Need help writing Resume

[Control-Z]

I've been out of the real job force for years working freelance in my community and teaching part time.

I find myself passing jobs by because I don't have a Resume. I know it's all in how I say it but I'm just not good at highlighting my strong points and playing down my not-so-strong.

I don't want to get involved in anything that is over my head so I want to paint a technically honest picture of myself but at the same time I don't want to undersell my abilities.

So, I keep putting it off because I know I won't be able to promote myself effectively.

Any thoughts or advise is welcome. Resume writing service perhaps?

[yy4me]

1. The best advice about resume writing is to keep it short.

Descriptions of your work experience should be done in a manner that catches the interest the person reviewing it. I once had a resume done by a professional. The net result was a flowery, overblown "not me" bunch of words. You know your history best and are most familiar with your background. Find short descriptions of your work, use bullets in one or 2 word descriptions for a many faceted job. Don't go too far back or it will cause the reader to think you are from an older workforce. (Yea, I know its against the law to discriminate because of age but...well, it happens.)You want to get in the door.

Some job listings will state that you must have XXX experience. I would forward my resume to them with a qualifier that, although you are not proficient in "X" program, you are comfortable enough with a computer to learn. I am in the "senior" bracket, have a very simple resume and it has never failed to get me in the door. Once there, you and the prospective employer are on your own. There are web sites with examples of resumes. Search "resume sample" and lots will come up. Some give you good advice, others encourage you to list every move you ever made. Eliminate any of those. Most important, keep it on 1 page. Fax in the evening, that way you are on top of the pile in the morning. E-mail should be sent in the AM so that you are seen first.

Without giving too much away, describe your freelancing and your teaching in separate paragraphs. Maybe we can help find good resume words for you.

[Control-Z]

2. Thank you for all your great input

I like your ideas. I especially like "simple". I was worried about not having enough of a current history but you make it sound like that could work in my favor. Should I omit my age?

I'm going to start doing a search for samples right away and begin writing the paragraphs you suggested.

What did you mean when you said, "Maybe we can help find good resume words for you."?

I really appreciate your help. I hope you don't mind if I come back with more questions once I've done the preliminary work.

[yy4me]

3. Hi, glad to be of help. When you compose your resume,

don't forget to explain your specific duties and titles.They may mean one thing to one person and entirely different thing to the next.
Lets say you worked in the advertising department of a newspaper. They may call your job "Customer Service". Could mean anything. On your resume, you may list your title as Customer Service Representative but you need to qualify it.

General format Name
address
e-mail

QUALIFIED BY: Extensive experience as a sales and service representative, production supervisor
and teacher

(or)
OBJECTIVE: (fill in whatever you are looking for


EXPERIENCE:

2003-2006 Middle America News Anytown, USA

Position of Customer Service Representative included:
* Responsible for the solicitation of display advertising
* Organized special promotions * Supervised layout and content


2001-2003 Our town private school My town, USA

Substitute teacher
* Instructed High School level Math and Science

1996-2003 Big Business Company Our town, USA
Manufacturer and importer of widgets

* Primary responsibilities included customer service,
order fulfillment, inventory control and shipping

EDUCATION: Mid-West College Anywhere, USA
Bachelors degree (or advanced)
Local College computer training

SKILLS: (If any special)


This is very general and simple. Certainly you would list the things you feel are important to your search. This is not formatted as it should be but you get the general idea.
Never mention your age, it is not required, and employers are not allowed to ask. That is also why you do not want to go back too far in your work history. Of course, I do not know how old you are. I'm a senior but my resume includes only 4 jobs. One of them was my own business that covered many years so the other listings are not of long duration. You are selling your skills and experience, not your age. Print your references on another sheet, don't forget to call for permission or to let them know you will be searching for a job and may get a call.

[live love laugh]

4. There are plenty of websites with all you need to put together a good

resume. It is always good to have somebody else to review it for you once you think it's done. It's also good to do a resume, let it sit a day or two or even for a week, and then go back and re-read it. I'm willing to bet you will find that you need to edit it some more.

The advice you were given about formatting is great. One thing that I do though is forego the traditional chronological listing of jobs in favor or listing experience to suit whatever job I am pursuing. In other words, you might want several jobs and should consider doing a resume for each job focusing on the strongest accomplishments that are related to a specific job.

I'd be happy to review for you as well should you need help.

[Lisa0825]

5. Check with your local workforce office...

If you are not familiar with them, you can find them here by zipcoed: http://www.servicelocator.org/

I don't know about all offices, but in this region, every office offers free resume classes and job search skills classes. I had to take the class when I was hired as an employment counselor, and it REALLY improved my resume writing skills.

One exercise I found particularly helpful, both for the resume and for the interview was this: Draw a small chart with three wide columns and three wide rows on a piece of paper. Think of three situations at your current or past employment that needed a solution or improvement. Briefly describe each situation in the first column. In the next column, describe how you handled the situation. In the third column descibe what the benefits of your solution were.

EX:
Money was tight because we were almost out of grant funding >> I researched vendors who sold the essential supplies we used and requested new quotes on our largest product purchases >>> I changed vendors for some products and got better discounts at others, saving us 25% on our monthly purchases.

On the resume, this could read
"Researched and established relationships with vendors, resulting in a 25% monthly savings on major supply purchases.

For a lab manager position, that would sound MUCH better than "ordered supplies."

I found it to be a great way to put my contributions in perspective, so I could better describe my work. Plus, "Give me an example of how you solved X" or "of an achievement" or whatever is a common type of interview question.

My other tip is to always customize your resume! Look at every detail of the job description for which you are applying, and make sure everything they mention, for which you have experience, is listed on your resume. If my job says "travel arrangements," I want to know that you have done that before. Otherwise, I will assume you did not.

[snagglepuss]

6. kick