What Are The Dos And Don't For Writing A Good Resume?

I need to write a resume and need some help. I’m new to this and not sure what info is needed. My line of work is room attendant in housekeeping in the hotel/hospitality industry. Should I include a cover letter with my resume?

How to address a cover letter when applying through a job search site??

How to address a cover letter when applying through a job search site? They just ask you to attach a cv and write a cover letter on a blank space and submit application, no knowledge of the recruiter, company etc. understandably you can’t put dear mrs. or mr so what then?

Just start telling about yourself?!

Is there such a thing as an online resume writing service?

An online service that you contact via email, you pay online and give them your info and they construct the cover letter, body, education, work experience etc, for you. Then you download and print the finished product. And off job hunting you go!

How do interviews work in a long-distance job search?

I’m a college student who’s graduating in June, and I’m planning on moving cross-country soon afterwards. I’d really like to have a job lined up before I move. I don’t know much about job searching, but I’ve always been told that first you send in your resume along with a cover letter requesting an interview. I know how to find openings online and send my resume, but I have no idea how the interview step is supposed to work. As far as I know, my options are:

1. Ask for a phone interview (I could do this, but I think I present myself better in person)
2. Plan on flying over there for interviews sometime before June (I’d have to miss class, so I’d rather not do this)
3. Ask the companies if they’ll wait until June to interview me (but like I said, I’d rather get the job before I move)

So what should I do? Do companies ever hire people without an interview? Also, should I request one of these options in my cover letter, or just explain my situation and let them say what they want to do?

How can i quickly write a professional cover letter? Which is the best cover letter or resume writing software?

I know some people design very good cover letters using a software. I want to get that one. Please let me know about the best cover letter or resume writing software for any kind of job application?
I shall be grateful.

Five Quick Steps to Becoming a Bartender

While it may seem too easy, the key to finding a bartender job is to focus your search and redouble your efforts. Getting a bartending job has often been shrouded in mystery but it really can be achieved in just 5 easy steps. Follow this outline and you will get a bartending job in no time.
You should focus your job search to places where you would hang out even if you didn’t work there. This will insure that your personality is a match to the establishment and provide some good motivation during your search. Working in a place where you would like to hang out is a great thing and will make you a better bartender.
You will need to write resume for your bartending job search. And not just any resume. The resume should be written exclusively for your bartending job search. Irrelevant details like a mastery of powerpoint presentation will do you no good here. Include only skills that a relevant to bartending. Skills like customer service, money management, conflict resolution and sales are essential to being a good bartender. A good bartending resume will include all of these skills even if you weren’t bartending when you got them.
You should always write a cover letter to go with your resume, even for just a bartending job. Many candidates will not go this extra mile so you separate yourself from the crowd simply by having a cover letter. This letter should be good of course, but the mere act of having one will gain you recognition. A good cover letter should show the reader how you handled a tough situation or how you grew at one of your previous jobs. Be as specific as possible, tell a story if you want to. Its alright to put your personality on display a little bit in your cover letter. Have fun with it and tell a good story. An engaged reader is a hiring reader.
A laborious but completely necessary step is pounding the pavement. You will need to contact the managers of the places on your target list and probably show up at these places in order to do so. Restaurant and bar managers are very busy people. Employees, customers and vendors are all battling for their time. It would be wise to show up during the bar’s slow hours. For a typical restaurant or bar this would be between 2pm and 5pm. The afternoons are usually a slow time where a manager will be able to speak to you.
If you are going to get a bartending job you are going to need to master a bartending job interview. Job interviews are enough to make anyone’s palms a little sweaty and a bartending job interview is no different. You have to fight through that nervousness and put your personality on display. Service jobs are about having a great attitude and personable personality, everything can be taught. Without going out on the limb a little bit you will not get a bartending job.
I hope these tips have illuminated the bartending job search process for you. It really isn’t nearly as difficult or mysterious as bartenders make it out to be. If you develop a plan, show initiative and persistence, and maintain a positive attitude you will easily get a bartending job. I wish you luck o your search. Happy Hunting.

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How to Apply for a Job Online

In an increasingly online marketplace, applying for jobs often means sending your resume and cover letter electronically. Some companies have online application forms right on their Websites. Here, you can choose the job you wish to apply for, plug your work experience, skills, and education into online fields, then submit this information with a single click of a button.

Online application forms differ from another and will require different information. For example, some companies ask that you “copy-and-paste” your resume and cover letter into two fields. Others ask that applicants fill in multiple fields such as “work experience,” “education,” etc. Still others ask that you do both-submit your resume and cover letter, and fill in fields that require the same employment-related information.

