Your resume is the greatest major asset in your career management inventory and job search. Its job is to provide the evidence that you are a candidate that should be seen.

There is no one right way to write a resume. The important point is to keep it relevant and interesting and avoid key pitfalls.

1. Not including an Objective. Although it may narrow your options, an Objective gives the reader an idea of what you want to do. When responding to an employment opportunity, you may mention it in your cover letter or email, but often employers won’t save this correspondence, so it is valuable to include it on your resume.

2. Not having any “real work” experience. Summers in the sun may have been nice, but employers want to see what you can do in a work environment. Whether an internship or volunteer experience, it helps employers see your ability to function in the professional world. Sometimes being creative in your descriptions can be helpful, for example, waitresses need to have exceptional customer service and people management skills, so include those words on your resume.

3. Listing a phone number you rarely answer. If you are never home, don’t give a home phone number. Rarely will employers or recruiters leave a message, unless your name is on the message tape. If you are a cell phone addict, use only that number and remember to answer it professionally. And speaking of the message, record one that includes your name and “please leave a message.” The old “Hey man you know what to do after the beep” isn’t appropriate now.

4. Not having a professional email address. It might have been fun to have the email address of “beerdrinker@yahoo.com” or “balletgirl@hotmail.com” in your younger years, but now it is time to find an email address that is more business appropriate. The best email address is to use your own name in some format of first name or initial and last name.

5. Not including school internships, etc. Long-term academic projects can be valuable experiences to include on your resume. For example, doing a month long research project during your schools “I-Term”. Assisting a professor with data analysis for his research project or being part of your university’s yearly fund raising endeavors are significant events to include on your resume.

6. Using fancy fonts and formatting. Your resume should be easy to read and follow for anyone. Script or fancy fonts don’t give a professional look. Too much formatting (italics, bold, caps, mixing fonts) will only distract (not add) to the ability to easily read your resume. Pick a universal font like Times New Roman, Times, or Palatino.

7. Not filling the entire page. Resumes should fill an entire page. A half-page resume doesn’t say much about you. Start planning your work experience early in college so you have something to write about. If your work experience is lean, make your margins bigger and font a little larger, but never larger than 12 point.

Author: Marilyn Vojta

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3. Resume Writing Do’s and Don’ts

The harder the job, the harder it is to get the job. Essentially this means that if you are an entry level employee, it should be a fairly reasonable process. But if you are at mid-career and have held significant authority and responsibility, it’s going to be a more lengthy and sophisticated course.

As someone who has been in the staffing industry for more than 18 years, I wanted to share an “insider’s perspective” on what every job seeker should know about the process. I’m continually amazed that potentially great candidates for my jobs simply don’t represent themselves as well as they could by not playing by the job-search rules.

Yes, I agree there should be room for creativity in the process, and what works for one might not for the other, but there are some general rules that apply 99% of the time. Here are 50 recommendations to apply to your search:

The First Step – a Killer Resume

1. Don’t worry about it being one page. Since most resumes are emailed and rarely printed, it’s not a big deal to have a two-page document. Be sure to have your contact information at the top of the second page as well. You could possibly need a third page, but try to avoid that.

2. Put the best information at the top. Since resumes are viewed electronically (most often using MS Word), the top half of the first page is what is in view when the recruiter reviews your resume. If the most relevant and most compelling information isn’t in that partial view, it is often not even opened or printed.

3. Replace your “Objective” with “Summary of Qualifications”. That way you don’t have to customize your resume with each position you send it for. This information is more meaningful to the reader as well. List your top professional skills at the top of the resume so it’s the index to the rest of the document.

4. List your most recent job first. Resumes should list work history in reverse chronological order with the most recent at the top. Typically you would go back through the last ten years, but that’s up to you based on how related and impressive your older jobs are. The point is that you don’t have to go back to the jobs you had in high school.

5. Balance tasks with accomplishments. Recruiters want to know what you did, but not on a micro level. It’s not necessary to list each and every task you do in a day. A general summary of your key responsibilities is important to have on your resume. Additionally, a bullet or two about your results as related to your tasks proves your success in your role.

6. Accomplishments should include quantifiable information. Include specific values in your statement (i.e. dollars saved, percent of increase or decrease, numbers of employees supervised, etc.). This information adds validation and credibility to your employment history and can really set you apart from others.

7. Save some information for the interview. Think of your resume as the Cliff Notes of a great book. You are just presenting the important highlights. The details and stories associated with the content are meant to be discussed in the interview.

8. Format your resume so it’s easy to read. A plain font like Arial or Century Gothic is easy on the eyes. A “curly font” like Times New Roman can be distracting and busy looking. A font size of 10 to 12 works best. White space is important, so keep your margins to an inch on all sides.

9. Include Searchable Keywords. Most recruiters use keywords to search for resumes on the job boards and in their own databases. If your resume does not include the keywords they are using in their search, it won’t pop up. Read job descriptions for your skill set and add recurring words from the description to your resume. Keywords usually are specific to education, equipment, and job titles. So, if the position required a bachelor’s degree and experience with Vertical Milling Machines as an Industrial Engineer, the words bachelor’s, Milling, and Engineer would be used to search for resumes.

