The job market is picking up, but there are still more people applying for jobs than there are open positions. Having a resume that makes you stand out above the rest may be what lands you that dream job you have applied for again and again but never received a response. Once you have fine-tuned your resume, be sure to submit it through sites that are backed by reputable employers. Hawaii Job Engine is a great place to start posting your resume. It has over 1000 employers that share rich community ties, and that search diligently for ideal candidates. But before you start posting your resume, you need to make sure your curricular vitae is finely polished and designed to get an employer’s attention.
Know the steps
Most people write resumes and craft them hoping that the document itself will land them the job. What tends to happen is they wind up submitting a long, boring piece that makes them look desperate and starving for work. The point of the resume is to create enough interest to land an interview. Then, the interview will land the job.
The first thing you will want to do is list your qualities while backing them up with real life experiences. Do not make a simple list of traits. Instead of saying you are disciplined, pay attention to detail, and are a team player etc., say something like this: “exceptional sales skills that enabled me to win the 2012 Honda regional sale’s associate of the year”. By putting a concrete accomplishment next to your quality, employers will know that you are indeed a good candidate for the position, and not just someone throwing out buzz words to get attention.
Craft your resume with strategic keywords. Most companies use digital databases to search for the ideal candidate. HR departments will run a search on the hundreds of resumes uploaded into their database and will try to pinpoint specific keywords. If your resume doesn’t have these, it will be floating in employment limbo. Check the job description and use the same keywords throughout your resume.
Tailor it
Do not submit the same resume to every employer you reach out to. Your resume needs to be tailored to the specific job you are seeking. In an article by Yahoo Finance the author states that, “you’re basically selling yourself on that piece of paper, so mold the information to reflect what your potential employer is looking for in an ideal job candidate. This is different depending on your industry”. In other words, if you are applying for a job as a hostel manager and the job qualifications ask for someone who is well traveled, briefly touch on your travel experience. But if you also apply for a job with Hawaiian Airlines, do not include that information, as it will be irrelevant. If the airline requires a friendly attitude, then in place of your travel experience, you will want to state that quality and give an example from your work history to back it up. Good luck, and may you get the job of your dreams.
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