FRESHER RESUME TIPS

Resume is a French word, meaning “summary” and signifies a brief account of one’s education, employment & other skills, used in applying for a new position.

But, if you are a fresher looking for entry level jobs, then the bottom line is: To look good on paper.

Going by the saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, let’s decode some of the tips & tricks to construct an eye-grabbing resume.

1.    Own the Format:
•    There is no one correct resume format. A resume is essentially a way to showcase your profile in your very own personal style. Highlight what You think makes a more impressive statement.

2.    Include the Basics:
•    Objective – in about 2-3 lines to highlight your focus in life, amalgamated with your skills & job requirement, in order to attract the employer.
•    Contact Info – Relevant, Current & Correct.
•    Education – Mention both, the degrees as well as the credentials, in a complete fashion. Also, specify any certifications undergone for that extra edge.
•    Experience – This includes both, the job responsibilities held so far and the crux of projects undertaken during training (for fresher).
•    Skill-Set – List all the technologies you have worked in & other buzz words that describe your potential best. Read the rest of this entry »

RESUME WRITING: POWER WORDS - ACTION VERBS

The reason for writing a resume is to generate results. You want to try and knock the socks off your reader so that he extends an invitation for an interview where you can really showcase your skills.

The thing that will help you to do that is to use power words in your resume. These power words are more of descriptors which go ahead to describe details of what you worked on at your previous job.

If an employer is searching a database of resumes then these power words act like key words and throw up your resume immediately. Power words are the most important words to be used in resumes today. They help the reader to easily understand your resume and make you stand out from amongst the crowd.

Power words are actually the building blocks of a resume. It also depends on the frequency of usage of these power words and the specific words used. Along with power words if you go ahead and use numbers to substantiate what you are saying then it all the more quantifies what you are saying. Thus when the employer reads the resume he is able to draw a visual picture in his mind about all your responsibilities and achievements. This will enable him to also visualize how you would fit into his organization.

If your resume is very generic and lacks power words which add on the right amount of punch and zing then it won’t be easy for the employer reading it to skip over and forget it. More specifics you add on the better it is for you.

Another thing that is equally important is the image of yourself that you portray via the resume. The more power words you use that match the position that you are applying for the higher your chances of being called for an interview. So remember the power words you use must match your current position too if you want to control the image created in the reader’s mind.

Power words help you to grab your reader’s attention within the first ten seconds which is exactly how long it takes for him to decide which basket he wants to add your resume to, the one that gets a call or the other to be tossed away.

Hence you might wonder what are power words. They are strong action verbs which boost your chance of being called for interviews, describe your accomplishments succinctly including current and previous jobs and intrigue hiring managers further.

There are some words that appeal to all companies universally. They are efficiently, teamwork, managed, productive, motivated and so forth.

Every word in the English language has a denotation and connotation. It means that even though the meaning of the words might be the same but the reaction of others to it will differ. Based on the word that you used the reaction could be positive or negative. For example if you say motivated the team the effect of course is bound to be positive. However, if you use words such as led a team it doesn’t create the same positive image as the word motivate would. It could in fact have a boomerang effect where rather than creating a good impression your resume is tossed aside for just that one word.

Here is a compilation of some of the power words that you could use.

Ability, achieved, acquired, assisted, approved, budgeted, built, capable capability capacity competence competent complete completely consistent contributions, consolidated, corresponded, demonstrated developing educated efficient effective enhanced effectiveness enlarging equipped excellent exceptional expanding experienced global increasing knowledgeable major mature maturity nationwide outstanding performance positive potential productive proficient profitable proven qualified record repeatedly resourceful responsible results significant significantly sound specialist substantial substantially successful stable thorough thoroughly versatile vigorous well educated well rounded worldwide.

To conclude, remember that power words should be used, however used judiciously otherwise they will not have the desired impact.

ACCOUNTING RESUME TIPS

The Accounting resume must go ahead and highlight your accounting related experience, skills and education that will help you to outshine the others. As soon as the employer glances at your resume they should be able to form a mental picture of your expertise and experience in the accounting field and with the right skills and abilities.

