Resumes For Dummies / Edition 5

Introduction     1
About This Book     1
Conventions Used in This Book     2
Foolish Assumptions     3
How This Book Is Organized     3
Pitching Your Resumes in a New Era Job Market     3
Resume Basics That Wow 'Em Every Time     4
Bringing It All Together: Sample OnTarget Resumes     4
You've Sent Your Wow. What to Do Now     4
The Part of Tens     4
Icons Used in This Book     5
Where to Go from Here     5
Pitching Your Resumes in a New Era Job Market     7
The All-Purpose Resume Is So Five Minutes Ago     9
In a New Era, the Targeted Resume Rules     9
Market Forces Zap Unqualified Resumes     10
Game-Changing Government Rules Impact Resumes     12
Navigating the regulations     14
Sign of the times     15
Three Steps to Writing a Targeted Resume     15
Prepare your core resume     16
Research requirements of job     16
Customize each spinoff resume     16
Sample Core Resume and Spinoffs     16
The back story on Lauren L. Simpson     17
Lauren's core resume     17
Lauren's spinoff resume A     17
Lauren's spinoff resume B     22
In a New Era, the OnTarget Resume Brings You So Up to Date     25
New Quick Ways to Find the Right Jobs     29
The Young Giants: Vertical Job Search Engines     30
Using a vertical: The generic basics     32
Meet the verticals     33
SimplyHired.com     33
Indeed.com     33
Jobster.com     34
GetTheJob.com     35
Yahoo! HotJobs     36
Job Boards Rising     36
Finding job boards     37
Using job board resources     38
The Continuing Power of Newspapers     39
But here's the rest of the story     40
A new wind is blowing on newspapers     41
Hunting on Company Web Sites     41
Seeking and Finding Is Easier than Ever     43
Spotlight Your Resume in a Web 2.0 World     45
Online Employee Referral     46
What it is     47
Getting started     47
Finding more info     48
Online Social Networking     48
What it is     48
Getting started     49
Finding more info      50
Blogs     51
What it is     51
Getting started     52
Finding more info     53
Really Simple Syndication (RSS)     53
What it is     53
Getting started     54
Finding more info     54
Instant Messaging     54
What it is     55
Getting started     56
Finding more info     56
Podcasts     56
What it is     57
Getting started     57
Finding more info     58
Web 2.0 Is a Work in Progress     58
Familiar Search Tools That Haven't Gone Away     59
Scannable Resumes: Same as Ever     60
Plain Text Resumes: A Long Last Gasp     61
E-Forms: Fill in the Blankety-Blanks     64
Yippee! The Fully Designed, Handsome Resume Is Back!     66
From Identity Theft to Recruiter Turnoff: Why Resume Blasting Is a Bad Idea     67
Privacy and identity theft problems     67
Risks in your workplace     68
Overexposure to recruiters     69
Online Screening Keeps On Keepin' On     69
Sample components of online screening      70
Pros and cons of online screening     71
Can your resume be turned away?     72
Match Your Resumes to the Jobs     72
Resume Basics That Wow 'Em Every Time     73
Creating Your Best Resume     75
"Telling It" Mutes; "Selling It" Sings     75
Focus Your Resume     77
Resume Formats Make a Difference     80
Reverse Chronological Format     81
Strengths and weaknesses     81
Who should use this format and who should think twice     82
Creating a reverse chronological resume     84
Functional Format     84
Strengths and weaknesses     84
Who should use this format and who should think twice     85
Creating a functional resume     85
Hybrid Format     87
Strengths and weaknesses     87
Who should use this format and who should think twice     87
Creating a hybrid resume     87
Professional Format     89
Strengths and weaknesses     89
Who should use this format and who should think twice     89
Creating a professional resume     89
Academic Curriculum Vitae     91
Strengths and weaknesses      91
Who should use this format and who should think twice     91
Creating an academic curriculum vitae     94
International Curriculum Vitae Format     94
Strengths and weaknesses     94
Who should use this format and who should think twice     94
Creating an international curriculum vitae     97
Other Resume Presentations     97
Variations on a theme     97
Accomplishment format     98
Linear format     98
Keyword format     98
Resume letters     99
Portfolios     99
Video resumes     100
Web resumes     101
Multimedia resumes     101
Choose What Works for You     101
Content Makes the OnTarget Difference     103
The Parts of Your Resume     103
Leading with Contact Information     104
Hooking the Reader with a Summary or Objective     106
