A dead resume lacks a clear structure or chronology, does not present or quantify achievements, fails to offer a “big picture” of what you would bring to the employer and is impersonal rather than expressive.  Worse yet, a dead resume fails to win you the response you’re hoping for from the employer:  an invitation for a job interview. 

To win more job interviews and dramatically increase the quality of opportunities your resume can help you attract, strip your resume down to bare bones and resurrect it using the same techniques professional resume writers use to reposition job seekers whose own job search campaigns have failed to yield the results they need.

Problem #1:   Resume Lacks Structure   

 
You cannot create a resume without first creating a structure for it.  Resumes are complicated documents that include different types of information which they communicate to different types of readers.  If your resume has a poor structure it will make no sense to the reader; he or she will simply discard your resume and move on the next one in the pile, and you will count yourself lucky to even get a rejection letter. 

Solution #1:   Create A Strong Skeleton For Your Resume

• Be as specific as possible in the content you want to communicate.  
• Match your content to the job you are applying for and the industry you seek to enter. 
• Avoid jargon yet be sure to use industry-specific key words.
• Organize and sequence all of your dates and details.   You didn’t edit, then write and then initiate; you initiated, then wrote and then edited. 
• List dates chronologically but in reverse order. 
• Combine like skills together. 
• Choose a resume style (chronological, functional, skills-based combination) that highlights your accomplishments.
• List resume sections with most important section first, least important section last and all other sections in their appropriate place in between those two poles.  Education should rarely be listed first unless you seek work either in academia or in a field where education is paramount, such as in medicine.
• Be consistent in how you record information.   Begin bulleted sentences and phrases with the same parts of speech. Give the same level of detail in all resume sections.  Use first person for verbs, not second.  It is inappropriate to refer to yourself in the second person as if you are someone else:  “Resolves customer complaints promptly,” really means, “Mary resolves customer complaints promptly.”  To imply, “I resolve customer complaints promptly,” say, “Resolve customer complaints promptly.”
• Double check all your details.  Edit your resume at least three times yourself, then invite knowledgeable others to edit it as well.  Then edit it again yourself, this time reading the whole document backwards, word by word.  Do not rely on spell checkers to do this for you  -  they are only as thorough as you are!

Problem #2:   Resume Contains No Substance

Many job seekers write a resume with structure but no substance, with a skeleton but no muscles.  Remember that your resume is your brochure; its job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses and sell the reader on the idea of interviewing you.  To accomplish this you must layer details and specific examples into your key resume sections.

Solution #2:   Layer Achievement Muscles Onto Your Resume Skeleton

• Highlight the most vital points. 
• Add deeper levels of detail; articulate clearly and succinctly. 
• Tell success stories with brevity and power. 
• Make each word count. 
• Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your reader’s eyes to what you most want them to read. 
• Describe results and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
• Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories.  What did you do?  How did you do it?  Why?  With and for whom?  Where?  When?  What results did you achieve?  Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume.  Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
• Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form.   Let’s say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily.  Let’s also say that you worked five days a week.  Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
• Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections.  Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them.  If you know you lack specific expe
  Protecting Your Limited Partnership
  The use of the Limited Partnership has grown in popularity over the last 25 years as both a way to limit liability and reduce exposure and risk as well as a tax and estate planning tool. Like any other business or investing tool, it can be used properly for its intended purpose or it can be misused, resulting in problems.PRACTICAL LESSONS LEARNED Though the Limited Partnership has been adopted in all states of the USA, not all limited partnership statutes are created equal. Some are much better than others, and some are worse. It’s important to be in compliance with state law requirements, remembering of course that some states have far more formality requirements than do others. Here are some useful suggestions.As a preference, make use of those jurisdictions where the limited partnership statute is not invasive of every partner’s privacy. Some states want each partner’s name and address, even if they are not the (managing) general partner. Other states are far more respectful of privacy and only require the contact information of the General Partner.Be sure to file any Annual Report. In the better jurisdictions, this is normally just a statement of who the general partner is, along with their address. In others, it is more detailed and requires a financial report. Use the Limited Partnership for its intended and proper purpose. It should have a ‘business purpose’, i.e. controlling and holding investment assets such as the stock of corporations, limited liability company ownership interests, investment trading accounts, mutual funds, etc. The Limited Partnership should not be treated as if it’s your personal piggy bank. Ensure that the Partnership Agreement states one or more specific and well-drafted business purposes.
  ing a structure for it.  Resumes are complicated documents that include different types of information which they communicate to different types of readers.  If your resume has a poor structure it will make no sense to the reader; he or she will simply discard your resume and move on the next one in the pile, and you will count yourself lucky to even get a rejection letter. 

