As a potential telecommuter, your resume writing skills are
one of the most important aspects of landing that perfect
work from home job. The resume is the only thing you've got
to convince a potential employer that you meet the criteria
they are looking for in a telecommuting candidate. Usually,
the interview only comes after a good first impression with
your resume. Let's discuss some techniques to better keep
your resume out of the circular file, or in our case...the
email trash bin.
1. It's important to be thorough, but specific and to the
point, when writing your resume. Employers are busy people.
The last thing they want to do is sit down and read a three
page paper about everything you've been involved in since
high school. Keep it short and concise.
2. Be sure to identify any accomplishments you feel will
better help you get the job at hand. Especially accomplishments
that required good organization skills, the ability to be
a self-starter and finisher, and your ability to work on multiple
tasks at one time.
3. Try to use verbs that express action while describing
your past paid work and volunteer experiences while keeping
your sentences short and to the point. There is no need for
fluff in a resume. Rather than saying, "I was involved
in the proper training of new engineers"...say, "I
trained new engineers."
4. Make your layout look tidy and neat by properly justifying
all headings. And stay consistent throughout the whole resume.
Don't center a headline in one place and then left justify
another in the next. Avoid using abbreviations in your text.
5. Be sure to list names of former employers, any volunteer
work you have done that shows you possess certain skills for
the job you are applying for, and any training or schooling
you've received in certain and relevant areas.
6. Summarize your work experience and stress skills you have
from performing your jobs rather than titles. Employers need
to know that you possess certain skills rather than held a
nice sounding title at your past places of employment.
7 . Never include past or present wages on your resume. This
is something that can be discussed if the employer wants to
set up a proper interview with you. In the case of long distance
telecommuting, more than likely over the telephone.
8. There is no need to provide unnecessary information such
as your height, weight, marital status, family status or the
like. This is all personal information and you have the right
to keep it that way.
9. Format your resume using a text editor and save it as
a text file somewhere you can easily locate. As you apply
for jobs online you will be more than likely required to copy
and past it in an online form. On some occasions a Microsoft
Word or Wordperfect file will be acceptable. Have both text
and word processor style resumes available for when needed.
10. Be sure to have someone else read over your resume and
have them give you their honest opinion. Let them know you
are not looking for a pat on the back, but a critical eye
for mistakes or on what areas could use some improvement.
These are only basic points to remember while creating a
proper resume that employers are looking for. A simple search
on the internet will provide a listing of websites dedicated
to helping you write a great resume based on your past work
and life experiences.
Be sure to take the appropriate amount of time to produce
a good resume as part of your battle plan to locate and land
the telecommuting job that is right for you.
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