Here's a Sample Resume For You to Use

Greetings, ATS!

I've had a number of folks ask for help in writing their resume, based on this wonderful thread: Unemployment: Help the ATS Family

Just so you know, every job I applied for with this resume had positive things to say about it....and I had my choice of 6 different positions. Of course that was seven years ago, but perhaps this can help you revive your resume.

So I thought it might be easier if I simply posted my resume here for you to copy and paste. I've removed my personal information but left in a lot of the original info so you can see exactly how it was written.

Some advice for writing a stellar resume: Use active voice instead of passive voice. Try to avoid using the words is, was, were, could, would, am, are. These are passive voice verbs. So here's an example of a passive voice sentence and then the same sentence rewritten in active voice: I was in charge of making sure the accounts were correct VS My responsibilities included balancing company accounts......do you see the difference? The second sounds more forceful and powerful, you culd say.

Second tip: Consider adding a picture of yourself in the top corner of your resume. Anything you can do to make it stand out and to make you rememberful to the employeer is a good thing.

Third Tip: Brag on yourself and your accomplishments, but only those accomplishments that might have an impact on the job you are applying for. Its great that you're the Boggle champion in your county, but that's probably not information that will impress your employer. However, accomplishments that require years of effort ARE a great thing to list: black belt in karate, Eagle Scout, etc. because these imply you have the motivation to follow through with your commitments.

Keep in mind this is just a sample resume. If you would like me to give yours a final proofread, you can post it here (remove the personal stuff) or send it to me in a U2U. School is out in a week and while I do have a lot of seminars over the summer I will have some free time to help. Just let me know!

The sample will follow in the next post......

(continued) Sorry about the huge blank space in the first pic below. Obviously you don't want that in your resume.

Bumping this so more people can see....

Nicely done! It makes me realize how bad mine is....And why I dont have a job yet I guess. It's difficult for me because im only 20 and lack the professional expierence and long term education many employers like to see on a résumé. That is the meat of your résumé.

Good advice, in general, however there are other things to consider when doing a resume in the current century.

Most employers require the resume to be sent electronically. This isn't to save a tree, or for convenience. They run them through an automated program to filter out the candidates they will actually have a PERSON contact. Sounds a bit big brother, but it's absolute fact.

Now, more than ever, you have to tailor your resume differently for EACH job you apply for.

See, what happens is, the software compares the resume against certain keywords. These keywords are routinely mentioned in the job posting, and include what they are looking for. Resumes that get a lot of "hits" on these keywords get pushed to the top of the list, and have the best chance of not going in the virtual trash can.

So, in both your cover letter and in your experience and schooling areas, you HAVE to mention the exact keywords you see in the job listing, to have a chance at yours being selected. The more hits, the better your chance at having an actual person look at your resume. If you doubt this, I'd be happy to find some links, but nothing a quick Google won't confirm for you.

Nicely done! It makes me realize how bad mine is....And why I dont have a job yet I guess. It's difficult for me because im only 20 and lack the professional expierence and long term education many employers like to see on a résumé. That is the meat of your résumé.

USE the KEYWORDS (in the following, substitute an actual keyword from the listing for KEYWORD). Even if you only put "familiar with KEYWORD" or "interested in working more with KEYWORD" etc., etc., the fact that it's in will help you get looked at. Also, use your cover letter to SELL yourself to the employer. Just because you haven't fully done the things in the keywords doesn't mean you can't creatively incorporate them into your resume.

And, if I haven't emphasized it enough...keywords, keywords, keywords....

www.quintcareers.com...

reply to post by Gazrok


Now see, I did not know that. Thanks for giving the advice!

Cover letters are another biggie....I can dig mine up and post if someone is interested.

The main thing to remember is you want to stand out to the person doing the hiring (in a good way, of course).

Originally posted by llmacgregor
Nicely done! It makes me realize how bad mine is....And why I dont have a job yet I guess. It's difficult for me because im only 20 and lack the professional expierence and long term education many employers like to see on a résumé. That is the meat of your résumé.

I'll be happy to help you write a resume if you wish. Or I can read yours and offer a critique. You'd be surprised how far a well written resume can get you.

Bumppity bump de bump

reply to post by smyleegrl


Can anyone else offer advice?

reply to post by smyleegrl


Does anyone need help with writing a cover letter?

reply to post by smyleegrl


School is officially out for the summer so I have some free time. If I can help with your resume or cover letter just let me know