Writing an effective resume can be a daunting task, especially if writing and compiling your thoughts are difficult for you. Alexander Jewish Family Service offers a few tools you can use to write a more effective resume!
Writing an effective resume can be a daunting task, especially if writing and compiling your thoughts are difficult for you. Alexander Jewish Family Service offers a few tools you can use to write a more effective resume!
By Mandy Thibodeaux, Career Services Advisor, Alexander JFS
Writing an effective resume can be a daunting task, especially if writing and compiling your thoughts are difficult for you. You can often feel stuck and left to wonder if your resume will attract potential employers. I understand and am going to provide you with some effective tools you can use to make this process a little easier. This guideline will help you compile the information you need to begin writing an effective and compelling resume.
Resumes are very important because this is the “marketing tool” you will use to show companies who you are and what you can offer them. In this marketing tool, it’s important to keep the content precise and straight to the point, simple in design, and between 1-2 pages in length. This isn’t a “tell all” and you do not need to include every detail of your career! You want to highlight the main points in each job that you have had. You want to include information that is relevant to the jobs you are applying for. Your goal to is to show the company that you are qualified for the job you applied for.
If you haven’t held the title of the job you are applying for, make sure to highlight transferrable skills that will stand out and show you are qualified for that job. Your resume should be written to entice recruiters and hiring managers to invite you for an interview!
The first step in the resume writing process is to create a career story/snapshot. The objective statement is obsolete and should be replaced with a professional summary. In this summary you should highlight your top skills, accomplishments, and qualifications unique to you. This is a way to brand yourself and stand out to the potential hiring managers. This is very similar to an elevator pitch and will expand on your LinkedIn headline.
The second step is to have a simple template for the resume. Don’t use a flashy resume template with a lot of lines and boxes! The ATS systems used have a hard time filtering that and so do recruiters. Format your resume so that it is easy to read so that recruiters and hiring managers can find the information they need.
The third step in the process is to make sure you highlight relevant skills and experience within your Professional Job Experience section. You want to tailor your information to mirror the jobs you are applying for, that includes highlighting transferable skills. This will allow the ATS system to find your resume in relation to the jobs you are applying to.
The fourth step in this process is write precise bullet points within you Professional Job Experience section. You want to think beyond just your job duties and responsibilities. You want to give examples of what you did and how you solved the company’s problems. Use the right language to stand out! Utilizing strong actions words. For example, if you were involved in the development phase and lead a project, show that. Don’t use “analyzed and defined the direction for a global engineering leadership program”’ instead write “Developed and led the directional process for a global engineering leadership program. If you are in a sales, financial, or any other role that is metrics based; you need to demonstrate you achieved results with numbers and metrics.
These are a few tools you can use to write a more effective resume! If this process is overwhelming, Alexander JFS can help you formulate and format your resume. We offer assistance with building a LinkedIn brand, constructing a dynamic cover letter, and Networking strategies. Alexander JFS has partnered with Criteria to offer scientifically proven assessments. These assessments test for skills, personality, and emotional intelligence. The results from these assessments help us to identify the best career path to suit our client’s needs.
Need help developing your resume, we can help! Check out all of the services the Alexander JFS Employment and Career Center offers HERE.
jfsemployment@alexanderjfs.org
About Mandy Thibodeaux, MBA
Career Services Advisor
Mandy Thibodeaux has a deep-rooted passion for helping others become the best versions of themselves! She believes that being a mentor, coach, and advocate for every client, is the most worthwhile way to spend her life. Having the ability to make a true impact, and to see the difference she has made in a client’s life circumstance, is the most rewarding and fulfilling experience! She leverages her expertise and experiences to help every client realize their full potential and find the career they were meant to have!
She holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and has over 15 years of Management, Coaching/ Development/Training and Recruitment experience prior to JFS.
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