Twenty Seconds to Make an Impression

Have you recently lost your job or are you reentering the workforce after a break?  It can be overwhelming to figure out what to do first. resume writing As  Career Coaches, one of our first suggestions is to have our clients make sure their resume is up to date and makes a great first impression.  You have approximately 20 seconds to impress an employer with the value you will bring to their position and their company….so start counting 1….2…..3…. A resume is a professional way for you to demonstrate to an employer the work experience, skills, and education that you will bring to their company.  It will also assist you as you take inventory of the skills that you have or possibly identify a  gap in skills that you need to obtain. You may think you do not need a resume,  but it’s a great tool for you to have whether you are applying for a job in person and/ or online. Here are some steps to a creating a great resume:

  1.  Jot down every job you have had chronologically.  Write 5-6 bullet points of your responsibilities for each position.  You may not use each position but it will be a great jumping off place as you begin to write your resume.  Make them succinct and important bullet points.   Utilize data when appropriate.  For example, if you worked in sales talk about the percentage of sales increase or money you have saved the company.
  2. Match your skills to the experience companies are looking for.   Print off some job descriptions of the type of position you are interested in applying for and then try to match your skills to the experience companies are looking for.
  3. Include internships, summer jobs and leadership experiences that you have had during your college or work experience.  This is especially true if you are a recent graduate with minimal job history.
  4. Make sure that your names,  dates, and employers are correct.  This is important whether you are creating your first resume or updating an existing one.
  5. Adapt your resume to the job you are applying for.  Creating a resume is pretty straightforward but just when you think you are done, your Workforce Career Coaches will tell you that you will need to change up your resume according to the jobs you are applying for.   You may end up having a resume geared to customer service and one geared toward management.

Remember ….18, 19, 20…..seconds to make that great impression.  Let Workforce Solutions know how we can assist you in meeting your employment goals.