I have always been able to land new jobs fairly easily. I have consistently kept my eyes out for new opportunities. Now, I don’t mean to say that I have been a job hopper, but I have always been willing to consider a new position provided it allowed me to answer “Yes!” to three important questions:
Because of this mindset, and the fact that I have had so many different ideas of what I may want to do with my life, I have worked in quite a few niches; which means I have had quite a few seemingly unrelated jobs and have had many interviews.
During my last job hunt, I was not even in the same state when I started applying for jobs. In fact, I had over 10 interviews scheduled by the time I returned to good ol’ Minnesota! Less than a week had passed since I had applied for the first position and most of these interviews were schedules within 1 or 2 days after my applications were submitted.
When I finally got home, I got healthy offers from each of the companies with which I had interviewed with the exception of those whose interviews I cut short when I realized they were not a good fit. I accepted one of the originally offered positions, and respectfully informed the other companies that I was no longer on the market.
Side note: For the next couple of months, I kept getting phone calls and emails asking for interviews.
How? Why?
How did I do this all so quickly and while being out of state?
Why were all of these companies so interested in me?
Full disclosure, the jobs I was applying for were in the automotive industry and there is a lot of demand for technicians. So yes, that was a big factor. But I know many people in the same field and in the same market that have had a hard time finding decent jobs.
Here’s my not-so-secret secret: I had a decent résumé, paired with a killer cover letter, distributed via an online job search platform.
- Will this position teach me a practical skill that can be used outside the industry?
- Will this position provide the opportunity to make more money than my current position?
- Will this position challenge me enough to keep me interested?
Because of this mindset, and the fact that I have had so many different ideas of what I may want to do with my life, I have worked in quite a few niches; which means I have had quite a few seemingly unrelated jobs and have had many interviews.
During my last job hunt, I was not even in the same state when I started applying for jobs. In fact, I had over 10 interviews scheduled by the time I returned to good ol’ Minnesota! Less than a week had passed since I had applied for the first position and most of these interviews were schedules within 1 or 2 days after my applications were submitted.
When I finally got home, I got healthy offers from each of the companies with which I had interviewed with the exception of those whose interviews I cut short when I realized they were not a good fit. I accepted one of the originally offered positions, and respectfully informed the other companies that I was no longer on the market.
Side note: For the next couple of months, I kept getting phone calls and emails asking for interviews.
How? Why?
How did I do this all so quickly and while being out of state?
Why were all of these companies so interested in me?
Full disclosure, the jobs I was applying for were in the automotive industry and there is a lot of demand for technicians. So yes, that was a big factor. But I know many people in the same field and in the same market that have had a hard time finding decent jobs.
Here’s my not-so-secret secret: I had a decent résumé, paired with a killer cover letter, distributed via an online job search platform.
This whole "Job Hunt" series is split into 3 separate posts because, although these components may seem “easy peasy lemon squeezy”, they just aren’t—at least not if you want them to be effective.
Part 1: The Decent Résumé
There are tons of articles and books out there about how to write the “perfect” résumé. I am going to discuss a rather simple version that I was taught in high school and it is the same format I use today. However, in a little bit, I will share a secret to make your job search a lot easier and help you cater your résumé to each would-be employer.
Most online job search applications will have a way for you to enter your work history, skills, and education directly into their site, but for now, stick with a Microsoft Word or Google Drive document. I prefer Google Drive because it’s free (and I’m all about free stuff) and it is easily accessible from any computer or smartphone. Oh yeah, and it’s free!
You can play around with different formatting options but it is professional to stick with left alignment (the header excluded) and 12 point font. Due to some fun research that showed college papers typed in Georgia font have a notably larger average grade than those typed in Times New Roman, I recommend using Georgia. It is believed that after professors have poured over multiple papers written in Times New Roman, they subconsciously favor Georgia because it provides them a much needed (yet subtle) change. Georgia, like Times New Roman, is a Serif font so it looks similar and is considered more professional than popular sans-serif fonts like Calibri and Arial. Do what you want, but I enjoy the thought of the subtle psychological edge this may give you.
First things first: Add a header.
I like to keep this simple. First and Last name on the top line, followed by your address using the next two lines. After you’ve done that, add your phone number on the next line, and your email address on the one after that. Bold your name, Center align the whole header, and you’re good to go!
