A Resume that works Standing out from the crowd

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"A Resume that works Standing out from the
crowd"
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Presenter

• David Clarke
• Director
• 2it Recruitment
• www.2it.com.au
• 02 8262 4900

We specialise in Human Resources consulting and
Recruitment for Information Technology Companies
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Before The Resume

• Know your job target or desired role, this is
  very important.
• What if I am not sure of my job target or role?  
  
• If you are hunting for a job but are not sure
  about a career path, you are probably going to
  wind up doing something that doesn't fit you very
  well. This role you will not find fulfilling, and
  will most likely leave within a short period of
  time.
• Doesn't sound like much of a life to me. Get some
  focus!!

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What is a resume?

• A résumé, also sometimes spelled resumé or
  resume or curriculum vitae, sometimes abbreviated
  to CV is a document containing a summary or
  listing of relevant job experience and education.
  
• Usually for the purpose of securing a new job.
  Often the résumé is the first item a potential
  employer encounters regarding the job seeker, and
  therefore a large amount of importance is often
  ascribed to it.
• Resumes are marketing tools designed to do one
  thing
• make the phone ring"
• Your resume is intended as a hook for a potential
  employer.

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What a resume is not......

• A resume is not a novel on your life history!!!
• A resume is not something a recruiter like me
  will spend hours jazzing it up for you.......
• A resume is not just any old word document and
  something which you can knock up in 15 minutes
  during your lunch break!!!
• A poor resume could change your whole life
  without you even realising it

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Resume Format

• Resumes come in many different kinds of formats
  and are generally all accepted by employers. The
  most important thing is that a resume must grab
  the employers attention within the first 30
  seconds.
• Therefore it is imperative to keep it short. 4
  pages is more than enough

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Resume Format

• The two most popular resume formats are
• The chronological resume format
• The functional resume format
• Remember that it is crucial that you highlight
  your selling points to the employer regardless
  of which resume format you decide on.

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Resume Format

• The traditional and most commonly used resume
  format is the chronological format
• Usually Covered in this format is
• Personal information - What is your name and how
  you can be reached
• Job Objective - What do you want to do?
• Experience - What can you do? Or what have you
  done!
• Education - What have you learned?

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Resume Format

• Personal informationThe contact information
  should be placed on top of your resume. It should
  include your name, address, phone number and
  email.
• Job objectiveThis is optional. The job objective
  allows employers to review and analyse your
  resume and shows employers the direction you want
  to go.

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Resume Format

• Employment HistoryWhat you put in your
  employment section will depend on what the job is
  and what you have done. You should describe your
  experience in the most interesting and concise
  way.
• For each job you have held, list the following
  information
• Dates of employment
• Name of the company you worked for
• Position title
• Description of the duties you performed
• Achievements against assigned duties
• Why you have moved on - It will help a potential
  employer understand you as a candidate

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Resume Format

• EducationInclude your degrees, where you
  graduated, certification and awards
• Skills and AbilitiesThis is the place to put
  important and/or interesting information that
  does not fit anywhere else. With the advance of
  technology, it is increasingly important to
  include a section on computer skills.
• ReferencesReferences or referees are people you
  know that can attest to your personality and
  vindicate your skills. Preferably you should have
  at least 3 people who can serve as your referees.
  It is important to let your referees know about a
  possible call so that they are well prepared when
  the call does come.

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Truth or Dare on your Resume
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What to put on your resume!

• More than 90 of college students admit that they
  would cheat to get a job. Why? Credentials are
  determining compensation more than ever.
• But think twice before you ship off your next
  half-baked job application.
• Kenneth Lonchar was CFO of Veritas Software, a
  successful Silicon Valley firm -- until it was
  discovered in 2002 that he had lied about both
  his Stanford MBA and his undergraduate education.
  He resigned!!!
• Sandra Baldwin, president of the United States
  Olympic Committee, resigned after it was revealed
  that she had lied about having a Ph.D in English
  from Arizona State University.

