The Resume Makeover: 50 Common Problems with Your Resume and Cover Letter - and How to Fix Them / Edition 1

by John Marcus

Overview

Clear, quick, effective solutions to the 50 most common resume problems

"No matter how much you think you know about writing resumes, you'll learn something new.  I'd recommend this book to anyone conducting or anticipating a job search."—Laura Lorber, Managing Editor, CareerJournal.com

In this solution-oriented guide, bestselling careers author John J. Marcus zeros in on the 50 most common resume writing problems and offers easy-to-perform fixes for each.

Among other crucial lessons, readers learn how to identify and deal effectively with job history problems, skill-set deficiencies, poor visual presentation, and formatting problems.

A compelling feature that distinguishes The Resume Makeover from all the competition is its unique quick-reference, "Before & After" format. Each chapter focuses on one common problem and offers a proven solution, along with before-and-after documents illustrating how a few simple changes can significantly improve a resume.

In addition, readers learn:

• How to write a resume in half the usual time
• Strategies for changing careers or reentering the workforce
• Key words and phrases to include
• How to write high-impact cover letters
• The five areas in which all recruiters and employers grade resumes, and how to ace each one

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071410571
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	04/22/2003
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

John J. Marcus consults to many Fortune 500 executives and, recently, a United States ambassador. He has written two career books, including The Complete Job Interview Handbook, plus many articles for the Wall Street Journal's career website and former career newspaper, National Business Employment Weekly.

Table of Contents

	Preface	v
	Acknowledgments	vi
Part I	Writing Your Resume and Cover Letters
1	What This Book Is All About	3
2	Creating Your Resume	7
	The Experience Section	10
	The Education Section	17
	The Secondary Sections	20
	The Introductory Section	25
	Resume Mechanics	41
3	Writing High-Impact Cover Letters	55
Part II	Fixing the 50 Common Problems in Writing Resumes and Cover Letters
	Problems with Presenting Work Experience in Resumes	79
1.	Omitting an Introductory Section	80
2.	Writing Too Lengthy an Introductory Section	82
3.	Using a Typical Introductory Section	84
4.	Stating Responsibilities, Not Accomplishments	86
5.	Stating Accomplishments Only in General Terms	88
6.	Placing Most Important Accomplishments at End of Discussion of Experiences	90
7.	Presenting Work Experience in Chronological Order	92
8.	Providing Only Job Titles, with No Discussion of Activities	94
9.	Providing Only Job Functions, with No Discussion of Activities	96
10.	Offering Too Much Information on Employers, Responsibilities, and Activities Performed	98
11.	Providing a Narrative Discussion That Summarizes an Entire Career	100
12.	A History of Job Hopping	102
13.	Numerous Periods of Unemployment	104
14.	Stating Reasons for Each Job Change	106
15.	Being Close to or Past Retirement Age	108
16.	A History of Unrelated Positions	112
17.	Lacking the Experience a Position Traditionally Requires	114
18.	Required Experience Appears in an Early Job	116
19.	Recent Decreases in Responsibility	118
20.	The Resume Contains an Embarrassing Position	120
21.	Dividing Key Accomplishments between Resume and Cover Letter	122
	Problems with Clarity and Word Choice in Resumes	127
22.	Failure to Discuss Accomplishments in Statements Beginning with Action Verbs	128
23.	Word Repetition, Especially in Beginning Statements	130
24.	Using "I" and "My," Especially to Begin Statements	132
25.	Beginning Statements in an Inconsistent Way	134
26.	Continuous Use of Cliches and Buzz Words in Introductory Section	136
27.	Using Unclear, Confusing, or Generally Poor Language	138
28.	Making Rambling Statements Versus Crisp, Concise Ones	140
	Problems with Composition/Appearance/Formatting in Resumes	143
29.	Four or More Pages in Length	144
30.	Insufficient White Space	150
31.	Lacking Bold Type to Highlight Key Parts of the Resume	152
32.	Excessive Use of Bold Type	154
33.	Using a Fancy Font	156
34.	Using Multiple Fonts	158
35.	Using Extra Large Type	160
36.	Using Too Small Type	162
37.	Writing a One-Page Accomplishments-Focused Resume	164
38.	Experience Presented in Paragraph Form and Without Bullets	166
39.	Utilizing a Two-Column, Multiple-Font Format	168
40.	Utilizing the Functional Format	170
41.	Utilizing the Accomplishments Format	174
42.	Placing a Border on a Resume	178
	Cover Letter Problems	181
43.	Writing Too Brief a Letter	182
44.	Omitting Accomplishments and Stating Only Responsibilities	184
45.	Writing a Letter Devoid of Enthusiasm	186
46.	Beginning a Letter with Philosophical, Global Statements	188
47.	Providing a Career Summary in Chronological Order	190
48.	Offering a Narrative Presentation with Excessive Use of "I" and "My"	192
49.	Focusing on Personal Needs, Not on Value Being Offered	194
50.	Writing a Two-Page Letter	196
	Index	199