Resumes for Dummies

Polish up that old resume—and land your dream job

We've all been there: it's time to apply for a job or internship and you have to create or revise your resume. Many questions pop in your head. What do employers want? What skills should I highlight? How do I format this? How do I get noticed? But resume writing doesn't have to be a daunting task.

The latest edition of Resumes For Dummies answers all of these questions and more—whether you're a resume rookie, looking for new tips, or want to create that eye-catching winning resume. In this trusted guide, Laura DeCarlo decodes the modern culture of resume writing and offers you insider tips on all the best practices that’ll make your skills shine and your resume pop. Let's start writing!

• Write effective resumes that will stand out in a crowd          
• Understand Applicant Tracking Systems and how to adapt your resume
• Keep your resume up with the current culture
• Position a layoff or other career change and challenge with a positive spin
• Leverage tips and tricks that give your resume visual power

In order to put your best foot forward and stand out in a pile of papers, it’s important to have an excellent and effective resume—and now you can.

Laura DeCarlo, was selected as the resume writing expert serving 54 national and international professional associations from the AMA to the ASCE. As the founder of Career Directors International, LLC (CDI), Laura has developed a leading resource for the education and certification of resume writers and career coaches worldwide.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting Started with Resumes 5

Chapter 1: Getting a Job in the Digital Age 7

Resumes Are Here to Stay 8

Keeping Up with Resume Times 8

Targeted resume rules 9

Unfit resumes are zapped 10

Tried-and-true techniques remain 11

Technologies Facilitate Job Searching 12

Social networking scoops jobs 13

Mobile’s on the move 13

Quick-change process customizes content 14

Bios gain new importance as profiles 14

YourName.com becomes vital 14

Chapter 2: Enlisting Social Media 15

The Sweeping Reach of Social Networking 16

Eyeing the Big Three of Social Networking Job Searches 17

LinkedIn focuses on professionals 17

Facebook hands adults important search tools 19

Twitter opens quick, slick paths to employers 20

Making Sure Online Profiles Capture Your Best Side 23

Let’s hear it for profiles! 23

Not all profiles should be cheered 24

Great tips for great profiles 25

Writing Your Social Profile 26

Summary section 26

Specialties section 28

Experience section 29

Fine-tuning your profile 31

Putting Your Best Face Forward 32

Chapter 3: Going Mobile 35

Earning New Rewards with Mobile Search 36

Knowing When and Where to Stick to Home Computer Searches 37

Powering a Mobile Search 37

Choose job search apps wisely 37

Watch type size and font 38

Empower RSS to send job news 38

Stay in the running with a rehearsed salary strategy 39

Choose your work site with GPS 40

Score with proven keywords 40

Avoiding Mobile Job Search Mistakes 41

Thinking technology overcomes poor resume quality 41

Going on too long when going mobile 41

Looking naive in following up 41

Chapter 4: Leveraging Familiar Search Tools 43

Plain-Text Resumes Are Still on the Scene 44

Creating an ATS-Friendly Resume 47

E-Forms: Fill in the Blankety-Blanks 51

Online Screening Guards the Employment Door 52

Sample components of online screening 53

Pros and cons of online screening 54

Can your resume be turned away? 55

Blogs Give a Global Brand 55

RSS Delivers Job Alerts on Your Time 56

Resume Blasting: A Really Bad Idea 57

Privacy and identity theft problems 57

Overexposure to recruiters 58

Going directly makes all the difference 59

Making recruiters work for you 59

Chapter 5: Checking Your Online Image 61

Your Online Life Is an Open Book 62

A look at the dark side 62

A look at the bright side 63

Cleaning Up Your Act 63

Restoring Your Online Reputation 64

Keeping Watch on Your Online Reputation 66

Staying out of trouble online 66

Looking like a champ online 69

