Feature Article: Teen Resume Writing Quiz: A Quintessential Careers Quiz
Special Feature: Teen Resume Writing Worksheet: The Five-Steps to Developing Your Resume
Bonus Feature: FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers
Extra Feature: Dispelling the Myth About Resumes: It's Not Just to Get Your Foot in the Door
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
The Career Doctor: Answering Your Questions
What's New on Quintessential Careers: Latest Additions
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search
Notes from the Editor: About this Issue...
The Quintessential Careers 10th Anniversary
10-College Tour is under way! This month, we've
made stops at the University of South Florida and
the University of Central Florida, meeting some great students
and Career Services folks.
And we just keep adding content to Quint Careers as we build up to the November anniversary.
September is Update Your Resume Month, and this is our annual resume issue.
--Katharine Hansen, Master Resume Writer, Credentialed Career Master,
Certified Electronic Career Coach, and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Feature Article: Teen Resume Writing Quiz
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Teen job-seekers do not need to have a resume when job-hunting, but if you want to stand out from the crowd, then developing your
resume will do so.
What is a resume? It's a document that tells prospective employers all about you -- and why you would make a great employee -- so you
want to focus it on your strengths and accomplishments, as well as your education and work experiences. It is designed to help get your
foot in the door, to help you get the job interview.
But maybe you already know all that. Still, when writing a resume, there is much more than just the content, and even much older
job-seekers have problems writing their resumes. (If you do need some help getting started with your resume, use our no-cost
Teen Resume Writing Worksheet to take
you through all the steps to developing your resume.)
Ad: Start Your Job-Search Right with a New Resume!
Quintessential Resumes & Cover Letters is now providing solutions
with unmatched quality in the areas of career planning, professional resume writing, and interviewing, having
successfully helped tens of thousands of clients, from executives through individuals beginning a career,
succeed in their career goals.
Teen Resume Writing Worksheet: The Five-Steps to Developing Your Resume
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
There really is not a whole lot of mystery behind developing and writing a good resume. It does take some time and effort
-- and a good set of eyes to spell-check and proofread it -- but if you are serious about making a statement as a job-seeker,
then use our worksheet as a guide for creating your resume.
Bonus Feature: Key Resume Enhancers
FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers
by Katharine Hansen
What are the most important things to remember about writing an effective resume? They can be encapsulated
in a six-letter acronym, FAKTSA, in which the letters stand for:
Dispelling the Myth About Resumes: It's Not Just to Get Your Foot in the Door
by Sherri Edwards
Years ago, we created "catchy" resumes, using sophisticated language, printing them on colored
paper or even having them delivered by singing messengers to get the attention of the decision maker.
Life, work, and the pursuit of employment have changed since then. When sent in response to a job announcement,
the chance of a resume directly reaching the decision maker without going through a screening process is slim to none.
"Catchy" has been replaced with "targeted" and "to the point." People spend many hours trying to break the recruiter's or
human resource specialist's code to determine what will catch their eye. It seems the real value a resume offers
to a candidate may get overlooked in the process of becoming "catchy" or "cute" or packed with "keywords."
NetMentors.Org helps students of various geographic, economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds develop
career aspirations by enlisting the support of experienced industry professionals entirely through the Internet.
NetMentors.Org is available to teens through partnerships with schools, after-school programs,
and traditional mentoring programs. NetMentors.Org partners provide their youth with a fun activity
that stimulates introspection regarding their career interests and future, develops their communication skills, and enhances
their ability to use technology as a resource.
At this time, NetMentors.Org's focus is on schools, after-school programs, and traditional mentoring programs in the Philadelphia and
Washington, DC areas. This reach may be extended if appropriate corporate, foundation, or other funding sources are present.
Katie writes: "I am currently a high school student who desperately wants a part-time job for after school and weekends.
My mom says it's okay, as long as I keep my grades up. I want to impress people when I apply for jobs, so even though I don't
think I need one, I want to develop a resume. Can you give me some pointers?"
Anonymous writes: "Here's my situation: New CFO wanted to make changes and was also unhappy that I had retained a poor
performing employee. The CFO told me I could leave or move to a smaller role in the company. I have been in that role for two years
and would like to leave for another company in a management role similar to the role that I had initially. How should I address the termination/demotion
in a resume and during interviews? Also, my compensation was reduced when I was moved to the lesser role."
Marcey writes: "I've heard that writing a summary of qualifications or summary of skills section on the resume is important, but I can
find almost no in-depth, informative information on why this is so or how to do it. The sources I have been able to find seem to have
contradictory
information -- bullets vs. paragraph, etc. Can you provide some information and some clarification?"