10. It’s okay to double dip. Most resumes are emailed these days, but why not use an old-fashioned technique of mailing a nicely printed hard copy as well? The extra step will serve as a reintroduction of your credentials and also show you are willing to go above and beyond to get the interview.

Don’t Skip the Cover Letter

11. Have one. Whether you choose a full letter or a detailed email message, it is important to customize your resume by adding a specific message when you send it. This is an easy way to stand out as so many people simply attach their resume and do not bother to outline their experience.

12. Correlate what they want with what you have. Read the job description and requirements thoroughly and write three key bullet points that match their information with yours in your cover letter. This makes it easy for the reader to determine your qualifications quickly.

13. Use sir names. It is appropriate to refer to the recruiter or human resources representative by Mr. or Ms. in your written communication. Until you meet personally and are given permission to call them otherwise, it is best to be more formal.

Attention to Detail Goes a Long Way

14. Make finding your resume easy. When submitting your resume by email, include the title of the position you are applying for in the subject line. You can also include a short tag line that catches the eye. For example, Customer Service Manager-10 years experience in multi-channel center. And use your full name as the file name for your resume document so it can quickly be referenced.

15. You shouldn’t be crazylazy@yahoo.com. Be sure your email address is appropriate for a job search and not personal. You can get additional email addresses at most domains like AOL, Yahoo, and Gmail.

16. Use a header for your contact information. Include your name, phone number, and email address at the top of each page of your resume. Especially at job fairs, resumes with multiple pages can easily be separated.

Where to Search

17. Surf the Net. A company with 100 or more employees is highly likely to post their position on one of the major job boards like Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, and/or Craig’s list. Be sure to get your resume posted to all those sites, so it can be searched by as many recruiters as possible. But, when searching through job postings, just use a site like Indeed.com which pulls positions from all the boards. That way you only have to visit one site to get the benefit of all of them.

18. Read the Sunday paper. Yes, printed Help Wanted ads are used less now that the Internet is so integrated for job searching, but smaller employers still use this resource since licenses for posting on the major job boards are expensive.

19. Stop in the CareerCenter offices. These state funded and operated centers offer one-stop information on getting a job, opportunities for training, hosting on-site interviews and job fairs, and networking opportunities. Plus, their services are free. Make it a point to visit a CareerCenter at least once a week during your search.

20. Brave your way through a job fair. What a great way to hit up a slew of employers all in the same day. Yes, you have to repeat your story and schmooze the whole day, but the efficiency is worth it. Don’t pass by any booth without stopping to ask, “What kinds of positions are you hiring for today?” Employers are paying to be there and are interested in seeing many candidates. It’s win-win to at least make an introduction with every employer there.

21. Spread the word. Connect with former coworkers and managers, friends and family, and just about anyone who knows people. Let them know you are in the market for a great job and give them permission to share your resume. Follow up with an emailed copy so they can easily forward it to their contacts.

22. Tap into social networking. Using sites like LinkedIn.com is helpful for researching positions, companies, and the people who work at them. Get your profile posted for free and join groups associated with your industry and interests.

Be Prepared for Being Screened on the Phone

23. Even though it’s on the phone, it’s still an interview. Recruiters often call candidates whose resume initially matches their requirements to get further information and make a decision about inviting them to an interview. Play the part and represent yourself in the same way you would if sitting in front of your interviewer.

24. Be sure the timing is right. If a recruiter calls you unexpectedly and it’s not a good time, politely offer to call them back later in that same day. That way you can focus without distractions; they understand you have a life. Plus, you’ll have time to review the details of the position and the company and collect your thoughts before returning the call. Better yet, when you are in job search mode, let your calls go into voicemail so you can take control of the return phone call.

25. Be a compelling communicator. Since there is not an opportunity to see facial expressions and body gestures on the phone, your voice qualities have to be top notch. Sounding confident, interested, cooperative, and pleasant is a skill that is worth practicing before going live.

26. At the balance of power. You are not in the driver’s seat with the interview process. Let your interviewer guide the call and ask the questions. At the end, if they invite you to ask any questions, always find out what the next step of their process is. Close the call by thanking them for their interest and expressing your own.

Ace the Interview

27. Knowing a little means a lot. Visit the company’s website and be familiar with their products or services. Determine what makes them different from others in their industry. That way when the question, “What do you know about our company?” comes up, you’ll have a great response.

28. Dress the part. Keep the “one-up” rule in mind. Always dress at least one step up from what you would be wearing on the job. It’s far better an option to be overdressed than it is to be underdressed, so respect the process and your interviewer by suiting up.

29. Go with your “Sunday Best”. You never know what the taste of your interviewer will be, so it’s always best to be conservative in your style and color choice. You can’t go wrong with a solid color suit or separates and a button up shirt or blouse. Avoid open toe shoes and over accessorizing.

30. Arrive 10 minutes early. Not a half hour early. Not 10 minutes late. Ten minutes is enough time to settle down a bit before you actually meet. If for some reason you will be late, realize you have possibly blown the interview, but make a phone call to explain your situation.

