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It’s no secret: job seeking is hard. It’s stressful, frustrating and generally scary. And constructing a good resume and cover letter doesn’t take away from the stress.
When applying for a job, remember that you are trying to impress someone. That doesn’t mean don’t be true to yourself, but you do want to put your best, most impressive foot forward. Your cover letter should express the precise reason why you want to work for that specific employer and what you have to offer them. It should be tailor made for them and should NOT be a reused template. On the subject of templates, some employers recognize the templates that Mac computers produce. This may or maybe not be in your best interest to use such widely-recognized templates, but if your main objective is to have esthetic appeal, then Mac resume templates may be for you.
But what about the age old question of number of resume pages? Well, sorry to disappoint, but there still isn’t a definite answer. One page is concise, to the point and forces you to stick to the bare minimum of details. It gives you the opportunity to say exactly what you want to say without the frills. But for some, a one-page resume only creates a list that restricts them from actually telling employers exactly what qualifies them for the job. A two-page resume may be a good compromise to detail your educational and employment career. It’s simply a matter of taste.
Finally, check out what social networking sites have to offer for references. LinkedIn and Plaxo are known business-oriented social networking sites and give you a whole new perspective on your job search. Also, check out Visual CV, Xing and Razume for fabulous resume-building tips.
In conclusion, your resume represents you when you can’t be there to represent yourself. Make sure it is informative, to the point and well presented. In the end, it may just be the difference of whether you get a call, or end up with the many others that eventually end up in the trash.
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