Your resume is the first impression that an employer has of you. At the most basic level, a resume is simply a description of the skills, experience, education, and professional achievements that make you qualified for a position. A good resume will accurately inform an employer about your background. A great resume, however, can do much more. A great resume has the ability to persuade an employer that you have the unique talent and experience desired and that you deserve a personal interview for the position.
So how do you write a great resume? There is no one right way to write a resume, but common practice has developed a standard or resumes that candidates would do well to observe. Keep in mind that a resume is a marketing tool – you are marketing yourself to prospective employers. Therefore, although you do not want to significantly deviate from accepted standards, the content and format of your resume should express your individuality.
The Format:
The format you select for your resume should attract attention and create interest, but not detract from your overall presentation. Use of capitalization, bold lettering, underlining, indentations, different fonts, and white space can add variety to your resume and emphasize important information. The format should be consistent throughout the individual sections of the resume, be visually appealing, and be easy for the reader to follow.
A resume has several parts, which are typically included in this order:
1 Name and Contact Information
2 Objective Statement
3 Education
4 Professional Experience
5 Skills
Additional parts may include a section for Summary of Skills, Awards and Honors, or References.
Name and Contact Information
You should include your name, full address, telephone number with area code, and email address (if applicable) at the very top of your resume. If you are currently residing at a temporary address, such as a student's college address, you may include it in addition to your permanent address depending on the circumstances.
Objective Statement
If you choose to include a professional objective statement, it should be a concise and meaningful statement that describes your career goals in detail. An objective can include your goals in regards to your desired position title, industry, level of responsibility, and desired utilized skills. The elements included in your objective should be reinforced and supported throughout your resume and your cover letter.
Education, Certifications, and Career Training
Your highest level of education achieved, whether you completed the program or not, should be the first listed in this section. All other schools you attended should follow.
For each individual school, list the following:
Name of the school
Dates you attended or graduated
Degrees earned (or degree program you were in, if not completed)
Major and minor subject areas
You may also list any honors, awards, Dean's list commendations, and GPAs if they will enhance this section of your resume.
Next you should list any career specific certifications or completed training courses that that support your objective statement and enhance your resume. Be careful not to overdo this section, though, since too much information in this section will detract from the most important section of he resume, the Professional Experience section.
You should only include high school information if you do not have a college degree or if you achieved high commendation in some area that reinforces your career objectives.
*** NOTE ***
If you have a college degree, you should position the Education section near the top of your resume before your Professional Experience. If you do not have a degree, the Education section should follow your Professional Experience.
Professional Experience
This is the most critical section of the resume. The professional experience section should be tailored as much as possible to the target position and should focus on those key areas that relate to your desired career goals. If the bulk of your experience can be directly correlated to your desired position, then you can stick to a single Professional Experience section. If your career path is divided, though, it may be necessary to split your experience between a section detailing your experience in the desired area (for example, "Professional Teaching Experience" or "Professional Writing Experience") and a section for "Other Experience".
To write an effective professional experience section, consider the following tips:
Include your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the position (city, state), and the dates you were employed.
If you want the emphasis to be on your title, list this first. If where is worked is more important than what you did, you should list the name of the employer first.
You can de-emphasize the dates of employment by omitting the months if you feel that including them will detract from your presentation.
This section is not strictly limited to full-time professional positions only. Take advantage of this flexibility and include any full-time or part-time positions, related volunteer work, relevant campus, and internships that best reflect your skills.
For each position, use detailed actions words and adjectives to describe your responsibilities, new abilities you developed, and any skills you applied.
Include any specific accomplishments you achieved for each position, as well as any accolades you received for your work. For example, if you were Salesperson of the Year or achieved the highest rating on a customer satisfaction survey, be sure to include it. Remember, you are trying to market yourself!
Be details in your descriptions without exaggerating. DO NOT LIE ON YOUR RESUME!
Skills
The Skills section of your resume should highlight any relevant skills that might not otherwise be disclosed on your resume. This section will be highly individualized to both the person and the position they are seeking.
You should list those skills most relevant to the position you are seeking at the top of this section.
Examples of some skills you may want to include are:
Computer skills: specific computer systems, applications, and programs
Languages: your level of proficiency in reading, writing and speaking various languages
Various functional skills: any functional skills not mentioned elsewhere such as editing skills, interpersonal relationship skills, negotiating skills, etc.