It should look something like this:
Part 1: The Decent Résumé
There are tons of articles and books out there about how to write the “perfect” résumé. I am going to discuss a rather simple version that I was taught in high school and it is the same format I use today. However, in a little bit, I will share a secret to make your job search a lot easier and help you cater your résumé to each would-be employer.
Most online job search applications will have a way for you to enter your work history, skills, and education directly into their site, but for now, stick with a Microsoft Word or Google Drive document. I prefer Google Drive because it’s free (and I’m all about free stuff) and it is easily accessible from any computer or smartphone. Oh yeah, and it’s free!
You can play around with different formatting options but it is professional to stick with left alignment (the header excluded) and 12 point font. Due to some fun research that showed college papers typed in Georgia font have a notably larger average grade than those typed in Times New Roman, I recommend using Georgia. It is believed that after professors have poured over multiple papers written in Times New Roman, they subconsciously favor Georgia because it provides them a much needed (yet subtle) change. Georgia, like Times New Roman, is a Serif font so it looks similar and is considered more professional than popular sans-serif fonts like Calibri and Arial. Do what you want, but I enjoy the thought of the subtle psychological edge this may give you.
First things first: Add a header.
I like to keep this simple. First and Last name on the top line, followed by your address using the next two lines. After you’ve done that, add your phone number on the next line, and your email address on the one after that. Bold your name, Center align the whole header, and you’re good to go!
It should look something like this:
Now it’s time to get into the body of your résumé. The main sections that are needed are Education and Work Experience. The other sections I recommend are Volunteer Experience,
Activities, Honors, Hobbies, and Certifications. There are mixed opinions in résumé writing articles, books, and posts about what sections should be included and in which order they should be. I recommend Education, Certifications, Work Experience, Volunteering, Honors, Activities, and finally Hobbies.
Education:
The education section not only tells the evaluator where you went to school and in which field you studied but also gives her an idea of your commitment level. For instance, in theory, someone with a master’s degree in Chemistry may have quite a bit more intellectual stamina than someone who dropped out of high school halfway through his freshman year.
Include your education starting with your most recent attendance. If you are in college, recently graduated college, or did not go to college, you should include your high school information as well. If you finished college a while ago or if you have obtained a graduate degree or achieved your doctorate, you can leave out your high school information altogether.
Include the name of the school and it’s location, the degree gained, your graduation date (or years of attendance if you did not graduate), and your cumulative GPA (Grade Point Average) if it is over a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If you went to college but did not graduate, you can state your declared major if it is relevant to the job you are seeking or you can leave it out.
It should look something like this:
Activities, Honors, Hobbies, and Certifications. There are mixed opinions in résumé writing articles, books, and posts about what sections should be included and in which order they should be. I recommend Education, Certifications, Work Experience, Volunteering, Honors, Activities, and finally Hobbies.
Education:
The education section not only tells the evaluator where you went to school and in which field you studied but also gives her an idea of your commitment level. For instance, in theory, someone with a master’s degree in Chemistry may have quite a bit more intellectual stamina than someone who dropped out of high school halfway through his freshman year.
Include your education starting with your most recent attendance. If you are in college, recently graduated college, or did not go to college, you should include your high school information as well. If you finished college a while ago or if you have obtained a graduate degree or achieved your doctorate, you can leave out your high school information altogether.
Include the name of the school and it’s location, the degree gained, your graduation date (or years of attendance if you did not graduate), and your cumulative GPA (Grade Point Average) if it is over a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If you went to college but did not graduate, you can state your declared major if it is relevant to the job you are seeking or you can leave it out.
It should look something like this:
Next, add a Certifications section.
This is optional. In some industries, these are very important and can make or break the hiring decision. In others, they simply don’t matter. You likely already know what certifications are important in your industry. And if you have them, it is worth noting.
That may look like this:
This is optional. In some industries, these are very important and can make or break the hiring decision. In others, they simply don’t matter. You likely already know what certifications are important in your industry. And if you have them, it is worth noting.
That may look like this:
Work Experience:
Now, it’s time to think back to any jobs you have performed, no matter how small or how unrelated to your desired field.
List the name of the company, the position you held (including the date range), and your duties. As an option, you can also include whether it was full-time, part-time, or seasonal. This can help explain overlapping dates.