What you should do before you sit down to pen your accounting resume. Firstly, research about all the alternatives that are available to you where the accounting field is concerned and what interests you. Secondly, organize your ideas into the chronological order in which you would want them to appear in your resume. Thirdly, you could go ahead and look at some sample resumes to get a fair idea and then narrow down on the one that you feel fits you the best. Lastly, avoid using I throughout the resume. Be careful to note that not all sentences begin with I because that will show to your employer that you haven’t used too much variety in your language and you weren’t much of a team player.

See that you use keywords to your best advantage and they are related extensively to the accounting world. Always use action words to describe the skill sets that you will bring along with you. Action verbs are able to add the right amount of punch to your resume.

Let us enumerate a few action verbs that you could use. They are:

Analyze, arrange, assemble, build, collect, complete, control, coordinate, develop, direct, demonstrate, establish and so forth.

See that you begin the sentences in the resume with these kinds of action verbs. They will make your sentences crisper and precise. At the same time they will immediately let the employer know what was your contribution was without mincing any words.

The accounting resume just like the others has to have the right amount of description which covers all of your relevant skills and abilities, the educational qualifications specific to that role, and the experience where you have been able to pick up these skills. What you put in your accounting resume will ultimately determine how many interview calls you get.

The more specific you make the resume the better it is for you. For example if you write,‘ Maintained the books of accounts’ versus a more effective one of ‘ Maintained the books of accounts of the high-end customers for the branch as well as served as their relationship manager. This will give the specific details and at the same time talk about the value-add that you could do.

Try and use vocabulary that covers management terms. These could be words such as optimized, increased productivity, cut costs, ensured effectiveness, marketability, customized and so forth. Hence the choice of your words is equally important.
 
See to it that your wording is always positive. Instead of saying assigned work to the junior reporting to me word it as mentored the juniors who were assigned to me.

Also make a note that you use as many accounting related words as possible. These keywords and skills headings have to be appropriate. Check whether you have these terms in your resume e.g. billing and collections, balance sheets, status reports, supervision of accounts and management of key customer’s accounts.

RESUME WRITING STYLES WITH EXAMPLES

Everyone needs to write a resume sometime in their lives. There is no one who can escape from writing one. Hence it is good to know of a structure and style that one needs to follow when writing a resume.

The purpose of the resume is to get you a call for an interview. Therefore the resume should be easy on the reader’s eyes. At no point of time should he be searching for the information that is required. Rather the information should leap out.
 
The style that you use to write your resume needs to differnetiate you from the others in the pile. Your resume’s task is to convince and persuade the reader to call you for an interview.

There are basically three styles that you could follow based on your individual needs.

•  Informal
•  Creative
•  Conventional

How would you go about choosing the style depends entirely on the position that you are applying for and how would you want your employer to perceive your personality.For example if you are applying for a marketing job then your personality should come across as gregarious, a go-getter and someone who loves to network. Hence the informal resume is the best for you. If you are a copywriter then the creative resume is something that you can bet your last dollar on.

Resume style elements include the following:
 
Paper Quality & Type: The kind of paper that you use speaks volumes about you. White is the colour and no other shades of white or coloured paper is allowed in a professional environment.

Number of Columns: Choose the number of columns based on the information you want to pass on. There will be times when you would want to consider putting information in tables as it adds on to the overall presentation and makes the information easy to retrieve for the employer. Try and use highlighting mechanisms such as bullets and bold font in order to make relevant information stand out from the rest. The latest trend in resumes is the two-columned one as it is easy to read and can convey more information.
 
So lets go ahead and look at the two-columned resume style. Align it completely to the left, be as creative as possible and go ahead and use various fonts such as different for headlines and the overall text.
 
