The Whys of Resume Writing

Community Manager — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:19:00 GMT

An up-to-date resume is a must-have for job hunter and job holder alike. Given today's uncertain economy, the smart employee is continually working to improve their personal brand, enhance their skills and have a marketable, well-written resume in their job hunting toolbox.

Make the Most of Your Resume

Compelling resumes are more than just well-written and carefully proofed; a persuasive resume clearly articulates a candidate's strengths. Don't fall into the common resume trap of putting down a laundry list of jobs, rather carefully asses what information best highlights your strengths and sells you for the role you wish to fill.

What to Put in? What to Leave out?

When assessing your work history and successes, carefully examine each piece of information you are considering for your resume. If it sells you, keep it in; if its extraneous information, detracting from your overall message and branding, get rid of it. I like to think of this as "5-Whying" your resume.

The 5 Whys, which I've posted about in the past in Problem Solving with the 5 Whys is a useful business practice focused on reducing waste and improving quality. What better way to streamline and polish your resume?

So let's get started. Look at each bullet point or job description on your resume. Does it reflect well on you? Does it enhance your marketability? Distinguish you from the competition? Does each sentence "sell" you? Is it relevant to the position to which you are applying? If the answers to any of these questions is "no," the information either needs to be re-written or eliminated.

Consider 5-Whying your resume with a friend or a colleague. It's often difficult to assess ourselves or our work with dispassion and detachment. Ask your reader to apply the 5 Why's to your resume; this will help you gauge how another set of eyes perceive your resume and its persuasiveness.

For more information on how to decide what information should (and should not) be on your resume, I've collected the following useful resources:

What do you look for in an applicant's resume? Do you have tips for resume do's and don'ts? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

Job Hunting: A Work in Progress

Community Manager — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:41:00 GMT

Labor Day is in the review mirror; a day off from work for many, for others a reminder there's not work to be had. We've all seen the headlines: the jobs picture in the U.S. remains far from robust. Unemployment hovers around ten percent and the uncertain economy is keeping consumer confidence low and workplace anxiety high.

While the job hunting climate may not be ideal, for the unemployed, underemployed or for those wanting a better or different job, the search cannot wait. So the Beyond Folders bloggers are pooling our experience as both hiring managers and former job hunters (and of course ongoing networkers!) to provide posts with job hunting tips and techniques.

References? Check!

The demise of the one-company-career and the rise of social media mean today's world, and today's job hunt, bear little resemblance to job searches of the past. When I entered the work world, hand-written thank you notes were de rigueur after an interview; now an email thank-you is considered acceptable.

Still, some things remain eternal: the importance of stellar references. A recent post-Labor Day article Singing your Praises: How to Manage Work References makes the point that not only are rock solid references key to winning a job, lukewarm or poor references can sabotage your chances.

References matter so be sure to line up good ones early in your job hunt. Ideally your references will have the following qualities:

First-hand knowledge of your work and strengths
Ability to speak enthusiastically about you
Credibility in the industry or job to which you are applying

For more tips on making the most of your references, read The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best Job References and Do References Really Matter? And be sure to check back for more posts on job hunting over the coming weeks.

What do you look for in a reference? Do you have any tips for making the most of your references? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Bradley Eggers

Beyond Folders : unemployment

The Whys of Resume Writing

Job Hunting: A Work in Progress