31. Make a powerful introduction. Set the tone for a great meeting with a warm handshake, look in the eye, “happy to be here” smile, and “Hello, Mr. Insertnamehere, it’s nice to meet you.” Regardless of gender, it is proper in a business meeting to greet your host with a handshake. It should be appropriately firm and use the full hand.

32. Bring additional copies of your resume. This shows your interviewer that you are prepared and resourceful. Plus, now you get to show off that baby in its intended form; resume paper still exists.

33. Be polite. Wait to be shown where to have a seat. Don’t put your personal belongings (ex. Padfolio, keys, and resume copies) on his/her desk without asking first. Accept the glass of water if offered. You may need it since you will be doing most of the talking, and being nervous can make you choked up and dry.

34. Honesty is always the best policy. A good part of the interview is centered on your work history. Be honest about your skills, contributions, and reasons for leaving. There is a way to present even not-so-pleasant situations in a reasonable and understandable way. Covering up, omitting information such as work history, or lying is sure to come to light eventually.

35. Show interest. When the interviewer is talking, you want to show signs of engagement by looking at him/her directly, nodding in acceptance, smiling, and showing interest. You can be enthusiastic without looking excitable. You want the vibe to be positive and open, so approach the meeting as such. Your body language will follow your mindset.

36. Don’t wear out your welcome. You’ll know when things are wrapping up. Have a few questions saved for the end, but don’t go on too long. Most interviews are less than an hour, and often the interviewer’s schedule includes more appointments after yours.

37. Ask the “must know” question. It is important that you know what the next step is in their hiring process. Often, more than one interview is required to get the job. Ask about the hiring process and when you can expect to hear from them next, and confirm that you have provided enough information to be considered for the next step.

38. Leave a lasting impression. There is no better way to do this than to shake their hand, thank them for their time, and express your interest in all that you heard. Saying something like “I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to hearing from you by Thursday.” reinforces your interest and confirms the timeline for next steps.

Following up is a Forgotten Art

39. Send a thank you note or email. This is as obsolete as rejection letters have become. But, it’s one more opportunity to make a positive impression, so why not do it? As many times as you can get your name in front of the person responsible for hiring you, do it.

40. Follow up after a reasonable amount of time. Hiring the perfect fit takes time. But, if it’s been more than a week, or later than you were told you’d be contacted, you should send an email to express your interest in the position and ask for information on where they are in their process. It’s a good idea to attach another copy of your resume to this message.

41. Say thank you to “No, Thank You”. If you get word that you have not been selected to move to the next step, reach out once more to thank the interviewer for his/her time and valuable information. You might have missed this opportunity, but additional contact could keep the door open for future positions.

Some Harsh Realities

42. It’s a competitive job market. You read the job description and consider yourself perfect for the position. The problem is that others will feel the same about themselves. The way to stand out is by not only having all of the skills required of the position, but some additional or unique qualifications as well. Maybe your education is from an impressive university; perhaps your longevity is legendary; it could be that your accomplishments are more striking than most. The only way to know is to send your resume and cover message and point out those distinguishing features. It’s okay to feel confident about your specialized skills and showcase them in this process.

43. Fast is not always fast. The advent of Internet recruiting has a down side – quantity verses quality. Recruiters get flooded with response immediately after posting their position. Their job is to filter the random to get to the right one, and that can be an exhausting and time consuming process. Keep track of the resumes you’ve sent and follow up after a week if you have not received a response.

44. A resume black hole does exist. Some companies have sophisticated applicant tracking systems, and others are quite unorganized and amateurish with their hiring process. It is not unusual for resumes to get overlooked or misfiled. If you feel truly qualified for the job and a week has gone by without a response, resubmit your resume and cover letter.

45. You are likely to not get any response to most of your resume submittals. Rejection letters faded away several years ago because the task of sending them became overwhelming due to the volume of candidates generated from Internet recruiting methods. Again, if you feel the position perfectly suits your background, follow up with another copy of your resume after a week has gone by. For added follow up, mail a printed copy as well.

46. Recruiters and Human Resources representatives often do not fully understand the job description. They may hire for every position in the company, so it’s understandable they can’t be an expert on the requirements for each job. Here is where LinkedIn.com can be helpful. If you have not had any response to your resume, and you feel you are truly qualified, search the company name on LinkedIn.com and consider sending it to someone in the company who may better understand your qualifications. It’s a risky move, and could ban you for life with that recruiter, but it can also be a bold and resourceful move that gets you to the next step with the right person.

Preparing for the Emotions Involved with the Process

47. First there is the Fun Phase. When you first start your job search, it can be very exciting. There are a lot of positions out there, and so many seem to be a perfect fit for you. You spend time thinking about what’s next, and how great it’s going to be, which is very enjoyable. Bask in the fun phase; it usually doesn’t last very long.

48. Then you move into the Frustrating Phase. After sending out countless resumes and getting no response, it’s easy to get frustrated and annoyed. You attend every job fair and have circled through your network more than once with no job offers. No news is not good news in the job search process. Allow yourself permission to be in this phase, but pull yourself out quickly because it can be very defeating.