Different Font Types & Sizes: Be individualistic by using different approved fonts.The business world majorly accepts two fonts that is Serif fonts like those with feet like Times Roman, Bookman, and Georgia and Sans serif fonts those with no feet like Arial, Tahoma, and Verdana. Keep your reader’s computers in mind.Usually serif fonts are easy to read on all computers.The font size should be either 10 to 12 and the headings should be 12 to 14 points and no more. Be consistent with the font size throughout and same with the underlining or bold or italics used. You might want to print out one copy of your resume once you are done with drafting it to see how it actually looks in hard copy.
 
Text alignment & Bullets: .Always go ahead and align your text to the left. Whilst bulleting use standardised bullets such as circles or squares.

Visual elements / Images: Always remember that what applies in life applies in resumes too. The visual impact in a resume is the most important one. Hence see that you use tables to add on the appropriate style. Do not use any pictures they are inappropriate for resumes.

Use graphical styles such as tables, shading to highlight your achievements and draw the interviewer’s attention to it. Remember your resume is selling the idea to your employer about how you have unique talents to offer that separates you from the pack.

RESUME STRUCTURE TIPS

Content is the king in the resume. Before you sit to pen down the your remume jot down all the possible strengths you would want to convey to your employer. Then think of the structure that you would want to adopt for your resume and write all information around it. If we were to have an analogy here it is like a frame or skeleton and then you go ahead and add on the aesthetics.

We will now look at each of the part of the structure of the resume and how to gain maximum advantage from it.

Objective:
The objective is not longer than a sentence or two and in these you need to showcase the qualifications and skills that you possess which match the job role and desingation. The objective needs to be precise short and crisp. A badly written objective statement may weaken the overall impact of your resume.
A good objective statement will draw the reader’s attention to the exact reason for applying for that position.
At the same time if you are attending a job fair and plan to take many resumes with you, please do not put an objective statement in those as this will narrow down the roles that you can apply for.
Here is an example:
Entry level position as a customer service representative where I can use my education and research in the CRM to generate customer delight.
A challenging job where I can utilize my skills and expertise in several areas.
Which one is the one that you should adopt? Of course the first one since it is specific and lets the employer know exactly what kind of job will suit your qualifications.

Several Headings you could choose from. All these headings need not be in your resume. What you could do is pick the ones that bring out and focus on your best points.

• Work experience
• Educational qualifications
• skill sets that are career related
• Knowledge of Computer applicaitons
• Any technical training in your field of expertise
• Certifications
• Military experience as this tests leadership skillss, working under pressure
• Achievements at school/college or at the work place
• Published Work
• Social service or volunteer work
• Summer jobs or internships
• Projects related to your field of speciality

This is the bare structure outline. You might want to add or leave out certain headings depending on your field and requirements. Always remember the more specific, clear and precise you are the better will be the outcome. Hence you will leave nothing to chance and the opposite person will know exactly what you are trying to convey.Arrange the points in an inverted-pyramid format. This will ensure that you have the most important point right on top. Try adn use strong verbs and avoid weak ones such as at the beginning we will resolve versus resolved……….This will make sure that the employer’s focus is drawn to the main points.
 
“I served hundreds of customers” versus “Received appreciation from the hundreds of customers that I served.”
 
The second option is better as it begins with an action verb, draws the reader’s attention to what you did and what happened therefore. The proverbial cause and effect.
 
Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and write. Read the job descriptions carefully and check whether you are answering their call for the necessary skills stated. Will they consider you to be the ideal candidate after reading the resume. Only add relevant skills and experience and not everything under the sun. Think of impact and then draft your resume. Substantiate with sufficient examples. Use the CAR approach that is state the circumstance, the action that you took and the result that it achieved.
 
Be extremely careful of the grammar, punctuation used and spellings. You don’t want to create a bad impression from the word go.

Do not think in terms of the number of words. What is longer need not be good. Remember only relevant information versus all the information. Highlight your tasks and not the most mundane of ones. Do not mention unskilled jobs that any one could have done. That will not get you hired. The more skilled you are the better are your chances. Do not mention the job responsibilities that you were not happy doing. Do not include your salary, age or references. It is all in bad taste. Use a formal, standard style of writing.