The Amazing Secret of Mass Distributing Your Job Resumes: DON’T!

OK. We’ve all been told that mass distributing your job resumes is the way to go. Right? The theory goes like this . . . the more job resumes you can paper the market with, the better your chances are of getting a job.

You know, that approach actually used to work . . . back in the last century! You could count on the numbers eventually working for you with some predictability. But those days are gone forever. Different century. Different market.

Yet, it’s amazing to me how many job seekers hold on to the illusion that somehow I can make the job resume numbers work for me. It’s a crapshoot! It doesn’t work for you. And it doesn’t work the employers.

Here’s why.

From the employer’s side–employers today are much more sophisticated and require much more from a job candidate than a resume. No one is going to hire you based on your resume. Employers aren’t really interested in what you used to do for someone else. They want to see how you’re going to fit into their team. And they won’t learn that from your resume.

From the job candidate’s side–your million-dollar resume won’t even be seen by the person who makes the hiring decision. It’ll be screened by some personnel staffer or low level assistant. Along with hundreds of other resumes. When you submit a resume you’ve just put yourself right in the middle of the fiercest competition–right where you DON’T want to be!

So, what’s a serious job seeker to do, if a resume isn’t the way to go?

Well, the answer is . . . use an exciting alternative job search strategy! One that gets you in front the person who’ll actually be making the hiring decision about you–but without requiring him/her to wade through all the competition to get to you.

For example, you approach your job search by targeting the precise companies you want to work for and then single out the exact decision-makers who could be your next boss. And then meet with him/her. Sounds like a great way to go, doesn’t it? I mean you have direct access to your next boss without any competition.

So the secret is how to do that.

The good news is that there’s a proven system that can have you meeting face-to-face with selected decision-makers in a matter of days. You can be entertaining a high-paying job offer in as little as two weeks!

So, abandon the notion of mass distributing your job resumes and jump aboard the innovative 21st Century alternative job search program. You’ll be amazed at how fast you’ll see real results!

Article Source: http://www.articlesauce.com

Paul Megan writes for EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and non-traditional career advancement strategies . . . since 1985. Grab our stunning FREE REPORT: “How To Find A Job In As Little As 14 Days!” Click on RSS for instant info! www.fastest-job-search.com

How To Safely Bulk Up A Thin Resume

Many individuals starting out in the world of being an employee have to begin by pounding the pavement to find a job. Being presentable for an employment opportunity can be difficult, however, when you don’t have any work history.

Bulking up your resume to show potential employers that you do, indeed, have skills and assets their company needs really isn’t that hard, and with some initiative, filling up the employment history section of your resume can be done.

There are a lot of easy, mostly hassle-free ways to add to your work history. Volunteer work is a time-honored favorite, as it allows for work experience without needing any prior knowledge. Since most local and state government institutions are perpetually under-funded, they’ll assign drudge work to just about anyone. The tasks aren’t glamorous, but the experience is better than nothing. Keeping in mind that, when volunteering and also in general, good job references are important and you should avoid annoying or irritating your supervisor, regardless of whether you receive compensation or not for your duties.

Public events are another potential place to earn work experience through volunteering. Galas and tournaments to raise money for a cause usually require a sizable number of volunteers, and since these types of events last only a few days at most, there’s no long-term commitment required for work experience that looks good on a resume. If you can manage to land a volunteer position at one of these events that involves organization or management, even better – these skills are highly desired by potential employers.

Independent enterprise is another possible source of work experience. Any serious attempts and efforts you’ve put into a money-making enterprise, whether your own or someone else’s, show initiative and motivation. If you hauled speakers for your friend’s garage rock group during a public battle of the bands in your area, you can list that on your resume. If you wrote a poem that was accepted for a collection, even an unpublished small-press business, you can mark the information down on your resume as well. You can also make independent enterprise opportunities happen as well. Independent enterprise isn’t quite as easy to come across as opportunities to volunteer, but it’s a very good option for gaining work experience.