Look Who’s Talking about You 71

Part 2: Pulling Together a Winning Resume 73

Chapter 6: Selecting the Best Resume Format 75

Resume Formats Make a Difference 76

Reverse-Chronological Format 77

Understanding the RC format’s strengths and weaknesses 77

Deciding whether you should use the RC format 79

Creating a reverse-chronological resume 80

Chrono-Functional Format 81

Understanding the CF format’s strengths and weaknesses 83

Deciding whether you should use the CF format 83

Creating a chrono-functional resume 84

Hybrid Format 84

Understanding the hybrid format’s strengths and weaknesses 85

Deciding whether you should use the hybrid format 86

Creating a hybrid resume 86

Other Resume Presentations 89

Resume letters 89

Portfolios 90

Chapter 7: Understanding the Parts of a Resume 93

Breaking Down the Parts of Your Resume 94

Leading with Contact Information 95

Placing Your Job Target in the Objective Header 96

Grabbing the Reader with the Summary Section 97

Maximizing the summary section 98

Selling yourself in your summary 99

Matching the Job Target with Key Skills 100

Hard skills 100

Soft skills 101

The Proof Is in the Experience 101

Defining the parts of your experience 102

Playing up target expertise 102

When competencies come into play 104

Education Makes the Grade 105

Detailing your degree 105

Featuring your certifications 107

Listing your licenses 108

Gaining Extra Points 108

Activities 108

Organizations and affiliations 109

Honors and awards 109

Endorsements 110

Shaping Your Content on Application Forms 111

Notable Content to Leave Off Your Resume 112

Avoid addressing the salary question 112

Hold off on providing your references 113

Chapter 8: Making the Details Shine 115

Getting Started by Gathering Data 116

Compiling the Content for the Basis of Your Resume 117

Starting with your employment history and responsibilities lists 117

Going down the rabbit hole to identify challenges 119

Showing how action and results overcame challenges 121

Taking the Next Steps 123

Considering other accomplishments 123

Brainstorming your way to success 124

Your Core Resume: Turning Your Data into Dynamite 126

Assembling the bones of the resume 127

Tackling your most recent professional or job-related experience 128

Focusing on older positions 129

Playing up other experience 130

Building your brand in the summary section 130

Polishing Your Core Resume to Hand Out in Person 131

Chapter 9: Using the OnTarget Approach 133

Is Targeting Your Resume Really Necessary? 133

Why One-Size-Fits-All Never Works 134

First-line human resume screening 135

First-line computerized resume screening 135

Final destination with decision-maker 136

Taking a Custom Approach 137

Drawing words from job descriptions 139

Using crossover language to be OnTarget 139

Part 3: Resume Strategies to Wow Them 143

Chapter 10: Working Wonders with Wow Words 145

Bringing Good News with Wow Words 146

Wow words for administration and management 146

Wow words for communications and creativity 147

Wow words for sales and persuasion 148

Wow words for technical ability 149

Wow words for office support 149

Wow words for teaching 150

Wow words for research and analysis 151

Wow words for helping and caregiving 152

Wow words for financial management 153

Wow words for many skills 153

Helping Recruiters Find You 154

Keywords for administration and management 156

Keywords for banking 156

Keywords for customer service 156

Keywords for information technology 157

Keywords for manufacturing 157

Keywords for human resources 158

Finding Keywords 158

Using Keywords 160

Getting a Grip on Grammar 161

Focusing on Spelling 162

Chapter 11: Refining Your Design 165

Leaving Space 166

Measure your margins 166

Balance blank space 167

Employing Basic Design Elements for a Readable Resume 168

Come on, break it up! Avoid blocky text 169

Group content under a job description 169

Draw attention with text boxes, charts, and graphs 170

Create eye-catching headers 172

Have fun with fonts and font styles 173