49. The worst is Futile Phase. When things aren’t going your way, you start to give up because of your lack of controlling the process. You feel depressed and useless. The best way out of this downward spiral – be useful. Volunteer some of your time, tackle that list of things you’ve wanted to do around the house, take a break from the job search process for a few days and enjoy time with your family. Again, accept this phase as part of the normal cycle, but be aware of when you are in it and what it takes to get you out of it.

50. And then it’s back to fun. The timelines associated with each phase vary with every person. It’s okay to move through them at your own pace. It’s helpful to have a good support system in place and to talk to others who are in the same situation. As much time as you can spend having fun with the process, the more productive you will be. Getting a job is a job-but it can be an interesting, informative, and inspiring one if that’s the way you choose to work it.

Author: Carol Albert

Related posts:

1. 5 Tips For a Successful Phone Interview
2. Tips For Successful Job Hunting: How To Get A Job Without A Resume
3. 15 Sure-fire Ways to a Successful Job Interview and the Top 10 Questions to Ask

This can happen for a number of different reasons such as raising a family, taking care of a family member who is ill, not being able to find the “ideal” job, recovering from an illness, travelling, or simply taking a break after graduating from college.

If there are gaps in your work history, for whatever reason, there are essentially two ways you can deal with them.

Firstly, you can draw the reader’s attention to them by presenting your reasons in the most positive way you can. For example, Career Break – state this and show the relevant positive experiences that you gained during your time off.

Alternatively, you can change the format of your CV from the more traditional chronological style to the functional CV. The functional CV focuses more on your skills in different areas rather then a timeline of your employment history. Also, it allows the opportunity for you to include any experience you gained while you were out of the workforce under a separate heading such as “Additional Experience”.

The Functional CV

For example, let’s say you’ve been out of the workforce for several years and are now looking for a job. Your CV should start out with a brief “Summary of Qualifications” which is a paragraph containing an overview of skills and areas of experience.

Under the next section entitled “Areas of Strength” either lists key words appropriate to your professional experience or break it down into several distinct areas of experience with bulleted items. Maybe your “Areas of Strength” include Sales and Marketing or Teaching and Office Administration. You can make each one a separate category and list three or four items under each heading to indicate your experience and skills in each area.

The next section, “Professional Experience” lists related jobs, titles, and responsibilities. But do not omit the dates! By leaving out dates of employment on a CV, you will raise more questions.

And finally under the section Additional Experience, you can put any skills learned while you were on your break – include any classes or technical training or part-time or volunteer work while you were recovering from a car accident or caring for an elderly parent. This draws attention away from the gap itself and attracts more attention to your experience and capabilities.

If you took time off to raise a family, for example, you used various skills, such as managing a budget and time management, that would be excellent skills to be used in your new job. If you took time off to travel, pull pieces of information from your travelling experience that would be valuable skills in your next job.

Especially when visiting foreign lands, you may pick up on some basic foreign language skills or learn about the culture, traditions, and customs. This would prove to be a valuable asset to companies that engage in international business. And if nothing else, it may show that you are a well-rounded person.

Be creative

You should think of filling gaps in your employment history creatively by thinking of useful tasks done during this period. Sometimes you might not be paid but might have received experience relevant to your job. Community projects, special projects, freelance consulting engagements, continuing education etc., could all be used in the experience section in place of paid employment.

Whichever way you choose, it’s important to emphasise that you should acknowledge that these gaps exist and be prepared to address them in your CV and at the interview, since potential employers may view any such gap as a red flag.

Debbie O’Halloran – Career Columnist,

www.irishjobs.ie

Related posts:

1. How to Deal With a Gap in Employment on Your Resume
2. Resume Action words – Descriptive words to fill the gaps
3. Functional Resume Template

You will almost always need to complete resumes or application forms and cover letters. Later, you will probably need to go on interviews to meet with employers face to face.

Resumes and application forms.

Resumes and application forms give employers written evidence of your qualifications and skills. The goal of these documents is to prove, as clearly and directly as possible, how your qualifications match the job’s requirements.

Do this by highlighting the experience, accomplishments, education, and skills that most closely fit the job you want.

Gathering information.

Resumes and application forms both include the same information. As a first step, gather the following facts:

Contact information, including your name, mailing address, e-mail address (if you have one you check often), and telephone number.

Type of work or specific job you are seeking or a qualifications summary, which describes your best skills and experience in just a few lines.

Education, including school name and its city and State, months and years of attendance, highest grade completed or diploma or degree awarded, and major subject or subjects studied. Also consider listing courses and awards that might be relevant to the position. Include a grade point average if you think it would help in getting the job.

Experience, paid and volunteer.

For each job, include the job title, name and location of employer, and dates of employment. Briefly describe your job duties and major accomplishments. In a resume, use phrases instead of sentences to describe your work; write, for example, “Supervised 10 children” instead of writing “I supervised 10 children.”

Special skills.