Industry experience: any industries in which you have worked
Other Optional Sections:
Summary of Skills:
A quick 3-4 line summary of your relevant qualifications for the position may be included at the top for the resume under your contact information and objective statement (if included). The key is to be as specific as possible and tailor the summary to the position.
Honors and Awards:
List any career, academic, leadership or athletic honors you have received. Academic awards may alternatively be listed under the Education section of the resume.
References:
You may include a statement declaring "References Available upon Request" if you need to fill space on your resume. Otherwise you should list references in a separate document. References should typically only be provided when requested or once it is clear that the competition for a position is narrowing. Do not include specific reference names or contact information on your resume.
Other Categories:
If there is additional information that you feel is important to include butt does not fit into any of these categories, you can create custom categories. Examples of custom categories may include Background, Professional Activities, Recitals/Art Shows, Professional Memberships, Presentations, Publications, and Special Skills.
Laura Adams is a qualified careers advisor with 11 years experience. Truck Driving Job Information - Resources, News, Tips and Views to help Truck Drivers find their next jobs. http://www.Truck-Driving-Job.info
Copyright Truck-Driving-Job.info This article may be reproduced as long as the resource box and live links remain intact.


How to Handle Difficult Interview Questions
You are in the middle of an important interview and are confident that you are doing an excellent job of presenting your skills and qualifications for the position. The interviewer asks the next question – and it's a difficult one. You didn't see this question coming and have no idea to answer it. Words catch in your mouth. You start to sweat as your illustrious visions of landing your dream job are rapidly spiraling away at a breakneck speed. What do you do?
For starters, the best offense is a good defense. Preparing for an interview in advance is the best way to ensure that you will be at your peak performance when the time comes to answer the question "Why should you get this job?". Compile a list of interview questions, both general questions and those that are job-specific, that you could potentially be asked. Then practice answering all of the questions. It may be necessary to practice some questions several times until you can clearly present a solid answer. A good rule of thumb is to practice until you are no longer uncomfortable with the question itself or your resulting answer.
Tempting as it may be to dismiss more straightforward questions, such as "Tell me about yourself", you should rehearse your answer to every question. Oftentimes job applicants get so caught up in preparing for the "tough" questions, that they neglect the ones they perceive to be the "easier" ones. As a result, they are ill-prepared to answer basic questions and stumble in their answers.
It would be impossible to think of and practice every question you could be asked, so you will inevitably run across some questions during the interview process that you hadn't thought of previously. When this happens, the first thing to do is take a deep breath. Repeat the question to yourself, either in your head or aloud to the interviewer, to ensure that you have heard the question correctly. Then use your practice sessions to draw correlations between this question and others you have practiced. Is this new question a variation of one you have answered before? Is it similar to any other question? If you can draw a parallel to questions you are already comfortable with, then the new question will not appear so daunting.
Another good tactic is to break the question into smaller components so that you can take it bit by bit. This is especially useful for multi-part questions. For example, imagine you are asked: "Tell me about a time when you found yourself at odds with a team member. What were the circumstances and how did you handle the confrontation". The first thing to do is break this into two parts: (1) provide an example of a team member confrontation, and (2) how did the confrontation get resolved. When answering this question, focus entirely on the first part initially. Set the stage for the conflict that arose, giving the interviewer all of the necessary details. Once this is done, you can then move onto the next part, which is detailing how the conflict was resolved. This is truly the "meat" of the question. The interviewer is more interested in hearing about how you handle conflict and stressful situations than the actual specifics of the conflict itself. So don't skimp on the second part - the resolution. This pattern is true of a majority of multi-part questions: one section of the answer is merely the opportunity to set the stage for the other, more pertinent part(s) of the question.
If you are asked a question you don't know the answer to, it is often better to admit that are unsure of the answer than to try and buffalo your way though an answer. Most interviewers are highly experienced at recognizing "BS" answers and can easily pick up that you making stuff up. If this happens, they will either call you on the table about your fake answer or write you off a being a fraud – neither of these is going to help you land a job. An appropriate response would be to admit that you do not have an answer for the question, but that you would like to do some research at the conclusion of the interview so that you have this knowledge for future reference. Such an answer not only shows integrity, but it also shows that you are not adverse to expanding your learning and are willing to take the extra effort necessary to keep your skills sharp.
A few other helpful hints for answering difficult questions:
It is okay to ask the interviewer to repeat the question if you didn't hear it the first time or if it is a long multi-part question.
