Resumes open doors

Getting a job depends on getting an interview. And that opportunity can be lost by a badly prepared resume, reports Denise Cullen.

IT'S virtually impossible to get a job without a decent resume. However, crafting a document to sell one's experience, skills and education can be an excruciating task. For starters, it can be time-consuming and thankless. Job applicants typically face the prospect of spending many hours putting together a dossier of personal information, knowing full well potential employers will spend only a micro-fraction of that time reviewing it. (Current headhunter estimates range anywhere from three to 30 seconds.) Then there's the decided sense of stumbling round in the dark. As with denim jeans, management theories and toothbrush designs, resumes (and their associated jargon) are subject to constantly changing fashions.

For instance, should you showcase your career history in reverse chronological order? Or is a functional resume more appropriate? Should you include a career goal or profiling statement? A photograph? A bribe? Where is the all-important dividing line between presenting your achievements in the most favourable light and lying through your teeth?

Given the myriad hassles involved, it's tempting to hand the task over to a resume writing service, which will, for a fee, take the hard work off your hands. But will a "professional' do a better job than you -- and, even if they do, is it worth the money? On optimistic work-from-home websites, "start your own highly profitable resume-writing service'' features alongside other dubious opportunities such as envelope-stuffing, errand-running and survey-completing.

There's a big difference between a professional product created by a resume writer with recognised credentials and qualifications (and a thorough understanding of the subtleties of the local job market) and the secretarial service which cranks out cookie-cutter style documents.

"There are a lot of operators entering the market and producing work which is substandard,'' says Trish Allen, principal of Resumes at Work. "When the poor-quality documents they produce don't deliver job seekers with the increased competitive advantage and interviews they expected, some get understandably angry and dejected. I know this because I often clean up after them ... (and by the time clients come to me) they are initially distrustful of what I can do for them.''

Pierre Lawrence, a facilities and account manager based in Sydney, once paid a resume writer $50 to polish up his CV. "She sent it out to three people,'' he says with a laugh. "That was four years ago -- and I still haven't had any calls back.''

More recently, he paid Allen more than 10 times that amount to create a resume and covering letter for him, and says it was worth every cent. "It made a huge difference -- I sent that resume out to six employment agents and I had calls back from five of them immediately.'' He ultimately walked into a job with a $13,000 salary increase on his previous income -- which demonstrates the industry view that the right resume is an investment which carries negligible risk but unlimited upside potential.

Lawrence advises job seekers not to worry about how much it costs: "You'll get your money back in the next job.'' However, carefully consider the type of role on offer before opening your wallet, advises Glenda Curtis, a business manager with Hallis human resource consultancy in Brisbane. ``If you're applying for a casual job flipping burgers, then it's probably not worth it, but if you're on the executive track, then absolutely, it's recommended,'' she says.

Getting a standard resume together is tough enough, but for people responding to advertisements for any role in the public sector, including the police force, and the health, education and welfare sectors, addressing the selection criteria and listed job requirements can take on all the qualities of a nightmare.

Preparing a quality application is sheer hard work, says Ann Villiers, author of How to Write and Talk to Selection Criteria "It's not something you can whip up the night before the deadline -- getting it right can take hours if not days,'' she says.

There are several strategies you can use to lift the standard of your application and increase your chances of being short-listed. For instance, avoid extravagant claims about your communication skills, sales ability, or any other job requirements that are not backed up by ample supportive evidence. "Writing about yourself in glowing terms does not tell the selection panel much, other than that you think highly of yourself,'' Villiers says. Being vague about your contributions to a stated project is another no-no. "To say `I assisted with the project' could mean you operated a photocopier, drafted a document, negotiated a deal, or swept the floor.''

While there are professionals who will assist with the preparation of selection criteria, Villiers says people will gain more by having the first bash at it themselves -- through identifying their skills, knowledge and experience. And when it is time to engage an expert, she urges applicants to ensure the person they're paying has current knowledge and expertise: "You don't want someone who has never worked in government.''

SOME of the most common mistakes applicants make in their resumes include:

• Failing to highlight relevant skills, strengths and achievements. No matter how proud of making the state figure-skating team in 1991, don't devote half a page to it.
• Omitting specific career accomplishments.
• Providing lengthy, generic job descriptions.
• Listing less important career details before key experience and achievements.
• Adopting a "life story'' approach. A potential employer doesn't need to know how desperate you are because your partner just walked out, leaving you with three kids, two dogs and a hefty mortgage.
• Using an outdated, standard resume format.
• Including old, irrelevant information. If you've worked your way into a senior management role, a detailed description of your high school education is not your strongest selling point. Limit job descriptions to the last 10 years.
• Sharing information such as marital status or number of children.
• Attaching a photograph.
• Ignoring errors in spelling and grammar. It doesn't make a great first impression to describe yourself as being "very detial oreinted''.
• Going on and on. If your resume stretches to more than four pages forget about applying for positions which require "excellent communication skills''.
• Forgetting the importance of active language. Start sentences with strong action words such as "delivered'', "designed'', "implemented'' and "initiated''.

Source: Resumes At Work

http://www.resumesatwork.com.au/
http://www.mentalnutrition.com/
http://www.hallis.com.au/