By Scherri Olivella, courtesy of Workopolis
What do sandwich boards and resumes have in common? Not much, you might say. But there is more to the lowly sandwich board than two pieces of wood held together by hinges. It sits out on the street in front of a restaurant, enticing someone to take a look at it and glance at the daily specials, learn the evening's event, or what beer is on tap; all the in quest to convince the patron to COME INSIDE and learn more.
A resume is a job seeker's sandwich board. It is what you use to entice a recruiter learn more about you. It encourages the recruiter to make that initial phone call and set up an interview. The daily specials are your previous jobs. The evening's event is your career objective.
Resumes tend to hide in a folder until that fateful day when you decide you need a change (or someone decides that for you). Then begins the daunting task of updating it! Do you really remember what you did two years ago? To avoid this angst, we recommend that you keep a going log or list of your accomplishments, whether or not you are in the job market. This list can also serve as a reminder for performance review discussions with your manager. It avoids having to dig the information out of the recesses of your mind.
If you are in the job market, your resume must be current. Imagine reading a sandwich board and wanting that pasta dish, only to find out that was last month's special? If your resume is posted on Workopolis, ensure that you refresh it every 1-3 months so that a recruiter can tell that you are actively looking.
Workopolis and Hirepower have partnered up to provide a resume editing service called Resume Rescue. Some of the key points we look at when conducting our resume rescuing are:
Career objective: Take the time to pinpoint what your target job is/are, and edit your resume to highlight your skills in this targeted area. If a previous job is not pertinent to your objective, do not emphasize it.
Selected accomplishments: Decide what you want to hi-light; what are you most proud of? What accomplishments would you be most comfortable talking about in an interview? A resume should not be a long list of everything you have ever done. Think of the sandwich board and how much can fit on it.
You have to edit.
Strengths: Reflect on your strengths, and then ensure they are reflected somewhere in your resume. This doesn't mean list them. For example, if your strength is problem solving, then select an accomplishment that required problem solving skills. Ensure that the strengths you select mirror the competencies required by the positions that you are targeting.
Keywords: Do your research and make a list of keywords that repeatedly show up in your targeted jobs. Does your resume have these keywords in it? A recruiter may do a keyword search on applicants' resumes, and if the keyword isn't there, your resume will not top the results list.
Resume Length: It still holds true that a resume should be as close to a maximum of 2 pages long.
White space: Your resume should be pleasing to the eye. Try not to clog up the page with text. A reader needs some relief when viewing a document. Also avoid going below a font size of 10 pts.
Interests/Volunteer or Community Involvement: These serve to flesh your resume out, make you seem like a real person instead of a single dimensional piece of paper. If you have the room, use it.
Additional skills: Technical skills, computer skills, languages are all assets, so include them.
Education: Ensure the dates and the institutions are accurate and well represented. You can also include any additional training or professional development you have undergone.
And above all, spelling and grammar. Have two different people proofread the document. Recruiters will spot a typo a mile away!
Above all, remember that whether you are deciding on a career change or looking for a new job, being in the job market takes time, patience, resilience and a focused effort to find the right next opportunity. Take time to develop your "sandwich board" or resume and make sure that this is a working document that best showcases the talent and capabilities that you bring to your right next opportunity.