Though the really important, money-making diplomas will take years to earn, increasing your education section on your resume isn’t much harder than doing some volunteering or venturing into independent enterprise. Certification programs, from computer programming to private investigating, often require little more than forty or so hours of instruction and can be taken at most community colleges or similar educational facilities. Ideally, what you learn can be applied to the job you’re hoping to land, but courses and certifications also show initiative, something all employers are looking for in first-time job seekers.

Bulking up your resume using these ideas involve stealth opportunities – easy to overlook yet potent, if applied properly. Doubtlessly, there are other ways to improve a resume when you have no prior employment, but in truth, anything that shows that you have dedication, initiative, motivation, and ambition is good to add to your resume. With that in mind, go out there and see what opportunities you can come up with – there’s always something better than nothing.

Article Source: http://www.articlesauce.com

John Edmond owns and writes regularly for Careerbuilder Jobs where you can find more information and advice on all aspects of a writing a resume and job searching.

The Amazing Secret of Mass Distributing Your Job Resumes: DON?T!

OK. We’ve all been told that mass distributing your job resumes is the way to go. Right? The theory goes like this . . . the more job resumes you can paper the market with, the better your chances are of getting a job.

You know, that approach actually used to work . . . back in the last century! You could count on the numbers eventually working for you with some predictability. But those days are gone forever. Different century. Different market.

Yet, it’s amazing to me how many job seekers hold on to the illusion that somehow I can make the job resume numbers work for me. It’s a crapshoot! It doesn’t work for you. And it doesn’t work the employers.

Here’s why.

From the employer’s side–employers today are much more sophisticated and require much more from a job candidate than a resume. No one is going to hire you based on your resume. Employers aren’t really interested in what you used to do for someone else. They want to see how you’re going to fit into their team. And they won’t learn that from your resume.

From the job candidate’s side–your million-dollar resume won’t even be seen by the person who makes the hiring decision. It’ll be screened by some personnel staffer or low level assistant. Along with hundreds of other resumes. When you submit a resume you’ve just put yourself right in the middle of the fiercest competition–right where you DON’T want to be!

So, what’s a serious job seeker to do, if a resume isn’t the way to go?

Well, the answer is . . . use an exciting alternative job search strategy! One that gets you in front the person who’ll actually be making the hiring decision about you–but without requiring him/her to wade through all the competition to get to you.

For example, you approach your job search by targeting the precise companies you want to work for and then single out the exact decision-makers who could be your next boss. And then meet with him/her. Sounds like a great way to go, doesn’t it? I mean you have direct access to your next boss without any competition.

So the secret is how to do that.

The good news is that there’s a proven system that can have you meeting face-to-face with selected decision-makers in a matter of days. You can be entertaining a high-paying job offer in as little as two weeks!

So, abandon the notion of mass distributing your job resumes and jump aboard the innovative 21st Century alternative job search program. You’ll be amazed at how fast you’ll see real results!

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

Writing a Killer Resume to Attract Prospective Employers

Resume is a document containing a summary highlighting the experiences and credentials and education usually written for the purpose of gaining an interview while seeking an employment. Since resume is the first thing that a potential employer encounters regarding the applicant, it carries a great significance.

A resume may be limited to one or two pages and can be organized in several ways.
A chronological resume highlights a candidate’s job experience in reverse chronological order, that is, the main body of the document shows the professional experience beginning from the most recent experience going chronologically backwards through a succession of previous experience. The main aim of a chronological resume is to give an impact of credibility through experience gained. This type of resume is the most common resume in use.

A functional resume highlights work experience and skills classified by skill area or job function. The objective of a functional resume is to focus on the skills particular to the kind of position being sought which directly gives weightage to professional capabilities and experiences as a backup. In contrast to chronological resume, functional resume will highlight these competencies and is most suited for jobs that require a particular skill or clearly defined personality traits.

A combination resume balances both the chronological and functional resumes, which typically leads with a functional list of job skills and then the chronological list of employers.