You might list computer skills, proficiency in foreign languages, achievements, or and membership in organizations in a separate section.

References.

Be ready to provide references if requested. Good references could be former employers, coworkers, or teachers or anyone else who can describe your abilities and job-related traits. You will be asked to provide contact information for the people you choose.

Throughout the application or resume, focus on accomplishments that relate most closely to the job you want. You can even use the job announcement as a guide, using some of the same words and phrases to describe your work and education.

Look for concrete examples that show your skills. When describing your work experience, for instance, you might say that you increased sales by 10 percent, finished a task in half the usual time, or received three letters of appreciation from customers.

Choosing a format

After gathering the information you want to present, the next step is to put it in the proper format. In an application form, the format is set. Just fill in the blanks. But make sure you fill it out completely and follow all instructions.

Do not omit any requested information. Consider making a copy of the form before filling it out, in case you make a mistake and have to start over. If possible, have someone else look over the form before submitting it.

In a resume, there are many ways of organizing the information you want to include, but the most important information should usually come first. Check out out free Chronological and Functional Resume Templates to get you started!

Most applicants list their past jobs in reverse chronological order, describing their most recent employment first and working backward. But some applicants use a functional format, organizing their work experience under headings that describe their major skills. They then include a brief work history section that lists only job titles, employers, and dates of employment.

Still other applicants choose a format that combines these two approaches in some way. Choose the style that best showcases your skills and experience.

Whatever format you choose, keep your resume short. Many experts recommend that new workers use a one-page resume. Avoid long blocks of text and italicized material. Consider using bullets to highlight duties or key accomplishments.

Before submitting your resume, make sure that it is easy to read. Are the headings clear and consistently formatted with bold or some other style of type?

Is the type face large enough? Then, ask at least two people to proofread the resume for spelling and other errors and make sure you use your computer’s spell checker.

Keep in mind that many employers scan resumes into databases, which they then search for specific keywords or phrases.

The keywords are usually nouns referring to experience, education, personal characteristics, or industry buzz words. Identify keywords by reading the job description and qualifications in the job ad; use these same words in your resume.

For example, if the job description includes customer service tasks, use the words “customer service” on your resume. Scanners sometimes misread paper resumes, which could mean some of your keywords don’t get into the database. So, if you know that your resume will be scanned, and you have the option, e-mail an electronic version.

If you must submit a paper resume, make it scannable by using a simple font and avoiding underlines, italics, and graphics. It is also a good idea to send a traditionally formatted resume along with your scannable resume, with a note on each marking its purpose.

Cover letters

• When sending a resume, most people include a cover letter to introduce themselves to the prospective employer.
• Most cover letters are no more than three short paragraphs. Your cover letter should capture the employer’s attention, follow a business letter format, and usually should include the following information:
• Name and address of the specific person to whom the letter is addressed.
• Reason for your interest in the company or position.
• Your main qualifications for the position.
• Request for an interview.
• Your home and work telephone numbers.
• If you send a scannable resume, you should also include a scannable cover letter, which avoids graphics, fancy fonts, italics, and underlines.

Related posts:

1. Interview Basics – What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
2. How to write a resume
3. Application Forms – Completing a Job Application Form

Download our free Chronological Resume template in Microsoft Word Format

The Chronological CV is the  most widely used format of Resume and is classed by some as being a more traditional and widely used approach to CV writing.

It places an emphasis on your employment history, where you worked and for how long. Your job titles, accomplishmetns and the results that you attained whilst being in this position.

Your jobs are listed in reverse chronological order so make sure you put your most recent job first.

When detailing your previous roles, a  complete record of your career history is required along with a complete education record. Aim to keep your chronological resume to 2 – 3 sides  of A4 in length.

Remember that you don’t have much time (30 – 40 seconds) to impress your potential employer or recruitment agent and convince him/her that you’re the right match for the job advertised.

Use the chronological style of CV when:

• You are looking for work in the same type of field as you are currently working in.
• You are transferring your current skills and experiece to the same or similar industry.
• Your work history identifies significant career growth with increasing responsibility.

To Download our Free Chronological Resume Template in Microsoft Word Format then please click the link below:

Free Chronological Resume CV Template in Microsoft Word Format

Related posts:

1. Functional Resume Template
2. Resume formats – Choosing the correct format for your resume
3. Digital Resume – Writing a Plain Text Resume

Sure ‘successfully achieved’ works pretty well but at the end of the day there are only so many times you can successfully achieve something and you want to avoid your CV from sounding to repetitive.

When detailing each of your achievements within your Resume, make sure that you prefix each achievement with a strong ‘doing word’.

You’re the person who was responsible for the achievement after all so make sure you take full credit for each of these achievements within your CV by throwing a nice descriptive verb at the beginning of each of your main achievements.

Here’s a list of descriptive action verbs for you to include within your Resume:

Related posts:

1. Gaps in your employment and how to explain them
2. Resume formats – Choosing the correct format for your resume
3. Digital Resume – Writing a Plain Text Resume

Download our free Functional Resume template in Microsoft Word Format

This Functional Resume is designed to to emphasise your main skills, competencies or expertise that you may have in a specific area (e.g. IT, Finance, Project Management) rather than concentrating on employers and dates.