It is also okay to ask the interviewer for clarification if the question is unclear.
Never volunteer personal information that is not job-related.
Try to always turn negatives into positives. For example, when asked about your weaknesses, demonstrate how this weakness can also be an asset in other areas.
Relax! Interviewing is a learning process and you will get stronger each time you interview for a potential position. So if an interview goes bad, rather than dwell on it, identify where things went wrong and work on correcting those areas so that you can perform better in your next interview.
Laura Adams is a qualified careers advisor with 11 years experience. Trucking Jobs Information - Resources, News, Tips and Views to help Truck Drivers find their next jobs. http://www.Truck-Driving-Job.info
Copyright Truck-Driving-Job.info This article may be reproduced as long as the resource box and live links remain intact.


How to Find a Trucking Job
The demand for truckers is very high, and it is relatively easy for most qualified truckers to find steady work. Nonetheless, some researchers estimate that as many of 15% of drivers, even those with extensive experience, get disqualified when applying for a trucking position. Why are so many truckers getting turned away if the need for trucker is so high? It all has to do with being organized.
The key to landing a trucking job is being prepared and knowing what to expect when seeking a trucking job. Most often, truckers start the hiring process by speaking to a trucking recruiter. Recruiters frequently hire only for one company (the company they work for themselves), so it may be to your advantage to shop around and talk to a number of different recruiters to find the position that is the best fit for you. If you do speak with a number of recruiters, be sure to take notes so you can keep track of who said what.
Never lie to a recruiter when seeking a trucking job. The truth will come out eventually and it is much better that you be completely honest from the beginning, even if it means disclosing some negative information, than to lie and get caught for it later. Recruiters will ask you for a variety of information, so be sure to have the following on hand:
- A current, non-expired CDL with an accurate home address
- Your work history for at least the last 3 years (some recruiters may want 5 or 10 years of history). If you have been unemployed for some of this time, you will need to provide solid professional references to account for this period.
- The names and contact information for all of your former employers.
- Proof of your work history including old W2 tax forms, reference letters, or DOT numbers. This information will be especially helpful if any of the companies you worked for previously have since gone out of business.
- A copy of your driving record or MVR
- Proof of eligibility to work in the United States. You will be required to complete an I-9 form upon hire, so be sure you have valid documentation to show that you are eligibly for hire.
New Homeland Security regulations require that al commercial truckers undergo a background check prior to being hired. As part of this check, companies will pull any criminal records and copies of your Motor Vehicle Driving record from all states in which you have a driver's license (commercial or non-commercial). Companies will also see a copy of your DAC report which will reveal previous driving jobs, any accidents in which you were involve, and notes of any problems with former employers.
If there is anything on your record that might be questionable, it is very important that you disclose this to the recruiter right away. It is much better to be professional and proactive upfront than to have the recruiter undercover some nasty information on their own. A potential employer is going to need to know about any incidents, or accidents, for at least the previous three years. Be sure to hold onto all incident records, including accident reports and tickets, so that you can provide this documentation if needed.
Nearly all reputable companies will also require that you undergo a drug screening, so be prepared to certify that you are drug-free and take a drug test on the spot if you are offered a position. Your offer will be contingent upon the successful results of the test.
If there is anything about your past (or current) medical health that might bring up concerns about your ability to perform your duties as a trucker, be prepared to show a doctor's note that releases you to work. Although, by law, recruiters cannot ask about your medical health prior to offering you a position, an offer can be rescinded if you are not able to certify your ability to do the job. If you have recently had a medical ailment, surgery, or are taking any sort of prescription medicine, chances are high that you will be required to present a medical doctor's release noted that you are cleared for commercial tractor trailer driving with no restrictions.
Finally, be prepared to a road test and pass the necessary DOT physical upon receiving an offer. If you haven't been behind the wheel in a while, make sure you brush up on your driving skills. You will not get a second test to take the test if you fail it so you want to be sharp the very first time to step into the company's cab.
Although the hiring process to secure a trucking job may be long and tedious, the payoff is well worth your effort. So if you've made it though all of these steps successfully, congratulations. You're hired!
Laura Adams is a qualified careers advisor with 11 years experience. Truckers Jobs Information - Resources, News, Tips and Views to help Truck Drivers find their next jobs. http://www.Truck-Driving-Job.info
Copyright Truck-Driving-Job.info This article may be reproduced as long as the resource box and live links remain intact.