Choosing an objective     107
When to use an objective     107
Advantages of an objective     107
Disadvantages of an objective     108
Opting for a summary     108
When to use a summary     108
Advantages of a summary     110
Disadvantages of a summary     110
Making Education, Experience, Skills, and Competencies Work for You     110
Education     110
Experience     111
Skills     111
Competencies     113
A few examples of core competencies     114
Including competencies in your resumes     116
Gaining Extra Points     117
Activities     117
Organizations     118
Honors and awards     118
Licenses and samples of your work     118
Testimonials     119
Shaping Your Content on Application Forms     119
Content to Omit: Your Salary Story     120
Accomplishments Are Your Content Aces     121
Wow Words Work Wonders     123
Wow Words Can Bring Good News     124
Wow words for administration and management     124
Wow words for communications and creativity     125
Wow words for sales and persuasion     125
Wow words for technical ability     126
Wow words for office support     127
Wow words for teaching     128
Wow words for research and analysis     128
Wow words for helping and caregiving     129
Wow words for financial management     130
Wow words for many skills     131
Keywords Are Key to Finding You     131
Keywords for administration/management     132
Keywords for banking     133
Keywords for customer service     133
Keywords for information technology     134
Keywords for manufacturing     134
Keywords for human resources     134
Where to Find Keywords     135
Get a Grip on Grammar     136
A Few Words about Spelling     137
Words Sell Your Story     139
Refine Your Design for Great Looks     141
Resumes That Resonate     142
Word processing     142
Printing     142
Paper selection     142
Consistency, consistency, consistency     143
When three's not a crowd     143
Come on, break it up!     143
Open spaces     144
Typefaces and fonts     145
A few more tips on appearance     146
Choosing between Two Resume Layouts     146
Design That Gets the Word Out     150
Passages: Resumes for Your Life's Changing Phases     151
Scoring Big as a Recent Graduate     152
Quick take: Rookie strengths     152
Quick take: Rookie soft spots     152
Tips for recent graduates     153
Beef up your sales pitch     153
Clarify your aim     154
Ditch unhelpful information     154
Data-mine your college experience     154
Gaffes common to new graduates     155
Falling short of image standards     155
Omitting heavy-hitter points     155
Overcompensating with gimmicky language     157
Making employers guess     157
Leveling the experience field     157
Stopping with bare bones     157
Hiding hot information     157
Highlighting the immaterial     158
Ignoring employers' needs     158
Writing boastfully     158
Grabbing Good Jobs as a Baby Boomer     158
Quick take: Boomer strengths     158
Quick take: Boomer soft spots     159
Tips for baby boomers     160
Match your target job description     160
Shorten your resume     161
Focus your resume     161
Show that you're a tower of strength     161
Demonstrate political correctness     161
Distribute your resume online     161
Murder ancient education dates     162
Trim your resume to fighting weight     162
Use appropriate headings     162
Taking a lower-level job     162
Gaffes common to boomers     163
Choosing the wrong focus     163
Using old resume standards     164
Lacking a summary     164
Revealing age negatively     165
Appearing low-tech     165
Not supplementing a high school education     165
Winning Interviews as a New Civilian     165
Quick take: Transitioning military strengths     166
Quick take: Transitioning military soft spots     166
Tips for new civilians     167
Advertise what you're selling     167
Consider your best format     167
Zero in on job fairs     168
Protect your identity from theft     168
Be a resource collector     168
Visit key Web sites     170
Get the message about milspeak     170
Changing Course with an OnTarget Resume     172
Successful Solutions to Resume Problems      175
Too Much Experience     176
Too many qualifications or ageism?     176
Too much experience in one job     178
Divide your job into modules     178
Deal honestly with job titles     178
Tackle deadly perceptions head-on     179
Highlight the issue     179
Too Long Gone: For Women Only     180
Sift through your past     182
Use professional terms     182
Know the score     182
Job Seekers with Disabilities     183
Deciding whether to disclose a disability     184
Explaining gaps in work history     184