Aldon writes: I read your website with great interest and was thinking you could help me in my situation. I've resigned my job
of 2.5 years looking for a better opportunities and prospects. I found a new job about two months ago. However, I feel that the
way the management manages the company is very unprofessional , and I was never paid for my very first month. (Basically, this company
has cash-flow problem, so I can forget about my bonus!) I have decided to resign during my probation period. I need to look for a new job; however,
I don't know how I should indicate this job of two months on my resume. (I like this job scope but I do not see my long-term growth and prospects
in this company.) If I do include the job, how should I do it such a way that I do not reduce my chances of securing an interview? And, during
the interview, how should I explain to prospective employer of my plight?"
Career-Success-for-Newbies.com --
a career resource site specifically created to provide inexperienced job-seekers pursuing career success
with practical tips, tools and advice for a successful career, work, and life. Topics include: goal-setting,
time management, anger, leadership, motivation, self-esteem, and more. No cost to job-seekers.
HotelJobs --
a great site for hospitality professionals, where job-seekers can search for
jobs in hotels, cruise ships, restaurants, casinos, resorts, and all other areas
of the hospitality industry. You can also post your resume, register for
a job search agent, and review company profiles. No cost to job-seekers.
icerecruit.com
-- the official online recruitment site for the Institute of Civil Engineers, where job-seekers
searching for jobs in the UK (as well as some internationally) can search job listings (by keywords,
job sector, location, and job type) and post your professional profile. Also include company profiles.
No cost to job-seekers.
MyDentalJobs.com --
a job site for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental front office staff
seeking either temporary or permanent positions, where job-seekers can search jobs
(by job title and location) as well as post your resume. No cost to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Almost 50 percent of visitors noted that their resume needs help; more than 33 percent stated that they can live with it, leaving less
than 19 percent that are confident that their resume was "perfect," according to a survey conducted across a network of more than
11,000 sites by Beyond.com, Inc., the largest niche career network for business professionals.
Beyond.com recommends that professionals take advantage of a variety of available resources to improve their resume, such as
resume-writing services, workshops, or even contacting a friend or colleague to provide insight and helpful suggestions. It is also
important to be sure to exclude sensitive information such as your social security number and effectively exhibit your value proposition.
According to two separate online surveys sampling 350 HR professionals, 61 percent said they find inaccuracies in
resumes after background checks. Some interesting data emerged in answers to the question posed in an online "Background
Checks/Resume Inaccuracies" survey: "When investigating the backgrounds of job candidates, how often do you find
inaccuracies in their resume?"
6 percent said "often"
55 percent indicated "sometimes"
27 percent reported "rarely"
2 percent stated "never"
9 percent responded, "We do not investigate the backgrounds of potential employees."
The second survey on effects on hiring decisions based upon discovering inaccuracies revealed these stats:
86 percent said it was either "very important" or "important"
Now, how about AFTER your send out your resume? What about following up? According to a survey of 150 hiring executives recently
conducted by Robert Half International, a whopping 82 percent said job-seekers should follow up within two weeks of submitting application
materials. Only 5 percent said professionals should refrain from communicating once a resume has been sent.
Executives were asked, "How long should a job seeker wait to follow up with the hiring manager after submitting a resume?"
Their responses:
One week or less: 37 percent
One to two weeks 45 percent
Two to three weeks: 9 percent
Three weeks or more: 3 percent
Don't follow up: 5 percent
Don't know: 1 percent
Executives also were asked, "In your opinion, what is the best way for a job-seeker to follow up with a hiring manager after
submitting a resume?" The top three responses were via e-mail (38 percent), telephone (33 percent), and a handwritten note
(23 percent).
Bottom line? Executives expect you to follow-up. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you're being a pest by checking
on the status of your application.
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Web site, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
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QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* GLBT Job-search Issues
* The Demand for Good Writing Skills
* Annual College Admissions Panel
* Alternatives to College
* Storytelling that Propels Careers
* Annual Career Doctor Compendium
* The Value of Internships Abroad and Study Abroad
* Top 10 Fears of Job-seekers
* For Job-hunting Success, Develop a Detailed Job-Search Plan
* How to Build a Personal Advisory Board
* Keep Your Career Dreams Alive
* MBA Career Portfolios
* Pre-Hire Background/Credit Checks
* Financial Aid/Scholarship Timetable
* Build Confidence and Avoid Insecurity in Job Interviews
* Empty Nest Job-seekers
* Are You Sabotaging Your Job-Search/Career?
* Lifelong Networking
* Networking for the Shy
* Working Night Shifts/Odd Hours
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more... including Quintessential Careers' 10th Anniversary!
