Resume building help.

[Jeff]

Was wondering if any of you knew a site or had info/experience on building a strong resume.

My wife has extensive experience in her field, has been promoted quickly, finished her bachelors AND masters degree in 4 years, is consistantly the top performer at the companies she has worked for, has good business ethics, etc.

Her problem isn't getting offered the job once she is interviewed, she has wonderful communication skills. I would like to help her build a strong resume that stands out from the crowd. I want to convey all her strong points without making it seem her salary requirements would break the budget.

Any help would be great.

[island911]

Find another way *in*

Sending in resumes is just not the way it happens. . . .well, it's like buying a lottery ticket.

[Jeff]

Any suggestions Island?

[rcecale]

Hit the strong points (briefly) in the Cover Letter. Then, back it up with the resume. The idea is to get them to notice her first.

Randy

[nostatic]

Of my last 3 positions, two were obtained "cold". The faculty job doesn't really count though, as the cv (academic version of a resume) can't hide most of the real story. For the other cold one, I was lucky that the person looking at resumes saw a fit. It also helped that I was likely the only ph.d. in the stack. For the present job, I was already in the organization, so the resume didn't make much difference.

Use friends and acquaintances to get someone (anyone) in the company to read your resume. I like them short and to the point. I don't want a bunch of buzz words and flowery prose. I want to see education, experience, and anything that makes someone different. It depends on the field though...

[RickM]

I wrote an informal article for Hotjobs about 2 years ago. I basically outlined alternative ways to network. IMO the most effective way to secure a worthwhile position is to network.

Instead of going to jobfairs and open houses I suggest frequenting establishments were successful people hang out to relax after a hard day of work. These places include Cigar bars, Country clubs, bars that happen to be in business building etc...

I went on to describe how one should befriend the crowd in a genuine way in order to start the networking process. Once these successful people get to know you they will be more than happy to help their friend or introduce them to someone (probably one of their peers) who can help.

I suggest building a "business card" database. After collecting cards from any acquaintance it's important to jot notes down and record in a central repository. When scanning Corporate websites or the paper or Monster keep in mind whose card you have for a connection. Don't forget when someone mentions the fact that they have a friend that works somewhere or in a certain business. These are valuable notes to take. "Hello Jim, remember you mentioned your next door neighbor being the CEO of Pelican? Well.......".

The last piece advice I can offer is: If you contact a friend or acquaintance with a Resume DO NOT say "Here's my resume if something looks like a fit please call me". ANY Successful exec is not going to play recruiter for anybody. The proper approach is to contact the person with a specific job posting from their website or another source. Then they can funnel it in an effective manner.

Hope this helps!

[Sarah]

Question....who is she currently working for? Was the job related experience internships? Just curious.

There has already been some excellent advice. I think networking to get an interview and then selling yourself in the interview as to why you are the best person for the position are the best ways to snatch the job you want.

Her cover letter, resume and interview are all opportunities to make herself stand out from the crowd...describing how her experience, education and personality traites make her a perfect fit for the position. Like a teacher once said to me..."if you don't toot your own horn...no one is going to toot it for you"...it sounded funny but he was right.

On the resume...less is more. No one wants to read multiple pages. Use a bullet point format and do a section for Education (degress and any licenses/certifications related to the position), Work experience (only as far back as is relevent), Achievements (i.e. awards - educational, professional, community) and then sometimes people add an "Interests" section to give them an idea of interests/hobbies outside of work (i.e. showing they have a life outside of work and stress outlits). If the employer wants to know something more...they will ask for it.

They want a well rounded person. I'm sure she knows this...but always dress for an interview so their first impression is..."wow...she looks sharp...she must really want the job."

I mentioned all of the above because I was on an interview panel who interviewed over a hundred people for police officer positions, and I also did background investigations for companies on future employees...these things stood out.

Without sounding sickening...here was my career path. I got my first 2 law enforcement jobs by working my butt off in college & skills to get good grades, be involved in the community, worked almost full-time to pay for college, and "studied" about the city before I interviewed for the jobs. I also networked to speak with people who already worked there to gain more specific info for the interviews. My first job as an investigator for the private sector I got by calling corporate investigators who I worked with on cases and got an interview that way. Then...when I wanted to do background investigations...I cold called a company and spoke to the owner and they let me come in for an interview and hired me. And...the current job I have now I fell into by mistake while I was going for two stressful state jobs...I was only supposed to be here for a short while and now it is 3 years later....you never know where things will take you.

So...there are many ways for her to get a job and get her foot in the door. The resume is just a piece of the larger picture.

