Resume Tips And Advice

You have years of work experience; many years, in fact. You've racked up plenty of accomplishments with several employers, and even won a few awards. But when you put all of that into a resume, you're left with a document that's well over the strongly suggested 1-to-2 page length. Should you keep it all or cut some? The answer (surprise!): Keep it all, but don't use it all.  More »

When we get anxious about looking for a new job, we tend to overlook obvious details in our resumes. Example: A man who'd been working overseas had a great resume, but forgot to update his contact information when he returned to the States. That meant every potential employer got an overseas mailing address and phone number. You might think you'd never make such an obvious mistake, but it happens all the time, especially if you haven't even glanced at your resume in several years. Here are the top 10 careless mistakes to avoid when you update your own resume.  More »

While we can't help you draft your will or do your taxes, we can make your job search experience a little less nerve-racking. Here's a list of our most stress-relieving blog posts on the topics. They provide solutions to puzzling questions and issues that you might face while writing your resumes and cover letters. Give them a read and let me know if they help you feel more confident about your job search.  More »

Thanks to the flippin' recession, there are two groups of job seekers: Those who really want to be working (but aren't), and those who don't want to be working (but have to). This latter group, the reluctant job seekers, includes parents (mostly women) who left the workforce to raise their families but are now being forced to return for financial reasons, and retirees who worked and saved all their lives, only to have their investments shrivel by 25% or more.  More »

In a job market where practically every job posting draws dozens (if not hundreds) of electronic applications, old-fashioned snail mail could be the new cutting edge. A well-written and formatted paper resume and cover letter (in addition to the electronic application the employer requested) could be just the thing to make you stand out.  More »

The part about resume writing that I loathe most is the Professional Summary, or Summary of Qualifications. And wouldn't you know, it's the most important part. Here are two ways you can cheat and make writing your resume easier on yourself.  More »

You've probably heard the term false advertising in reference to a product or service that failed to live up to a claim stated in an advertisement, sometimes placing its owner in a bit of legal trouble. Like a product or service advertisement, your resume acts as an advertisement of your skills and experience.  More »

Who would put manure dodge ball on their resume? Dwight K. Schrute would! It's amazing how much material you can find on his life at Dunder Mifflin (and then some), if you just look in the right places. Here's a look at the clever way we used that information to create a fake resume for him!  More »

In most cases, resumes submitted online go into the employer's Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before they ever encounter human eyes. The ATS scans the resumes for job-related keywords. No keywords? No chance. Here's how to choose keywords that will help your resume survive the ATS gauntlet.  More »

Hiedi from Springfield, MO asks: When we hand in a resume to a company, why do we need to also fill out an application? Don't they have exactly the same information? After all, a resume seems to be just a more detailed application. Read more to find out why employers do this.  More »