By: Capiz Greene
People spend way too much time worrying, fretting about and re-doing resumes during a job
search. Here are some basic rules and tips for resumes and cover letters that allow you to
showcase yourself in the best light, and be as time efficient as possible in your job search.
REMEMBER: When you are looking for a job, it IS a full time job! Here is a way to look at the whole process:
1. In a job search, the product is YOU.
2. YOU must be promoted in the best light, to the most people possible who will BUY YOU.
3. The cover letter and resume are the two initial promotional tools you use to get the attention of
your target market: the potential employer.
4. The Cover Letter is the “teaser” – it is the preview of what is to come. (Much like the news
teasers – “100 car pile up on interstate 94 – details at 10”)
5. The Resume then becomes the “Ad” for your product. It includes just enough information to
raise the potential employers’ curiosity and get them to call you in for an interview.
a. Many people make the mistake of putting EVERYTHING about themselves in the
resume – enough information to land them in the circular file (the trash can).
6. It is important to keep in mind that simple, direct and easy to scan is the rule to live by in
writing resumes and cover letters.
7. Know your top three (3) areas of strengths and prime story examples that show evidence and support of those strengths.
8. Include a line in your cover letter that states you will follow up on a particular day…then do it!
9. Structure your resume beginning with a summary (not an objective), and then follow with
your accomplishments.
10. Write in active voice: eliminate the phrases “Duties Included” and “Responsible for”.
a. Employers want to know what you actually DID, not a copy of your job description.
11. Omit a “job objective”. In this fast paced, impatient I-Want-It-NOW world of scanning, a job objective limits you to that one objective and is the quickest way to weed you out!
12. You do not have to list your work experience all the way back to the time of Moses. The last 10 years is all that is needed.
13. But I had some really good jobs further back than 10 years! How can I not include them?!
a. We’ll cover that in the “Accomplishments” section. Really. It’s not hard to look good
on paper!
Once you have the template for writing these two documents, it is a simple matter to move them around and rearrange to accommodate different jobs for which you are applying.
Capiz (pronounced “copy”) Greene is based in Omaha, Nebraska. She is an international speaker and author who works with organizations that want to create environments where people can achieve and perform at their best and individuals who want careers that reflect their passion and purpose.
For more information on outplacement/job transition services, please contact Capiz at
capizg@greenelight.com.
