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Résumé Magic
Trade Secrets of A Professional Résumé Writer
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Publisher:
Indianapolis, IN - JIST Pub
Pages:
585
Edition:
3rd ed
ISBN:
1593573111, 9781593573119
Language:
English
Contents:
1. A résumé primer
Tools for the task
The résumé tool : asset or liability?
Employers and candidates usually view résumés as having different purposes
A résumé is most effective when it follows face-to-face or voice contact with a hiring manager
A support person or computer program will probably be the one to screen your résumé
Résumés are not read thoroughly
You won't always need a résumé to land a job
Then why write a résumé?
And why this book?
Some success stories
Your most important tool
Top 10 tips to create résumé magic
2. How to use branding and advertising strategies to get an interview
Using brand and ad agency strategies to win an interview
Elements of your career brand
Authentic image
Advantages
Awareness
The proven ad agency formula
Step 1 : how to grab your reader's attention
Headlines and hard-hitting leads
Visual appeal
Step 2 : how to capture your reader's interest
Selling points, front and center
Where's the center of the page?
Place supporting information below the visual center
Skimmable material goes at the bottom of the page
Step 3 : how to create desire for your product, you!
Why you buy
Why employers buy
Prove your superiority
Step 4 : call to action
Top 10 résumé strategy tips
3. How to choose the most flattering format
Two tried-and-true winning formats : chronological and functional
The chronological format
The functional format
Genetic variants of the two main résumé types
The accomplishments format
The combination format
The creative format
The curriculum vitae (CV)
The dateless chronological format
The international résumé
The linear format
The newsletter format
The reordered chronological format
The targeted format
If it works, it's right
Top 10 résumé formatting tips
4. The blueprint for a blockbuster résumé
Data bits, or contact info
To list or not to list your business telephone number
Other solutions for daytime contacts
Sample résumé headers
Dealing with relocation on your résumé
Objective, or focus statement
Key features, or qualifications summary
Professional experience
Skills
Education, credentials, and licenses
Affiliations
Publications, presentations, or patents
Awards and honors
Bio bites
Endorsements
What not to include
Putting it all together
Top 10 résumé blueprint tips
5. How to write great copy
Keywords
What are keywords?
Where to find keywords
Off-line resources for keywords
Online resources for keywords
How to position keywords
How to improve your "hit" ratio
Top 10 résumé keyword tips
The objective or focus statement
Cover letter focus statement
Title statement
Traditional objective
Exercise for assembling a focus statement
The qualifications summary
Professional experience
How far back?
Where to find material for your job descriptions
How long is too long?
Solutions for downplaying less-relevant positions
Skills
Education, credentials, licensure
Recent high school graduate
Recent college graduate
Degree obtained a number of years ago
Degree in a field different from your major
Degree not completed
Two-year degree
Degree equivalent
No degree
Including credentials, licenses, and certificates
Affiliations
Publications, presentations, and patents
Publications
Presentations
Patents
Awards and honors
Bio bites
Endorsements
Top 10 tips for writing great copy
6. Accomplishments : the linchpin of a great résumé
What's in it for me?
Words to woo employers
Buying motivator #1 : make money
Buying motivator #2 : save money
Buying motivator #3 : save time
Buying motivator #4 : make work easier
Buying motivator #5 : solve a specific problem
Buying motivator #6 : be more competitive
Buying motivator #7 : build relationships/image with internal/external customers, vendors, and the public
Buying motivator #8 : expand business
Buying motivator #9 : attract new customers
Buying motivator #10 : retain existing customers
Strategies for presenting accomplishments
Numbers : the universal language
Comparison, a powerful form of communication
ROI, how quickly can you deliver?
