Is Your Resume Ready?

By Author: Kellie Whitehead
Total Articles: 26
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A study by a career management company has revealed that most resumes are not good enough to be considered further for advertised positions.

Typical mistakes were typographical and grammatical errors or poorly laid out resume structure, or clumsy language.

Personal Career Management: CVs not good enough (http://www.recruiter.co.uk/) displays some of the common errors in a poorly written resume.

We cannot re-iterate enough how important it is to make a resume sell you (as a professional) as well as you would sell yourself. It's the first image of you to land on a recruiters' desk, or inbox or be passed to potential employers or enablers.

Resumes are a source of confusion and headaches for the potential employee. Every job is different, and every person is an individual. Does it have to be as specific as a resume tailored for every opportunity??

Maybe - but the key word is personal.

But learning how to make a resume ...
... that appears too personal and you may be missing the point. A great article entitled Is Your Resume a Time Capsule (http://finance-jobs.theladders.com/career-advice/) explains why you should not to get too attached to your career history.

It rightly states the following with regards to the contents of your resume.

How old is it? If the information is older than 15 years, scrutinize it carefully for relevance. It may have played a large role in building your career but is it relative now?

Is it in a different industry? People change entire career fields during their lifetimes. Is past experience in a different industry going to help you with your career target of today?

Is it fairly common or something that is understood? There is no need to list basic information like attended biweekly meetings. Including such information is just a waste of space.

Is the technology in use today? Most people at advanced career levels worked with earlier versions of software, but is it really necessary to include that you have background in Windows 3.0?

There are hundreds of what-if scenarios for deciding to include or exclude information, and often you will find conflicting opinions.

That's why personal may be good, but an alternate eye is even better. As I discussed in my last post, friends and relative3s are not the answer.

Try a resume coach that‘s professional experienced and delighted to work on your resume with you or choose an excellent Free Online Resume Builder service, until you are a happy bunny. It goes without saying that I'd direct you to several resources on the internet but there are reasons, and very good ones.

Whatever you do though, take heed of the articles above. All the advice can be a bit overwhelming, but the basics will remain. Get back to basics or your resume will make it no further than the round file.

About the Author

Kellie Whitehead writes related content on career tips like how to make a resume for ResumesStartHere.Com Online Resume.