Free Resume Tips and Case Studies
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Professional Resume Writers know that when writing a resume people often struggle with some of the trickier issues in their career background that might hamper their chances of getting interviews
Common problem areas overcome often relate to . . .
job gaps | dismissal | no references | unemployment | career hiccups | management fall-outs | too little experience | under-achievement | too many job changes | same company too long | change of market sector | unexpected redundancy | change of career direction | health problems | lack of training and education | personality clashes | return to work after raising family or early retirement | existing CV too lengthy but uncertain what to leave out | transition from self-employment to joining new company . . .
Dismissal
When a person is dismissed there is no legal requirement for this to be mentioned in a Resume; if that fact is included then alarm bells are likely to ring in the recruiter's ears and the Resume might not get past the first screening. Which is a shame when issues can be resolved.
Case study: Joanne - a medical sales representative - was dismissed because of a disagreement with management over her reluctance to cover a certain territory.
Joanne's Resume writer drew the recruiter's attention to what mattered most in the recruiter's job profile, i.e. an ability to build sustainable relationships with healthcare professionals, combined with product and industry knowledge.
Strategically, Joanne had built up a portfolio of contacts not only with the healthcare professionals but also with the key decision-makers in the NHS and private sectors. Importantly, Joanne could demonstrate an expert knowledge of wound care products.
Within one week of the Resume being updated, Joanne won a job as an Account Manager with a leading competitor in the wound care market.
Redundancy
Today's competitive business environment has caused organisations to seek ways to become leaner and more cost efficient. Commercial and business strategies include re-engineering, restructuring, new technology, downsizing, merging and divesting - often making job losses unavoidable
Thus, redundancy often has very little to do with a person's capability to carry out their work
Case study: When, Michael, a bank manager with 25 years experience, was made redundant he worried that his skills were too narrow and too financially based to appeal to a new employer. Additionally, he was not very keen to stay within the financial sector, money was less of a priority and he wanted a more useful role in terms of contributing to society
Michael's Resume writer experienced little difficulty in identifying he had a wealth of marketable skills. Quite apart from his financial acumen, Michael was experienced in recruiting, developing and motivating people, and was accustomed to networking within the corporate, SME and private sectors
Following a consultation with his Resume Writer and Careers Advisor, Michael secured a totally new role as Manager of a leading Children's Charity
Career gaps
Generally recruiters these days accept that there are many valid reasons why people have a career gap on their Resume - and career breaks are not quite as off-putting as in the past
Reasons for career gaps can simply be a case of not being able to find the right job at the right time, and then taking a series of 'stop gaps' until the right job comes along. Other causes include; student gap years, unemployment, further education, ill health and short term contracts.
Case study: John's career history covered 22 years with an extensive range of short-term, full and part-time sales jobs in all types of businesses, in many different markets. He was a particularly good communicator, enjoyed writing and had an eye for design
A Perfect Career's Resume writer saw the plus side to John's skills and work history, and focused attention on his sales experience together with his insight into employers' business aims
John successfully applied for a position as a Field Sales Representative with Yellow Pages - a role that requires the ability to understand customer's aims, sell and provide a creative input into designing adverts for business directories
Being too young
Competition can often be fierce amongst recent graduates in certain job sectors and it is easy for young people to become disheartened when faced with rejection - especially when this is accompanied with the all to obvious phrase - "not enough experience"
Case study: Natalie graduated in 2003 with a BA [Hons] in History of Art & Design from Manchester Metropolitan University .
Natalie wanted to be an Interior Stylist so that she could use her innovative design ideas and artistic colour sense to promote fashionwear. However, despite submitting numerous applications she was unable to convince the major mail order catalogues to employ her
Together with her resume writer, Natalie revised her resume to include details of here university projects. In addition to her design expertise, these highlighted her research, planning, organisational, communication and teamwork skills. Additionally, they compiled a letter in which Natalie offered to work on a voluntary basis with a view to a permanent, paid role.
Natalie's determination and enthusiasm to succeed came across in her resume resume and letter - and created the right impression. Within three weeks she received two invitations to interview - one from a design agency and another from a major high street retailer - one of which led to permanent, paid employment.
Over or under qualification
Occasionally a client expresses concern that they are both over-qualified and under-qualified for a role
Case study: Helen, a Barrister with four young children, found it difficult to balance her domestic responsibilities with her professional career within a traditionally male orientated environment
To resolve this, Helen decided to apply for the post of lecturer to law undergraduates at a university that offered crèche facilities. However, although qualified as a Barrister, Helen did not have any formal teaching qualifications.
Helen was advised by her Resume writer to focus attention on her practical legal experience, and also the fact that she had regularly prepared and delivered presentations at legal conferences. Additionally, she was very experienced in coaching, mentoring and providing on the job support to new recruits - most of whom were recent graduates.
Helen was not immediately successful in her application; as you can imagine, with crèche facilities competition was fierce. However, she persevered and was appointed on her second application.
Change of career direction
We all know that 'Jobs for Life' are a thing of the past and nowadays it is accepted that people change jobs and industry sectors quite regularly. This can actually enrich the experience a candidate has to offer
Case study: Emma - a primary school teacher - had been suffering from stress for quite some time and her GP suggested that her health would benefit if she could find a role within a quieter environment.
Emma has always enjoyed the research aspect of her work, she was also very organised and had a passion for reading. This was probably what had inspired her to set up and develop a school library in one of her earlier roles.
The resume writer highlighted this aspect of Helen's career on her resume and assisted her in writing speculative letters to local libraries. It didn't take long for Emma to secure a job as a Librarian's Assistant, with the prospect of becoming Chief Librarian after a probationary period
Professional resume writers and resume writing services can make a difference by highlighting only the most relevant information and sending an explicit, targeted message to recruiters - a message that reflects your true worth - and enhancing your interview prospects.
