Resume Writing Handouts - 4 Full Pages of Instructor Handouts for Teachers and College Instructors

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Page 1

What's Wrong With Fran's Before Resume?

I met Fran while teaching a Workforce Training class at a One-Stop Employment Security workshop. She was upset because she had applied for over 20 customer service positions but hadn't landed even one interview. I could see that she was worried her entire job search was going to be like this. Fran rewrote her resume and about a week later she ran into me and shared her new success with me. She had faxed two resumes on a Friday and on Monday had already gotten calls for interviews on both resumes. Within a week she had taken her response rate from 0% to 100%.

Fran has extensive customer service experience as a directory operator and business owner. Before creating her new resume, Fran had applied for a Customer Service Representative position and had all the skills listed in a 2-page job description for the position. Yet, she didn't land an interview for that job either. Now, lets take a quick look at Fran's before resume.

When you glance at Fran's resume where does your eye go first, second, then third? What headings and job titles grab your attention? How well does this information match your image of a corporate Customer Service Representative?

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Page 2

Is Fran's
After Resume
Better?

Now take a quick glance at Fran's after resume. Where does your eye go first, second, then third?

Which resume sells Fran's top skills at a glance?

Now, read the objective statement in Fran's before resume. Compare it to the objective statement in this resume. Which is better? Which sells Fran the best?

Now, read the job titles Fran listed in her before resume. Compare her job titles to the skill headings in this resume. Which is better to market Fran for a Customer Service position?

Of these two resumes who would you call for an interview? Just like Fran, many people aren't good candidates for chronological resumes because their job titles don't match the jobs they want.

Be sure your resume sells you effectively - whether it's a skill based resume or a chronological resume.

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Page 3

How Do
Fran's Job Titles
Affect Her Image?

Graphing Fran's job titles compared to her skill headings makes it very clear why most resumes don't work.

Fran wants a position at $33,000+ as a Customer Service Representative, which I've placed at the top of this graph. Now, let's graph Fran's first job title of Directory Operator.

Is this title at the level of a $33,000 Customer Service Representative position? Most people graph it below Fran's goal.

Fran's 2nd and 3rd job titles were telemarketer. Does this make Fran's image go up or down? Most people graph Telemarketer way below Directory Operator.

What happens with the next title of Assembly Worker? Does Fran's image go up or down. Most people say way down.

How about her next title of Owner? Up or down? Most people say up slightly - but they don't know how Owner relates to customer service. Then we see Fran's last two job titles of Operator. Most people say these titles bring her image back down. As you can see, Fran's job titles present her at a level far beneath her goal.

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Page 4

Now Let's
Look At Fran's Skill Headings

Fran used Customer Service Representative and Marketing & Administrative Management as headings in her after resume. Now let's graph them. Does the first heading of Customer Service Representative match Fran's goal of a Customer Service Representative at $33,000? Does her image go up, down or stay on the same level as her goal when you read the heading of Customer Service Representative? Most people graph it even to Fran's goal. Does the second heading of Marketing & Administrative Management match Fran's goal? Does her image go up, down or stay the same? Again, most people graph it even to Fran's goal. Be sure to graph your resume in order to understand and control your image!

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