Part II: Resume Makeovers; I Should Hire You?

This is the second of a two-part series on making over your resume. If you read Part I, we talked about having a focus. Now, that you know how important that is let's talk about the next topic. I've said in the past that you have 8-10 seconds in grabbing the reader's attention. That's not a long time! So you need to hook them in really, really fast. Don't assume the reader is going to read your entire resume just because you sent it, when in reality unless you spark their interest quickly they will put it down. You will need to answer this questio "I should hire you" with an exclamation point, not a question mark. Do you see the difference in the meaning, "I should hire you?" as opposed to "I should hire you!" One is negative and one is positive. You want the positive. One way to grab the reader's attention is by having the very best of you right upfront where it counts. Professional resume writers such as myself are familiar with this technique. What we do is, add two or three short phrases about your best qualities that you bring to the table. Now here's where it gets involved. You actually have to sit down and think about what you do best, or have done that separates you from other people. Achievements or accomplishments that you have. Use those things about you that carry impact, that are hard-hitting, not the soft stuff. You also want them to be pretty much current. For example; My focus on my resume is Independent Recruiter/Freelance Writer. Unde eath that are my attention grabbers. Things that separate me from other recruiters and resume writers. * Certified Professional Resume Writer, CPRW * Certified Employment Interview Professional, CEIP * 15+ Years of Experience In Sales, Training And Customer Service Formatting is the key here. I usually use single space and bolding. You want the information to stand out and get noticed quickly, but don't go overboard. Ever wonder why people use border lines and shading? Because they take the reader's eyes where you want them to go. Bolding, border lines, italics even graphics grab attention. That's why they are used. The idea is, if they like what they saw (and read), makes you go hmmmmm, they will continue to read. Get my drift? Try it! When I hear job seekers say, no one is calling for an interview, that means you need to take another look at your resume! So, go take another look at your resume! Does it make you go hmmmm? If not, then you still have more work to do! Look out for Part III coming soon.