| |
| |
|
Careers & Employment Information |
|
|
|
Make Your Résumé Sizzle with Success Stories
In today's competitive job market you can't afford a résumé that fizzles. Power up your résumé with solid success stories. Include simple, clear accomplishment statements to get and keep the attention of hiring managers. Appreciate the value you bring to your employer! You haven't just been "doing your job." Recognize that the way you work-your dedication, creative suggestions, and ability to implement new ideas-sets you apart from your colleagues. Where to Start? 1. Review old performance appraisals with a highlighter in hand. Mark the successes you've forgotten about and jot down additional details about those projects. 2. Review a list of action verbs and check those that describe tasks you most enjoy performing. Jot down specific examples of when you have successfully performed those tasks. 3. Think about specific problems you've solved or tough performance objectives you've met. Describe them. 4. Jog memories of your accomplishments by answering these questions: * What has your manager complimented you on or recognized you for in your work? * Give examples of a problem you solved or an emergency you handled. * Give an example of something you built, made, or created. * When did your idea or suggestion result in an award? * How have you streamlined operations, increased productivity, or cut costs? * How have you influenced individual or team productivity? * What do you do better than your colleagues and why is this helpful to the organization? Writing About Your Successes Once you have a list of ten accomplishments (the more the better), write about each one using this formula: PROBLEM. What was the problem or performance objective? This is the reason why you did what you did. ACTION. What did you do to solve the problem or meet the performance objective? Begin this sentence with an action verb. RESULT. Explain why what you did matters. The result should answer the question. "So what, who cares?" Now you have ten or more success stories. These can play a valuable role during interviews, where there's time to present the story's beginning, middle and end. But for your résumé, you must edit each story down to an accomplishment statement: two sentences that describe the action you took and the results of that action. Results are what employers are looking for! Other features contribute to a successful résumé, but solid accomplishment statements are the most important because they demonstrate what you can do for a potential employer. Always, always, always write more success stories than you think you need. Then you can pick and choose the best for a particular situation and hold the rest in your "back pocket," ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice during an interview. Not only will your résumé sizzle, but you will too, as you enthusiastically convey your accomplishments in person. Mary Jeanne Vincent is the author of Acing the Interview tip cards featuring answers to the top 20 "killer" interview questions. Also included are tips for interviewing in the new economy, ideas for responding to illegal and trick questions, and suggestions for avoiding 10 deadly interview mistakes. Go to http://www.2bworkwise.com for free job search articles and to sign up for the free WorkWise e-zine. For information on individual job and career coaching or to find out about other practical, easy-to-use career tools call Mary Jeanne at 831.657.9151.
MORE RESOURCES:
Employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Crafting A Stellar Career Summary For Your Resume Are you a career changer? Or, are you satisfied with your stable career but interested in updating your resume? Are you a professional who has tried different things but are still searching for the kind of work that best suits you? Whatever your career situation, what your resume most needs is a stellar career summary. What difference can a career summary make for you? Here are 4 reasons why you need one in your resume: 1. Avoid Your CV Always Ending Up in the Bin Cover Letters must grab the reader's interest so that they immediately want to learn more about the writer (you).Your cover letter is generally the first document those potential employers will read. The Executive Resume - Moving Beyond Accomplishments There is a major difference between conventional resumes and executive resumes. Accomplishments are usually the center point of a conventional resume (i. Taking a Survival Type Job Is Good For You. Ugh! Arg! How can a survivor type job be good for me? I'm barely hanging on to what I found and at minimum wage. (I have been promised a ten cent an hour increase in one month). Seeking A New Job While Currently Employed : Tiptoeing Through the Minefield So, you currently have a job but you are looking for something a little better. You are getting tired, uptight, and maybe just a little stressed out. Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know. Make The Right Career Move It is not realistic for HR Managers to believe that there will not be any staff turnover in the organisation. Having regular staff turnover need not be a negative proposition as it may imply that the industry is very dynamic. Switching Careers - 7 Key Steps Are you thinking about switching careers? If you are, you're not alone. Most Americans switch careers three times in their lifetime. Dont Quit Your Day Job! Convincing Your Boss To Let You Telecommute (Part 2 of 2) Ok, so you've determined that you have the right skills and qualities to do your job effectively from home. You're sure that your job is well suited to telecommuting. Difficult Relationships at Work - Dealing with Workplace Conflict Difficult Relationships at Work - How to Influence the UncooperativeWe rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. This is a problem that is beginning to be recognised, but it is still not being dealt with either effectively or sufficiently. 18 Career Enhancement Caveats Core value investing in your careerMany people walk through their lives never, ever being better at something than anyone else. What is it that you know or do better than almost anyone else in the world? What is it that you do uniquely well? Do your core values for yourself and your family fit with what you are doing, where you are putting your energy, what you are developing, and where you are focusing/immersing yourself?In your career, as well as in your life, to achieve full capacity and happiness, all of you must be going in the same direction. Four Simple Steps To Better Results With Your Resume Is every job description you read the same? No.Is every job you submit your resume to the same? Of course they aren't. Taking Your Words Seriously When we ordered the stained glass window as an accent piece for our home, the artist-proprietor told us he was a bit behind. "So," he said, "to be on safe side, plan on six months. Big Job Sites Vs The Small Ones There is much to say about posting resumes on the big job sites online. There are many positives and also negatives to doing this as well. A Day in the Life of a Freelance Copywriter Ever wanted a job where you could spend all day, every day, writing clever and inspiring prose? Yes? Well don't become a freelance copywriter!Don't get me wrong, it's a great job, and for some of us it's a calling that won't be denied. And you definitely do get to write clever and inspiring prose. Career Transitions: Creating Complementary Careers in a Day Down-sized? Outsourced? Burned-out? Wizened up? That's what I said. Wizened up! Now is not the time to be depressed. Tips for Requesting a Raise You probably think you deserve a raise. But does your boss think so?Here's how to go about convincing your boss that you're really worth more than you're being paid. Career Development - When Its Time for a Change There's a certain courage required to hear your gut. To really be true to how you are feeling. Can You Actually Fail A Personality Quiz? Q. I didn't get a job that I interviewed for. Overwhelmed and Overworked: The Myth of American Productivity Employment finally seemed back on track during the first few months of 2004. Politicians crowed that "Our tax cuts are working.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
