An Introduction To Free Sample Resumes

Increasing competition in the job market has provided a job seeker the status of a commodity that needs to be marketed properly. Resumes are to be structured to woo the market by working on the presentational skills. There are free sample resumes that guide in this process of presentation and can be obtained from the Internet. The placement cells of different universities also provide free sample resumes. Some consultation agencies provide assistance in resume making and charge a fee. However, the Internet is the most reliable source of finding free resumes.

There are many sites on the Internet that offer free sample resumes. They have resume templates for a wide variety of professions. Users can download these templates from the net and can further customize the resume according to their requirements. A resume should be timely modified with additional experiences. Apart from the resume templates, these sites also provide free sample covering letters, which are used to send resumes by post.

The Web sites also provide specific industrial resumes. The requirements of an airline industry differ from those of teaching. They provide different ways of presenting information as per the industry. Hence, industry specific resumes are a must. Apart from this, free sample resumes also guide experienced people by helping them present their credentials in a better manner. Sample resumes cater to almost every possible industry, ranging from manufacturing and commerce to technology and teaching.

Some Web sites provide interdisciplinary resumes, but these are not free of cost. The user has to pay a fixed amount to get the resume made as per his or her requirements. This is known as a customized resume.

Free sample resumes provide guidance in preparing a new resume, though every feature in them may not be always be necessary. Thus one should not entirely depend on these resumes and should pick only the essential components when compiling their own document.

Aggressively Written Resumes

When writing resumes, it is important to remember whom it is you're trying to please - (is it you, or the hiring authority?) In this article I will present my ideas of what makes up really aggressive documents, based on my many years in the industry, and my career in owning and managing a successful resume writing and career marketing firm.

Who Is Reading Your Resume?

Make no mistake about it, aggressive documents are necessary to be successful in today's competitive job search. But first, some history. Let's examine some of the "hiring authorities." Before my career in the resume writing industry, I spent several years as an executive recruiter, placing mid- and senior-level executives in top corporations. Eventually, I managed that firm, which employed 24 recruiters working 10 "desks." A "desk" is a specialty: finance, banking, engineering, information systems, legal, are all known as "desks" and each recruiter (or team of recruiters) specialized in placing upper managers and executives in a chosen field.

I no longer place candidates, and devote all my energies to resumes and the career marketing industry as a whole, and my own firm in particular. However, I still have many connections with recruiters, and have respect for the really great ones, and distaste for the all-too-often bad ones!

I think it's important to remember that these days, people in career transition are driven to explore many methods in their job search. In the past, it was much easier to look for a job - individuals simply read the classified ads, called the telephone number listed and chatted with the person over the phone, setting up an in-person interview for the next day. What a snap!

These days, however, the job search is much more complex. Competition for employment has never been greater. The entire process is often drawn-out, depersonalized and hard, hard, hard! Resumes are no longer just asked for, they are DEMANDED. In reality, they are a prerequisite for a job search.

My point is, you have to remember what the resume's purpose actually is and write accordingly. The dynamics in this field are very exciting but also very volatile. The buzz words are forever changing. Companies, for example, were at one time laying-off, then downsizing... rightsizing... reorganizing, and now reengineering. Whew!

Recruiters, company hiring managers and human resources professionals are all components in your job search, and it is the resume's job to land interviews.

I routinely speak with professional recruiters, H.R. professionals and hiring managers to get their reactions and opinions to resume styles, formats, contents and verbiage. Remembering that resumes are actually marketing pieces designed to sell you to potential employers, aggressive resumes are NOT simply a listing of your work experience or your biography (life on paper).

What Makes A "Winning" Resume?

Here are some of my methods and suggestions for writing aggressive resumes, based on my own experience as a recruiter, my interaction with hiring professionals and employment specialists and my clients' success rate in obtaining interviews within 30 days.

Successful resumes need to SELL you over and above your peers and they create a sense of urgency for the reader to pick up the phone and call (or email) you to arrange an interview. Otherwise, the alternative is the reader scans the resume, thinks, "Yeah, this person has a good background," and then moves on to scan the next resume, pitching your resume in the old "circular file."

