Posted by on Dec 18, 2011 in
Creating A Resume One of the main questions asked about resumes is, “Do I have to include everything on one page?” The most common misconception of resume writing is that your entire professional history has to fit within one A4 page of white paper.
The truth is, the resume should be well written and concise, and should promote your qualifications in the best possible light. This is sometimes impossible to do in one page. Thus, a resume can extend to multiple pages, with some consideration depending on your career level.
1.Be concise.
This is critical. Do not use lengthy sentences and paragraph forms to disclose your experience and your education. Employers want straight forward statements that highlight your qualifications. A resume is not a place to show your creative writing skills.
2.Perfect your resume.
You have second to catch your potential employer’s attention. Make sure that your resume is properly formatted, and you are not trying to fit too much copy on a single page of paper. Create appropriate and professional sections for your resume. Your potential employer is more concerned with the look and content of your resume than with its length.
3.Keep it short and focus
Longer is not better when you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective. If you are new to the job market, are changing careers, or you’ve only had one job, stick to a one page resume.
If you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective, no matter the reason, do not apologize for it. Don’t try to fill up your resume with irrelevant content; instead do your best to highlight your transferable skills, and stick to the short and sweet.
3.Do not exceed two pages
Unless you are applying for an executive-level job, or are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not exceed two pages.
The purpose of a well-written resume is to sell you as the best candidate for the job with a confident and a straight-forward approach. Do not oversell your skills. Do not list more than three to five previous positions you’ve help.
Stick to those skills and experiences that best meet the job requirements and your career objective. The most relevant information has to be included on the first page.
The second page should be numbered, with your contact information included as well (just in case the pages are separated when printed, you don’t want your potential employer to discard the second page of your resume completely).
If you find yourself going over two pages, review your resume and make sure that you are not incorporating information that is irrelevant to your goals or to the position you are seeking.
4.Statements should be applicable to the job
Make sure that your professional history warrants a resume that is three pages or longer. As mentioned above, unless you are a senior- or executive-level professional, or you are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not extend to over two pages.
If you have a longer resume, you will have to make sure that every statement on the resume is applicable to your career goals.
If you have had decades of leadership experience for example, demonstrate that using the reverse chronological resume style and only list those jobs that best qualify you for the position you are seeking. If you need to include an extensive list of publications or certifications, your resume can take up more than three pages.
Make sure that the important information is still listed on the first page. This includes your career objective and professional profile, and your current or most recent professional experience. All subsequent pages need to be numbered, and include your contact information in the heading.
Tags: Concise, Keep, Resume, Short, Writing
Posted by on Aug 18, 2011 in
Writing Books How long have you been working on your book? A year or better? When you sit down at Thanksgiving dinner next month with your family members, and they ask you how the book is coming along, will you be able to honestly say that you’re making progress? If not, you’re not alone.
Many writers struggle with seeing their book projects through to the end. Completing a book is a big project, and writers can easily lose momentum in the face of such an enormous task. Other projects get in the way, or something interferes with your writing time, or you can’t figure out what to write next, and your uncompleted manuscript is set aside. When this happens once in a while, you may only experience temporary delays. But when it happens all the time, you could end up tabling your book indefinitely.
If you’ve been working on your book—or rather, not working on it—for a long time, consider the following strategies for rebuilding the momentum and excitement you had at the start of the project.
1. Find the time to write
Not everyone can devote full-time to writing their book. But most people, if they really make an effort, can make time every day to work on it. The key is to use what time you have and be ready for unexpected free time to pop up. Don’t allow yourself to think: “I only have a thirty minutes, I won’t be able to get anything done on my book in that short amount of time.” You can make progress in less than a half hour.
Even setting aside a small chunk of time, say fifteen or twenty minutes, on your busiest days will help you reach your goal. Then on the days you do have time to devote a couple hours to your book, you’ll be ready to jump right in and start writing because the material will be relatively fresh in your mind.
2. Use your time wisely
On the days when you do have hours to devote to your book, motivation may not come easy. There’s something about having time that makes people feel like they can waste it. Suddenly you think of e-mailing a friend, balancing your check book, or picking up the newspaper, and these distractions eat away all your time. On days like this, self-discipline will go a long way. You can also eliminate any potential distractions, such as the telephone and e-mail, by turning off the phone ringer, closing your e-mail program, and disconnecting from the internet. Imagine the excitement you’ll feel when your book is completed. And use your time as effectively as possible—at the desk writing your book.
3. Staying motivated
When you feel uninspired, or don’t feel like writing, consider the following strategies for working past your challenges.
• Take a quick walk – Walking will get you away from your desk, get your blood pumping, and help clear your mind so you can sit back down and keep plugging away.
