• Important Resume Details (from episode 14)

• Avoid getting ripped off in your job search (from episode 13)

• Trends in creating a first rate resume (from episode 12)

• Applying for a job with the Federal Government (from episode 11)

• Books for the do-it-yourselfer (from episode 10)

• 2009 resumes (from episode 9)

• Filling out an application (from episode 8)

• Cleaning up digital dirt (from episode 7)

• Summary of qualifications (from episode 6)

• Cover letter clean up (from episode 5)

• Tips for creating your resume (from episode 4)

• Gathering information for your resume (from episode 3)

• ASCII Text Resume Conversion (from episode 2)

Important Resume Details

Attention to detail is very important when creating a resume.

Susan Geary shares some  pointers to help you in creating a winning resume.

Avoid getting rip off in your job search

As if it's not bad enough to be unemployed, there are other perils to be aware of.  Fraudulent vacancy announcements that prey on the desperate, encouraging you to give up confidential information that can be used against you. Certified Resume Writer Susan Geary tells us what to watch out for when applying for jobs.

Trends in creating a first rate resume

"Resume Trends"- extended version

Over the past year, we've been featuring our Resume Writer, Susan Geary - with tips on how to put together a professional resume. Now we're taking it one step further… with our Resume Review. You can send us your resume online and our team from Return to Roots will give you FREE feedback on your resume.So they sat down with Susan to review the most current trends in a First Rate Resume.
 

 Applying for a job with the Federal Government

With more than 14 million workers on the payroll - our Federal Government is the largest employer in the country. According to the Wall Street Journal, each Federal job posting draws an average of 170 applications, up from about 25 in 2007. The government plans on adding 273,000 workers in the next 3 years, that's 41% higher than in the prior two years. But filling out a job application for a government job is very different than a typical job search. Certified Resume Writer Susan Geary shows us what information we need on hand for this complicated document.

Sample Federal Resume

Books for the do-it yourselfer

When writing your own resume, you'll find there is lots of advice out there, including books that may be out of date or hard to follow.

Our resume expert, Susan Geary, spent time at a Roanoke Barnes and Noble to show us which books are better than others for the do-it-yourselfer.

2009 resumes

Find out how to bring your
resume up to 2009 standards.

Filling Out A Job Application

A critical part of the job search process is filling out the application whether you fill out the old fashioned paper version or a digital format. 

Susan offers helpful pointers for filling out job applications. 

Cleaning Up Digital Dirt

Susan offers helpful hints about 'digital dirt,' showing viewers how to clean up their online profile that could keep them from being hired.

Summary of Qualifications

Cover Letter Clean Up

If you're like most people, you've spent a lot of time polishing your resume, but don't forget about your cover letter.

Certified Resume Writer Susan Geary has some suggestions on how to turn your cover letter into a selling page by creating a brand for yourself. 

Sample "Before" cover letter

Cover letter format

Gathering Information for Your Resume

In order to write a stellar resume, you have to start with the right information. Keep a career file on yourself, or a career
folio. It's important to archive documents throughout your career and keep track of everything that pertains to your job. Don't forget to save things like:

• Employee Performance Evaluation

• Complimentary Emails & Notes

• Training Certificates

• Official Job Descriptions

• Membership Certificates

• Award Certificates

To help you gather everything together and keep track, here's a resume questionnaire.  pdf version    MS Word version
 

Tips for Creating Your Resume

    problem resume  

   resume solution

ASCII Text Resume Conversion

Print friendly version (pdf)

To create an ASCII resume for Web forms using MS Word 97/2000:

• Open your document, Click on the File Menu, Scroll down to Save As, and choose "Text Only" (NOT "Text Only with Line Breaks"). You will get a prompt stating that your document "may contain features that are not compatible with text only format" - choose "yes."

• Close your resume file and re-open the file in text format.

• Change bullets to asterisks or dashes.

• Review the heading to ensure that the address, phone number(s), and e-mail addresses are placed in a logical sequence.

• Add stylistic elements to the header sections so that they stand out. A horizontal line may be created by using a series of dashes or asterisks. You can also use UPPER CASE fonts to emphasize job titles and section headers. 

• If a resume is longer than one page and contains contact information on the additional pages, remove this information from the ASCII text version. The ASCII resume is meant to be read on a computer screen, so there is no distinction between page numbers.