Table of Contents
To my dad, who taught me at an early age the value of building character through work.
Foreword
A book is a good book, even a great book, if you keep saying to yourself as you go through it: Now, how did they learn that?
A continual sense of wonder in you, the reader. Thats the key. Thats how you measure whether a book is really helpful, or not. And what Ive learned over the years is that such wonder is not produced simply by a writers experience. Its produced by experience plus one other ingredient, harder to find: wisdom. If youre puzzled about what I mean by wisdom, I mean learning to separate the important from the unimportant. I mean learning to separate the wheat from the chaff. I mean learning, as Susan Ireland herself says in this most helpful book of hers: What is the least you need to know? Ah, there is wisdom, right there!
Books about resumesof which there are hundreds, if not thousandsoften are yawners, I regret to reportafter reading them for 35 years. On and on and on, they go. While visions of sugarplums, or at least of soft pillows, dance in their readers wee little heads.
The authors of books about resumes commonly seem to feel there is so much to tell, and so little time. You must remember this, you must remember that, and oh yes, you must remember this also. They believe we live in the Information Age, as is commonly said. Well, thats not exactly true. We live in the Too-Much-Information Age. Most of us wander, as David Shenk first pointed out back in 1998, in a kind of overwhelming Data Smog.
Hence, what is the least you need to know? is the true place, the wise place, where a book on resumes needs to start.
There is a lot of wonder and wisdom in this book. When I came across Susans wordslike If your resume generates job interviews for work youre not interested in, something is wrong with your resumeI found myself thinking, Now, how did she learn that? And, in fact, I found myself thinking this continually, throughout the book.
But the point of a book, of course, is not how did she learn that? but how can I learn that? Thats easy. Put yourself in Susans hands. Trust her. Trust this book. I recommend it highly, for the obvious reasons: its wisdom and your wonder.
Richard Bolles
Richard Bolles is the most widely read and respected leader in the whole career development world. His book, What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Guide for Job-Hunters & Career-Changers, is now in its 35th annual revision, and has sold more copies (8 million) than any other career book in the world.
Introduction
Youre looking for a job, and for that, you need a great resume.
I dont have to tell you the job markets tighter than a sailors knot. Headlines tell us daily that were in one of the toughest employment situations in decades. So many resumes are in circulation, its a wonder online databases can hold them all. And with so many applicants going for each job, you reallyI mean reallyneed a top-notch resume to compete. It has to contain all the right keywords, accomplishments, and skill sets for your job objective.
Your resume is the primary marketing piece for your job hunt. Once youve created it, you need to be savvy about how to send it to recruiters and hiring managers, post it online, and repurpose it in other online formatsall so it can work as hard as possible for you.
With this book, youre going to spend about three hours creating the perfect resume. Then, youll learn how to get it into the hands of hiring managers. Youll also get the hang of how to build your online professional network, where your resume will play a key role as your online profile.
As a professional resume writer who has helped thousands of job seekers, Ive seen how well-written resumes lead to promising interviews and job offers. Now, as the proud owner of
The Complete Idiots Guide to the Perfect Resume, Fifth Edition, you have me as your personal resume coach. Imagine that Im sitting right at your elbow as you work at your desk or kitchen table. My job is to guide you through the entire process as you
Develop a winning resume strategy.
Choose the right format for your resume.
Write each line to make the most of your qualifications.
Compose a compelling e-mail or letter to accompany your resume.
Send thank you notes that keep a prospective employer interested in you.
E-mail your new resume to recruiters and employers.
Post your resume online for more exposure.
Take advantage of online social networking and blogging to further your job hunt.
To illustrate my points, Ive included lots of sample resumes that reflect goals and challenges similar to what you might be facing. These samples may spark some ideas that you can use in your own resume.
The secret to success in using this book is to relax and take one step at a time. Youll be surprised how painless the process of writing a resume is!
Between the Covers
Because helping you craft a winning resume is the goal of The Complete Idiots Guide to the Perfect Resume, Fifth Edition, lets talk about whats inside:
Part 1, Resumes That Work in Todays Job Market, explains how your resume can market you in todays quickly changing job climate. Youll learn why keywords are more important than ever before. Youll also find The Resume Commandments, which are my secrets to creating a compelling resume.
Part 2, Putting Together a Resume That Wins, is where you find my straightforward, six-step process for writing an effective resume. Before you know it, youll be finished with your resume.
Part 3, The Correspondence Connection, shows you when to send a job search e-mail or hardcopy letter: along with your resume, as a follow-up to a recruiters request, after an interview, and to thank those in your network who helped with your successful job hunt.
Part 4, Your Job Search on the Web, turns you into a pro at preparing resumes that can be e-mailed and posted on websites. Youll discover how to retool your resume for your social network profile and blog resume.
As if all that wasnt enough, Ive also included a Portfolio of Sample Resumes at the end of the book, jam-packed with resumes that focus on industries and professions for todays job market.
Advice Along the Way
Whether you read this book from cover to cover or open it to specific points to get help with your job search, youll notice the following sidebars throughout:
Job Hunt Hint
With the job search tips youll find in these sidebars, youll get your new job in no time!
Bonus Check
For that extra kick in your job hunt, check out these sidebars. Theyre filled with juicy tidbits you probably didnt think of.
definition
These sidebars will keep you informed about buzz-words in the job hunt business.