The company's mission statement, make it your mission
The CAR technique, challenge, action, and result
Where to find material for your accomplishments
Performance appraisals
Your career management file
Impact-mining : probing questions to unearth hidden treasures
Sifting through the accomplishments you've gathered
Use impact statements to portray yourself as the right fit
Top 10 tips for writing accomplishments
7. Editing : résumé-speak 101
Development editing : a primer in power writing
Top 10 tenets of developing your résumé
Examples of résumé-speak
The keys to writing compelling copy
Address the needs of your audience
Summarize by using the ABC method
Focus on transferable skills
Résumé-speak 101
Deliver the goods up front
Start sentences with action verbs or noun phrases
Sidestep potential negatives
Give outdated experience a feeling of real time
Avoid an employer pet peeve : baseless personality attributes
Convey confidential information without giving away proprietary/trade secrets
Technical editing/copyediting : the mechanics of résumé-speak
Abbreviations
Acronyms
Active voice
Articles (in absentia)
Auxiliary or helping verbs
Capitalization
Colons and semicolons
Commas
Commas that separate
Commas that set off
Comma trauma
Contractions
Dashes
Ellipsis marks
Elliptical sentences
Gender equity
Hyphenation
Numbers
Parallel sentence structure
Parentheses
Parts of speech
Passive voice
Periods
Possessives
Prepositions
Quotation marks
Sentence fragments
Slashes
Split infinitives
Tense
Verbs
Writing in the first person
Prune, prune, prune
Proof, proof, proof
Top 10 résumé proofreading tips
8. Visual artistry : the missing link
Design elements
Create a visual pattern
Consistency counts
Use tab stops sparingly
Apply white space liberally
Make bullets work for you
Think in threes
Keep headings to a minimum
Segment paragraphs
Balance is beautiful
Pay attention to vertical balance
Balancing a two-column format
Balancing a full-width layout
Balancing unevenly distributed copy
Balancing impact statements
Justification, ragged right or full justification?
Hang it on the wall!
Use typefaces tastefully
Choosing a font
Fonts that buy more space
Use discretion in mixing fonts
Go easy on bold, underline, and italic
Establish a logical sizing hierarchy
Tweaking tips
Technical tools to create tables
Add white space
Adding space between paragraphs in MS Word
Adding space between paragraphs in Corel WordPerfect
Change line height
Adjusting vertical space between lines within paragraphs in MS Word
Adjusting vertical space between lines within paragraphs in Corel WordPerfect
Expand character spacing
Expanding text in MS Word
Expanding text in Corel WordPerfect
Tricks to make text fit
Shrinking text in MS Word
Shrinking text in Corel WordPerfect
Use bullets strategically
Creating bullets in MS Word
Creating bullets in Corel WordPerfect
Adding or subtracting spacing between bullets and text in MS Word
Adding or subtracting spacing between bullets and text in Corel WordPerfect
Changing the type of bullet in MS Word
Changing the type of bullet in Corel WordPerfect
Size of bullets
Use rule lines
Inserting a rule line in MS Word
Inserting a rule line in Corel WordPerfect
Other graphic elements
Top 10 visual appeal tips
9. E-résumés, e-portfolios, and blogs
ASCII text résumés
The advantages and disadvantages of ASCII résumés
ASCII résumé do's and don'ts
Steps for ASCII conversion
Converting to ASCII for e-mailing using MS Word or Corel WordPerfect
Converting to ASCII for pasting into e-forms
Quick cleanup of an ASCII conversion
How to post an ASCII résumé to a Web site
Web résumés, e-portfolios, and blogs
The advantages and disadvantages of Web résumés
The technical how-tos of Web résumés
Online résumé-builder services
Do-it-yourself Web résumés
Hire a pro
Web résumé do's and don'ts
What to include in an e-portfolio
Hyperlinks or hyperjinx?
Using your Web résumé
Marketing your Web résumé
Getting on the blog bandwagon
What to include in a blog
Creating a blog
Using RSS (really simple syndication) technology
Marketing your blog
Scannable résumés
Scannable résumé do's and don'ts
Applicant-tracking systems : what happens after you e-mail or post your résumé?
Positive aspects of applicant-tracking technology
Negative aspects of applicant-tracking technology
Conflicting advice
Résumés of the future
Top 10 technology tips for e-résumés, e-portfolios, and blogs
10. Cover letters and other parts of the puzzle
Strategy and style
The value mantra
Sell, don't tell
Reveal a secret
The segments of a cover letter
The carrot
The corroboration
The close
The anatomy of the cover letter
Sticky wickets
To whom it may concern?
Missed a filing deadline?
Terminated from a job?
Relocating?
Dealing with salary
Other types of letters
Direct-mail campaigns
Writing to a recruiting firm
Thank-you letters, a chance to resell yourself
Other pieces of the puzzle
References
When to send references
When and how to ask for references
Rethinking the 'reference page" with some creative persuasion
Networking cards
Addenda
Paper
Sending your cover letter and résumé
By surface mail
By fax
By e-mail
Futurist career management
Top 10 cover letter tips
Appendix A. Worksheets to catalog professional history
Appendix B. Survey : what employers really want in a résumé and cover letter
Résumés
Cover letters
Appendix C. Action verbs with sample phrases
Tools for the task
The résumé tool : asset or liability?
Employers and candidates usually view résumés as having different purposes
A résumé is most effective when it follows face-to-face or voice contact with a hiring manager
A support person or computer program will probably be the one to screen your résumé
Résumés are not read thoroughly
You won't always need a résumé to land a job
Then why write a résumé?
