How Ready Is Your Resume If I Called You Today?
By Martin Buckland - Executive Career Management Professional
Throughout my 21 years of experience, it is the rare career professional that continually reviews and updates their resume. More often than not, I am called or emailed by people who were unexpectedly contacted by a recruiter or potential employer today and need to submit a resume tomorrow.
Back in 2000, Career Directors International declared September as International Update Your Resume Month. With 2 weeks left, there is still time to revitalize your resume so you are prepared when an unexpected submission request arrives.
Start the review by asking yourself the following questions:
Does my resume use a Hotmail address? If you answered Yes, immediately create a new email address using either your ISP provider or Gmail (the #1 preferred choice for resume purposes).
Does my resume include my customized LinkedIn url? With over 90% of hiring influencers using LinkedIn to uncover or evaluate potential candidates, you must have a profile and be active on this social platform.
Does my resume have an Objective statement? If you answered Yes, replace this outdated approach with a personal brand statement. (https://www.social-hire.com/career--interview-advice/4608/a-10-step-guide-to-creating-your-pesonal-brand)
Does my resume incorporate keywords? Companies now utilize technology to scan and pre-screen resumes. Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) is keyword based and requires you include the keywords and key phrases relevant to the job and employer to boost the chances of your resume advancing onto a human decision maker.
Is my resume scannable by the ATS application? Though nice to look at, design features including shading, underlines, graphics, and text boxes may inhibit the scanning process and thus should be avoided when submitting a resume online.
Does my resume include career achievements? To stand out from the competition, your resume needs to portray you as a performer sharing career stories with quantifiable metrics, not job duties and responsibilities.
A fall job search entails 70% more competition, as that represents the percentage of job seekers who suspend their quest during July and August. Celebrate International Update Your Resume Month by creating an enticing resume to surpass the increased competition and be ready when a recruiter or future employer shows interest.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Martin Buckland, President of Elite Resumes, is a leading resume writer, career coach and job search strategist with a global clientele. Martin currently holds the following certifications: Certified Professional Branding Strategist, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Job and Career Transition Coach, Certified Job Search Trainer and Co-Pilot Executive Coach. Visit my website: http://aneliteresume.com/
About the company...
The Social Hire team never just do social media marketing.
What the Social Hire gang loves is making a difference for our clients, and we don't want to waste your, or our resources on marketing for marketing's sake, if it doesn't get your organisation the impression you need - we take a different approach.
Our team of managers are a team that assists our partners improve their presence online by producing online marketing services on a regular basis. Our service is transparent and economical, which ensures that you get a great service and results that make a difference when you utilise our services. We arrange many different marketing services for enterprises from small businesses to large corporations to help make the most of of your company's social media marketing.
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