In a lot of cases it would be used to demonstrate your expertise in a particular skill, functional area or field of business.

Functional CVs are a lot more adaptable to certain circumstances, such as a lack of specific experience in a particular field, or gaps in between job changes which you may find difficult to explain.

You need to be aware however that because of these reasons functional CVs are often viewed with suspicion by many recruitment personnel because they often appear to hide some information which often has the effect of making them difficult to follow.

The functional CV may irritate those people who are doing the initial screening of applications for a role because they appear to conceal information and they are often not what they are accustomed to looking for.

If you really need a functional CV you will probably be aiming at a different target anyway, such as the decision maker.

Consider using the Functional CV if:

• You wish to sell yourself on competencies and skills not reflected in your recent job history.
• You have been a regular job or career changer.
• You have an inconsistent work history that you do not want to be obvious.
• You are at entry level, having just left school or university or reentering the job market after significant absence.

To Download our Free Functional Resume Template in Microsoft Word Format then please click the link below:

Free Functional Resume CV Template in Microsoft Word Format

Related posts:

1. Chronological Resume Template
2. Resume formats – Choosing the correct format for your resume
3. Digital Resume – Writing a Plain Text Resume

For organisations handling a large number of CVs – large corporations or recruitment companies – electronic systems offer a huge cost and time saving. CV management systems can scan 30,000 CVs in as little as 6 seconds!

Many people think that with the advancement of scanning, CV management systems, and keyword searching on the Internet that you must develop a different CV from the one you have prepared to send to contacts via traditional methods. This is not true! You are not creating a different CV, you are merely altering the presentation format for the Internet.

When done properly, your well-written, well-prepared CV will contain all of the necessary elements to attract attention whether it is being read by a recruiter or employer, scanned and searched in a management system like ResTrac or Resumix, or indexed on an Internet site.

Create your CV as normal, but alter the presentation for each of these mediums. You will have one CV in three formats, namely:

Traditional Mail Version, highly designed with bulleted lists, italicised text, and other highlights, printed and ready to send to potential contacts;

Scannable Version, still word-processed, but without italics and other fancy design highlights. Bulleted lists are fine, but that’s about the limit. This should be written in a standard font such as Arial, Verdana or Times and printed on white or ivory paper for sending to those employers and recruiters who are known to use CV management systems; and

Internet Version, a plain text document which can be sent through e-mail or cut-and-pasted into online forms for submission into databases.

Remember, this is the same document, you just make three copies of it and edit each accordingly.

Why Should I Prepare My CV for the Internet and why go through the added effort of preparing an Internet CV?

• It’s the fastest way to contact a potential employer or networking contact;
• E-mail can be forwarded, distributed, copied or printed quickly and easily – it is more flexible than a faxed document;
• Look at the classifieds – recruiters and employers are now requesting CVs via e-mail.

It is almost instinctive to send your CV as a Microsoft Word attachment. However, this is not necessarily the best course of action! Why?

• Version: you don’t know what version of Word they may have;
• Attachment issues: you don’t know if they can receive Word attachments – many organisations have introduced strict policies on the receipt of Word attachments through e-mail as they are the primary source of virus attacks;
• Formatting: Word has a huge range of customisation and formatting options and the default settings can easily be changed. Your CV can pick up the settings of the PC on which it is opened which could be quite different from the PC on which it was created. Margin settings, fonts and text enhancements are especially vulnerable;
• Compatibility: you don’t always know if they have Word?! Despite Word’s incredible market share, a number of large organisations use other software such as Lotus Wordpro.

The only way to ensure your document can be read at the other end and retains the style and formatting you created is to actually take this down to basics and format your CV into a plain text version.

This will also make posting or pasting your CV into an online form much easier. Many sites allow you to build your CV on their pages by cutting-and-pasting it into a form they provide.

Having your CV in plain text not only makes this easier, it means you will be able to respond quickly to any leads you find.

Step-by-Step: Preparing Your CV for the Internet

This is not difficult. Most word processors and CV-writing programs will let you save a file to text only, or they might call it ASCII or DOS text. Any one of these will work.

Check it for spelling and grammar, and read it over carefully to identify any errors the computer missed.

Save and print a copy of the completed CV, and then make a copy of the file.

Since your first CV file is CV.doc, name the copy CV.txt. To do this in Word:

Open your CV.doc file.

Pull down the File menu and click on Save As…

At the bottom of the Save window, go down to Save File as Type….

Click the down arrow and choose Text only. Make sure Word changes the filename from CV.doc to CV.txt

Click on “OK”

You now have 2 copies of your CV file, a Word document and a plain text document.

Close the CV.txt file.

You might get warning messages about destroying the format or other alarming consequences – ignore these and say “Yes, I want to save the file to text.

Re-open the CV.txt file in Word and edit its appearance to resemble your printed CV as much as possible while still working for e-mail.