A resume is quite short and therefore contains experience directly relevant to the position and many resumes use precise keywords and action words that the employer is seeking for. Increasing number of job seekers and employers are using Internet based jobs and therefore an ideal resume should be long enough to provide a concise, adequate and accurate description of an applicant’s employment history and capabilities. Job seekers are now able to reach the employers through direct e-mail contact and resume blasting which is the mass distribution of resumes to increase personal visibility within the job market. The simplicity and complexity of the resume formats produce results varying from person to person, industry and occupation.

Since many employers find candidates through search engines, it is important to use appropriate keywords while writing a resume. And they must choose a file format to maintain their resume. Unlike regular two page resumes, which highlight only the recent work experience and education, Internet resumes highlight the candidate’s skill development over his or her career.

While writing a resume, emphasis should be placed on accomplishments, effective organization and more importantly the appearance of the resume. To achieve this, proper care should be taken to see to it that the font is plain and easy to read written on a resume quality paper, formatting the resume with simple bullets, highlighting the accomplishments and not taking away the attention.

While organizing a resume it is very important to start with an active descriptive action word, include numbers and percentages and restrict the resume to one page. The resume is nothing but an advertisement with the main purpose of winning an interview and to be an effective resume, it should stand out from the crowd.

Article Source: http://www.itempad.com

Article res has been removed due to spammers exploiting this site and stealing itempads pr rank. Link Res will be returned once the database has been purged of bad links probably after the next google update. We do not believe in using nofollow. We are sorry for this temp problem. But once the database has been cleaned all links by writers will have a higher value. We hope you understand and continue to submit your articles. If you would like a permenet link on itempad Please email admin

Video Resumes: Seem Like a Good Idea at the Time

As job searches go on longer than anticipated for many, it’s understandable that people would start to look around for ways to differentiate themselves in the market. However, making a video resume may NOT be the best way to accomplish that goal.
I’m noticing that the video resume craze is starting to pick up momentum. On the surface I’m sure that video resumes seem like a good idea to job seekers. Hasn’t everyone at one time or another said to themselves “If they could just SEE me, I know they’d want to hire me. This plain ‘ole resume just ain’t doing me justice!” Understandable, however the video resumes I watched certainly didn’t do anyone justice. Here’s why video resumes are a doomed proposition unless you’re gunning for a job as a news anchor and have a TV production studio to shoot your video. First. The nature of this format makes you a talking head on camera. I’ve made a video like this before, and I actually posted it on YouTube, and it’s very, very hard. The camera is completely, 100% focused on YOU, all the time. It doesn’t blink, it’s mind doesn’t wander, it doesn’t look out the window behind you occasionally, it’s totally on YOU. This means it catches every stupid thing you do. Even something simple like scratching your nose looks incredibly unprofessional when it’s caught for all eternity in a video resume. What about when your mind wanders when you’re giving your pitch and you slide in some ums and ahs? Those will be caught for posterity too. Great huh? If you think for a millisecond that job interviews are nerve-wracking-just try making one of these videos. Unless you have a teleprompter, you have got to know exactly what you’re going to say and can talk about it with some enthusiasm and style. Second. You have GOT to look professional. The few I watched on CareerTV–a place for great videos of career advice and where you can post your video resume–had someone sitting in a rocking chair (talking about how energetic she was), and another person in her medical scrubs, which wasn’t so bad, but unfortunately she didn’t take the time to edit her mistakes out of the video. These videos have got to be the absolute best you can give. It’s your one shot! In an in-person interview you can at least realize that you’ve made some mistakes, and pull it back together toward the end of the interview. Once it’s on tape, employers can watch it repeatedly. It’s harder to erase it from their memory. Think of the funny videos you watch on YouTube. Same premise. Also, you’ve got to watch what you wear! Whatever you would wear to an interview to make a good impression is what you need to wear in the video. You’re trying to use it as a supplement to your resume, so why would you dress in anything other than a suit? Third. Employers cannot not discriminate against you on the basis of your age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion-basically the things that have nothing to do with how well you do the job. By casually chatting on these videos you can inadvertently open up a Pandora’s box of issues that cause you to not be considered. One simple example: In your video, you state that you’re moving to a new city to be closer to your boyfriend/girlfriend. The phrase “to be closer to your boyfriend/girlfriend” is the problem. To you, it seems like you’re explaining about the move. To an employer, it’s too much information. As an employer, I get a vision of you turning down my job offer because you broke up with him or her, or after you move, you break up with him or her and plunge into the depths of despair because the ONLY reason you moved was for the relationship-which is now over. An employer may not want to take a chance on you with your baggage vs. a local candidate with less visible baggage. Stating that you have firm plans to move to the city is fine, if asked in an interview, you can say that you’ve developed an interest in the city and are looking forward to meeting new people. But discussing your personal relationships is just too much information. In an effort to be friendly and casual on the video, you can end up telling employer things that actually take you out of the running. Fourth. Again, based on that employer discrimination concept, as far as I know, the laws have not specifically tackled this issue of video resumes vs. non-video resumes. I know that currently HR departments are overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork they need to regularly submit to some governmental agency to prove that they’re not discriminating. That’s just dealing with the traditional hard copy and emailed resumes they receive from applicants. I know of another company involved in video resumes and they have to keep incredibly detailed records to prove that all applicants’ videos are being viewed for the same amount of time. Think about it. The last thing you want is for an employer to not consider you because you remind them of a relative or former employee that they never liked, and to immediately close your video before hearing you out. You also wouldn’t want a candidate who did a video resume to get preferential treatment over you who did not do a video resume. I know that there are some employers who like the new format, and to be honest, if I was a hiring manger, there are times when I’d wished I could see an applicant before bringing them in-but it’s because I know if I saw them first, I would not have invited them in for the interview. If you are still inspired to give these a shot, remember to keep it professional, dress like it’s an interview, and keep it as error-free as humanly possible. Good luck with that. It will be interesting to see where this idea leads, but for now, I’d recommend sitting on the sidelines to see how it plays out.