It should look like this:
Now, it’s time to think back to any jobs you have performed, no matter how small or how unrelated to your desired field.
List the name of the company, the position you held (including the date range), and your duties. As an option, you can also include whether it was full-time, part-time, or seasonal. This can help explain overlapping dates.
It should look like this:
____________
Franklin’s Automotive Group, Minnesotaville, MN
Automotive Technician (January 2018-Current)
Warranty and customer-pay diagnosis and repair including electrical, mechanical, and accessory.
American Motor Holdings, Minneapolis, MN
Automotive Technician (February 2017-January 2018): Diagnosed and repaired cars, trucks, and S.U.V.s
Sales Representative (May 2016-February 2017): Sold new and pre-owned vehicles; customer service; negotiated price/built and held value; organized vehicles on the sales lot.
Speedy Snow Removal, Minnesotaville, MN
Seasonal Plow operator (December 2014-Current)
After-hours commercial snow removal; preventative maintenance.
_____________________
Franklin’s Automotive Group, Minnesotaville, MN
Automotive Technician (January 2018-Current)
Warranty and customer-pay diagnosis and repair including electrical, mechanical, and accessory.
American Motor Holdings, Minneapolis, MN
Automotive Technician (February 2017-January 2018): Diagnosed and repaired cars, trucks, and S.U.V.s
Sales Representative (May 2016-February 2017): Sold new and pre-owned vehicles; customer service; negotiated price/built and held value; organized vehicles on the sales lot.
Speedy Snow Removal, Minnesotaville, MN
Seasonal Plow operator (December 2014-Current)
After-hours commercial snow removal; preventative maintenance.
_____________________
Remember to include every position you have held. If you held multiple positions at the same company, or if you were promoted over time, be sure to include that as well. This will show your potential employer that you are someone who does not settle and is willing to work hard to get to the next level. Basically, you are showing them that your current or previous employer valued you enough to give you a promotion. It gives your potential employer peace-of-mind knowing that your last employer did not regret their decision to hire you.
The next section (like many) is optional but can show that you are a team player, willing to go the extra mile, and are motivated by more than money:
Volunteer Experience
Mention the organizations for which you worked, the duties you performed, and the duration and even the frequency of service.
Pro tip: employers love seeing people who put others before themselves. If you are a student, your résumé may look very light and it may seem like there is very little you can do to improve it. The Volunteer Experience is going to be your secret weapon. If you volunteer at a local food bank once a week, go on a missions trip to another city or country, or if you volunteer at the local humane society, it will help supplement a short or nonexistent Work Experience section as well as provide valuable professional references. On top of that, it may help you learn to work in a team setting, stick to a schedule, resolve problems, and gain customer service skills. All of this will be music to an employer’s ears!
Next up is the Honors section.
This, like your high school information, will likely pertain to those still in or freshly out of school. This is where you will list any academic or professional awards, scholarships, etc. If you lettered in high school basketball, mention it here. If you got an academic scholarship, mention it here. If you made it on the Dean’s list, mention it here.
The honors, activities, and hobbies sections are extremely customizable and often contain a level of redundancy. Some people prefer to include high school sports in the activities section only and include their letters in the same section. Do what feels right for you.
Side note: if you have had any papers published in a notable publication, you can add that here as well.
At this point, as your interviewer is coming to the end of your résumé, she has already gained the bulk of the knowledge she needs to deem you capable of getting the job done. Now, it is time to show her that there is more to you than your skills in front of a computer or on a sales floor. Now, you can show her who you are outside of work.
The honors, activities, and hobbies sections are extremely customizable and often contain a level of redundancy. Some people prefer to include high school sports in the activities section only and include their letters in the same section. Do what feels right for you.
Side note: if you have had any papers published in a notable publication, you can add that here as well.
At this point, as your interviewer is coming to the end of your résumé, she has already gained the bulk of the knowledge she needs to deem you capable of getting the job done. Now, it is time to show her that there is more to you than your skills in front of a computer or on a sales floor. Now, you can show her who you are outside of work.
