There was a time when resumes began with what the job seeker wanted. This was the objective line and made most hiring managers say collectively, "who cares?" Savvy job seekers begin their resumes with snapshots of their skills. This paragraph should fall under the header "Profile" or "Qualifications."
Most hiring managers will look at your resume for 3 to 7 seconds, so make the most of each moment. A summary of your skills and qualifications will immediately tell your reader why you are the person for the job. How do you do this? First, write a basic summary that encompasses your experience, your expertise, and your accomplishments. Then take this summary and tailor it for each job you apply for. This is critically important.
Hiring managers want to believe you want to work at their company. They want evidence that you’ve researched the job, you like the company, and you are motivated to work for them. They do not want to feel like you’re sending your resume to every company that has a job opening. Given the choice between two comparable candidates, all bosses will hire the candidate who appears to know and like the company.
Hence, your summary paragraph can go so far as to mimic the language in the job posting. This will help if the company uses keyword technology to weed out inappropriate resumes.
The summary paragraph can use sentence fragments.
Don’t write:
"I am an experienced and dedicated business proposal writer..."
Do write:
"Dedicated business proposal writer with over nine years of deadline-intensive experience."
Keywords
If applicable, you may need to sneak your keywords into your resume. You can list these at the end of your opening paragraph using a bullet format. So, at the end of your profile paragraph introduce the bullet points with a connecting phrase and list them horizontally.
Do write:
Skills include:
* Then List * Your Skills * In Bullet Points * That Maximize * The Space Available
Don't:
* Use
* Vertical
* Lists
* They
* Waste
* Too Much
* Space
Bullet points at the end of the profile paragraph are helpful for just about any profession. You can list accomplishments or any skills or keywords you want to highlight. Just remember to keep your list in agreement in tense.