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The 5 Most Common Lies
Inflating titles You would have been promoted to
vice president of sales at your prior job if the
company had truly realized your value as an
employee, right? So why not just anoint yourself
with the title you deserved? Wrong.
Increasing previous salary What's the harm in
innocently exaggerating your salary to get the
best offer you can from your new employer? Just
hope the company you want to work for doesn't
request a recent pay stub, because then you'll
have a whole lot of explaining to do.
Playing with dates So you graduated from college
in 1955. Don't fake it. Be proud. Presumably,
you've gained some wisdom of the world by now.
(And by the way, your age will be abundantly
apparent if you're lucky enough to get the
interview, unless you have an excellent plastic
surgeon.)
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The 5 Most Common Lies

• Lying about getting a degree
• Sure, you had every intention of finishing up
  that wildlife biology degree. That doesn't mean
  you can claim you got it. Dave Edmondson, the
  former CEO of RadioShack, learned this lesson the
  hard way when it was found that his college
  degrees were bogus
• Exaggerating numbers
• Want to claim you made your previous employer a
  million dollars last year? That will look
  impressive. But remember that your new boss will
  expect you to deliver the same for him.

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Keep To The Facts!!
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What to put on your resume!

• Resume misconceptions
• 1. You can put together the perfect resume
  and use it for every job application. Wrong!
• One resume that you dust off and send for every
  job, no matter how "good," works even less than a
  pair of pants labeled "one size fits all."
  Resumes need to be tailored for the specific
  position and company.
• 2. The way to land a job is to blanket the earth
  with your resume. Eventually, the resume will
  spark a job offer. Wrong!
• This is one of the least productive methods to
  find a job. Sure, if you send enough resumes and
  wait long enough, then yes, eventually you may
  get a job offer this way. But few people want to
  take those kinds of chances and wait that long
• 3. Resumes need to stand out to be
  noticed. Use fancy fonts, boxes, unique spacing
  and layout. Wrong!
• Scanability is key. You have about 30 seconds,
  so dont make your employer spend 20 of them
  figuring out what goes where. Some companies opt
  for scanning resumes by a computer

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What to put on your resume!

• Gathering and checking all necessary information 
• Matching your experience and skills with an
  employer's needs 
• Highlighting details that demonstrate your
  capabilities 
• Organizing the resume effectively 
• Considering word choice carefully 
• Ask other people to comment on your resume 
• Make the final product presentable
• Evaluate your resume 

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What to put on your resume!

• 7 Signs of a great Resume
• Targeted
• Well written
• Consistent
• Summarised Qualifications
• Self-promoting
• No personal stuff
• No Abbreviations
• Once all this is there then the most important
  thing is
• Is the resume grammatically correct?

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Targeted

• Know the company and the role to align your
  resume to the position.
• If you do not know the company and the role then
  align your resume to the advertisement.

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Well Written

• A well written resume will have a huge impact.
• Attention to detail is imperative.
• Get someone else to check for spelling and
  grammatical errors.

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Consistent

• Be sure that your resume is logical and easy to
  read.
• Be consistent with everything, such as the
  spacing, margins and borders.
• You should emphasise your important points with
  text styles such as a different font, italic or
  underlining.

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Summarised Qualifications

• This is perhaps the most important section in
  your resume.
• The job objective or summary of qualifications
  will point out your top selling points.
• Many users will neglect this point and will miss
  the opportunity to get noticed, fast.

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Self Promoting

• Dont be shy show your employer your
  accomplishments, skills and abilities.
• Employers want to too see that you can indeed
  perform the job at hand. Show them by letting
  them know about your experiences and how others
  have benefited from your productivity.

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No Personal Stuff

• Personal data such as height and weight is
  unnecessary and seen as unprofessional.
• No need for family details, fathers name or
  passport information!

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Abbreviations

• Abbreviations should be avoided. It is
  unprofessional and many are not universally
  accepted.
• Additionally your resume may be screened by
  someone who many not have the technical skills or
  understand the abbreviations.

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Lack of work experience?

• Gather other selling points.
• Look for relevant skills eg tasks done for
  school, college, community groups, personal
  interests. The skills used are more important
  than whether it was voluntary or paid work. Don't
  overload your resumé with educational details but
  do highlight the areas where you achieved good
  results.
• Include scholastic awards.
• Include professional affiliations.
• Don't forget courses outside your chosen
  profession such as customer service, computer
  programmes, word-processing, etc.

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Key points

• Keep it short, you have 30 seconds to grab their
  attention.
• Be focused on the role, target the resume to suit
  each position.
• Sell yourself because typically nobody else
  will!!!
• Refine your approach as you go.

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If you need help.

• There is a wealth of free material on resume
  building available on the www.
• If in doubt ask your chosen recruiter for advice
  on any changes they feel you should make.
• Spending time in developing a resume that has
  impact is time well spent. A good resume could
  change your career forever!

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• Thank-you and Good Luck!