So let's examine some ways to write aggressive, up-to-the-minute resumes that really SELL you.

OBJECTIVES

There are lots of opinions about whether or not to use an objective, or just how to do so, if one IS used. The only "given" about the use of an objective, is definitely NOT to use one on senior level resumes. A CEO, CFO, COO or other executive's resume actually looks/reads silly when an objective is used. But for the mid-level or entry-level candidate, an objective can be useful. Here are a few ways to incorporate the concept into a resume...for a very targeted client who knows exactly what she/he wants:

BUYER...PURCHASING MANAGER...PROCUREMENT AGENT

or, for someone seeking to remain in their career pattern: EXPERIENCED COST ACCOUNTANT seeks a position with a progressive organization that will utilize a successful career to meet/exceed company goals.

or, for a client who has several fields she/he want to pursue: Results-oriented manager seeks a position with advancement opportunities; areas of interest include retail, electronics and communications technology.

or, if someone wants to change careers: AGGRESSIVE individual seeks a career in sales utilizing strong interpersonal skills to penetrate untapped markets and build a loyal client base.

What you'll notice in the above cases, is what's stressed in the objective: the BENEFIT the COMPANY will receive if they hire the candidate. What is not stated is what YOU want. Companies don't care what you want - they want to know what you can do for THEM.

A flaw in writing objectives, is that they sometimes just say the same thing that 78+ other resumes sitting on the hiring authority's desk state: Seeking a challenging position that will utilize my skills in editing, proofreading and copy writing.

Oh, that's exciting...makes you just want to jump to the phone and give that person a call, doesn't it? Stating that the person is seeking a challenging position is ridiculous. Would you ever state that you were seeking a boring position? Of course not - so don't state the obvious - it's a cliché.

REFERENCES PROVIDED UPON REQUEST

Using this phrase at the end of the resume is archaic. It's a given (talk about a cliché!), and contemporary resumes omit this. The better approach is to generate a prepared Professional Reference sheet which you can bring with you on interviews and leave with the interviewer when references are requested.

RESPONSIBLE

This word is often so over-used in a resume, that at GetInterviews.com, we never use it. Recruiters employed at retainer-only search firms have told me that the word "responsible" signifies mid-management and below, not executive-level candidates. Personally, I believe the word "responsible" is actually useless in a resume. Instead of writing, "Responsible for all departmental functions including accounts payable/receivable, payroll and invoicing..." I would suggest to use an action word that best depicts what that person actually does - for example, "Perform all departmental functions, including..." or "Oversee all departmental functions, including..." or "Review all departmental functions, including..." See what I mean? "Responsible" doesn't really SAY anything, it doesn't give a clear indication of what you actually do. Do you perform the functions or direct them? "Responsible" is too vague to say which.

MY, MINE, THIS, I

Using words like this in the resume indicates you are writing in a narrative voice, as if you are having an actual conversation, a dialogue with the reader. This is not the case: you are presenting your achievements, skills and credentials to a potential employer. My suggestion would be to keep the resume more business-like, more professional. In descriptions, the word "a" could be substituted for the word "this," as in: "Promoted to a $30 million division of an international widget manufacturer to expand sales into untapped markets" as opposed to "Promoted to this $30 million division...."

ALSO

I have seen this word used when describing daily functions: "Control and administer annual budgets totaling $12 million. Also, interface with vendors to negotiate more favorable terms and gain higher profits." Again, the "also" is a dialogue word, and quite unnecessary. In writing resumes, it is best to do what my Creative Writing professor called "tight writing." That is, to eliminate as many "an's, the's, also's, a's," etc., as possible. They typically aren't necessary and can be cut from the resume without loss of meaning.

