4 Simple Steps To Get That Dream Job

Oct 3, 2011

I came across a very great article today about tips in crafting Unbeatable Resumes by Kerry Hannon of Forbes.com and I decide to include it in my own list. But this time I added some extra stuff and point it to a direction that can help people get a job. I’m doing this because I do not want to search again for this kind of stuff in the future if I will be the one looking for a job. Also this will serve as my online reference for pointers on revising my next resume. And I hope that this article can be of help to you to get your dream job.

If you find that the information presented here is lacking some information, please drop your comments below and I will be happy to include your suggestions in this article.

1. Don’t spoil your resume. According to an interview made by Kerry Hannon with Tony Beshara (author of Unbeatable Resumes), the purpose of the resume is to help get you an interview. And at the interview, 40 percent of a hiring decision is based on personality. Also it is very rare that you will land a job just by simply submitting a resume. For this reason, don’t ever overdo your resume. Just keep it simple and should be no more than two pages. The reason behind this is that an average resume gets read in 10 seconds. With this very small window of chance, you have to make sure that the person reading it will understand what you are trying to portray in your past work experiences. Below is a list of some tips from the article on how to build a simple but meaningful resume.
• Avoid the fancy-schmancy layout, font, and other special effects. Stick to traditional font of Times New Roman, 9 to 12 point size, and black type against a white paper. You might try a different type size for your name and the companies you have worked for, perhaps your title. But try to be consistent. Go easy on boldface type, italics, and underlining.
• Prepare it in a simple Word format that can easily be viewed on most computers. Not a table format or template.
• Use a reverse chronological order. List your present, or most recent job, first, and then work backwards. You state the complete name of the company you work for, or have worked for, and what they do, how long you were there–month and year. Then list the position you held and your accomplishments. You don’t have to use full sentences. Begin with verbs. “Managed company tax reporting, finance, invoicing, purchasing,” for example.
• Get rid of objectives and summary and all that silly stuff. It’s all fluff. An employer doesn’t care about your objective. He cares about his.


Get That Dream Job

• Skip personal information such as married with three kids. Sounds stable to you. But to a hiring authority looking for someone to travel, it may keep you from being interviewed.
• Stories sell. Numbers, statistics, percentages get attention if you put in bold type. Increased profit by this 28%. Came under budget by 30%. If you were born and raised on chicken farm, note it on your résumé.
• Fuzzy key words and phrases should be avoided. These include customer-oriented, excellent communications skills, and creative. These words lack meaning and do absolutely nothing to help you get an interview.
• Use words that refer to titles- customer service, controller, manager, accountant,
• Get the photos off your résumé. You are looking for a job, not a date.
2. Honesty is still the best policy. Though it might find tempting for you to give half-truths about your skills just to impress your would-be employer, he or she will find out soon enough that you’re just pretending to be the right candidate for the job. The worst thing is they might include you in their “black list” (if it exists) making it more difficult for you to get an interview in the future. It is important to note that some companies are maintaining some sort of database of their prospective employee. And you don’t want to tag your online profile as “Liar”, it’s very damaging of course. So just tell the truth, if your skill does not match for now make a proposal that you will be able to acquire that skill in for example less than a month.
3. Be a good Netizen. It might sound crazy to know that some employers view their candidates’ online profile by using social networking site such as Facebook and immediately use it as a basis in getting an interview. So if you’re not doing well in dealing with your online friends, it might fire back at you that can simply ruin your career. Take note that there’s nothing that can stop them from doing this once they have your resume.
4. Build and use your network. After preparing your neatly crafted resume, you are now ready to tell the whole world that you’re prepared for any challenges for that next job. What you can do now is to call your friends, previous employers and even your relatives to help them find you a job. You can even use your favorite social networking site as a ‘pool’ of connections that will help you narrow down your search. You’re now doing good online right?

Always remember that when you’re looking for a job make sure to have a lot of guts and don’t be shy. Be prepared in picking up the phone and hearing someone say no. Because no matter how good your resume is, if you don’t get that interview your efforts will be wasted. So keep in mind that you have to get interviewed first. The whole process of getting that job will require you a lot of hard work, perseverance and courage. And as Tony Beshara pointed out, the sooner that you face the reality of being rejected, the sooner you will be able to find a job. Good luck and happy job hunting!

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