What an education resume is

So among the questions I’ve been getting, some people have been wondering what’s an education resume as there seems to be a confusion as to whether it’s a resume for students or just for teachers. Well this is definitely a resume for teaching professionals but you should know that it’s not limited to teachers only. Indeed, the education resume format is also used for coaches, tutors, counselors and even daycare workers. Beside the obvious teaching skills, all these professions have in common great communication skills and the ability to deal with difficult situations, which is what an education resume will emphasize.

Including keywords from a job ad in your resume

With the employment market currently being so competitive, it is more imperative than ever to have your resume closely matches the job announcements you’re applying to. This means doing the extra work of customizing your resume writing for each position, which you can do by not only focusing on the experience and education they’re looking for but also by including keywords present in the job ads.

Including these keywords is essential as it will show employers you have what they’re looking for. In addition since most HR use resume scanning software to filter out unqualified applicants, having the right keywords will ensure your resume makes the cut and is actually read by the employer or HR person.

Having versions of your resume in different formats

When preparing your resume, it’s common sense to prepare it in a Word format as it’s the standard.  In addition, it’s helpful for the resume writing process, to make sure both grammar and spelling are correct.

However it is recommended to have your resume formatted as well in other formats such as text only and html. Having a text only version is indeed useful when it comes to copying and pasting your information in online resume application fields.  As for having an html version of your resume, it allows you to publish it on any website.

Adding references to your resume

A few readers have been asking me if they should include references in their resume, so I wanted to clarify that point:

The usual resume writing rule is that you shouldn’t include references in your resume, especially if they don’t ask for them in the announcement. What you can however do is add a line at the bottom of your resume such as “references available upon request” but this isn’t necessary.

If employers want references, they usually ask you to include them in the application they make you fill out before the interview. In some cases, they even wait until you’re in the top 3 to ask for them.

If they ask for references in the announcement, do not include them in your resume. Put them instead on a separate page that will follow you resume or add them as a separate attachment.

Why you shouldn’t use resume software wizards and templates

Using a software to prepare your resume might seem like a good solution at first. Rather than hiring someone to prepare your resume, this allows to do it yourself by simply copying and pasting your experience and education into fields. But even though, it might sound pretty cheap and easy, this also means taking the risk of getting your application rejected.

While resume wizards and templates might somewhat work for entry-level positions, you  will need to have a resume that corresponds to your goals and level, if you’re serious about your career.

Using resume writing software might be bad for several reasons:

·    if you just spend 10 minutes writing your resume, employers will notice it. Not only will your resume writing not look professional enough but, because they receive hundreds of applications, they will recognize the cookie-cutter template, which will most likely result in your application getting rejected.

·    If you want to stand out from other candiates, your resume needs to stand out as well, which .you certainly won’t accomplish this with a cheap resume wizard.

·    Since your resume will make your first impression, do you want it look like you don’t care enough about the job to have a professional-looking resume?

Rather than sounding banal, your resume must be customized to the job you’re applying to. It must also look unique and should convey your confidence. To achieve this, using a software or a template won’t do the trick. You either need to write it yourself or should use the services of a professional resume writer.

The importance of success rates and testimonials

Following the post How to know your resume writer is qualified I just wanted bring up a couple complementary points.

First, another way to know if a Resume writer or resume writing service is qualified is to check if they have a success rate. If they say they have a 60% success rate, this means they aren’t that good. However, if they say they have a success rate higher than 90%, you know that you’re in good hands. Second, make sure they provide testimonials – the more the better. With all this data, you should then be able to find a good resume writer you can trust.

Why Resume Writing is so important during a recession

While I’ve been emphasizing the importance of Resume Writing since starting this blog, it looks like the recession suddenly made Resume Writing the most vital part of the the job search process. Why? Simply because the competition for jobs as sharply increased – for example,  jobs that were getting around a 100 applicants are now getting 700 applicants, which means HR will have to go through 700 resumes. As a result, you can’t afford having an average resume, otherwise you will never make it to the interview. With so many resumes being scanned, read and filtered, your resume writing must not only be flawless but outstanding so that it will make you stand out from this big pile of resumes.

So make sure to customize your resume to each job and do your homework on how to prepare a great resume. If you’re not sure you have the right skills to prepare your resume or are not satisfied with it, do not hesitate to hire a professional writer. It might cost you at least a hundred bucks to get a good resume, but think this investement is nothing compared to spending months unemployed because your resume can’t get you a foot in the door. In addition, once your new resume has landed you a job, it will get reimbursed with your first paycheck.