Here are some reasons why video resumes are a doomed proposition unless you’re shooting for a job as a news anchor or have a TV production studio shoot your video. First. The nature of this format makes you a talking head on camera. I’ve made a video like this before, and I actually posted it on YouTube, and it’s very, very difficult. The camera is completely, 100% focused on YOU, all the time. It doesn’t blink, it’s mind doesn’t wander, it doesn’t look out the window behind you occasionally, it’s totally on YOU. This means it catches every stupid thing you do. Even something simple like moving a lock of hair out of your eyes can look incredibly unprofessional when it’s caught for all eternity in a video resume.

What about when your mind wanders when you’re giving your pitch and you slide in some ums and ahs? Those will be caught for posterity too. Great huh? If you think for a millisecond that job interviews are nerve-wracking-just try making one of these videos. Unless you have a teleprompter, you have got to know exactly what you’re going to say and can talk about it with some enthusiasm and style.

Second. You have GOT to look professional. I’ve watched a few on some websites, and this one stood out. The few I watched on YouTube and other video sites–had someone sitting in a rocking chair (talking about how energetic she was), and another person in her medical scrubs, which wasn’t so bad, but unfortunately she didn’t take the time to edit her mistakes out of the video.

These videos have got to be the absolute best you can give. It’s your one shot!

In an in-person interview you can at least realize that you’ve made some mistakes, and pull it back together toward the end of the interview. Once it’s taped, it’s permanent–employers can watch it repeatedly. It’s harder to erase it from their memory. Think of the funny videos you watch on YouTube. Same premise.

Also, you’ve got to watch what you wear! Whatever you would wear to an interview to make a good impression is what you need to wear in the video. You’re trying to use it as a supplement to your resume, so why would you dress in anything other than a suit?

Third. Employers cannot discriminate against you on the basis of your age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion-basically the things that have nothing to do with how well you do the job. By casually chatting on these videos you can inadvertently open up a Pandora’s box of issues that cause you to not be considered.

