When you're looking for a job you need either a resume or a curriculum vitae, depending on the type of job you are applying for and where you live.
If you're not sure which to use, here's how to choose between a resume and a CV including which to use for international, academic, education, scientific or research job applications, and what the differences are between resumes and curriculum vitae.
When a resume is what you need, review these resume tips for choosing a type of resume, selecting a resume font, customizing your resume, using resume keywords, explaining employment gaps, reviewing resume examples, and more tips for writing interview winning resumes.
For job seekers writing a curriculum vitae, these CV writing tips, including writing a CV for academia, writing a European CV, customizing your curriculum vitae, and writing effective covering letters, will help get you write a CV that gets noticed.
Next, take a look at these 10 job search tips that will help your hunt for a new job go smoothly, as well as what you need to know to conduct an online job search.
Top 10 CV, Resume, and Cover Letter Tips
Image Copyright JLGutierrez
Right away I will admit that I am a resume writer, and as such am biased. Most people I speak with tell me their resume is great – it just needs a tune up. But when I see it, it is ghastly. We are talking about a simple document that could easily change the course of your life. Properly done it could lead to a more satisfying career, or a significantly larger salary. Yet people try to save a few bucks and do it themselves. This is not a logical strategy. Hire someone who does this all day, and has for years. Get someone who understands your industry, and knows what hiring managers are looking for.
Beware, because there are many terrible companies posing as professional resume services. Consider that a proper resume will take a skilled writer at least several hours to write. That business has overhead as well. If they are offering to write your resume for a very low price, ask yourself – “how much time would I put into a job for that amount of money?” I know for a fact some companies have their employees average 3 resumes per hour (with predictable results). You can’t get 4 hours of a highly trained professional’s time for $79.
Beware companies where you can’t speak to the writer voice to voice. Some places are using students to cut and paste your information into templates. If you can talk to the writer personally you can get a sense if they are any good.
Being a “certified” writer is no guarantee of expertise. It is an unregulated industry, and some of the “certification” agencies are little Mickey Mouse companies with no real expertise.
Any one can format a resume. But you need skill to translate your experience in well-targeted, hard hitting achievement statements that will get you noticed.
Good luck!
Richard Brunt
cutting-edge-resumes.com
Any information or help for those who are disabled (mentally challenged, physically handicapped, blind, deaf, etc.), as it seems they have a harder time finding employment more than any other sector.