Whip your resume into shape

			Book Notes
					By Saul Wischnitzer and Edith Wischnitzer
			Excerpt from Health-Care Careers for the 21st Century.

Your resume is a letter of introduction. To prepare it properly, you must be fully acquainted with the details of your career and the job you seek. An attractive resume is aimed at securing an invitation for an interview. This is the next step in the job search process.

Your resume should contain the following information:

• Your location. You should provide your full home address, phone number and e-mail address.

• Your career goal. Carefully and precisely summarize the kind of job you are seeking.

• Your education. Beginning with the most recent educational institution you've attended, list all of your completed degrees, diplomas and certificates going back to high school. List the name and address of each institution, the years you attended, the degree or diploma your received, and your major.

• Honors, awards and recognition. List any recognition of special abilities or service you received during your school years. These may include specific awards, membership in honor societies or elected positions in student government.

• Work experience. List all the places you've worked, starting with the most recent. Include summer, part-time, and volunteer positions. Identify the length of time you were employed, your job title, and your major accomplishments on the job.

• Qualifications. As specifically as possible, list the skills you have to do the job you want. Include the names and types of software and equipment you can use.

• Special abilities. This section gives you an opportunity to promote yourself by identifying your special skills or unique achievements. Try to demonstrate your creativity, organizational skills, team spirit and social or cultural activities. Indicate your special musical skills, community service activities, foreign language ability and hobbies.

Information about the position

Knowing the facts about the position you want allows you to demonstrate your suitability. After reviewing the job openings you've located, identify the educational requirements and qualifications for each. Note any prior experience required and the job's responsibilities. Then match these requirements and responsibilities with your personal assets. Now you can customize your resume to meet the prospective employer's needs.

Most employers receive many resumes for each job opening. Frequently, personnel managers expedite their review by simply scanning cover letters and resumes. That's why these marketing tools should be as attractive as possible. Your resume should be eye-catching and focus the reviewer's attention on your candidacy and your credentials.

There are a number of issues to focus on in preparing your resume:

• Brevity. Don't assume a longer resume is a better resume. Your resume should be no more than two pages. This means you must write in a brief, concise fashion. When presenting a project you successfully completed, list only the major elements of your activities rather than describing the protocol in detail. Try to get the basics across and leave the details for an interview.

• Word choice. Use action words that reflect accomplishment, such as "organized," "designed" and "implemented." These imply intense personal involvement. Other words that leave a positive impression are "analyzed," "created," "developed," "planned" and "increased." Whenever possible, use numbers or figures to document your achievements.

• Presentation. Make your resume as attractive as possible without resorting to gimmicks. The layout should be simple and clean. Proper spacing and use of margins, headings and italics can make your information clear and more interesting. Your resume is like a personal commercial; the better it looks, the more likely your chances for success. Use a laser printer or have it reproduced by a professional printer. In either case, use a high-quality paper in white, off-white, or pale gray with a contrasting ink.

• Clarity. Be sure the information you provide is accurate and as complete as possible for the reader to evaluate your abilities and potential. Don't exaggerate to enhance your appeal, and avoid being vague if you are trying to cover up information. It may be a red flag that arouses the reader's attention. Have someone review your resume to ensure there are no grammatical errors, and use the computer spell-check for accuracy. Set the draft copy aside for a short while and then proofread it before printing the final draft.

• Health-Care Careers for the 21st Century is available through JIST Publishing.

About JIST Publishing

From Health-Care Careers for the 21st Century, by Dr. Saul Wischnitzer and Edith Wischnitzer, © 2000. Used with permission of JIST Publishing, Indianapolis, Ind.

JIST Publishing is an Indianapolis-based publisher and authority on the topics of career, job search, business and families in crisis. The JIST staff help people help themselves in career and life by publishing practical, self-directed products and training tools that are used in employment training, education, business, counseling, therapy and school settings.