One simple example: In your video, you state that you’re moving to a new city to be closer to your boyfriend/girlfriend. The phrase “to be closer to your boyfriend/girlfriend” is the problem. To you, it seems like you’re explaining about the move. To an employer, it’s too much information. As an employer, I get a vision of you turning down my job offer because you broke up with him or her, or after you move, you break up with him or her and plunge into the depths of despair because the ONLY reason you moved was for the relationship-which is now over. An employer may not want to take a chance on you with your baggage vs. a local candidate with less visible baggage. Stating that you have firm plans to move to the city is fine, if asked in an interview, you can say that you’ve developed an interest in the city and are looking forward to meeting new people. But discussing your personal relationships is just too much information. In an effort to be friendly and casual on the video, you can end up telling employer things that actually take you out of the running.

Fourth. Again, based on that employer discrimination concept, as far as I know, the laws have not specifically tackled this issue of video resumes vs. non-video resumes. I know that currently HR departments are overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork they need to regularly submit to some governmental agency to prove that they’re not discriminating. That’s just dealing with the traditional hard copy and emailed resumes they receive from applicants. I know of another company involved in video resumes and they have to keep incredibly detailed records to prove that all applicants’ videos are being viewed for the same amount of time. Think about it. The last thing you want is for an employer to not consider you because you remind them of a relative or former employee that they never liked, and to immediately close your video before hearing you out. You also wouldn’t want a candidate who did a video resume to get preferential treatment over you who did not do a video resume.

I know that there are some employers who like the new format, and to be honest, if I was a hiring manger, there are times when I’d wished I could see an applicant before bringing them in-but it’s because I know if I saw them first, I would not have invited them in for the interview. If you are still inspired to give these a shot, remember to keep it professional, dress like it’s an interview, and keep it as error-free as humanly possible. Good luck with that. It will be interesting to see where this idea leads, but for now, I’d recommend sitting on the sidelines to see how it plays out.

Information about the Author:

Personal Development Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

Applying For Jobs Using An Unsolicited Resume

The job search can be more frustrating when you are forced to apply for jobs speculatively. But does it pay to apply directly, even when there is no job opening posted? What will employers do with such applications, if they are not expecting them in the first place?

Does It Make Sense to Apply

You can view this question from two angles. Applying directly without an ad being posted is broadly regarded as a speculative application, a tactic that is commonly employed by job seekers. You have to match your job need to availability, which means you can’t wait until a vacancy is advertised. Additionally, speculative applications are almost a certainty in all industries. After all, the purpose is to find a vacancy before it is advertised.

Another occasion when you might apply without an ad being posted includes when you have received a referral or tip from someone that you know who works with the company in question.

The bigger question is how recruiters and employees look at applications when they are not expecting them. Unsolicited resumes are never disregarded even though they may irritate a recruiter at the time. Employers file unsolicited resumes in their database for future use. These applications come in handy for companies who don’t advertise when they have a need, as a matter of policy.

A second aspect that is in your favor is when your application reaches an employer just when they are contemplating recruiting. Certain industries, such as service, advertising and marketing, and software engineering employ people for various positions on a continuous basis, as there is a high employee attrition rate in these industries.

How Do I Apply Directly

There are some simple steps that you should follow, which includes preparing a good resume and coverletter. The following points will help you prepare your speculative application.

– Direct or unsolicited applications should be specific to employers as you are offering your qualifications and skills to a particular industry. You can consider doing this in a marketing tone, for exploration.
– Try to include as much information as possible into your application as you are applying for a non-existent job whose requirements are not known to you. This is your insurance against failure due to a mismatch between the job requirement and your skill set.
– Take a paragraph or two to explain why you are interested in the organization and how you are planning to contribute to their success. Making concrete offers focusing specifically on ‘where and how’ of your contributions in one way or the other is crucial. This motivates employers, which is essential when there is no specific vacancy at that time.
– You need to justify your claims of contributing to their success by your qualifications and experiences. If you are applying for middle or higher positions, let your accomplishments speak for you.
– End the application with a thank you and reminding them that you wish to follow-up later. Then, do it!