Asking for special equipment     185
When Demotion Strikes     185
Gaps in Your Record     187
Too Many Layoffs That Aren't Your Fault     189
Explaining Mergers and Acquisitions     189
Here a Job, There a Job, Everywhere a Job, Job     190
Overcoming a job-hopping image     190
Cleaning out your job closet     192
When Substance Abuse Is the Problem     192
A Bad Credit Rap     193
Ex-Offenders Job Hunting     194
Know that negative information is dangerous      194
Avoid the chronological format     194
Present your prison experience in nonprison terms     195
Get help with your resume and job search     195
Look for Ways to Scoot Past Resume Blocks     195
Bringing It All Together: Sample On Target Resumes     197
A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes by Industry and Career Field     199
A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes by Experience Level and Age     219
A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes for Special Circumstances     239
A Sampling of Extreme Resume Makeovers     259
You've Sent Your Wow. What to Do Now     279
References Safeguard Your Resume     281
The Harm Caused by a So-So Reference     281
Seven Things You Should Do about References     282
Ban references from your resume     282
Expect employers to check references     283
Choose references with thought     283
Help references help you     284
Cover your bases with a reference folder     284
Stamp out bad references     286
Thank everyone     287
Finding References without Shedding Your Cloak of Secrecy     287
Allow Enough Time for Skillful Reference Management     288
Twisting in the Wind? Follow Up!     289
Why Follow-Up Efforts Are Essential Today     290
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Following Up     291
Should I phone or e-mail my follow-up?     292
What if the ad says "no phone calls"?     292
What is the most powerful opening statement I can make?     293
What are other compelling opening statements?     293
How much information can I find out from a central phone operator?     294
What are some tips to get past screeners, a.k.a. gatekeepers?     294
What can I do if I keep getting booted to voicemail?     296
Why shouldn't I leave a message asking the target to call me back?     297
How can I keep track of all my calls, e-mails, and contacts as I follow up?     298
When is it time to throw in the towel and move on?     298
Monitoring Your Follow-up Efforts     299
Using the Follow-Up Matrix     299
Factors on the Follow-Up Matrix     300
The Values Key     301
Checking out a sample Matrix     303
Fast-Tracking Your Successful Follow-Up     303
Almost Got the Interview Date? Read This First     305
When Your Job Conflicts with an Interview Date     305
Face-to-Face Beats Ear-to-Ear      306
Going Overboard on Ardor Can Cost You Money     307
When the Interview Is Out of Town     307
Making the Most of Your Moment     308
Little Things Do Mean a Lot     308
The Part of Tens     309
Ten (x3) Wap to Prove Your Claims     311
Say It with Numbers     312
Say It with Percentages     312
Say It with Dollar Amounts     313
Ten Ways to Improve Your Resume     315
Match Your Resume to the Job     315
Use Bulleted Style for Easy Reading     315
Discover Art of Lost Articles     315
Sell, Don't Tell     316
Show Off Your Assets     316
Make Sure Your Words Play Well Together     316
Reach Out with Strength     317
Trash a Wimpy Objective     317
Check the Horse's Mouth     318
Erase the "Leave-Outs"     318
Ten Tips on Choosing Professional Resume Help     319
Choose a Resume Writing Service, Not a Clerical Service     320
Ask Around for a Great Resume Pro     320
Request a Free Initial Consultation     321
Watch Out for Overuse of Forms     321
Look for a Fair Price      321
Check Out Samples     322
Take Aim     322
Consider a Certified Resume Writer     323
Remember That Design Counts     323
Know That a Poor Resume Is No Bargain     324
Ten Pet Peeves of Recruiters     325
Resume-Free Pitches     325
Major Mismatches     325
E-Stalking     326
Caps and Taps and Typos     328
Too Much Information     328
Date Grate     328
Guess Who     329
File Style     329
Useless and Uninformative     330
Probable Prevarication     330
Your Ten-Point Resume Checklist     331
Tit for Tat     331
Format and Style     331
Focus and Image     332
Achievements and Skills     332
Language and Expressions     332
Content and Omissions     332
Length and Common Sense     333
Appearance: Online Attached and Paper Resumes     333
Sticky Points and Sugarcoating     333
Tap the Power of OnTarget Resumes     335
Index     337