NUMBERS

Contrary to the rules of grammar, EXCEPT for academic resumes, it is best to use numerals in a resume rather than spell out the number, even when that number is 10 or under. I know that grammatically, we are taught to spell out numbers like three, five, seven, etc., and write 12, 14, 16, etc. The numerical version, however, jumps off a page, whereas the spelled out version often gets lost. Because resumes are often only scanned by the reader 15-20 seconds, the actual use of numbers helps to capture the readers' attention - they are drawn to the numbers, which means they are spending more time looking at and reading your resume - and that's a GOOD thing! I made the reference above to academic resumes, because teachers, principals and superintendents are very sensitive to grammatical rules, even in resumes. It's best to spell out any number under 10 for these types of resumes. I would never recommend, however, that the words "percentage" or "dollar" be used ("30 percent" or "12 million dollars") - instead, use the symbol, as in 30% or $12 million.

EDUCATION VS. EXPERIENCE

Knowing when to highlight someone's education vs. experience is important. With certain fields (teaching, for example), the general preference is to lead off the resume with the client's credentials and educational background, even if they have considerable experience. Recent college grads should also have their education first, as it is typically their greatest achievement. However, someone who returned to college (part time nights, for example), while concurrently employed full time for the past 9 years as a travel agent, should have their resume lead off with their experience, and NOT emphasize they just obtained their Bachelors degree. They are not entry-level candidates - their experience is more vital to a company than their education. Remember that all resumes do NOT have to lead off with the client's education.

PAST / PRESENT TENSE

Writing in the present tense is always more aggressive than writing in the past tense. Verbs in past tense are in a passive voice, so whenever feasible, write in the present tense. Obviously, if you are still employed, your current job listing is written in the present tense (manage, direct, supervise, control, etc).

PICTURES

Unless you are an actor or model, do not include a picture of yourself under any circumstances. Companies these days are so concerned about EEO lawsuits, discriminatory cases and the like, that at best, they will immediately throw out the picture, or at worst, possibly throw away the entire resume, especially if the picture is printed into the resume. I can guarantee you recruiting firms are highly sensitive to this, as well.

GRAPHICS

Be careful not to make your resumes "too cute." Remember, companies see you as an INVESTMENT - they are spending x amount of dollars to obtain you (salary), and want to see a return on their investment. It is a business negotiation. If the resume appears too "decorative" or distracting because of cute clip art images or overly decorative paper, you may be dismissed and the resume tossed.

PERSONAL INFO

Marital status, date of birth, health, hobbies, etc., are not relevant on a resume these days.

Remember, you aren't writing your biography, you are marketing yourself on paper: why does the employer want to hire YOU above all others, especially when there are 91+ resumes from equally qualified candidates sitting on that decision-maker's desk? Answer that question in the resume, and you will have written a tight, solid, results-oriented resume...in short, a winning, aggressive resume, and the sort of resume that is vital for today's job search - and that of the next millennium.

Architect Resumes Showcase Your Creativity And Commitment To Excellence.

The best resume for an architect will be to showcase his/her previous projects. It could be a software that you architected or a bridge or beautiful house that you designed. Obviously, not everyone will have groundbreaking projects in their resume in the beginning of their career.

The employer will be willing to hear about your creativity, your hardworking nature, your commitment to excellence in your resume as an architect. Following is general information for architects, some will be suitable for the experienced and some not:

A clear cut career and job objective which shows your sense of direction to the employer.
Your resume should have the names of each of your employers and your corresponding job titles.
A brief description about each of your employers, what they are doing if they are not well known.
Your roles and responsibilities in work like planning, analysis, design, implementation and testing.
If you did any budgetary responsibility projects, specify some of the important projects that you have worked on and whether you completed a project on budget and on time.
The number of staff that you manage if applicable for a particular project to show your leadership qualities.
Include some of the problems that you faced in a particular project or a process in your department or company and what action you took to solve that problem and what was the result of it.
To make your resume unique and stand out from others by specifying how you have improved the efficiency and productivity within your department or the company.
New procedures, practices, processes and techniques that you have introduced or developed in your department to enhance the efficiency and productivity.
Include how your techniques and methods saved money or reduced costs for your department or the company.
Include a short note on how you have increased or helped your department, if relevant and for the company in terms of revenue and profits.
Specify if you have any other achievements that have benefited your employers.
Specify how you stay in touch with the latest happenings in the Architect field, may be you are a member of some organizations, or the white papers you presented, meetings you attended etc..