CAREER DEVELOPMENT


sess. Employers are doing extensive back- ground checks these days and they often uncover your lies during interviews and reference checks. State your skills, quali- fications, education, and experience as positively as possible without misstating the truth.


12. CLARIFY A JOB TITLE.


If your job responsibilities are not ad-


equately described by your company’s job title, then alter that title and indicate your responsibilities with a title in more appro- priate terms i.e. IT Systems Analyst, in- stead of Tech lll.


13. USE ACTION VERBS. Start each sentence with a descriptive


action verb — such as directed, organized, established, created, planned, etc. They add power to your sentences. And, never use “I” on the resume. Action verbs and short impact sentences gather more atten- tion.


14. BE COMPLETE. No abbreviations or acronyms Spell


out names of schools, cities, business terms, abbreviations, and titles complete- ly, as employers may not recognize the exactly what the letters stand for.


15. USE THE


CORRECT TENSE. In all your sentences, use past tense


words since they imply that you “have done it” before. Employers focus on past results even if you are still currently per- forming the duty at your job write the re- sume using the past tense only.


16. SKIP THE GIMMICKS. FedEx arrivals, personal deliveries,


sending a resume with flowers, candy or covering a box full of cookies did not im- press employers at all.


34 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN’S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE


17. AVOID GRAPHICS. Lines across the page, artistic designs,


color inks, clipart, and photos should be avoided. Most electronic resume software can not read designs, long lines or color ink correctly and often eliminate or change anything they see that is not text.


18. NO TAG LINES. Employers know you’ll provide refer-


ences if they request them, therefore it is not necessary to put “References upon re- quest” at the end of your resume.


19. DON’T ADVERTISE NEGATIVE INFORMATION.


The resume is the wrong place to ad-


vertise that you were laid off, fired, or had an extended illness. Never state why you left a position; simply list the dates of em- ployment. Never, ever, mention what sal- ary you were paid or seek in your re- sume.


20. PROOFREAD. Careful read and make your resume


flawless. No spelling errors, mistakes or typos, especially in emails. Many HR


CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF DIVERSITY


managers reported they do not hire of- fenders. Don’t trust computer spell check- ers since a correctly spelled word like “sea” would go unnoticed by your com- puter but would be incorrectly read if you meant to say “see.”


21. FINAL TEST — ARE EMPLOYERS CALLING?


Is your resume getting results? Are em-


ployers calling on appropriate jobs you are qualified (not over or under) to per- form? If not, start editing and rewriting. Implement the above guidelines, and read the book Winning Resumes following the writing instructions and samples. Another option is to get professional help to im- prove your resume so your resume is in- deed the best possible advertisement about you and your skills.


Source: “Winning Resumes” book by Robin Ryan Copy- right 2010 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.


Robin Ryan is a bestselling author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!; Winning Resumes; and Winning Cover Letters Over 40 & You’re Hired; Soaring On Your Strengths; and What to Do with the Rest of Your Life. Robin has a busy career counseling practice providing individual job search services, resume writing and interview coaching to clients nationwide. Robin Ryan has appeared on over 1000 TV and radio shows including: Oprah, Dr. Phil, Fox News, and CNN. Find more job search help at: www.RobinRyan.com.


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