Resumes in the 21st Century

Resumes in the 21st Century - Increasing your Chances for a First Interview
By Anastasia Zoldak

Since the advent of the personal computer, the increased use of the internet, and the automation and standardization in the way companies seek new employees. Many companies are now turning more and more to the Internet for their employees.

In a study by According to a 2005 industry study by Booz Allen Hamilton , 51 percent of the new hires in the United States were found on the Internet. This percentage includes an employer’s web site (21 percent), general job boards such as CareerBuilder.com (15 percent), niche job boards (6 percent), social networking technology (5 percent), and commercial resume databases (4 percent).

Because the process used in finding new employees has changed, people seeking a new position must also change the way they go about seeking a new job. The following are a few ways of improving your chances of getting a chance to interview. Think of your resume as a way of getting in the door.

The high volume of resumes sent into a company often overwhelms many Human Resource departments. As a result, they do not spend time reading every resume they receive. They scan the resumes for key words, skill sets, or education and compare them to their current job opening needs. The internal HR represenentative or recruiter then often follows upon those resumes that pass this initial scan. Those that are hard to read or do not show the complete skills requested by the manager are not considered and processed into the system.

This first process of screening resumes is now becoming more difficult for job seekers since the advent of new Human Resource software. This first screening process has become automated and a human being often is not the first to look at your resume.

Here are some tips to make sure you make it through that first cut.

1.TAILOR YOUR RESUME TO YOUR PROFESSION. - Use the proper resume format for your profession. You can find the proper format in a good resume book or you can hire a consultant to write your resume.

2.AVOID LONG-WINDED PARAGRAPHS - Think short informative sentences when writing about what you do. Recruiters and HR Representative do not spend time reading overly long job descriptions.

3.A RESUME IS NOT A PLACE TO BE MODEST - Make sure you mention ALL your skills, training, and awards. Don’t be shy! List all your achievements big and small, but do not exaggerate or fabricate skills. If you have, only training in a skill say that on your resume, but don’t forget to mention who trained you. For example if you where trained to use Microsoft products by Microsoft certified teachers it will make a huge difference to whomever is reading your resume.

4.USE CORRECT ENGLISH, GRAMMAR, AND SPELLING - People assume many things based upon the written word. Therefore, make sure that your writing is correct and concise. The person reading your resume might not have great grammar or spelling skills, but their desktop word processing program does.

Remember, in this era of electronic resume filing, a good resume is essential. To improve your chances of getting in for an interview, you need to create a resume that highlights your skills, experience, and yes even a little bit of your personality. Nothing less will help you find a job.

Anastasia Zoldak is a Recruiting Consultant based in Chicago, Illinois. She has had experience in all aspects of hiring and has recruited in a number of industries. Anastasia has also trained other recruiters & hiring managers on the various aspects of recruiting cycles.

Questions on recruiting or clients who would like retain her services, can contact Anastasia by e-mail at azoldak@zoldakenterprises.com

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