Whatever type of online application form a company might have, be sure that all your information is posted in one field or another. Don’t be afraid to repeat information, especially if the form requests a resume and a separate breakdown of your work history. Your information will be automatically uploaded into an online database, where hiring managers will likely scout for keywords. The more times your keywords come up, the better.

While some companies-especially large ones have online application forms, many others simply ask candidates to e-mail their application materials to the appropriate person or to a general employment address like “hiringmanager@anycompany.com.” Here, caution is warranted. Be sure to send your resume and cover letter exactly as the hiring manager requests. Some employers prefer that the resume and cover letter be attached as separate documents (usually in a Text Only format or as Microsoft Word documents). Other employers want the cover letter to be in the body of an e-mail, but the resume to be attached separately. Still others prefer that both the resume and the cover letter be pasted into the body of an e-mail. For the latter, be sure that your documents are easy to read. Resumes, which have a rather complicated format, often look messy when they are transplanted into the body of an e-mail. Says recruiter Beth Camp: “If you e-mail a resume, it has to look as good as a written resume. I would advise sending a resume both as an attachment and in the body of your e-mail.” This is a good way to sidestep a possible formatting fiasco. Another way is to send your resume and cover letter electronically, then to send hard copies as well.

Some jobseekers opt to purchase domain names and to create their own Websites for the purpose of putting their resumes (and other application materials) online. The advantage of formatting your resume using HTML and making it a static Web page is that anyone can see your resume in its proper format simply by visiting your Website. Thus, instead of mailing or e-mailing your resume every time you want someone to see it, you can simply give the interested parties the right web address and they can find it for themselves. An added bonus of having your resume on a Web page is that you may attract the interest of recruiters and employers whom you hadn’t even considered. To make downloading your resume easier, you may want to include on your Website copies of your resume in PDF (portable document format) and Microsoft Word files.

Unfortunately, there are downsides to putting your resume on a Website. One downside is that your information becomes accessible to everyone, even unwanted visitors. For this reason, you should never disclose your home address, social security number, or any other personal information. Another downside is that not all hiring managers will go out of their way to visit your Website. Even if your resume is only a click away, many hiring managers would nevertheless prefer that you mail or e-mail it.

In terms of how you send your application materials, it would be unwise to go against the explicit wishes of an employer. For example, don’t send an attachment when copy-and-pasting is requested. Some companies shun attachments because they fear getting a virus, or because they don’t have compatible software, or because they simply don’t want to be bothered with the extra step of opening a document.

When assembling your application materials and putting them into an e-mail, don’t fill in the “to” field until you are finished. It’s all too easy to accidentally send a half-finished e-mail to a company, thus eliminating your chances of making a decent first impression, and most likely, of getting an interview. If you were asked to copy-and-paste your resume and cover letter, be sure to scan the final outcome at least once for formatting problems, then to use a spell checker a final time.

If you are attaching your documents, be absolutely sure you are attaching the right versions (i.e., the company-tailored and updated versions) to the employer. Also, be sure that they are labeled in a professional way. One jobseeker laments his decision to save different versions of his resume under headings like “Resume for Strategic Sourcing Jobs.” Says the jobseeker: “I was applying for three different types of positions. But I didn’t want every prospective employer to know that. By labeling my outgoing resumes the way I did, I pretty much broadcasted the fact that I didn’t have a clear career direction.” Probably the best strategy for saving your resume is to do so under your name only (example: Simone Piette resume) or under your name and the name of the company (example: Greenfield resume from Simone Piette). Be sure to say in your e-mail what you have attached, and also, what software you’ve used. For example, you might say in the body of your e-mail: “Please see my attached resume in Microsoft Word version 2002.”

Before a hiring manager even opens your e-mail, she should know exactly who you are and which job you are applying for. In the “Subject” line, write your name, the position name (and job number, if listed), and the contents of your application (example, “Simone Piette resume and cover letter for Executive Assistant Position”).

If you’ve been referred to a position by another person, be sure to “cc” (carbon copy) or “bcc” (blind carbon copy) your reference when you apply. That is, add that person’s e-mail to the “cc” or “bcc” field, which will enable that person to receive an exact copy of the e-mail you’re sending to the hiring manager. The reason you want to “cc” or “bcc” your referrer is because you want to keep him in the loop. After all, if someone has offered to help you, he should know what stage you’re at in the application process. (Note: Some e-mail programs don’t offer “cc” or “bcc” fields, in which case you’ll want to e-mail your reference separately.)

