Resumes For Dummies

Polish up that old resume—and land your dream job

We''ve all been there: it''s time to apply for a job or internship and you have to create or revise your resume. Many questions pop in your head. What do employers want? What skills should I highlight? How do I format this? How do I get noticed? But resume writing doesn''t have to be a daunting task.

The latest edition of Resumes For Dummies answers all of these questions and more—whether you''re a resume rookie, looking for new tips, or want to create that eye-catching winning resume. In this trusted guide, Laura DeCarlo decodes the modern culture of resume writing and offers you insider tips on all the best practices that’ll make your skills shine and your resume pop. Let''s start writing!

• Write effective resumes that will stand out in a crowd          
• Understand Applicant Tracking Systems and how to adapt your resume
• Keep your resume up with the current culture
• Position a layoff or other career change and challenge with a positive spin
• Leverage tips and tricks that give your resume visual power

In order to put your best foot forward and stand out in a pile of papers, it’s important to have an excellent and effective resume—and now you can.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting Started with Resumes 5

Chapter 1: Getting a Job in the Digital Age 7

Resumes Are Here to Stay 8

Keeping Up with Resume Times 8

Targeted resume rules 9

Unfit resumes are zapped 10

Tried-and-true techniques remain 11

Technologies Facilitate Job Searching 12

Social networking scoops jobs 13

Mobile’s on the move 13

Quick-change process customizes content 14

Bios gain new importance as profiles 14

YourName.com becomes vital 14

Chapter 2: Enlisting Social Media 15

The Sweeping Reach of Social Networking 16

Eyeing the Big Three of Social Networking Job Searches 17

LinkedIn focuses on professionals 17

Facebook hands adults important search tools 19

Twitter opens quick, slick paths to employers 20

Making Sure Online Profiles Capture Your Best Side 23

Let’s hear it for profiles! 23

Not all profiles should be cheered 24

Great tips for great profiles 25

Writing Your Social Profile 26

Summary section 26

Specialties section 28

Experience section 29

Fine-tuning your profile 31

Putting Your Best Face Forward 32

Chapter 3: Going Mobile 35

Earning New Rewards with Mobile Search 36

Knowing When and Where to Stick to Home Computer Searches 37

Powering a Mobile Search 37

Choose job search apps wisely 37

Watch type size and font 38

Empower RSS to send job news 38

Stay in the running with a rehearsed salary strategy 39

Choose your work site with GPS 40

Score with proven keywords 40

Avoiding Mobile Job Search Mistakes 41

Thinking technology overcomes poor resume quality 41

Going on too long when going mobile 41

Looking naive in following up 41

Chapter 4: Leveraging Familiar Search Tools 43

Plain-Text Resumes Are Still on the Scene 44

Creating an ATS-Friendly Resume 47

E-Forms: Fill in the Blankety-Blanks 51

Online Screening Guards the Employment Door 52

Sample components of online screening 53

Pros and cons of online screening 54

Can your resume be turned away? 55

Blogs Give a Global Brand 55

RSS Delivers Job Alerts on Your Time 56

Resume Blasting: A Really B