• Skip a section or two – If you’re not inspired to write a particular part of your book today, save it for later and move on to something you do feel like writing about.
• Make plans – If you don’t feel like writing your book, write something about it. Write a draft of your back-cover copy, or start a list of marketing ideas. Write something that gets you excited about your book.
4. Write Quickly
When you’re not sure what to write next, or everything you write seems wrong, you may be putting too much pressure on yourself to write well. So loosen up, and just start writing. Don’t stop to edit your sentences and criticize your work, just free write whatever you can think about your topic.
You will probably have to cut some parts later, but once you get going, you’ll probably write many things you’ll want to keep. The point is to just start writing and gain momentum so the project gets done. Keep in mind that the first draft is the hardest part; once you have the material down, you can shape it from there.
Write Away!
The benefits of writing and publishing a book are easy to imagine—success, fame, a few minutes on Oprah’s couch. However, many potential authors get caught up in the process required to get those benefits—actually writing the book, doing the work, applying butt to chair, as they say. But this doesn’t have to be you.
When you use these four strategies for staying motivated and keep writing, sentences will form on your pages, and you will make progress. Every word you type brings you one step closer to your goal of completing your book.
Tags: Book, Keep, Through, Writing
Posted by on Jul 22, 2010 in
Writing Books How long have you been working on your book? A year or better? When you sit down at Thanksgiving dinner next month with your family members, and they ask you how the book is coming along, will you be able to honestly say that you’re making progress? If not, you’re not alone.
Many writers struggle with seeing their book projects through to the end. Completing a book is a big project, and writers can easily lose momentum in the face of such an enormous task. Other projects get in the way, or something interferes with your writing time, or you can’t figure out what to write next, and your uncompleted manuscript is set aside. When this happens once in a while, you may only experience temporary delays. But when it happens all the time, you could end up tabling your book indefinitely.
If you’ve been working on your book—or rather, not working on it—for a long time, consider the following strategies for rebuilding the momentum and excitement you had at the start of the project.
1. Find the time to write
Not everyone can devote full-time to writing their book. But most people, if they really make an effort, can make time every day to work on it. The key is to use what time you have and be ready for unexpected free time to pop up. Don’t allow yourself to think: “I only have a thirty minutes, I won’t be able to get anything done on my book in that short amount of time.” You can make progress in less than a half hour.
Even setting aside a small chunk of time, say fifteen or twenty minutes, on your busiest days will help you reach your goal. Then on the days you do have time to devote a couple hours to your book, you’ll be ready to jump right in and start writing because the material will be relatively fresh in your mind.
2. Use your time wisely
On the days when you do have hours to devote to your book, motivation may not come easy. There’s something about having time that makes people feel like they can waste it. Suddenly you think of e-mailing a friend, balancing your check book, or picking up the newspaper, and these distractions eat away all your time. On days like this, self-discipline will go a long way. You can also eliminate any potential distractions, such as the telephone and e-mail, by turning off the phone ringer, closing your e-mail program, and disconnecting from the internet. Imagine the excitement you’ll feel when your book is completed. And use your time as effectively as possible—at the desk writing your book.
3. Staying motivated
When you feel uninspired, or don’t feel like writing, consider the following strategies for working past your challenges.
• Take a quick walk – Walking will get you away from your desk, get your blood pumping, and help clear your mind so you can sit back down and keep plugging away.
• Skip a section or two – If you’re not inspired to write a particular part of your book today, save it for later and move on to something you do feel like writing about.
• Make plans – If you don’t feel like writing your book, write something about it. Write a draft of your back-cover copy, or start a list of marketing ideas. Write something that gets you excited about your book.
4. Write Quickly
When you’re not sure what to write next, or everything you write seems wrong, you may be putting too much pressure on yourself to write well. So loosen up, and just start writing. Don’t stop to edit your sentences and criticize your work, just free write whatever you can think about your topic.
You will probably have to cut some parts later, but once you get going, you’ll probably write many things you’ll want to keep. The point is to just start writing and gain momentum so the project gets done. Keep in mind that the first draft is the hardest part; once you have the material down, you can shape it from there.
Write Away!
The benefits of writing and publishing a book are easy to imagine—success, fame, a few minutes on Oprah’s couch. However, many potential authors get caught up in the process required to get those benefits—actually writing the book, doing the work, applying butt to chair, as they say. But this doesn’t have to be you.
When you use these four strategies for staying motivated and keep writing, sentences will form on your pages, and you will make progress. Every word you type brings you one step closer to your goal of completing your book.
Tags: Book, Keep, Through, Writing