Author: Greg Ryan

Hi! Welcome to my Blog. I like to use my experience as both a Certified Résumé Writer and administrator in charge of the candidate selection and interview process for my department to share helpful tips that I have picked up along the way. This blog will be updated frequently. I hope you enjoy it! Positive Testimonials and remembering to “Like” my Facebook page are GREATLY appreciated.

5 Easy Ways to Strengthen Your Résumé

We’ve all been there before. We want to start searching for a new job but we feel like our résumé is lacking. Then doubt begins to creep in that we will be able to land a quality job in our desired field. Either that, or we continue to get passed over for interviews. While visiting this page and considering enlisting the help of a Certified Résumé Writer is a critical step in the right direction, even we can’t simply make stuff up to put on résumés. Luckily, there are easy ways to add more power to your résumé. Here are my top 5 easy ways to strengthen your résumé.

1. Get involved in relevant groups or associations. This will show potential employers that you are invested in your work and serious about becoming a better employee.

2. Attend workshops and conferences. Conferences can be beneficial for multiple reasons. First, the wealth of knowledge shared by leaders in the field is invaluable for improving your potential.  Second, the dedication to being a lifelong learner can look great on a résumé. Third, there are immense networking benefits to attending these workshops (always a plus!).  Even if you have to attend on your own time, it is usually worth it.

3. Further your education and/or credentials. Acquiring additional degrees or certifications will make you a more well-rounded employee and open up doors that were previously out of your reach. Often, these degrees and certifications are preferred when it comes time to apply for promotions and management roles as well.

4. Take on added responsibility at work. If you know that your boss or company needs help in a certain area, ask if you can be of assistance. It will make you look good while simultaneously providing you with new experience and knowledge. Not to mention that you can now include the new responsibilities on your résumé.

5. Volunteer! Volunteer work implies that you are an integral part of your community, a hard worker and simply a good person. None of those can ever be a bad thing. If an employer is deciding between two candidates, they may lean toward someone that they trust to be a team player and good colleague.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

Hi! Welcome to my Blog. I like to use my experience as both a Certified Résumé Writer and administrator in charge of the candidate selection and interview process for my department to share helpful tips that I have picked up along the way. This blog will be updated frequently. I hope you enjoy it! Positive Testimonials and remembering to “Like” my Facebook page are GREATLY appreciated.

7 Areas You Don’t Need To Include On Your Resume Anymore

With the desire to create the perfect resume that includes all key information for employers, it can be difficult to know when you’ve included too much. There are certain areas that not only are unnecessary, but may also decrease your chances of getting a call back when they’re included. Here is a quick rundown of 7 areas that you no longer need to include. 

1. Objective Statement: If you are applying for a financial advisor position, you don’t need a statement saying that you’d like a job as a financial advisor. That’s obvious and wastes valuable space on a resume. Instead, try including an Intro paragraph and/or Summary of Qualifications section that highlights the value you would add to that company/position.

2. Date Created: This was never necessary, but I still see clients saving and sending their resume with the date created in the title. There is no value in that. Be sure to include your name but not a date created.

3. Personal Information Beyond Contact Information: If employers need more personal information, let them ask for it. Your name and contact information is enough for the resume. You also do not need to include a picture on your resume for 99% of job industries.

4. GPA – Unless 3.5 or better: There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your GPA regardless of the final number, but it should only be included on your resume if it’s likely to be higher than most/all applicants. Otherwise, it’s starting you off in a hole if you list a GPA of, let’s say, 3.1 when dozens of other candidates may have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

5. High School Diploma: This doesn’t apply to applicants that are still in college or just graduated. Otherwise, any higher education above high school and real-world work experience should be the focus of your resume.

6. Hobbies: Remember that resume space is limited and an employer’s time is valuable. If you don’t think that the fact that you enjoy hiking will help you land the job, then don’t include it on the resume.

7. References: I’ve mentioned this before, but listing references is no longer necessary. Employers know that you will provide references if/when they are needed. Resume space should solely focus on why you are the best candidate. That being said, it is fine to have a separate document with reference information to bring to interviews.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

Hi! Welcome to my Blog. I like to use my experience as both a Certified Résumé Writer and administrator in charge of the candidate selection and interview process for my department to share helpful tips that I have picked up along the way. This blog will be updated frequently. I hope you enjoy it! Positive Testimonials and remembering to “Like” my Facebook page are GREATLY appreciated.

Top 3 Do’s and Don’ts of an Effective Résumé

One of my responsibilities at work is to lead the interview and hiring process for my department. Over the years, I have noticed certain common inclusions that appear on many résumés. Some good and some bad. Unintentionally, I find myself interviewing candidates with résumés that include the following positive characteristics. Since each résumé and job description are different, there are a plethora of rules I could list here, but in the interest of your time I decided to focus on the top 3 Do’s and Don’ts of an effective résumé.

DO:

1. Be easy on the eye. Résumés that are too wordy and/or unorganized are not pleasing to an employer’s eyes. With sometimes hundreds of résumés to go through, these résumés will often get quickly pushed to the “NO” pile. Make sure your résumé is reader-friendly.

2. Lead with action verbs. Remember that you are highlighting what you have personally accomplished, not your team or company. Action verbs can help show that you are a key part of these successes.

3. Use quantifiable statistics and results when possible. There is no better way to show your effectiveness than to prove it with numbers. Consider the following statements;

1. Worked to increase sales productivity each quarter.
2. Increased sales productivity by 73% last quarter, leading to a profit growth of $1.2M.

Which sounds better? The answer is ‘statement b’. Anyone could make the first statement, but it’s generic and doesn’t hold much weight. The second statement proves that you know how to make the company more money. Employers will like that!

