You Are Your Resume, Part Two

If you have been getting no calls and seriously distributing resumes the post above is a good place to start. If now your resume has reliable information then read on. This part might be called Your Resume Is Not An Application.

Because there are a variety of procedures, depending on the industry and particular company, which involve filling in forms and supplying information both before and after hiring, this post will deal with the simplest before hiring procedure.

For most businesses, no matter what size, some standard has been used to organize hiring. This standard is almost always an application. You may have filled out several in your work life. Whether at a computer terminal or at a desk with a pen they ask for information, sometimes extensive information about you. This is information which is probably not on your resume. Social Security number, names, addresses and phone numbers for previous employers as well as additional information for references. (If this information is on your resume remove it. Resumes are not applications and should not include extensive personal information.)

Some applicants assume that attaching a resume to an application after having filled in their name is sufficient for the process. It isn't. If you have been handed an application fill it out as completely as possible. Even if this application essentially duplicates information you have on your resume fill it out anyway.There is a purpose for this beyond what you can imagine. (For example, it could be a useful preliminary test to see if you can follow directions.)

If you have not been called for an interview but are simply applying, the information you have provided will be forwarded to the appropriate department, usually known as Human Resources, and often called "HR".

If you have been called for an interview based on your resume or resume and application, these documents will be forwarded to the interviewer or interviewers, with whom you will be speaking shortly.

And this leads to You Are Your Resume, Part Three.

You Are Your Resume. Part One

If you are new to the serious job market you may be some confusion about basics. Basics like resumes, applications and interviews , what they mean and how they apply.
Whether or not you've heard the term or even think you know what it means. A resume is a brief summary of your work or experience as it applies to the position you are seeking. A prevailing standard now in the big workplace called Planet Earth says keep it brief. There are two reasons for this. First the person who is reading it is busy. Second, if you have yet to reach the quarter century mark on Planet Earth you don't have that much experience. At least not the kind that directly applies to any position you may be seeking. So including every paying situation you've had since you started at the drive-up window of WackyTaco may not be necessary.
Keep it simple. Not too artsy. Not too flashy. Simple, plain and clear.
But.
There is one bit of information which is absolutely critical. Your current contact information.
This means that resumes which you are now submitting must contain your current phone number, probably your cell phone.
Whether your resume is electronic or paper, posted on your WebFace page or hand delivered by a uniformed courier, lack of reliable current contact information is one sure way to early elimination from the hiring process.
So, go check right now. Do the resumes you are distributing right now contain the number of the cell phone you are using right now?
If not make that change promptly.

I really want that job.

But I haven't graduated yet.
This is the time of year when potential graduates start thinking seriously about their first "real" job back on Planet Earth. Those who aren't hooked up with a worthwhile employer begin earnestly searching for potential employers, sending out resumes and hoping to schedule interviews for a real career position.
The promise of finally working in some position other than part-time campus parking control associate presents a genuine stimulus for students to get on the stick about finally getting serious about their job search.
Simultaneous with this is a dilemma faced often by potential graduates. They haven't finished every course necessary for their degree. Many students walk through Commencement with some requirements pending. Some even walk through with many requirements yet to be met. Still, it can seem slightly unethical to put BA on your resume when you actually haven't got it yet.
This calls for a Planet College suggestion.
On your resume where your School, College and Degree are listed you can put either the year you will finish or you can put Pending. This means, for example, you will be 'walking' in May of this year. But you may not finish every course until Winter 2010. You can put BA 2010 or BA Pending. Of course, if you are finishing this year, only not till fall, you can legitimately put BA Fall 2009. This is candid, fair and ethical. It also puts your position clearly in front of any evaluator or potential interviewer at the companies where you are applying for work. Just a thought. Hope it helps.