Consistency, consistency, consistency 174

A few more tips on appearance 174

Tips for Printed Resumes 175

Chapter 12: Opting for a Creative Resume 177

Understanding Why Creative Resumes Are Game Changers 177

Defining creative resumes 178

The yes and no of creative resumes 179

Using Design Strategies That Pop 180

Lines and shading 181

Text boxes 181

Charts and graphs 182

Monograms and logos 184

Graphics and icons 185

Chapter 13: Dealing with a Major Life Change 187

Scoring Big with Your First Gig 188

Promoting your strengths 188

Recognizing your rookie soft spots 188

Demonstrating how recent graduates add value 189

Avoiding gaffes common to new graduates 193

Moving Beyond “Too Old” to “In Demand” 195

Selling your strengths as a seasoned worker 195

Busting myths about seasoned workers 196

Tips for the seasoned worker 197

Taking a lower-level job 199

Watching out for gaffes common to seasoned workers 201

Moving from Military Work to Civilian Employment 202

Highlighting your military strengths 202

Identifying potential strikes against you 202

Tips for transitioners 203

Getting the message about milspeak 204

Chapter 14: Overcoming Career Roadblocks 209

Navigating Job Gaps 209

Viewing a gap as a good thing 210

Minding the gap 211

Returning to the Workforce after Being a Caregiver 213

Seeking a Job When You Have a Disability 215

Deciding whether to disclose a disability 216

Explaining gaps in work history 216

When substance abuse is the problem 216

Seeking a Job When You’re an Ex-Offender 217

Negative info kills your chances 217

Avoid the chronological format 217

Present prison experience in nonprison terms 218

Get help with job search moves 218

Addressing Experience Dilemmas 218

Too much experience in one job 218

Too little experience 220

Addressing Situations Not in Your Control 220

Several layoffs 220

Mergers and acquisitions 220

Handling Red-Flag Circumstances 221

Demotion 222

Job-hopping 225

Concurrent positions 226

Self-employed or family-employed 226

Part 4: Bringing It All Together With Sample Resumes 229

Chapter 15: OnTarget Resumes by Industry and Career Field 231

Chapter 16: OnTarget Resumes by Experience and Age 271

Chapter 17: OnTarget Resumes for Special Circumstances 307

Chapter 18: Award-Winning Creative Marketing Resumes 351

Part 5: The Part of Tens 395

Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Improve Your Resume 397

Match Your Resume to the Job 397

Use Bulleted Style for Easy Reading 398

Discover Art of Lost Articles 398

Sell, Don’t Tell 398

Show Off Your Assets 399

Make Sure Your Words Play Well Together 399

Reach Out with Strength 399

Trash a Wimpy Objective 399

Deliver the Right Document 400

Erase the Leave-Outs 400

Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Increase the Odds of Landing a Job 403

Send Your Resume in the Right Tech Form 403

Don’t Chase Every Job 405

Hit the Bull’s-Eye with Your Resume 405

Move Fast, Follow Guidelines 406

Neutralize Chilling Information 406

Go Directly to the Hiring Manager 407

Find an Inside Advocate 408

Keep on Keepin’ On 409

Find It on Company Websites 409

Use Job Boards with Caution 410

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Choosing Professional Resume Help 413

Choose a Resume Writing Service, Not a Clerical Service 414

Zero in on Certified Professionals 414

Request a Free Initial Consultation 416

Evaluate the Writer’s Resume Samples 416

Ask for References 417

Watch Out for an Overuse of Forms 417

Identify Generalists and Specialists 417

Look for a Fair Price 418

Take Aim 419

Know That a Cheap Resume Is No Bargain 419

Chapter 22: Your Ten-Point Resume Checklist 421

Qualifications 421

Image and Focus 421

Format and Style 422

Accomplishments and Skills 423

Language and Expressions 423

Content and Omissions 423

Length and Common Sense 423

Social Media and Other New Things 424

Sticky Points and Sugarcoating 424

Proofreading and More Proofreading 424

Appendix: Directory of Resume Writers 425

Index 431

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.