Posts Tagged ‘Professional Writing’

PostHeaderIcon Effective Resume Writing

A lot of places around the world call it A Curriculum Vitae, in North America, it’s a Résumé. This is definitely one of the most important tools that any jobseeker has at their disposal. You may be THE best candidate for a particular job by a long way, however, if you don’t make it to the interview stages the company will never know.

Many companies (especially the larger corporations) will use computer software to “read” all the résumé’s and reject any that don’t fit a particular template. This may seem unfair, but it’s cost effective.

So, for some jobs you have to beat the computer and still read well enough for someone who may not have any knowledge of the position you are applying for. It is definitely worthwhile to adapt your resume for the position that is advertised. There may well be some of the “buzz” words the “filter” is looking for mentioned in the job description.

It is very important that you can substantiate all the claims you make, preferably with physical examples or letters. This will be essential in any in interview situation.

There is now a wealth of information available online, from books, local employment offices and with professional writing agencies. You can also access other people’s résumé’s that are posted online which will give some great ideas for style and content.

Professional writers may seem the answer, but, all the research I have done seems to lean away from them. I have never used one and feel that it will give a good impression if you have written it yourself (this will display literacy). Apparently, if they are professionally written, they are easy to spot; however, they may be worth the expense if you are stuck. You can always “customise” what has been written to make it your own work.

In my case, I had been in the military since I left school and had never written a resume or had an interview. I spent a lot of time writing, copying other people’s styles and changing things. I didn’t realise how difficult it is to catch up on 16 years - I’ll never allow mine to go out of date again! I found the hardest part was to actually start writing. The best advice I was given was to just write anything that you can think of and it will soon start to flow. With modern word processors it’s relatively quick and easy to cut and paste so you can keep on changing it until you are happy. More detailed information can be found at http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/resume.html

Good Luck!

PostHeaderIcon How do you write a cover letter for a resume that will get noticed

When you are looking for a job, it can be overwhelming and it makes many people ask, “how do you write a cover letter for a resume?”  There is no easy answer to this question, but we can give you a few tips on how you can write a winning cover letter for your resume that just might get you the interview that you desire.

When you are researching the question how do you write a cover letter for a resume, the first thing you need to consider is what type of job you are applying for.  You are only given a certain amount of space on your resume (if you are writing it the way you should be) to showcase your experience and abilities.  The cover letter is used to clarify and highlight different parts of your resume that you want your potential employer to look at.

How do you write a cover letter for a resume?  Well, start by acknowledging why you are applying for the job and where you saw the advertisement for the job.  If you are just inquiring about positions that might be available, your cover letter will look much different.  You will tell them that you are here and available for work.  Your cover letter should be something that makes your potential employer become intrigued.  Just be sure to keep it professional.

When you are writing your cover letter, you should introduce yourself and then state where you found out about the job that is available.  If you know someone in the company, make sure that you mention their name in the second or third sentence of your cover letter.  While some people do not think it is wise to mention people you know, the truth and reality is that it could make a difference in getting an interview.  After all, the saying is “It’s not what you can do, it’s who you know!”

When you are researching how do you write a cover letter for a resume, you should keep in mind what your final objective is.  Then express that in the body of your letter.  Make sure that you tell your prospective employer how excited you are at the opportunity to interview with them and that you are the perfect candidate for the job.  Tell them that your experience and your qualifications are exactly what they need and then sit back and wait for that interview phone call!