Knowing how to apply using an unsolicited resume is important. You can locate company contact information from the telephone directory or from company websites.

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

Should i use a functional resume format?

Hear why a functional resume format is a good options for some job seekers….

Writing a Killer Resume to Attract Prospective Employers

Resume is a document containing a summary highlighting the experiences and credentials and education usually written for the purpose of gaining an interview while seeking an employment. Since resume is the first thing that a potential employer encounters regarding the applicant, it carries a great significance.

A resume may be limited to one or two pages and can be organized in several ways.
A chronological resume highlights a candidate’s job experience in reverse chronological order, that is, the main body of the document shows the professional experience beginning from the most recent experience going chronologically backwards through a succession of previous experience. The main aim of a chronological resume is to give an impact of credibility through experience gained. This type of resume is the most common resume in use.

A functional resume highlights work experience and skills classified by skill area or job function. The objective of a functional resume is to focus on the skills particular to the kind of position being sought which directly gives weightage to professional capabilities and experiences as a backup. In contrast to chronological resume, functional resume will highlight these competencies and is most suited for jobs that require a particular skill or clearly defined personality traits.

A combination resume balances both the chronological and functional resumes, which typically leads with a functional list of job skills and then the chronological list of employers.

A resume is quite short and therefore contains experience directly relevant to the position and many resumes use precise keywords and action words that the employer is seeking for. Increasing number of job seekers and employers are using Internet based jobs and therefore an ideal resume should be long enough to provide a concise, adequate and accurate description of an applicant’s employment history and capabilities. Job seekers are now able to reach the employers through direct e-mail contact and resume blasting which is the mass distribution of resumes to increase personal visibility within the job market. The simplicity and complexity of the resume formats produce results varying from person to person, industry and occupation.

Since many employers find candidates through search engines, it is important to use appropriate keywords while writing a resume. And they must choose a file format to maintain their resume. Unlike regular two page resumes, which highlight only the recent work experience and education, Internet resumes highlight the candidate’s skill development over his or her career.

While writing a resume, emphasis should be placed on accomplishments, effective organization and more importantly the appearance of the resume. To achieve this, proper care should be taken to see to it that the font is plain and easy to read written on a resume quality paper, formatting the resume with simple bullets, highlighting the accomplishments and not taking away the attention.

While organizing a resume it is very important to start with an active descriptive action word, include numbers and percentages and restrict the resume to one page. The resume is nothing but an advertisement with the main purpose of winning an interview and to be an effective resume, it should stand out from the crowd.

Article Source: http://www.itempad.com

Article res has been removed due to spammers exploiting this site and stealing itempads pr rank. Link Res will be returned once the database has been purged of bad links probably after the next google update. We do not believe in using nofollow. We are sorry for this temp problem. But once the database has been cleaned all links by writers will have a higher value. We hope you understand and continue to submit your articles. If you would like a permenet link on itempad Please email admin

How To Choose The Best Resume Styles

The job market is extremely competitive, and you want to make the best impression possible. While there hundreds of resume styles being used by job seekers, you want to take the time to choose the right one.

You may be wondering why there even has to be so many styles. Well, for starters, resumes aren’t just presented as physical documents any more. There’s a growing trend for people to view documents like resumes on the computer. A style that works splendidly as a printed document just will not work as well when sent through email or fax. So, this has naturally led to more styles for each medium.

Then there is also the fact that some positions practically demand a very specific format or resume style, so it pays to be adaptable and make tweaks to your resume. After all, the resume is intended to show off your skills, so you want it to show your capabilities in the best light.

By far, the most widespread form of resume writing is the chronological style, which as the name implies lists all of the positions that you have worked in starting with the most current.