And why this book?
Some success stories
Your most important tool
Top 10 tips to create résumé magic
2. How to use branding and advertising strategies to get an interview
Using brand and ad agency strategies to win an interview
Elements of your career brand
Authentic image
Advantages
Awareness
The proven ad agency formula
Step 1 : how to grab your reader's attention
Headlines and hard-hitting leads
Visual appeal
Step 2 : how to capture your reader's interest
Selling points, front and center
Where's the center of the page?
Place supporting information below the visual center
Skimmable material goes at the bottom of the page
Step 3 : how to create desire for your product, you!
Why you buy
Why employers buy
Prove your superiority
Step 4 : call to action
Top 10 résumé strategy tips
3. How to choose the most flattering format
Two tried-and-true winning formats : chronological and functional
The chronological format
The functional format
Genetic variants of the two main résumé types
The accomplishments format
The combination format
The creative format
The curriculum vitae (CV)
The dateless chronological format
The international résumé
The linear format
The newsletter format
The reordered chronological format
The targeted format
If it works, it's right
Top 10 résumé formatting tips
4. The blueprint for a blockbuster résumé
Data bits, or contact info
To list or not to list your business telephone number
Other solutions for daytime contacts
Sample résumé headers
Dealing with relocation on your résumé
Objective, or focus statement
Key features, or qualifications summary
Professional experience
Skills
Education, credentials, and licenses
Affiliations
Publications, presentations, or patents
Awards and honors
Bio bites
Endorsements
What not to include
Putting it all together
Top 10 résumé blueprint tips
5. How to write great copy
Keywords
What are keywords?
Where to find keywords
Off-line resources for keywords
Online resources for keywords
How to position keywords
How to improve your "hit" ratio
Top 10 résumé keyword tips
The objective or focus statement
Cover letter focus statement
Title statement
Traditional objective
Exercise for assembling a focus statement
The qualifications summary
Professional experience
How far back?
Where to find material for your job descriptions
How long is too long?
Solutions for downplaying less-relevant positions
Skills
Education, credentials, licensure
Recent high school graduate
Recent college graduate
Degree obtained a number of years ago
Degree in a field different from your major
Degree not completed
Two-year degree
Degree equivalent
No degree
Including credentials, licenses, and certificates
Affiliations
Publications, presentations, and patents
Publications
Presentations
Patents
Awards and honors
Bio bites
Endorsements
Top 10 tips for writing great copy
6. Accomplishments : the linchpin of a great résumé
What's in it for me?
Words to woo employers
Buying motivator #1 : make money
Buying motivator #2 : save money
Buying motivator #3 : save time
Buying motivator #4 : make work easier
Buying motivator #5 : solve a specific problem
Buying motivator #6 : be more competitive
Buying motivator #7 : build relationships/image with internal/external customers, vendors, and the public
Buying motivator #8 : expand business
Buying motivator #9 : attract new customers
Buying motivator #10 : retain existing customers
Strategies for presenting accomplishments
Numbers : the universal language
Comparison, a powerful form of communication
ROI, how quickly can you deliver?
The company's mission statement, make it your mission
The CAR technique, challenge, action, and result
Where to find material for your accomplishments
Performance appraisals
Your career management file
Impact-mining : probing questions to unearth hidden treasures
Sifting through the accomplishments you've gathered
Use impact statements to portray yourself as the right fit
Top 10 tips for writing accomplishments
7. Editing : résumé-speak 101
Development editing : a primer in power writing
Top 10 tenets of developing your résumé
Examples of résumé-speak
The keys to writing compelling copy
Address the needs of your audience
Summarize by using the ABC method
Focus on transferable skills
Résumé-speak 101
Deliver the goods up front
Start sentences with action verbs or noun phrases
Sidestep potential negatives
Give outdated experience a feeling of real time
Avoid an employer pet peeve : baseless personality attributes
Convey confidential information without giving away proprietary/trade secrets
Technical editing/copyediting : the mechanics of résumé-speak
Abbreviations
Acronyms
Active voice
Articles (in absentia)
Auxiliary or helping verbs
Capitalization
Colons and semicolons
Commas
Commas that separate
Commas that set off
Comma trauma
Contractions
Dashes
Ellipsis marks
Elliptical sentences
Gender equity
Hyphenation
Numbers
Parallel sentence structure
Parentheses
Parts of speech
Passive voice
Periods
Possessives
Prepositions
Quotation marks
Sentence fragments
Slashes
Split infinitives
Tense
Verbs
Writing in the first person
Prune, prune, prune
Proof, proof, proof
Top 10 résumé proofreading tips
8. Visual artistry : the missing link
Design elements
Create a visual pattern
Consistency counts
Use tab stops sparingly
Apply white space liberally
Make bullets work for you
Think in threes
Keep headings to a minimum
Segment paragraphs
Balance is beautiful
Pay attention to vertical balance
Balancing a two-column format
Balancing a full-width layout
Balancing unevenly distributed copy
Balancing impact statements
Justification, ragged right or full justification?