Finally, be sure to save a copy of your outgoing e-mail in your “Sent Mail” folder, just in case the e-mail doesn’t go through and you need to send it again.

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Job Seekers Only Have One Chance to Make a Good First Impression

There’s little doubt that, if you want to get a great job, you need a great resume. You need to be able, in the matter of a page or two, show prospective employers that you’ve got what it takes to fill a position: the experience, the education, the talent and the drive.

As a result, many recent college graduates, many who are looking for a better position or who are looking to change careers, seek out resume help. For some, this means sitting down at the computer and searching for resume help online. For others, it means reading books. For others still, resume help involves going to a local career center or sitting down with someone who writes resumes for a living.

In a competitive job market, a great resume is essential. Your resume, after all, is the thing that will get you in the door for an interview; your resume will be the thing that makes an employer look and say, “You know, we ought to talk this person.”

Your resume gets prospective employers to look at you.

But, What Gets Employers To Look At Your Resume?

No matter how much work you put into creating a great resume, no matter how much resume help you receive, without a great resume cover letter, your resume may not be noticed. Your resume cover letter is your chance to make a great first impression with a prospective employer.

Within your resume cover letter, you will be able to introduce yourself. You’ll be able to use your cover letter to show your enthusiasm for the position. With your resume cover letter, you will be able to put a spark in the reader’s mind; you will be able to draw his or her interest and encourage him or her to take a closer look at your resume.

Packaging Yourself Effectively

In effect, you will use the first paragraph of your resume cover letter to catch the attention of the reader; you might want to think about your resume cover letter’s opening paragraph like a movie promo poster that makes it to the cover of the DVD packaging. That first paragraph will be the thing that draws the employer’s attention.

Once you’ve started to reel in the person who is reading your resume cover, you’ll want to give them a bit more information. To continue the DVD packaging metaphor, the body of your resume cover letter should be similar to the plot highlights that you would find on the back of the DVD.

While you won’t want to go over the top and suggest that you’re the hero who will save the world from imminent disaster – or the worker who will save the company from going belly up – you will want to use the body of your resume cover letter to highlight your accomplishments, your achievements and your qualifications for the position.

Just as the back cover of a DVD package is meant to get the person reading it excited and eager to see the film, your cover letter is a chance to get the prospective employer interested in reading your resume and learning more about you.

Intrigue Your Reader And Deliver Results

With your resume cover letter, your goal is to get the person reading it intrigued. The goal of your resume cover letter is to entice the person who is reading it to look at your resume and to want to talk with you. Therefore, it essential to market yourself with your cover letter; by marketing yourself effectively, you’ll be able to motivate a prospective employer to glance over your resume and ask you to come in for an interview.

Again using the DVD metaphor – your introductory paragraph is like the front photo, the body of your cover letter is like the teaser copy on the back of the DVD case – the conclusion of your resume cover letter and your resume is like the intro sequence of the film. The way that you capture an interviewer’s interest involves creating an interest with the cover letter, drawing him or her into your resume, and then following through and living up to his or her expectations in the interview.

If, as you’ll read on many resume help sites, your resume is your doorway to the interview, it is important to keep in mind that your resume cover letter is your chance to knock on that door. A human resources manager might have a stack of resumes on his or her desk, and may only be willing to interview a few candidates: to get your resume read, it must stand out. Your resume cover letter is what will get you noticed.

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Your Resume and What Employers Want to See

The recruiting industry has changed dramatically since the mid-90s when the Internet began to catch fire as a networking tool. Prior to the advent of online job boards such as CareerBuilder and Monster, your local newspaper had a monopoly on “help-wanted” advertising going back pre-Industrial Revolution (I remember a few years back being quoted $450 to run a 3-line ad over the weekend–for $50 more I could add a black border around it).

Resumes came to you via mail or fax and the ones that got your attention arrived on expensive paper with signed cover letters–the presentation gave you as much insight into the candidate as the resume itself did. As an independent recruiter you were only as good as your database of candidates (which for most recruiters consisted of a Rolodex of business cards or a drawer full of resumes). You actively sought out individuals to network with, collecting every resume thrown at you regardless of the positions you were working on at the time. “Got a cousin in advertising sales? Have him give me a call!”

