If you have created your own master resume, you may have quickly realized that the greatest benefits come when you put more effort into making this document serve its intended purpose.  If you utilize it as intended, you can indeed create great submission resumes that do a good job of snagging interviews.

What is the Purpose of the Master Resume?

The purpose of a master resume is to organize your entire career into one document that you can later extract from when submitting individual, customized resumes.  The need for this type of document arose once it became apparent that submitting the same resume to multiple companies (minus a few subtle changes) was no longer appropriate.

Job seekers often experience the best results from submitting unique resumes that are tailored to a specific company’s mission and the position for which they’re hiring.  In writing your resume, this could mean you will have to continually recall specific instances in your work history that match the job you’re applying for.

To avoid the hassle associated with this enormous feat, experts have started recommending master resumes.  The master resume is never to be submitted.  Instead, it allows you to add all of your education, work history, career goals, etc. to one document so that you can locate these items quickly when tailoring specific resumes.

Why Organization Is Crucial to Mastering Your Master Resume

In order to say you’ve mastered your master resume, organization is of upmost importance.  You will need to clearly define various sections that could be utilized in submission resumes, then appropriately list your skills, accomplishments, and work history based on those sections you’ve created.

The best time to work on your master resume is while you’re still employed and in the process of acquiring new qualifications; this is because your contributions and their impact are still fresh in your mind.  But even if you’re between jobs, you can add details to the resume as you remember them.

Keep in mind that your master resume does not have to stop at a certain length.  Make it as long and detailed as possible.  And if you have two career tracks, you may want to create two master resumes to better organize your history.

The great thing about a master resume is that you don’t have to worry about meeting a deadline to get it done.  You can work on it until you decide you’re no longer interested in looking for work.  By mastering your master resume, you are more likely to create in-depth submission resumes that catch the attention of managers hoping to hire someone just like you.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

1. An Objective Statement

For many years, the objective statement was the always-used sentence that was listed near the top of your resume, meant to tell the employer why you should be hired for a position.  But in recent years, this statement has grown less popular, largely because it tells little about who you are and why you’re qualified.

A good replacement for the objective statement is the headline/job target, which tells employers in the form of an advertisement who you are and why you’re an attractive candidate; in addition, the career summary is a great way to list the reasons you are a great candidate.

2. A Photograph

In the United States, there is rarely a need to add a photo to your resume.  The only exception might be if you’re applying for a modeling, acting, or other entertainment-based job.  U.S. employers are not legally permitted to judge candidates based on their physical features, but if you do provide a photo, you have given the hiring manager the ability to show bias while providing a different reason for declining you for a position.  So to make the process fairer and more professional, it’s good to just leave your photo off of the resume.

3. References

Over the years, employers have lost interest in seeing references on resumes, so there’s no need to attach a sheet with references listed or a note at the bottom of the resume that references can be contacted upon request.  Many employers conduct such thorough background checks that they never need to contact references anyway.  But if you really feel like you want to address this issue, you could include a couple of testimonials on your page, then add a link to your LinkedIn page where you have a boatload of recommendations.

4. Unrelated or Short-Term Work History

If you’ve worked a couple of temporary jobs that are completely unrelated to the job you are now applying for—or any other jobs over the years that are either outdated or showcase low-level skills (e.g., working in fast food restaurants as a teen)—there’s no need to include them on your resume.  Employers are interested in seeing how you’ve built the career you’re in now and want to see that you have the qualifications needed to succeed in the position for which they are hiring.  Adding other details just clutters up the resume and leaves the manager feeling that you may not be the right candidate for the job.

There’s no doubt that plenty of information should be included in your resume, such as contact information, a thorough and relevant work and education history, and pertinent skills.  But if you veer too far from the basics, you could lose steam in your job search.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

If you are working in the academic world and would like to switch to a corporate career, the concept may sound a bit foreign, but this doesn’t mean your goal can’t be accomplished. Here are a few tips to help you make the transition a bit easier.

Showcase Your Leadership Qualities

Working as an executive requires exceptional leadership qualities, which means it will be up to you to prove that your background in leadership was strong enough to transfer to the corporate setting.  In this case, being a professor may not be enough.  You may have to show that you were department head for many years, headed major research projects, or pulled together large conferences that prove others were well guided under your supervision.

Incorporate Transferable Skills

The academic and corporate worlds are unique in many ways—and corporations know this.  From organizational culture to day-to-day tasks, you may function very differently in a university than you might in a corporate setting.  To combat the differences, it’s good to incorporate transferable skills that show you have managed major tasks in the academic world that will transfer successfully to the corporate world, including your leadership skills mentioned above.

Showcase an Understanding of the Field and Position

Some of your transferable skills will come from being able to identify the main goals of the field you want to pursue and the position you hope to acquire.  Your job as a new executive will be to show that you not only understand what it takes to be an executive, but also that you are now ingrained in the field you hope to join and understand the specifics of the position you want to acquire.

A way to get this done is to research companies and their challenges.  This could help you find bits of your past that prove you can manage those issues and help guide the company toward success.

Add an Executive Career Summary

When writing your executive resume, it’s a good idea to incorporate some of the highlights of your academic career that summarize the skills and qualifications that make you attractive in the corporate setting.  Leadership, of course, is always important.  But you’ll also need to showcase an understanding of organizational culture and also highlight specific candidate qualifications required by the company.