The functional style resume is a bit newer, but it’s steadily growing in popularity. Unlike the chronological style, you use this resume to list your very best accomplishments and qualifications first, followed by the just slightly less impressive ones. The advantage of this resume is that it makes it easy for the employer to read it quickly and decide whether or not you sound like someone who is qualified for the job. It also lets you give your strengths the center stage.

These two resume styles aren’t the only styles around, certainly, but most other formats are variations of the chronological and functional resumes. Here’s a good point to remember: Don’t be afraid to try out different resume styles. Change them out to suit your needs and purpose for each situation. Resumes exist to tell potential employers about your abilities, and the right resume will put them in the best light.

Article Source: http://www.itempad.com

Article res has been removed due to spammers exploiting this site and stealing itempads pr rank. Link Res will be returned once the database has been purged of bad links probably after the next google update. We do not believe in using nofollow. We are sorry for this temp problem. But once the database has been cleaned all links by writers will have a higher value. We hope you understand and continue to submit your articles. If you would like a permenet link on itempad Please email admin

Cyber Resume for Telecommuters

The Internet has created many new opportunities for job seekers to find, apply, and obtain a work-at-home job online. But simplified job searching capabilities and the ability to e-mail a prospective employer in an instant do not change the basic rules and etiquette of applying to jobs. A quick e-mail note to an employer letting him know you are interested in a posted job is not going to get you hired.

In the cyber-world as in the real world, your resume and cover letter are the first chance you have to make an impression on a potential employer. A well-written resume shows that you are a professional and will help you proceed to the next step in the job hiring process. A resume that falls short in terms of providing relevant information or a sense of professionalism will be discarded. Do not let your work-at-home resume end up in the reject pile.

Cyber resumes differ only slightly from traditional resumes. You should prepare a text-only resume that can be copied and pasted into an email, as most companies will not open an attachment. Nevertheless, you should have a formatted or “scannable” resume that you can send via snail mail or as an attachment if the company asks for one.

Before sending your resume and cover letter to a potential employer, check to make sure you follow the guidelines below:

Do:

1. Follow the job announcement’s instruction for applying to the job.

2. Limit your resume to one page.

3. Use 12-pt font size.

4. Avoid fancy style fonts and formats. Not all computers can accurately decipher special fonts and formatting (i.e. bold, italics).

5. Spell out all abbreviations; even those that should be obvious.

6. Include your full name, address, telephone number and e-mail in all documents.

7. Outline relevant work experience using your most recent occupation first.

8. If you are recent graduate, consider listing your education before your work experience.

9. List other relevant experience such as volunteer work, certifications, course work, etc.

10. Address your cover or introductory letter to a specific person. You can get this from the job announcement or the company’s web site.

11. Your letter of introduction should include the position to which you are applying and where you saw the position advertised.

12. Highlight your skills and experience that are specific to the job in the body of your letter.

13. Proofread, proofread, and proofread your resume and letter of introduction (cover letter). It doesn’t matter how qualified you are for the job if your resume has typos and grammatical errors.

Don’t:
1. List skills or experience that are unrelated to the position offered in your resume or cover letter.

2. Exaggerate or falsify anything.

3. Give personal information such as marital status, age, etc.

4. Have any grammatical or typographical errors.

5. Use a personal or buddy-like tone in your cover letter.

6. Send bulk, generic resumes and cover letters.

7. Sound desperate. Companies want the best person for the job. Your financial situation will not sway a decision one way or another.

8. Be over enthusiastic. ‘Salesmen’ type hype does not impress employers.

9. Refer to yourself in the third person in your cover letter. Instead, use “I”, and “me”, etc.

10. Send your resume as an attachment unless you are told specifically to do so. Most companies delete e-mail with attachments for security purposes.

Finding a work-at-home job has become much easier with the growth of the Internet. Nevertheless, you must maintain the same professional manner that you would in applying for a job in the traditional work world. You can avoid getting a rejection letter by following the rules and etiquette of applying to jobs that have endured since the invention of the resume.

Information about the Author:

Career and Employment Articles: http://www.article-buzz.com

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