  Solution #1:   Create A Strong Skeleton For Your Resume

  • Be as specific as possible in the content you want to communicate.  
  • Match your content to the job you are applying for and the industry you seek to enter. 
  • Avoid jargon yet be sure to use industry-specific key words.
  • Organize and sequence all of your dates and details.   You didn’t edit, then write and then initiate; you initiated, then wrote and then edited. 
  • List dates chronologically but in reverse order. 
  • Combine like skills together. 
  • Choose a resume style (chronological, functional, skills-based combination) that highlights your accomplishments.
  • List resume sections with most important section first, least important section last and all other sections in their appropriate place in between those two poles.  Education should rarely be listed first unless you seek work either in academia or in a field where education is paramount, such as in medicine.
  • Be consistent in how you record information.   Begin bulleted sentences and phrases with the same parts of speech. Give the same level of detail in all resume sections.  Use first person for verbs, not second.  It is inappropriate to refer to yourself in the second person as if you are someone else:  “Resolves customer complaints promptly,” really means, “Mary resolves customer complaints promptly.”  To imply, “I resolve customer complaints promptly,” say, “Resolve customer complaints promptly.”
  • Double check all your details.  Edit your resume at least three times yourself, then invite knowledgeable others to edit it as well.  Then edit it again yourself, this time reading the whole document backwards, word by word.  Do not rely on spell checkers to do this for you  -  they are only as thorough as you are!

  Problem #2:   Resume Contains No Substance

  Many job seekers write a resume with structure but no substance, with a skeleton but no muscles.  Remember that your resume is your brochure; its job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses and sell the reader on the idea of interviewing you.  To accomplish this you must layer details and specific examples into your key resume sections.

  Solution #2:   Layer Achievement Muscles Onto Your Resume Skeleton
  

  • Highlight the most vital points. 
  • Add deeper levels of detail; articulate clearly and succinctly. 
  • Tell success stories with brevity and power. 
  • Make each word count. 
  • Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your reader’s eyes to what you most want them to read. 
  • Describe results and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
  • Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories.  What did you do?  How did you do it?  Why?  With and for whom?  Where?  When?  What results did you achieve?  Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume.  Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
  • Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form.   Let’s say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily.  Let’s also say that you worked five days a week.  Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
  • Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections.  Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them.  If you know you lack specific exp
    So You Want to Be a Consultant?
    As attractive as it may seem – even glamorous, perhaps – being a Consultant takes work. It’s a job. It can also be a business, a career, even a profession, depending on the attitude with which you approach the effort. And, yes, becoming a Consultant does take effort. Make no mistake about that.What do you need to start? Something you’re good at, obviously. Well, not just “good,” but as one of my college students once put it, you have to be “gooder” than everyone else. Can you believe a college student saying that? He did. Anyway, to put it in more acceptable terms, you have to have some knowledge, skill or talent – some ability – that’s more than, greater than, better than most others in your field.You can’t be just “an expert.” You have to be “the expert.” “An expert” gets a job, becomes an employee. “The expert,” becomes the Consultant, someone many companies willingly to pay top dollar to for what he or she knows or can accomplish.Is there some test to determine your level of expertise, some license you must study for to earn? After all, attorneys are licensed. So too are real estate and insurance brokers. So, what about Consultant? The simple answer is, “No!” There is no license required to call yourself a “consultant.” Some communities may require that you get a business license, but no government body licenses “consultants.”Oh, if you’re curious about why I spell Consultant differently a different times – using both upper and lower case Cs – it’s because the to me the upper case version identifies a professional, the lower case nothing more than an area of interest, a topic for discussion.Starting out, the most difficult part of becoming a Consultant is convincing potential clients that you are “the expert.” That’s a process that begins long before you make the decision to “g
    highlights your accomplishments.
  • List resume sections with most important section first, least important section last and all other sections in their appropriate place in between those two poles.  Education should rarely be listed first unless you seek work either in academia or in a field where education is paramount, such as in medicine.
  • Be consistent in how you record information.   Begin bulleted sentences and phrases with the same parts of speech. Give the same level of detail in all resume sections.  Use first person for verbs, not second.  It is inappropriate to refer to yourself in the second person as if you are someone else:  “Resolves customer complaints promptly,” really means, “Mary resolves customer complaints promptly.”  To imply, “I resolve customer complaints promptly,” say, “Resolve customer complaints promptly.”
  • Double check all your details.  Edit your resume at least three times yourself, then invite knowledgeable others to edit it as well.  Then edit it again yourself, this time reading the whole document backwards, word by word.  Do not rely on spell checkers to do this for you  -  they are only as thorough as you are!

  Problem #2:   Resume Contains No Substance

  Many job seekers write a resume with structure but no substance, with a skeleton but no muscles.  Remember that your resume is your brochure; its job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses and sell the reader on the idea of interviewing you.  To accomplish this you must layer details and specific examples into your key resume sections.

