"Creating a Resume for Today's Job Market"

Presented by Alie DeGon, MBA
Founder, MetaJiva

Resume Basics :

• Have a people-friendly as well as a machine-friendly resume. It should be clear, concise, well-organized, and attractive.
• Try to limit it to one page, but if you have a lot of ground to cover, it may run to two pages. Label each page with your contact information.
• Objective Statements: A good objective statement on a resume answers the question: "What compensable need do you satisfy?"
• Example 1:
• Good objective statement:
  "To serve in a leadership position in marketing for a dynamic company, where my strategy development and execution abilities; leadership and team, agency and project management skills, and 14 years of marketing communications experience will contribute to my companyÕs growth and profitability."
• Better Objective Statement:
  "To leverage my marketing expertise to drive revenue and grow a profitable software related business."
• Example 2:
• Good objective statement:
  "I do it all! I have an engineering degree and can use so many software tools itÕs silly. IÕve produced technical training videos and prefer that sort of work. But then I know I'm a problem child because every time there's a newbie at Volt or Ajilon or one of those places, they call me up all charged to hock my bod somewhere, then, of course, I never hear from 'em again."
• Better Objective Statement:
  "To convey complex ideas (software, hardware or manufacturing) to a wide variety of audiences (users, developers, or customers) through diverse approaches (technical documentation, websites and videos)."
• Experience: list by the most recent, including where you did what and relevant dates.
• Education: what, when, where
• Address any gaps in dates up front. You may choose to discuss a "Radical Sabbatical," a time-off you may have taken to improve your business-related or personal growth skills.
• References: Get permission, keep your references informed, and make them easy to reach. A separate page for references is appropriate.

On your resume, DO :

• Be easy to reach. Provide your contact information, including email address and phone number.
• Customize your resume to the particular job.
• Spell check!
• Search engine optimize (SEO) your resume:
  • Use the word "resume" in the document and in the page URL.
  • Use zip codes and area codes as location tags so that people can search for you in your area.
  • Use keywords and popular acronyms.
  • Become widely visible. Don't rely on proprietary sources, who may charge potential employers for access to your information.
  • Be reachable by name, not just an alias.

On your resume, DON'T :

• Exaggerate experience
• Drop dates or leave gaps in your experience.
• Make your resume machine unreadable with lots of fancy formatting or graphics. The plainer the formatting and text, the better. This may not be true for all resumes at all times.
• Negate your strengths. Consider them growth opportunities.
This information is the property of VoxMedicus and MetaJiva. Please use with proper attribution.

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