Word will ask if you want to convert this document from plain text – you do. What you will see will be your CV in plain text, probably Courier font size 10, and all of your lines will begin on the left margin. Word will have also changed your bulleted lists to asterisks (*). However, this is not a true plain text copy of your CV, and you must still edit it.

The problem is Word is still wrapping your lines and formatting some things which need to be corrected. There are four major things to do to this document in preparation for sending it via e-mail and posting it online.

Eliminate any lists that Word converted for you. Although inconvenient, Word is not doing you any favours here. As soon as you begin editing the document, it will begin controlling your format again. You can’t allow this since it will alter the way your CV is working. Sorry – go down the page and delete all of them.

Alter the margins of your Internet CV to only 65 characters across the screen. You could sit there and count each letter and space to 65 or you can place your cursor at the end of each line, and check the position according to Word.

If you look at the bottom of the Word screen, you’ll see notes on where you are in your document. The second section from the left tells you how far down the page you are in inches (say, 2.4″), what line of the page you are on (Ln 10), and what Column you are at (maybe 71). The Column is your character position.

You might want to place a sticky note on the screen at 65 to remind you to change all the lines. You must end all lines with hard returns, aka carriage returns, using the enter key.

Use the space bar to redo the spacing and recreate the tabs from your original CV. You can use 2-space indents to keep your lists lined up and 4 or 5-space indents for more visible indenting in accomplishment lists.

Add bulleting characters to highlight your skills, etc., just like the original. (see highlighting tips below). Despite eliminating several which Word so nicely translated for you, Word didn’t do you any favours here. You will need to go back and reconstruct the lists yourself.

When you are finished re-constructing the look of your CV, “Save” this copy onto your diskette or USB Stick.

Frustrations you may encounter using Word to edit a plain text document, namely Autoformatting:

Word has a lot of automated features and thinks you want help with those lists. So, you might want to turn this feature OFF.

Pull down the Tools menu
Click on AutoCorrect

Under AutoCorrect, AutoFormat as you Type, and AutoFormat, clear any boxes for things such as the list formatting and automatic capitalisation at the beginning of sentences.

Once you have finished editing your CV in the text format, e-mail it to yourself or to a friend to see how it looks in e-mailed format. Problems frequently occur with learning how to best present your CV in plain text, so don’t send it out to potential contacts without first e-mailing it to others who can comment on the layout and presentation for you.

To add your CV to an e-mail message:

Open your CV.txt file in Word.

Open your e-mail programme.

Copy and paste your CV from Word into the body of the e-mail message.

Hold down the left mouse button as you scroll down your CV in Word, highlighting all of it. You can also place your cursor in the Word window, hit the Control and A keys at the same time to highlight all text in the document.

Hit the Control and C keys to copy the highlighted text.

Move to the e-mail message and put the cursor where you want to begin the e-mail message.

Hit the Control and V keys to paste your CV into the message.

Keep all copies of the files on a diskette or USB Stick so that CV is ready to edit, print, or e-mail on demand.

You need to know which file is which – try naming them along the lines of CV.doc (traditional), CV2.doc (scannable), and CV.txt.

Always work on CV.doc first and then make any necessary changes to the other 2 files. If you just do some minor editing, then you can easily open and edit the other two files. If you make major revisions to your CV, make new copies of the other two files and re-format them.

Tips for Highlighting in Your Internet CV

You cannot use bolds, underlines, or bullets in a plain text document, so consider using the following characters for substitutes:

bullets – use asterisks (*) or plus signs (+) at the beginning of lines

lines – use a series of dashes to separate sections. Don’t try to underline text.

bold text – consider capital letters or use asterisks to surround the text.

For Example:
————————————————————————–
QUALIFICATIONS
*ISO 9000 specialist
*Programming experience in C, C++, and Java
*Qualified Counsellor
*Chartered Accountant
————————————————————————–

Don’t try to highlight text within your CV, but highlight the headers or titles of each section using all capital letters. While you are working on your own CV, check the CV database at Career Magazine on the internet to see what other job seekers have done, both good and bad, to present their information.

Things to Consider Before Posting Your CV on the Web

For some people, posting a CV has been a great way to get work. For others, there is the fear that someone will get their home address and phone number and some would prefer certain people or organizations not to have access their CV. Since control and confidentiality are concerns, here are some things to think about before taking this step:

1. Do you want your CV public?

Once you have posted it, consider it a public document and out of your control. Anyone can look in the public databases and see what is there. Even the private CV databanks do not always let you dictate who can and cannot look at your CV.

Hint: Instead of putting your home address and phone number on the CV, consider renting a post office box and getting a voice mail account during your job search. Cancel both when your search is over.

Note: Many employers and recruiters still prefer to make contact by phone, and if you look like someone they can use, they want to talk to you now! If you don’t include a phone number, you may be overlooked.

2. Check the confidentiality of the database/service where you are placing your CV.

Who can get access to this database? How is that access granted? Will you be notified if your CV is forwarded to an employer? Is it possible a former employer or colleague will see your CV?

According to a survey published by FirstPersonGlobal.com (a subsidiary of the recruiter, Harvey Nash) published in the Financial Times in October 2000, 80% of people do not check how their CV will be used before placing it on an online job site.