TELL HER GOOD LUCK!!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I've worked hard to network in my field/industry in general. Publications, conferences, etc...both academic and public.

I've also kept in touch with former professors. You never know when that'll come in handy.

[Jeff]

Thanks, This is great advice. Keep it coming if you have more.

Sarah, to answer your question my wifes experience is not from an internship. Here is a quick history...

11 years ago she started working as a Sales Rep for a medical supply company.
1 year later she became the Sales Manager for that company.
1 year after that she became the General Manager of that company.
1.5 years after that we started and currently own (minority owners) a medical supply company.
I left 3.5 years ago to start a company and take care of our children.
She is currently V.P. of Sales (That is her title but a an owner there is much more she is responsible for).
It is time for a new challenge for her, so she is ready to move on.

She is currently in the Medical industry (as you can see above) and would like to stay in the field. She likes it and it is a good job market right now.

This is what we have done so far...

1.Contacted friends and let them know our plans to see if they know anyone that can help her.
2.Posted/sent her resume on Monster, Hotjobs, Career builders, etc.
3.Contacted Head Hunters (If you know any good ones let me know)
4. She is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce.

[Sarah]

Wow...you guys have made a great start. I don't know why I was thinking she was right out of school. I thought you guys were in your mid 20s.... .

Having said that...I think it would be a matter of her finding a position (whether it was advertised or via your network of family/friends/co-workers) she thinks she would enjoy & make her happy & then dive in after it.

By reading the job description carefully...she'll know what qualities of hers she needs to focus in on & let shine.

I don't know if that helps any...but I think it is great she is pursuing something new for herself...change is good and gives a new perspective on things. Again...good luck.

[Jeff]

I thought you guys were in your mid 20s.... .

Thanks Sarah, That's what I tell people on my birthday. Actually She is in her mid 30s and I am in my late 20s er... I mean my late 30s.

She has been contacted by a head hunter this week and has been going over job fit for a V.P. of Sales for a fortune 500 company in Nebraska. The head hunter has suggested looking up a guy named Martin Yate for ideas on how to strengthen her resume. Ever hear of him? I know nothing about him as I have not done a search yet.
The recruiter says she needs to emphasize her strengths/ experience which I have told her all along, but sometimes spousal suggestions are over looked. I printed this post for her to read and I have to thank you for the line "If you don't toot your own horn... Nobody else will".
She has also been contacted by another agency, but they have been playing phone tag all week.

She really liked your suggestion on looking sharp for the interview... looks like she's going shopping this weekend.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[Rot 911]

Jeff you guys wouldn't have to move to Nebraska would you? I wouldn't wish that on anyone!

[Jeff]

Kurt, if she is offered and accepts the job we would have to move there. I haven't been there but I here it is a nice place to raise a family. I have joked about getting my wife a nice apartment and a couple of pictures of the kids and keeping the house in Phoenix, but all I get in return is one of those "you'd better sleep with one eye opened" looks.

I don't have a map in front of me, where is Jefferson city, I have an aunt in Sikeston.

[cstreit]

I worked for an executive recruiting and training firm for several years (My Qualification to respond)...

The biggest mistake MOST people make is filling out their job descriptions with what "TASKS" they performed at that job rather than the "RESULTS" that they got...

For instance:

Bad -

Director of IT, XYZ Systems 1999-Present

- Managed team of managers and programmers
- Facilitated installation of new software system
- Lead company in least problems blah blah
- Skilled communicator and multi-tasker
- Operated department with 25 employees


Much better:

Director of IT, XYZ Systems 1999-Present

- Selected new acct. software that saved $10 million on costs year 1
- Managed 25 employees who increased their performance review ratings one point each year
- Created an additional $22million in revenue each year up sequentially every quarter
- Developed new software product sold to over 20% of existing customer base.


See the difference... The first guy is a schmo who did his job and went home every day. The second guy got RESULTS, made changes, and measured what he did. You 'know' he was successful.

Good luck!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Very good point, Chris. I work with way too many schmoes who confuse effort with results.

And then wonder why they're passed over for promotion. "I've been here for x years! I should have been promoted by now!"

Unfortunately sometimes our management humors them!

[HarryD]

Chris,

Well put. When I was building my resume earlier this year, I had one of my sales person friends loo at it. His observation: You need lot's of "Wow, you really made a difference" factor in your resume. Showing results (money saved, production increased, corporate goals met, downtime reduced, sales closed etc) not effort was the route to that reeaction. The key is that it needs to be measurable and measured to impress.

[Jeff]

Chris, Great advise. Thanks.