Activities:
Under activities, it is appropriate to list any organized extracurricular activities in which you are involved. This can be school or church choirs, student council, sports, just about anything. If you are a student, this is another section you can use to show you are willing to put in hard work. Even if you were not selected for the All-State band, the fact that you have been in the band for a few years shows a level of dedication.
As mentioned earlier, résumés are highly customizable. There will likely be a lot of cross-over between activities and hobbies. Someone who listed track under activities will likely mention “running” under hobbies. The difference with hobbies is that it does not have to be an organized activity. It can be individualized. Training my dog, working on motorcycles, collecting coins, whatever!
Some people say the hobby section is unnecessary and even unprofessional but I strongly disagree. In my eyes, besides showing that you are not just another cog in the wheel, it also provides an opportunity to build instant rapport. If the guy looking over your résumé has never once been hiking, and you include in your Hobbies section that you love hiking, will it damage your chances for the job? No! Of course not! He will simply pass over it without much of a thought or even think that you are an adventurous person. But, what if the guy looking over your résumé happens to also enjoy hiking? What if his best friend, father, sister, or roommate enjoys hiking? Your résumé will naturally stick out. You will have a conversation point. You will have found some common ground either directly or in-directly before you step foot into the office for an interview before you speak to each other, and before he even sets down your résumé.
As mentioned earlier, résumés are highly customizable. There will likely be a lot of cross-over between activities and hobbies. Someone who listed track under activities will likely mention “running” under hobbies. The difference with hobbies is that it does not have to be an organized activity. It can be individualized. Training my dog, working on motorcycles, collecting coins, whatever!
Some people say the hobby section is unnecessary and even unprofessional but I strongly disagree. In my eyes, besides showing that you are not just another cog in the wheel, it also provides an opportunity to build instant rapport. If the guy looking over your résumé has never once been hiking, and you include in your Hobbies section that you love hiking, will it damage your chances for the job? No! Of course not! He will simply pass over it without much of a thought or even think that you are an adventurous person. But, what if the guy looking over your résumé happens to also enjoy hiking? What if his best friend, father, sister, or roommate enjoys hiking? Your résumé will naturally stick out. You will have a conversation point. You will have found some common ground either directly or in-directly before you step foot into the office for an interview before you speak to each other, and before he even sets down your résumé.
That’s it! Kind of…
Now you should have a very in-depth résumé. For some, this is going to be very long and will show work from several different industries. Keep this résumé on file and updated it periodically. When you are about to apply for a job, however, make a copy of the résumé that you can edit down. Take some time to think about what the hiring manager is looking for. When looking at your chocolate shop work experience, will she be more interested in your chocolate shelf restocking job duties or the fact that you were responsible for inventory management? The answer will change depending on which job you are seeking.
Keep your “Master résumé” but develop a trimmed and altered résumé for each position (or at least each position type) for which you apply. Design each altered résumé to speak directly to the hiring manager for that position. If you do this right, the person reviewing your application should frantically be dialing your number to schedule an interview before they finish reviewing the other résumés in their to-review pile. Your cover letter will also greatly increase the chances of a similar response and together, along with good interview skills (which will be discussed in a later post) will put you in a good position for salary, sign-on bonus, and schedule negotiation.
Keep your “Master résumé” but develop a trimmed and altered résumé for each position (or at least each position type) for which you apply. Design each altered résumé to speak directly to the hiring manager for that position. If you do this right, the person reviewing your application should frantically be dialing your number to schedule an interview before they finish reviewing the other résumés in their to-review pile. Your cover letter will also greatly increase the chances of a similar response and together, along with good interview skills (which will be discussed in a later post) will put you in a good position for salary, sign-on bonus, and schedule negotiation.
Go get 'em!
I hope I have been able to teach you something today that will positively influence your income in the near future! Take a look at the example résumé below to get a better idea of the formatting!
If you would like one-on-one help with your finances which can include résumé development and job acquisition, or if you can’t wait to hear about cover letters and the most effective way to job-hunt, click the link above to schedule a Free Coaching Consultation using ZOOM. It is simply a half-hour meeting that will help us decide if a coaching session is right for you.