Ask these questions, and if the answers you get make you the least bit uncomfortable, consider another service or consider not posting at all.

3. Once your CV is listed in a database, can it be updated at no cost?

Some Internet services will let you post your CV at no cost, but they will charge you for updates. You don’t want an old CV out there, but you also don’t want to pay for updates. Look for an unlimited number of updates, even if it is only to correct a typo or to reword something a little better. Avoid any service that charges for updates or severely limits your updates.

4. How long will your CV be in the databank?

Again, you don’t want an old CV out there, and once you find a new position, you don’t want to be getting calls from other employers two months or more after acceptance. A good database will delete your CV in 3 to 4 months unless otherwise instructed by you.

Good luck with your search, I hope these top tips help

Related posts:

1. Digital Resume – Writing a Plain Text Resume
2. A beginners guide to using the internet
3. Advertising Resume Techniques on the Internet

Although you may encounter a number of different CV formats during your journey to a new career, here’s a start with the main headings to use in your CV (irrespective of format) and a brief description of the level of detail needed under each of these headings.

Personal Data

Include name, address. E-mail and, if appropriate, home, office and mobile telephone numbers on the front page.

Profile or Summary

Only include one if you are sure it adds to your CV.

Dates of Employment

Normally the year is enough, for less experienced individuals, it may be appropriate to include the month. Any gaps in employment need to be explained, otherwise recruiters and even CV scanning systems will assume the worst.

Job Titles

State title and clarify ambiguities.

Career History

Try to substantiate your work experience with specific achievements and benefits. Highlight your strengths through carefully chosen examples.

Company Information

Provide name of company and, unless well know, state what they do and the size of operation together. If the work was overseas, it is also worth adding location.

Date of Birth

Put the day, month and year and also include your age – it saves the reader having to work it out. Employers often state age limits, so if there is a possibility of being screened out at first glance, put age at the end of the CV.

Education

Highest or most relevant qualification first and with the most detail. Includes dates and institutions. Except for school or college leavers, give only the number of ‘O’ Levels/GCSEs. Mention any professional qualifications.

Courses Attended

State no more than five relevant courses you have attended. Name any major centres of excellence.

Languages

Only mention languages in which you are proficient – either spoken or written.

Professional Memberships

State current memberships, including any posts held. As with courses, use your discretion and include only the most interesting and relevant.

Interests

Try to balance intellectual vs physical and group vs individual pastimes.

Marital Status

Convention dictates you say what it is. There are differing views about you saying you are single/divorced/separated or number of children.

What not to include

Height; weight; state of health; religious or political beliefs; excessive personal details – e.g.. Children’s names; photographs; special presentation methods – e.g.. Binders; abbreviations or jargon; copies of references or qualifications; referees names; last or expected salary; reason for leaving job; over-embellishment, distortion or avoidance of facts.

Comments or questions? Post them below…

Related posts:

1. Resume Writing Do’s and Don’ts
2. Gaps in your employment and how to explain them
3. Application Forms – Completing a Job Application Form

If you don’t already have an account, you will find it useful to set up an e-mail account whilst you are looking for a new job as it offers you the opportunity to send and receive messages from recruiters, network contacts, companies and other people you will be dealing with.

The best thing with web based e-mail is that you can access it from anywhere, be it an Internet cafe or your own PC.

There are a number of free e-mail services available via the internet. They are free because they are supported by advertising. This type of e-mail account is independent from that provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which is often only accessible via a PC with the ISP’s software installed.

You can write, send or receive e-mail’s from any PC around the world as long as it has an Internet connection . As your mail account is held on an internet server rather than the hard disk on your computer. Mail services are ‘cross-platform’ which means that you can use a PC or MAC to reach your e-mail.

Many of the free services offer the same level of functionality as subscription services and features may include: spell checking, address books, mail forwarding, ability to send and receive file attachments, e-mail address for life, news services and junk or spam mail blocking.

Some services also offer the facility for you to direct other e-mail accounts such as your corporate e-mail to your Internet based account so that if you are traveling you can collect your messages without having to dial into your corporate server.

A selection of the major providers are listed below and all operate in a very similar way. To get started: log onto the web site and choose ‘sign up’ or ‘register’ – you will be asked to enter a user ID and password and you’re in!

www.gmail.com
Googles free email service and in this web masters opinion probably the best. Although Gmail has millions of users it’s still relatively new by online email standards so you’ll have a better chance of getting the email address that you want.

www.hotmail.com
Microsoft’s free e-mail service – not surprisingly the most heavily subscribed e-mail service around. The high number of users results in many duplicate names and so it can be difficult to register simply your name as a unique user name.

www.yahoo.com
Popular mail package with option to purchase additional storage space plus Yahoo Briefcase – a file storage facility – useful if you are moving around and don’t have a laptop. Store your documents in the briefcase and access from any Internet connected computer.

Related posts:

1. How to prepare your CV for the Internet
2. Top 7 Resume Mistakes to Avoid For College Graduates
3. Applying for a Job – Back to basics