The Right Resumes for Effective Job Hunting

Crafting a resume which captures the hiring manager’s attention requires identifying key experiences and accomplishments as well as understanding the hiring manager’s needs.

• Make an Impact: Resume is not about you – it is about what the hiring manager thinks about your experiences. This shift in mindset means you must focus on what the reader will think about your resume. The imperative for the hiring manager is to fill an open position. He/she needs someone with a specific set of skills. Identify the skills that are required for your desired industry and position and articulate them within your resume.

• Visually Appealing: The format and visual appearance of resume make a difference. Often times hiring managers are simply looking for a reason to exclude resumes from their stacks of potential resumes. Make your resume easy to read; use the correct format, strategic white space and effectively placed words and bullets.

Objective / Summary

On a resume, an objective may be as brief as a job title. Depending on the position, the objective may need supporting information in order to make the target clear. The most effective objective is the one which is most specific about the position and type of employment desired. Conduct informational interviews to find the appropriate title for the type of work you seek.

Another option is to include a Summary Statement at the top of the resume. This would include a brief list of the highlights of your candidacy and works especially well for people with a significant amount of experience.

Career Highlights / Qualifications

This section of the resume is usually a series of bulleted points that emphasize your most important career experience, your skills, your personality traits and characteristics, and some key accomplishments from your work history as they relate to the job for which you are applying.

To determine which headings to group your experiences under, try to find the three skills or qualities most important...