DON’T:

1. Use slang. Just because you and your friends or colleagues know what a word means doesn’t mean that your potential employer will. Key information can easily get lost in translation. The one exception would be commonly used verbiage used in a specific industry.

2. Include outdated and irrelevant past experience. This could give the impression that you are trying to cover up the fact that you don’t have much relevant experience or are unqualified for the position. It’s better to beef up relevant experience to fill space.

3. Lie. This may sound obvious, but the temptation to lie can creep in as you do your best to stand out. While your intentions may be justifiable, having to continue that lie into the interview, and potentially throughout your career, is not worth the trouble. In fact, it can lead to ugly dismissals as well. You should find a job that wants the real you. You’ll be much happier that way.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

Hi! Welcome to my Blog. I like to use my experience as both a Certified Résumé Writer and administrator in charge of the candidate selection and interview process for my department to share helpful tips that I have picked up along the way. This blog will be updated frequently. I hope you enjoy it! Positive Testimonials and remembering to “Like” my Facebook page are GREATLY appreciated.

6 Questions to Answer to Help Prioritize Your Resume

It is easy to get so invested in your resume that you want to include every single piece of information possible from every aspect of your life. The fear of leaving things out is that you will be selling yourself short. While I understand the concern, long-winded resumes lose almost all impact because employers aren’t going to read a five-page resume. Instead, knowing how to best prioritize the information in your resume will lead to maximum impact. Here are the 6 questions that you should ask yourself about information when looking to prioritize your resume.

1. Does it showcase leadership success? If you are trying to move into a leadership position in a management or executive role, then you want to highlight as much leadership and management success as possible.

2. Is it relevant to this job opening? Just because information may sound impressive, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily relevant and important. When it comes down to prioritizing what information to include, go with the bullet points that address the specific needs of this particular job opening.

3. Is the information redundant? If you have already listed this information in another section, or if you have fulfilled this responsibility or accomplishment – and to an even larger/more impressive degree – in a more recent role, then you may be able to do without listing it again. Stating that you managed a team of five 11 years ago isn’t adding value if you’ve also stated that you managed a team of 25 just three years ago.

4. Does it reflect quantifiable achievements? Quantifiable achievements always sound good on a resume compared to generic statements. If you increased revenue by 65% in your first six months at a similar position, that is something that should definitely be included. This would take priority over a general statement somewhere else in your resume.

5. Did you win an award or earn recognition? Winning an award is impressive, even if the employer isn’t fully aware of what the specific award represents. Regardless, it means that you delivered superior work compared to colleagues and competitors in similar positions. That always adds value.

6. Consider Quality vs. Quantity. Each bullet point should be adding value and impact to your resume. Bullet points that don’t align with your career interests or a particular job opening can be eliminated first.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!

Hi! Welcome to my Blog. I like to use my experience as both a Certified Résumé Writer and administrator in charge of the candidate selection and interview process for my department to share helpful tips that I have picked up along the way. This blog will be updated frequently. I hope you enjoy it! Positive Testimonials and remembering to “Like” my Facebook page are GREATLY appreciated.

7 Ways to Make Your Interview a Success – From the One Asking the Questions

For this blog entry, I decided to take a break from focusing specifically on résumés and cover letters to address another topic that I have become very familiar with: The Interview. For many people, simply reading those words can be intimidating. Today, I’m going to show you simple steps to take that will both reduce anxiety while also increasing your chances of getting a job offer. If you have read my previous blog posts, you may know that I regularly select candidates and lead interviews for my department. Since I work for one of the largest companies in the area, this process can occur quite often. I have also been the interviewee on many occasions so I can sympathize with both sides of the interview process. Speaking from an interviewer perspective, here are 7 ways to make your interview a success.

1. Study common interview questions and prepare responses. There are certain common topics addressed in the majority of interviews (these can be found through a simple google search). That is not to say that you will get these exact questions, but chances are that you will be asked something very similar. Having responses ready to go will greatly reduce stress and lead to more elaborate answers as well.

2. Research the employer. While sometimes difficult, it goes a long way to be able to base your responses on specific needs or interests of the employer. This will make it very easy for the interviewer to envision how you will benefit their company.

3. Be a PRO. As in Prepared, Respectful and On-time. Take time to investigate what the job opening requires, brush up on current industry lingo, go back and review everything you have accomplished to this point in your field, etc. It is equally important to be respectful, toward both the people you meet during the interview and to the position itself. Even if the person is someone you just pass by and not in the actual interview, treat them as though they are. You never know who they might know or what position they hold. Also, bringing coffee or food into the interview may give the impression that they don’t have your full attention.  Be sure to formally thank the interviewer(s) via e-mail, mail or phone call after the interview has ended. Lastly, be early for your interview. Not only do you not want to be late for obvious reasons, arriving early and having a few minutes to sit will help to relax you before going in.

4. Be CONFIDENT. Always remember, if the interviewer wasn’t interested in you, you wouldn’t have been called in for an interview in the first place! You’re there because you have something valuable to offer.

5. Give specific examples. Actual success stories from your previous positions will show that you are an important asset for any company. Specific and detailed examples are much more impactful than general statements or theoretical ideas.

6. Ask insightful questions. This will make you seem well-versed in the industry, as well as committed to improving yourself and your potential future employer.

7. Sell Yourself. Don’t be modest… or cocky. Very often, the candidate that is offered a position is not necessarily the most qualified, but instead the one that best promotes his/her strengths and value to a company. The one caveat is that you don’t want to come off as cocky. This can turn off employers and give the impression that you aren’t easy to work with. Be confident, not cocky.

Visit gregryanresumewriter.com to perfect your Résumé and Cover Letter today!!