  Solution #2:   Layer Achievement Muscles Onto Your Resume Skeleton
  

  • Highlight the most vital points. 
  • Add deeper levels of detail; articulate clearly and succinctly. 
  • Tell success stories with brevity and power. 
  • Make each word count. 
  • Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your reader’s eyes to what you most want them to read. 
  • Describe results and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
  • Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories.  What did you do?  How did you do it?  Why?  With and for whom?  Where?  When?  What results did you achieve?  Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume.  Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
  • Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form.   Let’s say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily.  Let’s also say that you worked five days a week.  Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
  • Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections.  Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them.  If you know you lack specific exp
    Nurse Educators Needed Stat!
    Nursing is the nations largest health care profession, with more than 2.7 million registered nurses nationwide, and nursing students account for more than half of all health professions students in the United States. Applications to attend nursing schools continue to increase nicely but did you know that thousands of students are being turned away because of an acute shortage of Nursing Educators?A study done by the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions indicates that by 2020, the U.S. nursing shortage will grow to more than 800,000 registered nurses. How can we put a serious dent in stemming this dangerous tide unless nurses take an active role in educating the nurses of tomorrow?Becoming a Nurse Educator is a wonderful career choice Registered nurses ARE teachers! RNs teach patients and their families how to manage their illness or injury, including post-treatment home care needs, diet and exercise programs, and self-administration of medication and physical therapy. RNs mentor and precept new graduates and new hire staff as well as develop and implement ongoing continuing education activities within clinical settings. RNs combine their clinical expertise and passion for teaching others in thousands of ways every time they work.Nurse Educators make use of that same clinical expertise and passion for teaching to guide and shape the future of the nursing profession- one student at a time!Do you want to be doing direct patient care when you're 63 and still waiting to be old enough to retire? I say leave bedside nursing to the younger nurses, give your sore back a rest, and turn your talents towards building the next generation of nurses instead!Some RNs choose to advance their nursing career by moving into administrative or management positions, but the responsibilities and stress of management aren'
    e document backwards, word by word.  Do not rely on spell checkers to do this for you  -  they are only as thorough as you are!

  Problem #2:   Resume Contains No Substance

  Many job seekers write a resume with structure but no substance, with a skeleton but no muscles.  Remember that your resume is your brochure; its job is to highlight your best qualities and credentials, downplay your weaknesses and sell the reader on the idea of interviewing you.  To accomplish this you must layer details and specific examples into your key resume sections.

  Solution #2:   Layer Achievement Muscles Onto Your Resume Skeleton
  

  • Highlight the most vital points. 
  • Add deeper levels of detail; articulate clearly and succinctly. 
  • Tell success stories with brevity and power. 
  • Make each word count. 
  • Use graphics and bold, underline, or italics to draw your reader’s eyes to what you most want them to read. 
  • Describe results and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
  • Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories.  What did you do?  How did you do it?  Why?  With and for whom?  Where?  When?  What results did you achieve?  Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume.  Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
  • Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form.   Let’s say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily.  Let’s also say that you worked five days a week.  Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
  • Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections.  Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them.  If you know you lack specific exp
    Why Choosing Vending Machine Business?
    Maybe you often heard that vending machine business is one of the most profitable home based businesses. Yes, it's true that vending machine business is an instant home based business. You can earn decent income by running this business part time and may even more when doing it full time! And there are more reasons and advantages of choosing this vending machine business as stated below: Part time or full time. Even if you still have regular job, you can run vending machine business part time and expand as it grows to full time. Low start-up cost. You only need little investment to start this business. Potential high in profit. If you buy bulk candy of gumball for 2 or 3 cents, you can sell it for a quarter. Think about the profit you may have! Be your own boss. If you run vending business full time, you will be your own boss and never deal with your boss to get paid. No advertising cost. It’s not your job to do the advertising. Let’s the product manufacturers advertise their product for you. Vending machine is an all cash business. No worry about bad debt and check problems because you receive cash right away. Selling when you are sleeping! Make sure that your machines are running smoothly and they will do the selling job 24 hours. Time and costs saving. No need to employ clerk or cashier unless you are in tight competition that may need promotion girls next to the vending machines to help you selling. Variety of choices. You can vend almost anything: cigarettes, alcohol, beverage, snacks, candy, and more. Get the tax advantages. Tax deductions can include a percentage of home mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, utilities, car expenses, meal expenses, traveling expenses and much more.
    s and outcomes to sell your highest level of achievement.
  • Apply a journalism technique to craft powerful success stories.  What did you do?  How did you do it?  Why?  With and for whom?  Where?  When?  What results did you achieve?  Answer these questions fully on separate paper, then edit your story until it fits into 1-2 sentences and insert it in your resume.  Use the original expanded version of your story to share verbally with employers in interviews.
  • Characterize all numbers in their most powerful and realistic form.   Let’s say you cashiered at a grocery store and closed out your register with an average of $1000 daily.  Let’s also say that you worked five days a week.  Multiply that $1000 times five days per week and it becomes $5000 weekly; or $20,000 monthly, if your prefer.
  • Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and anticipate their questions, concerns and objections.  Be honest in your assessment of your weaknesses and proactive in your defense against questions about them.  If you know you lack specific experience, then go out of your way to translate your background into language and skill sets a potential employer will want to hear. 
  • What assumptions do you fear an employer will make about you?  That you’re too old?  Too young?  Inexperienced?  Overqualified?  Build resume muscles on these specific issues by challenging assumptions before they can be raised.
  • Use action verbs and concrete, quantifiable nouns.  Avoid passive verbs.  Use verbs that communicate to your reader’s senses and create the impression of action. 
  • Avoid vague terms like “several”, “many” and “some”; try specific numbers or number ranges instead. 
  • Choose verbs and nouns that demonstrate the highest level of skill you have achieved.