I think employers were more willing to take risks with less qualified candidates then (let’s say, pre-1998) than they are now. Hiring managers and recruiters recognize that online resources can provide them with exponentially greater access to candidates today than in years past. It’s not that the talent pool is deeper, it’s just more accessible (and more public) than it’s ever been. So the same company that might have been willing to take a chance on a good candidate from a different industry ten years ago now wants someone whose experience matches their position as closely as possible.

I am a big believer that the best candidates for a particular position are the ones who would be taking a step up in their career by accepting. They are inherently motivated because they’re improving their pay, adding to their responsibilities and increasing their exposure. But today employers want over-qualified candidates; people who are actually taking steps down in their careers or at the very least, making lateral moves. Most employers will not admit to consciously doing this, mind you; but they do. They want to know with as much certainty as possible that the candidates have “been there and done that.” They want people with track records that mirror the exact challenges and expectations of their opening, particularly if they’re working with a third party recruiter to fill the position. The employer feels they’re paying big bucks for the recruiter to minimize their risk; therefore they should deliver candidates that are tailor-made for their role.

As an independent recruiter, it is my job to provide the client with the candidate solution they want. Every client knows the type of person they’re looking for, even if they’re not always able to describe them in great detail before we begin the search. They may need to evaluate a couple candidates before they can put into words their exact preferences, particularly when it’s a new position. Keep in mind the candidate solution our firm provides is the one defined by the client, and in my opinion it’s not always the one that may be the best long-term employment solution.

As I discussed in a previous article (Remember: You’re hiring them to work for you, not to date you), many hiring managers allow their own personal biases to influence they way they evaluate candidates (often referred to as “gut instincts”) resulting in bad hiring decisions. My job is to provide the client with candidates that have a documented track record of success. The majority of companies we work with want candidates either from their own industry or industries that are a close parallel. Drilling down even further, they want to know that the candidate’s daily, weekly and monthly activities overlap with the expectations of the new position. This is why having a thorough, well-defined resume is imperative for today’s job seeker looking to advance their career.

I believe the criticism that most resumes are long-winded, over-inflated exaggerations of unspectacular accomplishments is completely unwarranted. Coming from someone who looks at thousands of resumes a month, the average person is more likely to sell themselves short, thereby limiting their potential opportunities than they are to misrepresent themselves on paper.

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Creating a Good Resume is an Art

Landing a good job will depend a lot on your education and work history. Also important is how well you do during the interview process. But, if you can’t get your foot in the door, you most likely can blame your resume. If you’re going for a job you’re qualified for, the resume is key to opening the door.

Many people believe they need to lie on their resumes to even get an interview. This is not so. Employers, at least many of them, check references and background before they call people in for interviews. So, if a lie is present, you may not even get a call. Or, if checking isn’t done on the front end, it will be done if a problem arises. If you lied to get the job, there could be legal actions taken. So, either way, you lose. Save yourself the hassle and be honest on a resume.

Over and above being honest on a resume, there is an art to creating one for different positions. A resume is an extension of the person applying for a job. It should speak to its readers about the person’s competence, skills and abilities. It should tell them this “is the one I want” before an interview even takes place.

To make sure your resume gets the attention you deserve from potential employers, here are some basic tips:
* Go after jobs you’re qualified for. Don’t apply for a rocket science position with a degree in English and expect to get a phone call. Be realistic about your background, education and skills.
* Tailor a resume for the employer. If you’re going for a sales job, state your objectives in that field clearly. If you want to be an artist, say that and where you’d like to go in the field. Different resume styles should be used for different positions as well. An artist likely would want a more creative piece whereas an engineer a more basic one.
* Provide basic information. This means basics about education, work history, skills and personal information such as telephone number and address.
* Give them enough information to get their interest without boring them. Personnel directors do not have the time to read five-page resumes. Keep yours short, compelling and to the point and you’ll capture their attention. Make it so long they need to take a lunch break to read it, and your resume might end up in the trash.
* Be clear and concise with wording. Don’t embellish. Tell the truth, but do it well.
* If you’re writing a cover letter, keep this short, but explain why you want the job and why you’re the best person for it. Remember, you’re selling yourself here. Your skills and knowledge or ability to learn are your products, play them up!

Once a resume has been crafted, be certain to read it over very carefully. Companies do not want to hire people who cannot fill out basic forms. For almost every supervisory position going, there is at least one resume that comes in from someone who wants to be a “manger” instead of a “manager.” Don’t rely on spell check on a computer either or you’re likely to be looking for that manger’s position and a good “car” instead of “career.”

A resume is the first selling point for a person seeking a job. A well-written resume can open doors. A poorly written one can close them and keep them that way. Be clear, concise and honest.

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