Many corporate executive leaders were originally products of the academic world, so there’s no doubt that you can accomplish the same.  To get it done, however, you will need to pay close attention to what the corporate world stands for and how you can fit in to succeed.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

For some, the most daunting task is writing a resume that can help snag a great interview—and hopefully a cool internship.  The good news is that everyone who has earned a successful career has at some point written their first resume.  By keeping a few tips in mind along the way, the writing process can be made a lot easier.

Make Each Resume Unique

One common mistake that early resume writers make is working directly from templates they find online.  It’s easy to fall into this trap because they’re so simple to find and copy.  But hiring managers are well aware that candidates use templates and can spot them a mile away.

To avoid issues that arise from so-called carbon-copy resumes, take time to write your own unique document by looking closely at each position you’re interested in, then exploring your own background to explain in your resume why you’re the right person for the job.  Also, take time to make your design uniquely your own so that it won’t look exactly like others hiring managers have seen before.

Incorporate Relevant Experiences

As an intern, you may not have a great deal of work experience yet.  Employers understand this and don’t expect to see a full career’s worth of qualifications on your resume.  But because you may be competing against candidates who do have a more extensive background than you, it’s good to incorporate experiences in your life that show you can accomplish the goals the company has set forth.

For instance, if you have worked in a family member’s mom and pop shop, list this in your history.  And if you are the president of a number of school clubs, jot these down along with your leadership experiences in these positions.  You don’t have to name Fortune 500 companies to impress an employer.  You just need to show that you have a background (as well as education) that is relevant to the job you want.

Add Testimonials

Many interns are finding that a short job history can often be padded with references that are listed right on the resume in the form of testimonials.  If you know individuals that you plan to list as references, ask them to provide you with quick two- or three-sentence quotes that you can place on your resume.  This added touch provides you with backing that could convince a hiring manager that you are a good choice for an interview.

Resumes can be intimidating to write, even at the executive level, so don’t feel bad if you’re a bit nervous about the process.  Just take time to think about what the employer wants in an internship candidate, and then show that you have what it takes to deliver the goods.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

FIND THE NEED

Research will get you ten times farther than any other tool, tip, or trick I could share.  Let me elaborate …  My background is in Human Resources.  I have worked in the industry for almost 15 years.  I know the ins and outs and exactly what an employer wants in an HR Manager.  It’s about people management, reducing turnover, shortening fill time, etc. Because I know exactly what the hiring manager needs, I can tailor my resume to speak to those needs.  I will put front and center exactly how I reduced turnover—and to what percentage (it’s important to put numbers to your accomplishments whenever possible).  I will give them numbers to support how I shortened the time it took to fill a vacancy as well. Each of these accomplishments saves the employer time and money and makes me a very viable candidate because I see the need and explain how I can meet and exceed their needs.

FILL THE NEED

It’s critical that you know exactly what your employer expects from the person vying for the vacancy.  You need to know their pain points, exactly what their needs are, and then concisely and confidently address how you’ve met those needs in the past.  By using numbers and accomplishment-based statements to prove that you’ve met the need before, the employer will infer that you will meet them again.

RESEARCH

If you’re not familiar with the requirements of the exact position you’re applying for, then you need to research what they are, and then address them in your resume.  This is especially critical for those who are switching career fields.  Chances are, if you’ve been in your industry or a particular position for quite some time, then you’re familiar with the needs of the potential employer.  It then becomes vital to showcase your accomplishments in a way that positions you ahead of the pack.  What have you accomplished that stands out? Do you have numbers to back it up?  If so, include them when and where possible.  Including numbers and accomplishment-based statements positions you as a top candidate.

When in the midst of a job search, it’s important to know everything possible about the type of position you’re applying for—and to customize your resume accordingly.  Customizing your resume to each position you apply for will increase your resume response rate way more than just sending the same generic resume to every opening you like.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

Career Summary

You may wonder how you can summarize your career if it’s been a short one in your field.  Well, just because you’re an entry-level candidate in your field doesn’t mean you’ve never worked or don’t have any type of history to share.  Take time to look at your past to find accomplishments, qualifications, and skills you’ve acquired over the years (e.g., church secretary, student assistant, etc.), then use them in your summary—as long as they relate to the position.

Willingness to Be Trained

Because both you and the hiring manager know that you may not have a great deal of experience in your field, they need to know that you have a willingness to be trained.  Of course, it helps to already have a degree in the field or have been trained otherwise for the position you want.  But noting that you have excelled with training and have always been able to hit the ground running is great as well.

Understanding of Your Field

Even if you have yet to put your imprint on the field you love, it’s great to show that you understand it.  You can showcase this by highlighting any field-related organizations you belong to, internships you’ve worked, or even field-related projects you’ve completed for school.  Also, if you have a Twitter page or blog dedicated to topics in your field, note this (and add the links) in your resume.

Proof of Commitment

Employers want to know that you are able to commit to them once you’ve started working.  A great place to note this is in your career summary.  Whether you are switching careers and have a long history with another company, have remained dedicated to an on-campus job in school, or have volunteered for an organization for an extended period of time, it’s good to note your commitment and dedication in your summary.

You Can Work Error-Free

Telling a hiring manager that you are an efficient worker is great, but another way to prove that you can work error-free is to submit a grammar-tight, typo-free resume that looks like it could have been written by a professional.  If you submit a document with errors, you’re sure to give the wrong first impression—which you want to avoid at all costs.

Entry-level candidates often have to work harder than others on the corporate ladder to show they’re qualified for the job they want.  By incorporating these elements in your resume, you’re well on your way to doing just that.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.