• Job Seeker

• Your Resumé

• Interviewing Strategies

• Attracting the best Talent

• Current Job Openings

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Your Resumé

Your resume is the one and only information an employer has to determine whether they want to interview you or not. Your job search, from sending out your resume to getting an interview, is a process of selling. Your resume must sell you, and then you must sell yourself during a face-to-face interview.

Think of your resume as a marketing tool. It is the only thing you have to market yourself and convince an employer that you are worth interviewing. It immediately creates a visual impression of you, either good or bad. Your resume must speak for you in terms of who you are and what you have to offer.

Your resume should include information about your qualifications, education, background, knowledge and accomplishments; don't make a novel out of it. It should be:
• Clean, concise and easy to read.
• Picture perfect. (spelling, grammar and punctuation.)
• Well formatted. (clean lines, rows and bullets.)
• Be specific and customize your objective and content based upon the position you are applying for.

What to Include:
Name, Address and Phone Number. If you have an e-mail address, include it, as well as any other phone numbers such as message or voice mail numbers. Include your website address if you have one. Your Objective. It is advisable to customize your objective for every position you are applying for if you are responding to a newspaper ad, the Internet, or other specific resources.

This is important for two reasons: Ć Many resumes are scanned for key words. Ć Often resumes are screened by unqualified people who are told to look for specific key words and terms. If an ad reads, “Director of Land Development” needed, your objective should say, “To obtain a position as a “Director of Land Development” rather than the using a term like “Project Manager.”

Use key words and job titles that are indicated in the ad. Professional or Work Experience. Regardless of your professional background, when listing your past experience, think in terms of transferable business skills that would be of value to any employer. For example, if you worked in a restaurant, you could list “customer service” as a transferable skill.

Some transferable skills include:

Accounting	Marketing
Finance	Sales
Customer Service	Purchasing
Project Management	Scheduling
Training and Development

Operations Begin phrases with action verbs, such as “Developed new policies and procedures manual” or “Created successful ad campaign.”

Some action verbs include:

Established	Initiated
Developed	Created
Produced	Increased
Designed	Conducted
Adapted	Managed
Customized
Presented Personal Information

Unless you have personal interests that would benefit your job search, leave this section out. This is not the place to list your bowling average or your favorite color. Do not include your age, marital status, photos, salary history, etc., and never include anything that might be construed as controversial. (For example: Don't state on your resume that you are a member of the NRA or a member of a Religious or Political Group).

The rule on personal information is: if an employer might see it as a benefit in hiring you, include it (i.e., a hobby like Golf or Tennis, Business Association Memberships, Community Involvement, etc.). If not, don't.

Special Skills
Remember to include any special skills that might benefit you in your job search. For example: if you are bilingual, include the languages you speak.