every HR Professional and Recruiter will see your resume differently so it is impossible to have a perfect resume however, a resume that will positively influence the majority of decision makers is possible. Will your resume impress upon a decision maker to call you in for a job interview? It is often difficult to have an objective opinion about a document that is all about you. The accomplishment that meant the most to you may not be the one that will have the most influence on the reader. The appearance of your resume may be pleasing to you with bold fonts and graphics but could be seen as aesthetically offensive and lacking professionalism to someone else.

Your due diligence in obtaining as much feedback on your resume as possible from a variety of sources will help you to prepare a resume that will open doors. You do not want to be passed over as a potential candidate due to typos, formating issues, grammatical errors or missing information. 

Most people will be happy to take the time to review your resume. Of course your mother’s opinion may not be quite as objective as that of a colleague but don’t dismiss feedback from family and friends. After all, who cares more about what is in your best interest? Exchange your resume with other professionals at networking events and share your impressions and advice. Have you maintained good relations with those from your previous position? Do you know what your boss and the company admired most about you and is it clearly noted in your resume? Have you provided them with your resume and asked for feedback?  

Finally, take advantage of a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer!

Are you prepared for a job search if you lost your job tomorrow? Randy Woods writes, You may want a new job, but are you ready? He provides results of a recent poll which showed over 80% of respondents were either “somewhat prepared” or “very prepared” to start searching if they lost their current job tomorrow. That’s good, right? It might be if those believing they were prepared had a current resume! Only 20% said they had updated their resume in the past 3 months and 44% hadn’t touched their resume in more than a year. These results are from the many polls and surveys conducted by Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. Their investment in the ongoing development and success of their clients is evident and most recently they developed the Job-Hunt Readiness Evaluator, an automated tool that asks a series of questions about job-search prep work and assigns a point score on overall readiness and provides tips to help improve your chances of landing a new job.

There are many job search tools and strategies that could be discussed or implemented but there is one single component that is critical to any job search and that is a resume. A single document that represents your soft skills, hard skills, work history and education that must be kept up to date and ready to submit online for a potential job opportunity at any time.

Are you prepared? Is your resume ready to send? Submit your resume for a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer and be prepared.

“Success is when opportunity and preparation meet” ~ Robin Ryan     

Quantifiable accomplishments are critical to producing a resume that will get you noticed but equally important is clearly identifying your hard skills and soft skills. 

Most people have invested a great deal of time establishing the following hard skills;

project management, financial management, budget P&L, contract negotiations, executive leadership, program management, business development, matrix management, outsourcing, merchandising, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, GAAF-IFRS, risk management, recruitment, talent development, product launch, direct sales & B2B, marketing, customer service, sales forecasting, technology management, systems migration, mechanical engineering, production management, process improvement

Hard skills represent the experience and education you have gained and will be very significant criteria to hiring managers but equally important are your soft skills. A candidate with the right soft skills has the potential to acquire the hard skills an employer may be seeking.

Soft skills represent personality traits, social graces, communication and include dependability, concientiousness and optimism. Here are a few examples:

ambitious, tenacious, technically minded, articulate, analytical, inquisitive, patient, methodical, collaborative, persistent, diligent, competitive, honest, intuitive, bold, innovative, optimistic, leader, confident, intellectual, passionate, inspirational, adaptable, goal oriented, cooperative, dependable, caring, conscientious, detail oriented, focused, dedicated, organized, strong aspirations towards gaining knowledge, achieving results and exceeding expectations

Have you clearly articulated your hard skills and soft skills in your resume?

Send your resume to Elite Resumes to receive a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Professional Resume Writing 101 is a series of blog posts covering a variety of topics related to resume writing.

The following topics are covered in the first five blog posts:

Professional Resume Writing 101-1 Professional Resume Writing Styles

Professional Resume Writing 101-2 Basic Elements 

Professional Resume Writing 101-3 Do’s and Don’ts

Professional Resume Writing 101-4 Soft Skills

Professional Resume Writing 101-5 Opportunity or Elimination

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

The recruitment for the new Chief of Police for Barrie, Ontario began with an advertisement in the Globe and Mail on February 6th, 2010. Usually the response to an ad in the career section of the Globe and Mail results solely in applications from potential candidates but this job opening is generating a lot more attention. The Barrie City Council Meeting brought up concerns from councillors regarding the origin of the job posting and many questions to Mayor Dave Aspen regarding his involvement. The controversy doesn’t stop there. With Rick Jones’ resignation as chairperson of the Barrie Police Services Board, Mayor Aspen becomes acting chairperson. One board member is absent due to assault charges and three of the four remaining have denied any involvement in placing the ad, which appeared two days after Police Chief Wayne Frechette threatened to resign.

Despite the political turmoil, there is an opening for the position of Chief of Police in Barrie, Ontario as the current Police Chief is expected to retire on September 1, 2010.

Martin Buckland, Principal of Elite Resumes has been providing executive career management services for the past ten years, working with many clients in Law Enforcement, as he himself has had an extensive career in this industry, specifically with the renowned Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard as a police officer before immigrating to Canada. If you are interested in a Professional Resume and cover letter or a free resume critique, contact Elite Resumes to speak with Martin Buckland, Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Professional Resume Writing 101 is a series of blog posts covering a variety of topics related to resume writing.

The following topics are covered in the last seven blog posts in this series:

Professional Resume Writing 101-26 Detailed Accomplishments

Professional Resume Writing 101-27 Career Path

Professional Resume Writing 101-28 Basic Rules

Professional Resume Writing 101-29 Resume Pet Peeves 

Professional Resume Writing 101-30 Hiring a Professional

Professional Resume Writing 101-31 What not to do

Professional Resume Writing 101-32 Contact Information

We hope you have gained some valuable information from this series of posts, Resume Writing The Basics. Please contact Elite Resumes for a free resume critique or to acquire answers to any other questions you may have on professional resume writing.  

Professional Resume Writing 101 is a series of blog posts covering a variety of topics related to resume writing.

The following topics are covered in these five blog posts:

Professional Resume Writing 101-21 Powerful Language!

Professional Resume Writing 101-22 Professional Image

Professional Resume Writing 101-23 The Truth

Professional Resume Writing 101-24 Keywords

Professional Resume Writing 101-25 Email Address

Is your resume ready? Don’t take any chances. Obtain a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Professional Resume Writing 101 is a series of blog posts covering a variety of topics related to resume writing.

The following topics are covered in these five blog posts:

Professional Resume Writing 101-16 Information NOT to Include in Your Resume

Professional Resume Writing 101-17 Start Bragging!

Professional Resume Writing 101-18 Time and Research

Professional Resume Writing 101-19 Who and What is Reading it?

Professional Resume Writing 101-20 Sell!

Do not send your resume out without first receiving a free resume critique!