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New Year, New Resume, New Job, New You!

Announcement posted by Resume Rescue 17 Jan 2013

Good Planning = Success
Was your New Year’s resolution a career change, a new job, or even a promotion? If so, you need to get planning. Any New Year’s resolution to be successful needs a plan, and gaining a new job can be approached in the same way.

You need to plan your resume, your cover letter, the contents, who will be your referees, even what industries or business you wish to work for or are qualified to work in.

However, to make it easier for you let’s break it down into bite size and achievable steps, for if you’re someone who runs on impulse or is spontaneous, planning may not come to you naturally. Successful plans have a set goal that is worked towards with several milestones that could be dates, content, activities, or even behaviours.

Some people set their plans out in a list in order of what needs to be completed so they can tick each item off upon completion and many people set rewards for achieving different levels of their plan. I would suggest you reward yourself upon completion of your resume and cover letter, an interview, and of course, a new job.

For now we are going to focus on a plan for your Resume, Cover Letter and Selection Criteria, as these are the pivotal stones of ensuring success to interviews.

Your Resume
If you have an old resume that you have used previously and it was successful, dust it off, and update it with all your most recent employment, education, and qualification details.

If you have never had a resume before or your previous one has not been so successful you can find many templates on the internet for free or there is a great resume template that’s in a Word document in an ebook "Resume Rescue - The Secrets to Resume Writing and Answering Selection Criteria". Whatever you choose to use decide on one and start filling in your information. There are lots of articles and videos that you can watch by following this link that can help you with content, layout, and wording.

Your Cover Letter
Cover letters only need to be a brief introduction, aiming for one page. Some organisations don’t even ask for them anymore and many online application processes don’t’ require them. Therefore, check if one is needed for the position you’re applying for prior to writing one. If you have never written a cover letter before, again we can help you with a free cover letter template that can be used for any position in any industry that is in Word format, ready for you to adapt. You can access your free cover letter template here.

Your Selection Criteria
If you’re required to respond to selection criteria in your application this can be the hardest part of applying for the job. Writing selection criteria has been described as art in its own right, hence why so many resume writing professionals can make a comfortable living from doing it. Resume Rescue has a tell-it-all process that steps you through it in their ebook, plus over 50 different examples of selection criteria responses to give you direction on how to write and respond to them. There are even some free ones you can access to give you a taste on Resume Rescues Examples and Samples page.

Example of a Checklist
•    Find a resume template.
•    Find all your certificates, licenses, think about who will be your referees, etc.
•    Fill in your information to populate the resume template.
•    Find out if a cover letter is required for the position’s application process.
•    Find a cover letter template or write your own.
•    Adapt the cover letter to the position you are applying for.
•    Find out if selection criteria responses are required for the position’s application process.
•    If so, do some homework on these, as the better you can write the selection criteria responses the better your chances are of gaining an interview.
•    Have someone else read it for you, checking it for spelling and grammar errors.
•    Resume and Cover letter finished – Time to reward yourself!

Imagine actually landing that interview you wanted with that fabulous organisation. Imagine actually landing that dream job! Wouldn't that be great? It is possible, you just need a good plan and the right tools.

The better you plan your resume and application documents, the better it will be, and the better chance you will have to gain an interview. Meaning you can be successful in keeping your News Year’s Resolution and you will need to think of a different one next year.
For more practical advice and information on resume writing, writing successful selection criteria, and heaps more on resumes that work visit www.resume-rescue.com.au.