Hang it on the wall!
Use typefaces tastefully
Choosing a font
Fonts that buy more space
Use discretion in mixing fonts
Go easy on bold, underline, and italic
Establish a logical sizing hierarchy
Tweaking tips
Technical tools to create tables
Add white space
Adding space between paragraphs in MS Word
Adding space between paragraphs in Corel WordPerfect
Change line height
Adjusting vertical space between lines within paragraphs in MS Word
Adjusting vertical space between lines within paragraphs in Corel WordPerfect
Expand character spacing
Expanding text in MS Word
Expanding text in Corel WordPerfect
Tricks to make text fit
Shrinking text in MS Word
Shrinking text in Corel WordPerfect
Use bullets strategically
Creating bullets in MS Word
Creating bullets in Corel WordPerfect
Adding or subtracting spacing between bullets and text in MS Word
Adding or subtracting spacing between bullets and text in Corel WordPerfect
Changing the type of bullet in MS Word
Changing the type of bullet in Corel WordPerfect
Size of bullets
Use rule lines
Inserting a rule line in MS Word
Inserting a rule line in Corel WordPerfect
Other graphic elements
Top 10 visual appeal tips
9. E-résumés, e-portfolios, and blogs
ASCII text résumés
The advantages and disadvantages of ASCII résumés
ASCII résumé do's and don'ts
Steps for ASCII conversion
Converting to ASCII for e-mailing using MS Word or Corel WordPerfect
Converting to ASCII for pasting into e-forms
Quick cleanup of an ASCII conversion
How to post an ASCII résumé to a Web site
Web résumés, e-portfolios, and blogs
The advantages and disadvantages of Web résumés
The technical how-tos of Web résumés
Online résumé-builder services
Do-it-yourself Web résumés
Hire a pro
Web résumé do's and don'ts
What to include in an e-portfolio
Hyperlinks or hyperjinx?
Using your Web résumé
Marketing your Web résumé
Getting on the blog bandwagon
What to include in a blog
Creating a blog
Using RSS (really simple syndication) technology
Marketing your blog
Scannable résumés
Scannable résumé do's and don'ts
Applicant-tracking systems : what happens after you e-mail or post your résumé?
Positive aspects of applicant-tracking technology
Negative aspects of applicant-tracking technology
Conflicting advice
Résumés of the future
Top 10 technology tips for e-résumés, e-portfolios, and blogs
10. Cover letters and other parts of the puzzle
Strategy and style
The value mantra
Sell, don't tell
Reveal a secret
The segments of a cover letter
The carrot
The corroboration
The close
The anatomy of the cover letter
Sticky wickets
To whom it may concern?
Missed a filing deadline?
Terminated from a job?
Relocating?
Dealing with salary
Other types of letters
Direct-mail campaigns
Writing to a recruiting firm
Thank-you letters, a chance to resell yourself
Other pieces of the puzzle
References
When to send references
When and how to ask for references
Rethinking the 'reference page" with some creative persuasion
Networking cards
Addenda
Paper
Sending your cover letter and résumé
By surface mail
By fax
By e-mail
Futurist career management
Top 10 cover letter tips
Appendix A. Worksheets to catalog professional history
Appendix B. Survey : what employers really want in a résumé and cover letter
Résumés
Cover letters
Appendix C. Action verbs with sample phrases
Notes:
Includes index
Statement of Responsibility:
Susan Britton Whitcomb
Physical Description:
xxii , 585 p. : ill. ; 28 cm
MARC Display»
Comment
Add a CommentThis book is the ultimate resume and cover letter guide tailored for all different job types and career phases in life. If you have an outdated resume or need to create one from scratch, this book can really help. Numerous tips offer advice for what to avoid, what to highlight and how to format and lift your resume to the top of employer's lists. It has helped my husband successfully gain the employment he wanted after changing industries (with no formal experience) within a few weeks.
I was a recent graduate in need of a resume to apply for my first professional jobs. I checked this book out and it led me step-by-step through the process of making my resume, with suggestions like, "if you fall into this category, here are some phrases to use," and "if your goal is this, include these elements." A truly helpful book. I even took my resume to a career-center-guy, and he was impressed! I think employers will be, too.