In closing, I want to give you a few tips to make your résumé as effective as possible:
1. Download Grammarly
-Grammarly is a spellchecker on steroids. It can be used as a standalone application but I prefer to use the Chrome Extension. It corrects spelling, punctuation, and even grammar. On top of that, it even gives recommendations to help improve my writing and gives me live feedback about how my writing “feels”. It lets me know if I sound too formal, during an email to a friend or too casual when I am writing an article to submit to the paper. It is invaluable when it comes to résumés. I have spoken to many men and women in charge of hiring and most of them agree on one thing: if there is a spelling error in a résumé, they will not bother with an interview. Grammarly goes beyond normal built-in spellcheck platforms because it can tell when a word is used incorrectly whereas other platforms can only tell if it is spelled incorrectly. This can literally make or break the review process.
Note: When typing the previous sentence, I initially wrote “make or brake” rather than “make or break” (using the automotive noun brake rather than the verb break) and Grammarly pointed it out immediately! Correctly spelled word—incorrect usage.
Visit directingdollars.com and click on today's episode (Writing a Decent Résumé) to learn about 5 other easy-to-use tips and tricks to make your résumé stand out!
2. Use a text-to-voice program
-Text-to-voice programs (such as naturalreaders.com) are wonderful tools. How it works is simple: Copy your résumé, paste it into naturalreaders.com or another platform, and hit the “play” button! You can now listen to your résumé being read to you.
This is very useful because, when you read something you wrote, it is processed differently than when you hear something you wrote. When reading your own work, it is easy for your mind to fill in the blanks or to automatically correct errors. When you are listening to your work, you will easily be able to hear mis-spelled or mis-used words. It is very useful when you do not have access to a proofreader or even as a secondary measure before or after someone has proofread your work.
3 Have two people proof-read and give feedback
-As I alluded to in the previous tip, it is important to have someone else proofread your résumé. A live proofreader can not only find misspelled and misused words but can also tell you when a sentence is too wordy or even inform you of how your document “feels”. These are all things that Grammarly can help with as well.
4. Double-check contact information
-Take the time to double check your info! This is easily missed if you have not applied for jobs in a while and are sprucing up an old résumé. Your old phone number or address my not stick out like a sore thumb when you or a friend are proofreading and no amount of fancy software will point out that mistake!
1. Download Grammarly
-Grammarly is a spellchecker on steroids. It can be used as a standalone application but I prefer to use the Chrome Extension. It corrects spelling, punctuation, and even grammar. On top of that, it even gives recommendations to help improve my writing and gives me live feedback about how my writing “feels”. It lets me know if I sound too formal, during an email to a friend or too casual when I am writing an article to submit to the paper. It is invaluable when it comes to résumés. I have spoken to many men and women in charge of hiring and most of them agree on one thing: if there is a spelling error in a résumé, they will not bother with an interview. Grammarly goes beyond normal built-in spellcheck platforms because it can tell when a word is used incorrectly whereas other platforms can only tell if it is spelled incorrectly. This can literally make or break the review process.
Note: When typing the previous sentence, I initially wrote “make or brake” rather than “make or break” (using the automotive noun brake rather than the verb break) and Grammarly pointed it out immediately! Correctly spelled word—incorrect usage.
Visit directingdollars.com and click on today's episode (Writing a Decent Résumé) to learn about 5 other easy-to-use tips and tricks to make your résumé stand out!
2. Use a text-to-voice program
-Text-to-voice programs (such as naturalreaders.com) are wonderful tools. How it works is simple: Copy your résumé, paste it into naturalreaders.com or another platform, and hit the “play” button! You can now listen to your résumé being read to you.
This is very useful because, when you read something you wrote, it is processed differently than when you hear something you wrote. When reading your own work, it is easy for your mind to fill in the blanks or to automatically correct errors. When you are listening to your work, you will easily be able to hear mis-spelled or mis-used words. It is very useful when you do not have access to a proofreader or even as a secondary measure before or after someone has proofread your work.
3 Have two people proof-read and give feedback
-As I alluded to in the previous tip, it is important to have someone else proofread your résumé. A live proofreader can not only find misspelled and misused words but can also tell you when a sentence is too wordy or even inform you of how your document “feels”. These are all things that Grammarly can help with as well.
4. Double-check contact information
-Take the time to double check your info! This is easily missed if you have not applied for jobs in a while and are sprucing up an old résumé. Your old phone number or address my not stick out like a sore thumb when you or a friend are proofreading and no amount of fancy software will point out that mistake!