5 Tips to Tweek Your Resume

Inspired by an article in an employment paper, I decided to throw my hat into the ring. When I read the article, "5 Steps To Updating Your Resume" I thought, "This is what motivational writing is all about." I felt good when I read that headline. It spelled hope, for my career oriented goals. Yes, I am self employed, but not independently so. And work, for an employer, is still in the picture while I build my empire. So I asked myself, "What do I know about resume help that I can pass on to others?" "What experiences have I had, and learned from, where the readership can be forewarned?" So here's my five tips to update your resume.

1. The latest trend is HTML resumes. These are highly stylized documents, that result in a very attractive, professional resume. They use blocks, background colors, lines and/or subtle images in the design. There are a few companies on the internet that sell them for approximatley $250.

2. Present your references under separate cover. Have a separate sheet for each resume addressing the following;

• What your relationship is to the person
• How long you have known them
• Why you are the right person for the job
• Any characteristics that make you more suitable for the position
• Any personal knowledge the reference may have about you in a work environment

And, do submit your resume in a matching business envelope (as the resume paper). It's details such as this that make a difference.

3. Open a professional business page on Facebook, Twitter or Myspace. By creating a professional business page, you allow the employer the opportunity to understand more about you. Employers are now interested in seeing an online business profile during the candidate selection process. A business page will tell the employer you are business saavy and give more insight to you-as a job candidate.

4. Do not include a photo of yourself unless you're applying for a job in one of the performing arts, such as acting, dancing and modeling, or, as a host, for example, on television stations that sell products. Instead, should you prefer to include a photo of yourself, do it on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. page. Then, a picture would be appropriate and expected.

5. Do be sure to include a cover letter. It's your calling card to summarize your skills, how you will fit in the organization, and what you can offer the employer. And go strong on what you can realistically bring to the employer. How the employer can benefit from hiring you is the primary focus in a depressed job market, as is current.

And, for resumes via email, the email should serve as the cover letter with the resume as an attachment in multiple formats. Give the employer a choice; text, Word, PDF, HTML etc. The worse scenario would be for the employer to be unable to open your attachment, because their email program doesn't format it correctly. In such cases, it may not be worth the extra effort to the employer. Go the extra step and smooth the employer's access to you.