Sprucing up your Resume – AND –
How an Employer can Learn More from Resumes!

Recycling Article – July 2004

BUT… before I start... The resume isn’t the operative tool for getting looked at. Imagine how many resumes the employer is seeing? What really gets you in the door is the cover letter. Research the company you are applying for. Exhibit passion for the job… discuss your qualifications in the framework of what you learned about the company. Have someone else check your grammar and spelling, as the cover letter and resume speak volumes about how professional you are, and your attention to detail. If you can establish your credibility in the cover letter, close by mentioning some thoughts on what you can do to improve something about the company’s products, etc. A while back I had to write my resume, highlighting my skills and business accomplishments. Since this was my first time to write my resume I went straight to the Internet to research types of resumes.  I found three common types of resumes, Chronological, Functional, and Combination of functional and chronological, now the task at hand was which one to choose.

Chronological resume is almost always written in reverse chronological order with most recent employment at the top, listing strong achievements in recent positions. 

Functional resume typically uses functional headings, to highlight area of expertise or specific skills.  Functional resumes are mostly benefit someone making a career change, or have employment gaps over a period of time, such as time off work to have children, or someone who was in the military.  Functional resumes highlights areas of expertise and skills as opposed to highlighting their employment. 

Combination functional and chronological resumes are the best of both worlds; this is the most common resume you will see in the market place.  Typically with the combination resume you would begin with skills and accomplishments, then followed by job titles listed in reverse chronological order.  The combination resume is best for people who have performed diverse range of job functions.  Anyone looking for quality employees wants to know one thing, what can you do for the company.

In December I had placed an ad to replace our Administrative Assistant, in all our company had received over 300 resumes, for me the combination resumes were straight forward, easy to follow employment history, skills, and achievements, allowing me to make quick decision to discard or arrange an interview.  Resumes are all about presentation, and making you look good.

Do not rely on your resume, some employers conduct background and reference checks, some do not.  A recent article I read stated that an estimated one third of all job seekers provide false or exaggerated information on their resumes, one study indicates that men do it more than women.  I interviewed a promising applicant to replace my assistant, the first interview went well, but there were some things about her past employment that was not hitting true for me, so I decided to have her back for a second interview. After that,  I went to the internet to do some checking, and  found she had blatantly lied during her interview, needless to say she was not hired.

A little resume sprucing is part of the process, employers expect you to jazz up your resume to tailor it for their job, but there’s a big difference between jazzing up and lying.

When sending your resume include a cover letter indicating how your background matches the job specifications.  When communicating electronically use the header to your advantage, reference the job number or position, resume attached achieves nothing.  Make your resume clear and easy to read, don’t mix and match font sizes and styles.  I tossed many resumes that were hard to read due to font sizes and styles.

Visit www.autosalvageconsultant.com to see which resume style I use.

Written by Tammy Sturgeon, with AutoSalvageConsultant.com

Remember, only you can make BUSINESS GREAT!

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Next month: More good stuff from Chapter 5 of “Salvaging Millions”.

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 was formed in 2001 to help recyclers improve their businesses. With over fifty years of experience in three staff members, the group is THE definitive source for recyclers’ management and training needs. The founder, Ron Sturgeon is past owner of AAA Small Car World.  In 1999, he sold his six Texas locations, with 140 employees, to Greenleaf.  In 2001, he founded North Texas Insurance Auction, which he sold to Copart in 2002.  In 2002, his book “Salvaging Millions” was published to help small business owners achieve significant success, and was recently reprinted.  In June 2003, he joined the new ownership and management team of GreenLeaf.  He also manages his real estate holdings and investments. You can learn more about how to help your business at www.autosalvageconsultant.com. You can reach us at 5940 Eden Drive, Haltom City, TX 76117, (preferably) email Ron Sturgeon or 817-834-3625 ext 6#.