How to Perfect Your Resume/CV by Capitalizing on Your Work Experience
Employers skim over your qualifications, but do relate more to your Work Experience on your Resume/CV… In the past employers would have been satisfied with a brief description of your previous employer and your duties and roles performed during that employment. However, today as we see a tough job market, we also see a change in the attitude of employers. They need to see a longer description of your performance and duties in order to see the relevance you have for the current job available.
That said therefore, you may need to tweak these roles, duties and performance explanations and statistics for different employers. Your Work Experience section of your Resume/CV should leave the employer with a clear picture of where you have worked, what skills are evident and what experience you have related to the vacancy available.
So how do you best approach this task? First and foremost be aware how powerful WORDS are… Use words that describe actions in your previous roles, such as: delegate, coordinate, investigate, instigate, evaluate, examine, formulate, identify, yield, reconcile, prescribe, support and many more other action verbs. Suddenly the picture you’re painting becomes powerful and not just dreary.
Another aspect that many people forget to include is the role of ‘decision maker’ – How can an employer know of your capabilities if you haven’t given an example of what tasks you’ve previously been involved in; and no doubt completed them successfully. You may for example have been an important part of achieving a $million target, or perhaps you resolved a software computer error through research. Whatever successes you’ve had in your career to date should be reflected as Work Experience in your Resume/CV.
Don’t forget that the layout of your Resume/CV is of paramount importance. If your resume flows onto several pages then index the important aspects of your career on the first page. Employers don’t have the time to read everything on your resume when they are initially preparing the selection process. Each and every profession has different priorities when sifting through 50 resume’s to determine a shortlist. If academic qualifications are more important than experience then make sure they are listed first. If your application is for someone who is more experienced based then make sure the experience appears first.