HELPING YOU SHINE Tips On Writing Resumes That Make You Shine (And Get Results)

Lauren Howe www.resumemycareer.com

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WHAT IS A RESUME? It’s a story…about who you are, why you are special, and why you are uniquely qualified for that job you want. Like any story, YOUR STORY…must be told well to earn you an audience.

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SO, HOW DO YOU TELL YOUR STORY WELL? Like any great story, writing a resume takes crafting and weaving together the story lines in a way that KEEPS YOUR AUDIENCE ENGAGED and wanting more.

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IT STARTS WITH A GREAT INTRO Your intro (overview) must be compelling and INSTANTLY HOOK THE READER…so he or she wants to keep reading.

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IT MATCHES YOU TO THE JOB You shouldn’t make your audience have to work hard to connect how your skills and experiences match to those skills and experiences required for the job…MAKE IT EASY and MAKE IT OBVIOUS.

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USE KEYWORDS A good way to make your audience conclude that you are a good candidate is to use some of the keywords and phrases in your resume that are used in the job description. This requires customizing your resume for each job…BUT, IT’S WORTH IT!

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MAKE IT EASY AND ENJOYABLE TO READ Don’t get too fancy or cute…simply keep your format EASY TO READ and ELEGANT.

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WATCH THE CLICHES Be careful of being cliche…everybody uses words like “innovative”, “creative”, and “results-oriented”. To stand out, you need to use impact words, but ones that others might not be using. Don’t get too fancy, but do PICK YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY.

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NO NEED TO INCLUDE THE PERSONAL STUFF Save space by not including your personal hobbies in your resume. YOU CAN ALWAYS SHARE THOSE LATER, once you get the interview (or the job).

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PROOFREAD Your audience will be immediately TURNED OFF IF YOU HAVE ERRORS and typos in your resume - even just one can mean the difference between getting an interview for your dream job or not.

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KEEP IT TO 1-2 PAGES You don’t have to tell your whole story in your resume - just enough to WIN YOU AN INTERVIEW. Resumes should be 1-2 pages, depending on how much work experience you have.

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MAKE IT EASY TO CONTACT YOU Clearly include your main phone number and email address so that you are EASY TO CONTACT. Also, be sure to keep your email address professional - your audience will be turned off by goofy, crude or odd email addresses.

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WRITE A COVER LETTER You should ALWAYS WRITE A COVER LETTER, except if the job description explicitly says to not write one. Yes, we are all busy, but a cover letter is a great chance to introduce yourself and highlight the most important points that make you the best candidate.

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HAVE FUN WITH IT You should be professional and not over-do it, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t have fun writing your resume. After all, a great resume is all about telling a great story…do that and you may just land your DREAM JOB:)

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Want More? visit www.resumemycareer.com

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