Can someone advise how to improve my resume?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Deborah Hemstreet wondered: <<I am wondering if you could give me  
some advice as to how to improve my resume.>>

It's important to remember that a resume does not stand alone, and is  
not something monolithic ("one size fits all"). First, resumes should  
always be accompanied by a cover letter that emphasizes the key  
points that relate to a specific advertised position. Second, the  
resume itself should be "optimized" to draw attention to the specific  
points that relate to the job you're applying for -- and to eliminate  
stuff that might potentially be interesting but that is irrelevant to  
the job. It's certainly possible to create a strong resume that  
doesn't change much, if at all, between job applications, but  
customizing it works better when the resume will actually be screened  
by humans.

<<Obviously something is missing, or I'd at least get some calls for  
interviews.>>

Not necessarily. Don't forget, we're in the middle of a (don't use  
the word recession but that's what it is), so employers aren't in any  
hurry to hire these days.

<<The headhunters all like my resumes, but I don't seem able to get  
an interview past that level. There is a position in my area that is  
being posted all over kingdom come, but I just can't get the  
interview.>>

Have you tried calling the person named in the "contact us" part of  
the job description? (If nobody is named, you can always try calling  
the company switchboard and asking whether the receptionist knows the  
person who might be hiring and will connect you to that person.)  
Sometimes the problem is that your resume never reaches the person  
who should be seeing it. Sometimes the problem is that it's being  
screened out by the HR department, usually by someone who has no  
understanding of the job you're applying for and can't do anything  
more than scan the resume for a list of keywords. If you can speak  
directly to the person who is hiring, you can often get an interview  
that you'd never get any other way.

<<My two resumes can be  reviewed here: http://www.tech- 
challenged.com/resume.html>>

Don't have time to review them... major work crunch right now. But  
keep a few of the things I've mentioned in mind, and see if that helps.

----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
--------------------------------------------------
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