About including your employment history in your resume

Job Seekers often tend to include their entire work history in their resume but it’s actually not necessary. It should actually depend on the years of experience you have and how it relates to the job you’re applying to.

When you just out of college entering the workforce or only have a couple years of employment under your belt, this is the case where you can list most of the jobs you got, whether they were regular gigs, internships or summer jobs.

When you’re still under 10 years of experience, you can list all the full-time jobs you got, to make sure there is no time gap.

However, as soon as you get around mid-career, you can start to be picky and only list the jobs that directly relate to your field – for example, there is no need to say that you worked for two years as a mechanic when you were young if you’re applying to a financial analyst position!

How Too Much Experience Can Affect Your Job Search

When you’re a kid, you’re told that you need to go to college to get a good job and will spend the next few years studying hard to get a bachelor’s or a master. But does all the studying always pay out when it comes to your career? Well, not always.

The main problem that most graduates face is finding  a first job as too many companies require too much experience, which doesn’t give a chance to students trying to enter the working world. As a result, they are forced to take internships or try to get a job through networking; in most of the cases, they will end up making less money than what they’re worth, which is pretty frustrating.

Fortunately, there are some simple steps that you can take to have better chances to land a good job.

Let’s take the example of Linda. She went to college for four years and got a bachelor’s degree in Business and Administration. She also got some experience thanks to a summer internship. She graduated last May and has sent her resume out to hundreds of companies in the last few months. She’s been using the career resources available at her school and even followed a training on how to write a resume and how to have successful  interviews. Still, she hasn’t gotten any interview yet. However, her brother who just went to high school is already making 50,000 a year being a simple salesman.

Is Linda doing anything wrong? For starters, Sarah is sending the same resume to every employer. In addition, she has a generic cover letter where, rather than talking about what she can bring to employers, she focuses on what she wants from a job.

Employers need to know what you can do for them, and every job listing is going to be different. That’s why it’s essential that you change your resume writing and cover letter to reflect each job opening that you apply for. Linda needs to focus on keywords that are placed in the job announcements and use them in her resume. She also needs to look specifically for entry-level positions with minimum experience, because she only has one internship under her belt. Another thing that Linda can do is to use her inexperience to her advantage. By this, we simply mean taking the time to make light of her lack of real work experience, and give it a positive spin. For example, because of her lack of experience, she’s completely able to be trained to a company’s specific needs. That sounds much better than “I’ve never worked in this field before.”

Resume writing can be a challenging endeavor, as can the post-college job search. However, as long as you provide a unique, polished resume that stands out from the crowd, you can ensure that your phone will be ringing in no time.

The importance of keywords

When you’re looking for the perfect job, having the perfect resume is essential. Resume writing is probably  the most important part of job hunting and needs to be treated as such. One thing that will often make or break is your resume appeals to the employer’s needs. For example, if your resume is self-centered and only about what you want, you might as well not even bother applying. However, if you take the time to find out what the employers need and use you resume to show what you can do for them, you will get better chances to get the job.

When you begin the resume writing process, you need to make sure your resume is customized to each position you’re applying to. The days when you could send the same resume to a hundred job openings are long gone. The employment market is much more competitive now, which means that not only you need to appeal to each job separately but also that your resume needs to stand out. One of the ways to do this is to use the right keywords.

What keywords are we referring to? Simply the words used in the job announcement. Here is an example:

Executive Management Team Member

Looking for an addition to our team. The qualified candidate will possess the following skills:
Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree
Minimum two years of experience in executive management position
Ability to set and meet deadlines, maintain employee relationships, manage time and tasks efficiently
Computer data entry and spreadsheet experience, as well as networking and Intranet abilities
The right candidate will be detail-oriented and have demonstrable experience in all areas. To apply, send resume and cover letter, along with salary requirements to:
Chuck Norros
456 Main St..
San Diego, CA 94364
EOE/M/F/D/V

Now let’s focus on pulling the keywords and phrases out of this announcement Make sure that you include the following words from the listing in your resume writing: deadline-oriented, executive management experience, time and task management skills, computer abilities, spreadsheet experience, and detail-oriented, networking experience.

All these keywords – or phrases – are very important and should be included in your resume. This will do two things: it will catch the attention of the recruiter and show them that you pay attention to details. As a result, your resume will be more likely to stand out, and will give you a better chance to get hired.

No matter how qualified you may be, you need to provide personalized resumes for each job listing to make sure you get a foot in the door.