Avoid the Most Common Resume Writing Trap

Brooklyn, NY, July 11, 2009 --(PR.com)-- It takes an employer thirty-seconds or less to scan a resume before it hits the trash pile. It takes forty seconds for it to hit the cycle pile, which means it stays in the system, but never gets used. It takes less than ten seconds for him to look at your resume and know that you are the perfect fit. So why isn’t it happening to you?

According to Ayesha Long, resume writing expert and owner of the virtual resume company, www.AyeshaWrites4u.com, “Most employees fail the employer scan because they use the same generic resume over and over again. Employers get tired of the same format and they look for employees that are going to add something different. The average person fails to tailor their resume for the job at hand. They get lazy.”

Ayesha, a self-proclaimed fan of “Work harder, not smarter”, offers three tips to help the lazy job seeker get better results from their resume without creating a new resume for every new position advertised.

Option 1 – Use your transitional skills.

If you want to change careers, but haven’t found a career that best suits your personality, then you can create a typical functional resume. In a functional resume, you start off with your transitional skills, as opposed to your work history.

You take a look at your highest skill sets or the skills needed for most of your jobs of interest and group them into categories. For example, a customer service professional looking to transition into the IT profession can clump her skills into: Technology, Communication, and Collaboration. Then under each subfield, she would show explicit examples demonstrating that skill utilization during her work or educational experiences.

If an IT hiring manager is looking for those three categories, she will definitely stop to look at this person’s resume. However, be forewarned, that many employees are leery of resumes that are only functional (see Chronological? Functional? Or Combination?).

Option 2 – Lead with your career sets.

If your current job is less than satisfactory and you want to return to an old career, you can use a career-styled functional resume. In this functional resume, you group your work history into career sets.

Similar to a standard functional resume, you will have a different section on your resume for each career field. So someone who has been a medical assistant, nursing assistant, and phlebotomist and is willing to work in either field again could have three sub-sections for their work experience – Nursing Assistant Experience, Professional Medical Assistant Experience, Phlebotomy Technician Work Experience.

Then for each job he applies to, he can lead with the section that best applies. If it’s a medical assistant position, then the Professional Medical Assistant Experience section would be the first section in the work history, followed by the other two career sets. If it’s a nursing assistant position, he’d lead with the Nursing Assistant Experience.

Option 3 – Customize your resume.

If you have the time and energy to recreate a new resume for every job posting, then this is the best option. However, this option is the most time-consuming and is generally meant for employees who are looking for positions within the same industry.

For example, an elementary school teacher trying to become a math coach or social studies cluster teacher can use the same resume and add bits and pieces to the objective, summary of qualifications, and job history to highlight her experience and expertise in each field.

This resume will still look like a chronological resume and will include the work history listed in the dates of descending order, but it will highlight the skills necessary for each position.

Using, Ayesha Long’s tips, your job search should be more proactive. If you need assistance or are still not getting the results you like, Contact, AyeshaWrites4u at (866) 620-2741 or visit the site at www.AyeshaWrites4u.com.

###