Resumes should meet basic requirements, then go beyond

You know it’s spring when the first red robin comes bobbin’ along, when Boston Red Sox fans proclaim, "This is the year," and when college students’ resumes start to flood companies.

While we may have little to no control over nature or the Red Sox, those who plan to enter the job world full time have it in their power to get the job they want.

By Anita Bruzzese
ON THE JOB

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03072004/business/145352.asp

The key? Research. Knowing what you want, when you want it and how to get it are the critical first steps to landing a job. That means you can’t whip up a resume on a PC, fire it into cyberspace and wait for the offers to come rolling in.

Brenda Greene asked 50 Fortune 500 hiring professionals what they wanted to see in an applicant’s resume and cover letters, and she unearthed some interesting tidbits, including the fact that more than half of the resumes submitted are rejected outright because of errors.

"The other key is really about targeting your resume to what you want and what the employer wants. You focus on what fits your experience and your field, but you also focus on what you can do for the employer," Greene says.

That can be tricky when you’re just entering the job market. Greene says that most young adults actually have more to offer than they initially may consider. For example, is there anyone over the age of 8 who isn’t pretty computer proficient? Even if you haven’t used computer skills in the workplace, your knowledge is important to employers who consider computer knowledge critical.

No job experience? If you worked on the school newspaper, operated a cash register at a hot dog stand or volunteered at a summer day camp, then that is considered valuable information to an employer, Greene says.

"Everything you do can be turned into a marketable skill," Greene says. "It shows you know to turn up for a job everyday."

Greene, author of Get the Interview (Dearborn), also says those new to the job market should:

* Get feedback. Use the college career center or community job services to get direction on your resume.

* Be truthful. Don’t inflate a resume with qualifications you don’t truly possess, and especially don’t lie. The resume is not a reflection of your value as a human being, but rather a listing of your skills and abilities.

* Show your knowledge. Read the national job sites that will familiarize you with the industry that interests you, as well as checking out the individual company sites. You want to be able to use the language of the industry to put yourself in a knowledgeable, "insider" light.

* Set up an e-mail account just for the job hunt. No cutesy names.

* Focus on content. Don’t worry about colorful paper and innovative design for your resume. Use chronological order (last experience first), and try to keep it to one page. Only include your grade point if it’s above 3.0.

* Use a job objective. Customize this for each employer, depending on the job description.

* Use the key words from the advertisement in your cover letter and resume. This is especially critical since many employers now use software to only highlight resumes that fit certain criteria and key words.

* Always send a cover letter unless specifically told not to do so. This letter should include your job objective, how your skills match the job, and where you found out about the position.

* Emphasize accomplishments. "Was responsible for 20 percent increase in fund-raising," will grab attention.

* Verbs are best. Show yourself to be a "doer" by using as many action words as possible. Never say "I" on a resume.

* Follow directions. Fax, phone, mail, e-mail? Give the employer exactly what is requested.

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Anita Bruzzese can be reached c/o Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va. 22107.

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