On April 5th, I gave a Résumé Seminar to a group of English Language students at Istanbul University. Istanbul University is one of the oldest universities in the world, and just to visit the campus can inspire one to greatness. The students there give me hope for a bright future for Turkey. Check it out at http://www.istanbul.edu.tr.
What I notice, though, is no matter where or who I give seminars to, people both young and old, know little about selling themselves to an employer. Most do not know the importance of a good résumé and discount how much it does matter to your prospective employer when they decide to interview you or not.
While a résumé/CV won't get you the job, if done right, it can get you an interview. The interview will give you an opportunity to show them you are the right candidate for the job if you go prepared.
So, if you are writing a résumé/CV for the first time or 50th, you must include the following items:
¨ Contact Information – Many jobseekers actually forget their phone numbers or email addresses especially, and then do not put their name on the second page, if they have one. Think about what ifs. What if your résumé gets separated from its first page? Make it easy for an employer.
¨ Objective – Sometimes we may not put an objective, but if you are applying for a specific job or replying to a job ad, you must have an objective. The employer does not know what kind of job you want unless you tell them. The days of sending résumés to anyone without a clear purpose are over! Simply put the position you are applying for, e.g., English Language Teacher.
¨ Highlights – After your contact info and objective, give some of your best skills or strengths. Are you a great organizer, articulate, computer whiz? Let yourself shine in the upper one-third of your résumé; otherwise, the employer may never take time to finish scanning your résumé/CV.
¨ Education – For teachers especially, education is usually a very important screening item and usually should be placed before your employment. It depends on what kind of ad you are responding to, your years of experience and what is most important to that employer.
¨ Employment – Especially for someone with experience, while you must say who you worked for and when, you must create accomplishment-oriented bullets of information. Start each bullet with an action verb and no sentences, please. The employer is not interested in job descriptions. They want to know what you can do for them. That will be based on what you have accomplished previously.
I always make special mention of accomplishments because so often jobseekers put a job description mistaking it for meaning something to the employer. Well, everyone has had a job description, but it does not mean everyone has done anything worth mentioning.
Remember the 3Ds Dollars Deadlines Decisions.
This is what an employer wants to know about you and how your experience and accomplishments can translate to dollars and success for them.
The most difficult task about a résumé is probably writing the bullets of information in a clear, concise manner and brainstorming enough data about your experience to devise a powerful marketing tool. Afterall, what is a résumé if not a tool to market YOU!
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