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If you are under the impression that your resume isn’t attention grabbing and is immediately being filed into “maybe” or “no” piles around the country at numerous potential employers, then you are probably right.  Becoming one of the “yes” candidates is no easy task, and furthermore getting an interview can be near impossible in the wavering economy that we are still dealing with. 

 

The basic purpose behind a resume is to document (and dare I say brag about) all of your past accomplishments, but don’t let that scare you.  Even though you may have been raised to be modest, it is pertinent to brag about every achievement you have obtained since graduating high school.  Modesty can be shown once hired, but until those papers are signed, convince yourself that you are the greatest thing to walk the face of the planet, and once you believe it, the employer will too. 

 

So what are employers looking for on resumes?  First and foremost is organization and presentation.  If the resume is not aesthetically pleasing, it is going directly into the “no” pile, possibly the “maybe” if the content is exceptional.  This includes learning how to format so that there are even lines on all sides of the resume.  Spelling is HUGE when it comes to resumes.  If you misspell a word on the official document that is representing you, that speaks volumes – in a bad way.  Spell-check the resume at least 5 times before sending it out. 

 

Your name is the most important thing on the resume. Make sure it is by far the largest font on the entire thing. 

Bob Smith

2010 East 9^th Place ~ San Francisco, CA 98876

912-555-0087 ~ bob@aol.com

à Quadruple check your phone number and email address

There are many different formats for the title part of the resume.  It can be all one line or it can be 2-4 lines.  No matter what format you choose, think of it as your logo.  Would you want to put it on every document you send out?  Make it look fantastic!

 

Qualifications/Summary

Avoid writing an “objective” when applying for a specific job.  Clearly your objective is to be hired by the company.  Put yourself in the employer’s shoes; would you prefer to know that a person wants to be hired (an obvious thing if you are reading their resume) or would you prefer to know what type of personality and qualifications this person has? 

Solutions-focused, team oriented Senior Technical Support Analyst with broad-based experience and hands-on skill in the successful implementation of highly effective helpdesk operations and the cost-effective management of innovative customer and technical support strategies. Proven ability to successfully analyze an organization’s critical support requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative solutions for increasing reliability and improving productivity. A broad understanding of computer hardware and software, including installation, configuration, management, troubleshooting, and support. à Sell yourself.  This is your chance to catch a future employer’s attention.

 

Technical Skills

 

Linux/Unix · Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP · Oracle · FoxPro · DBase II
C · C · BASIC · MS Office · MS-Money · Encarta àLIST ALL SKILLS USED IN EVERY JOB

 

Professional Experience

 

Technical Support Enterprises -Wichita, Kansas

(Company name)                                                    (Location)

2002 – Present

(Duration at company)

Mentor/ Escalation Support (8/2003- - present)

(Title.  This is very important!  Not as important as the skill set, but still something every employer looks at and may potentially be impressed by.)

· Promoted to Mentor, handling escalation processes and mentoring other support professionals while working via phone, email, and chat. à Re-establish which skills used in EVERY individual job listed, the more you list them the better!

Technical Support Manager for Microsoft Money account (6/2003 - 7/2003)

· Promoted from frontline support professional to second-tier technical support manager, supervising frontline phone support for Microsoft Corporation for Money, Encarta, PC Games, and other similar products.

· Responsible for the strategic development and implementation of cost-effective training and support solutions that are designed to provide improved productivity, streamlined operations, and faster access to critical information.

· Implement effective customer satisfaction strategies by identifying and eliminating the root causes of customer problems.

· Utilize NICE Application and AVAYA program to manage call center metrics, lead call calibrations, and perform random-sample audits on email and chat sessions.

Quality Monitoring Lead (12/2002 - 5/2003)

· Participate in quality assurance procedures, verifying sales calls taken by the other agents, provide constructive feedback to agents, and adhere to the specific support levels that have been purchased by the client.

Support Professional for Chase Bank (9/2002 - 12/2002)

· Provide comprehensive system support, configuration, maintenance, and training for Providian Bank and promoted value added products and services for existing clients.

Micron Computers Ltd.-India

1998-2002

Hardware Engineer

· Performed hardware and software installations and provided high-level customer care, training, and technical support.

· Assembled and installed a wide array of computer systems, workstations, and peripheral hardware.

 

Education

(Education may be listed before Professional Experience, however it is only recommended if you attended a widely respected institution AND had an extremely impressive GPA, or if you graduated within the last 5 years and are still working on building up your professional experiences.)

 

Diploma in Computer Science

 

Independent Colleges Online - 2001

It is best to omit your GPA if it is below a 3.0 overall.  If employers are curious, they will ask for the GPA or for transcripts. 

 

You are more than welcome to add a line for “relevant coursework.”  This is highly recommended for those who are recent graduates who have taken single courses in training, possibly outside of your specific major.  For example, you may have been a “Computer Science” major like our example Bob Smith, but if he took a training course for a semester in Microsoft Office, that may be relevant coursework that he would like included in the resume. 

 

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/sampleresumes/l/blitresume.htm

 

 

 

Resume Building 101:

·        DO NOT LIE.  All facts on your resume will need to be backed up sooner or later.  Don’t get yourself stuck in a corner that you can’t get out of.

·        Be creative, but don’t be too out there.  Creativity can be used in an outlet such as font (as long as it is legible…no employer will be impressed if they physically can’t read your resume because the font is too crazy or too small, no need to waste their time.)

·        Test your resume on another person’s computer.  Chances are you’re emailing, and you don’t know if the person on the receiving end has a Mac or a PC.  Try it out on both, on account of the chance of a font/formatting change when it goes through the other system.   

·        Be sure the spacing, bullet points, and numbering has the same format throughout the entire document. 

·        Do not password protect your resume.  It may seem like a good idea, however it becomes an unnecessary obstacle for somebody down the line. 

·        I said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Spell-check, spell-check, spell-check!!  

 

 

As always good luck with the job search.  Hang in there, and give your resume a facelift when you get a chance!