Xigaware

I recently turned 56.  I recently had a job at a local Madison furniture store.  I more recently lost that job.  I recently updated my resume.  I more recently figured out that there is a whole new world out there for me and all of us faced with the challenge of finding a new job/career at our age.   

So here goes!  I wanted to share what I learned about what makes a good resume. 

1)      Reason:  You want the resume to attract the reader sufficiently enough for them to want to meet and interview you.

2)      Decision time:  You must decide on the style of resume.  The experts say the Chronological Resume is the employer favorite but I found the Functional Resume was better suited for me.   The chronological style lists your jobs in order, starting with the most recent (a problem for a person like me who worked for just one company for 36 year). The Functional Resume allowed me to list all of the skills I had in the job I left, those skills that I could transfer to another job/career.

3)      Be brief:  Most, if not all resumes, should be one page long.  Yes, they must be accurate, logical, and well-phrased but they must also be concise and to the point.  With about 11 million people unemployed imagine how many resumes potential bosses have to wade through.  The reader should be able to read it in 60 seconds. 

4)      The objective:  You may start with an Employment Objective (but it’s not necessary), especially if you’re like me and would be willing to try something new.   But you have to know your objective while writing the resume or you will appear unfocused and indecisive.  The Employment Objective could say nothing more than “To secure employment as a delivery driver” or “To find employment as a Medical Transcriptionist”. 

5)      Choices, choices:  Choosing the functions to use on your Functional resume is the meat and potatoes of this process.Again, I would like to share with you skills I have that I know can be transferrred to a multitude of jobs out there.I worked in furniture.  I kept the books, completed the inventory, handled service claims, sold furniture, and even helped with deliveries when we were short-handed.  I chose as my Major Skill Areas: Bookkeeping, Inventory control, and Customer Service (three is enough).

6)      Lights, action:  Then under each of the three Major Skill Areas I gave a brief description of my responsibilities and results.   Each sentence should begin with an Action Verb (never start sentences with “I”).  Some examples that I used were, “Responsible for Accounts Receivable and Payable, which included reconciling sales from the previous day and closing out paperwork on sales”.  Or, “Completes inventory adjustments on damaged furniture or furniture returned to the manufacturer”.  Under Customer Service I had, “Handles service claims through open communication with wholesale companies”. 

7)      More on results:  Don’t forget to include some of your great results under each Major Skill Area.  Under Bookkeeping you might include the fact that you “created a worksheet that cross-referenced furniture that was delivered vs. commissioned.  This helped the company avoid errors when figuring sales commissions for the month”.  Or how about under Inventory Control the fact that you “negotiated (yes, yet another action verb) with a furniture wholesaler, who was going out of business, to take on their excess inventory at reduced prices, saving my company thousands of dollars”.  These items show that you are one who takes initiative.  Something any boss would appreciate!

8)      Where have you been?:  There is a section after the three Major Skill Areas that can be titled, Major Work Experience” where you can list the jobs you’ve had over the past 10 years (or in my case the one job I held for 36 years).

9)      Finishing up:  Under references I recommend always listing, “Available upon request”.  With the one-page wonder there really isn’t room anyway to list the three or four good references you want to have ready if they’re requested. 

So, these are some things I was presented with when I wrote my own resume.  I know I could have had help, but you are the final judge on the format and information included.  And, after all, who better than you, to sell you?Make this the greatest job-hunting tool ever! 

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