High Impact Resume - Winning Writing Strategies

8/3/2019 High Impact Resume - Winning Writing Strategies

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21 St. Clair Ave East | Suite 503 | Toronto, ON. | M5S 3A5 | Tel: 416.361.1290 |

www.resumesolutions.ca | www.surcorpgroup.com

High Impact Resume Winning Writing Strategies

By Surranna Sandy, BA, JCTC, JCDC, CEIP, CPRW,CRS-IT, CWPP, MBA'12

In todays job market, the resume - a document that provides an overview of your experience, education and skillset - is the number one item requested by potential employers.

Research has shown that job seekers without a top-quality resume face long and difficult job searches, while thosewith polished, professionally written resumes multiply their chances of obtaining desired positions. In toda ys highlycompetitive job market, human resources managers and recruiting professionals are inundated with hundreds ofresumes for a single position. Resume Solutions research has determined that on average, an employer spends10-30 seconds reviewing a resume before determining whether it warrants further consideration. In such acompetitive landscape, it is critical that job seekers make an immediate positive impression as a viable candidateby submitting a high impact resume that cuts through the noise and shows your value to each employer.

As a job seeker, your resume and cover letter must convince a recruiter that you are the perfect candidate for thevacancy without overloading the document with irrelevant data. In order to attract attention in the job marketplaceand distinguish you from the competition, your resume needs to creatively and concisely highlight your work history,achievements, education and capabilities. Many new job applicants capture their career history in the CurriculumVitae (CV) format. Unfortunately, the CV is only accepted for academic or research related positions and is toocumbersome for private sector jobs. Further, various components of the CV such as marital status, a photographand other personal data is not relevant in the labour market and in fact may eliminate you as a potential candidate.

You resume should answer the following questions:

What expertise do you offer a potential employer?What added value you brought to your prior employers through measurable achievements?What education qualifications and certifications do you bring?

What are you like to work with?

How do you write a high impact resume?

Be relevant. Be concise. Be results specific. Be honest.

A resume that generates results should be relevant to an employe rs needs, and emphasize the qualifications thatare job, field or industry specific. To illustrate, if you are seeking a role as an Accountant but also possessexperience in sales, it is advisable to focus primarily on your accounting knowledge rather than highlighting yoursales talents. Another important consideration is to conduct comprehensive industry research prior to applying to

jobs so that you are aware of the key job-specific requirements that employers are seeking.

To be effective, a resume should be concise and to the point. It is critical that you do not prepare a resume thatconsists of a laundry list of responsibilities for each job you have ever held or one which includes company jargon.In a document that is no longer than three pages (two is preferable), you need to convey to a prospective employerthe contributions you made in each of your past roles. Do not use long-winded sentences or dated terminology. Anexample of what not to do: Dear sirs, with your permission, herein is included my resume and cover letter, inaccordance with your request for someone of my esteemed talents which are in line with your organizations long -term goals Employers do not want to read long, cumbersome or jargon -laden sentences. Be specific and to thepoint.

To generate interest from a potential employer, you need strategically demonstrate your defining career moments,business and leadership successes, while outlining measurable results. Depending on your previous positions, thiscan be shown through examples of ways in which you have reduced costs, improved efficiency, solved problems orany other illustrations of how the organization benefited from your past performance. It is recommended that you

include goals you overachieved such as delivering a project ahead of schedule and below budget, improving yourstaff performance or helping to retain key client accounts.


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A high impact, effective resume will:

Demonstrate how you will meet an employers needs Convey the qualifications and abilities you offer for the job you wantShow results and your qualifications in actionIdentify your career path

Be attractive to the reader through a professional formatIs concise and easy to readLet the reader see your skills, knowledge and abilitiesBe grammatically correct and spelling error free

As a Certified Professional Resume Writer working with clients from diverse backgrounds and ability levels, myprimary objective is to increase my clients marketability by presenting their unique core competencies, personaltalents, strengths and accomplishments in a way that engages the reader and compels them to invite my clients foran interview. However, it is critical that we are honest in the way we present our clients skills and as such, wenever exaggerate their capabilities and successes. You should ensure you do the same when writing your newresume. At all times be honest and relevant with no exaggerations of any details. This may include job titles,education levels, accomplishments and abilities.

What is included in a professional resume?

To be effective, it is critical that your resume effectively links your qualifications to a specific job target. It shouldoutline your career progression, education & training, technical and personal skills, languages spoken, professionalaffiliations, awards & recognition, and any community involvement.

A basic resume layout should open with a profile or qualification summary. For examples of high impactprofessional summaries, you can review sample resumes at http://www.resumesolutions.ca. This profile shouldsummarize who you are and what you have to offer to a potential employer. It should be tailored to the specificindustry and job category you are seeking.

Many large and medium-size companies employ technology to gather, store and filter resumes, using keywordsearches to identify qualified applicants. You can include industry keywords within the text of the summary, as astandalone section, or incorporated throughout your resume.

Typically, your next section should list your employment history in reverse chronological order listing the mostrecent job first, followed by second most recent and so on. For each job, you should summarize your varyingresponsibilities and provide examples of measurable results.

Your education follows the details of your employment history. When listing your education, ensure that theinstitution is clearly stated, the degree qualification is detailed and the year of graduation is included. Only degreesand diplomas from accredited institutes should be included. Your education section can also include any additionalcourses, certificates and professional development you have obtained.

Additional sections for your resume could include technical skills, affiliations and other job relevant data. Please

note, you should not include religious or political affiliations and personal details such as date of birth, maritalstatus, SIN numbers or a personal photograph.

Your success in securing high quality interviews and job offers is critically dependent on your effectiveness inconveying your qualifications and core expertise to potential employers. Before you begin to craft your resume, Isuggest that you take the time to develop an in-depth inventory of your hard and soft skills. Many job seekers findthis process challenging, and for those of you having difficulty clearly communicating your skills on paper, turning toa professional resume writer may be the answer. Companies such as Resume Solutions, whose CertifiedProfessional Resume Writers are members of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and CareerCoaches and the Career Management Alliance, are pledged to uphold the highest standards of professionalism,writing quality and ethical behaviour when providing guidance to job seekers. As such, they can be an importantpartner in your job search strategy.


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Surranna Sandy, BA, JCTC, CWPP, JCDC, CEIP, CPRW,CRS-IT, MBA'12 , a Certified Professional Resume Writer,Career and Certified Employment Interview Coach and former Human Resources Management Professional, is the Founder and President of Resume Solutions. ResumeSolutions.ca offers advanced resume writing, resume distribution, career coaching and interview coaching services for entry level, management, technical, mid-career through to executive clientele in the global marketplace. Her team of client-focused resume writers and career coaches has helped thousands of job seekers meet their career goals. Contact Ms. Sandy via email at [email protected] or by phone at (416) 361-1290/1-866-361-1290.

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High Impact Resume - Winning Writing Strategies