By Mary Carroll

If you haven’t looked for a job recently, there are new tactics that hiring professionals are using that you should be aware of before updating your resume. Employers and recruiters increasingly rely on electronic resumes, resume posting boards and job banks to find job candidates. Resumes are either being scanned or input directly into keyword-searchable databases, and accessed when an employer inputs a keyword list of requirements that best describe the position they are seeking to fill. The database searches for keywords describing job titles, responsibilities and descriptions, degree requirements, computer knowledge as well as personality traits. This software scans through thousands of resumes and identifies those that most closely match the imputed keywords. The more keywords or "hits" the software finds in a resume, the more likely it will be read by a HR professional. Keywords are the most important element of a scannable resume. What exactly are keywords? Keywords are nouns or noun phrases that identify skills unique to a specific profession or industry. Although active verbs have long been essential for building a successful resume, now the noun or noun phrase that follows an active verb is equally important. For example: - Self-motivated IT manager with a strong work ethic and problem solving abilities - Talented Graphic Designer of 4-color direct mail catalogs and corporate web site design - Accomplished in Microsoft Office software applications, Excel, Word and PowerPoint - Nominated by the New York Times for the Pulitzer Prize in news photography Keyword nouns are the experience and skills that are specific terminology used in your job and are still relevant to your job search. Other sources for identifying keywords are job descriptions, job titles, software requirements, educational degrees, college names, company names, professional organizations, awards you’ve won and personality traits. Words that are repeatedly used in trade journals and classified ads in association with the job title you are seeking are also keywords. Whatever your final word choices are, your keywords should accurately describe your skills, talents, and experience. As a word only needs to be used once for it to be considered a "hit" in a keyword search, use synonyms wherever possible to broaden your number of hits. The Summary area of your resume should consist of several short statements that highlight your most important qualities, achievements and abilities. By tailoring every word in the "Summary” to your targeted goal, you can make this area keyword rich. The most common ingredients of a well-written Summary are listed below; use what best describe you: - a sentence describing your profession - followed by a comment stating your level of expertise - followed by two to three statements related to any of the following: - unique mix of skills - range of environments in which you have experience - a special or well-documented professional accomplishment - a history of awards, promotions, or superior performance commendations - one or more professional or personal characteristics - a sentence describing your professional objectives or interests It’s important to list only the skills you would feel comfortable using if you were to be tested. Should the position you are seeking require knowledge of software you don’t know, consider taking lessons before listing it on your resume. If you’ve submitted your resume online to sites like monster.com or careerbuilder.com your resume has already been electronically imputed into their databases. But what happens if when it’s scanned from a paper copy? OCR software attempts to match characters scanned from your resume with standard letter shapes. This makes it imperative that your resume is formatted with a font that OCR can recognize, font choice the single most important factor in creating a scannable resume. Simple, conservative typefaces such as Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana and Courier are some of the best choices. Other content and design guidelines are: - keep it simple and conservative - use high quality 8-1/2 x 11 inch, white or off-white paper, print on one side of the paper only - format headings with either Bold text or ALL CAPITALS. - use headings sparingly but consistently to support your information structure - don’t use italics - it skews characters and confuses OCR - don’t use underlined text - it confuses OCR - use no more than two fonts in sizes between 10 and 12 points - allow margins and line spacing (white space) to keep the document from looking crowded - use horizontal lines to separate sections of your resume - don’t use vertical lines, graphics, shading or boxes - your contact information with your name is printed at the top of each page - a summary, where your best assets, whether education, experience, or skills are listed - categories are clear and text is indented - dates of employment are easy to find and consistently formatted - each entry highlights a capability or accomplishment - verb tense is consistent; current job is in present tense; past employment is in past tense - use a minimal amount of punctuation, it can confuse OCR - capitalization, punctuation, and date formats are consistent - no typos or spelling errors - don’t fold or staple your resume, if you mail your resume use a large envelope Your resume should be a quick and easy to read, containing no fluff and no unnecessary words. As hiring professionals look through hundreds or even thousands of job applications, they may spend only a few seconds reviewing each resume. To catch their attention, you must quickly convey that you standout from the competition. A successful resume is one that does not exclude you from consideration. Your resume is a personal self-marketing tool; so make sure you get a powerful and accurate message across. By fine-tuning your keywords to meet the qualifications of each job, the more likely that you'll be asked to an interview where you can sell yourself. Mary Carroll is a customer advocate for Video Professor, the leader in self-paced software learning tutorials, helping our customers to better understand Video Professor and how our tutorials can provide tools to learn various software programs to your desired level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Carroll

Here are some examples of how others have written Resume Objectives. They include Coypywriter, Account executive, Program Development Coordinator, Retail Sales, Management, Programming, finanancial manager, teacher, admin in health care, secretary, nurse and Journalist.

Copywriter/Account executive in Advertising or Public Relations Agency.

Program Development, Coordination, and Administration ... especially in a growth-oriented organization where there is team work, entrepreneurship and sound planning.

A position of responsibility in retail sales.

A middle/upper-level management position with responsibilities including problem solving, planning, organizing, and managing budgets.

Challenging position in programming or related areas that would best utilize creative talents and thought processes. This position should have many opportunities for an aggressive, dedicated individual with the leadership abilities.

To obtain a position as a financial manager in the health care industry, where my experience will be called on daily in demonstrating accomplishments by success decision making.

To obtain a position as an Elementary School Teacher in which a strong dedication to the total development of children and a high degree of professionalism can be fully utilized.

An administrative position in the area of health care utilizing my knowledge of clinical, community, and patient services.

Highly skilled Executive Secretary with years of executive loyalty and outstanding professional experience including: Ability to communicate with all levels of management and employees while maintaining confidentiality, use of word processing, Windows, Lotus 1-2-3, Excel, Word, Word Perfect, Power point and many other document preparation

International communication liaison with subsidiary companies

Contract negotiation bargaining team member experienced in FARS and government contracting,

Seeking a position as a Registered Nurse where I can be most effective in helping other medical personnel assist patients and provide quality health care.

Obtain a challenging, entry-level position in Broadcast Journalism, with a special interest in under cover or investigative reporting, anchoring, and producing segment pieces with a commercial or PBS television station.

Position as a Word Processing Secretary that will utilize my computer knowledge, strong people skills, organizational abilities, and business experience.

How to Write A Good Resume Objective

1. Avoid job titles - Resume Objective.

Job titles such as "Secretary" or "Market Manager" can involve very different activities in different organizations. The same job can often have different titles in different organizations and using such a title may very well limit your being considered for such jobs as "Office Manager" or "Marketing Assistant." It is best to use broad categories of jobs rather than specific titles, so that you can be considered for a wide variety of jobs related to the skills you have. For example, instead of "Secretary" you could say "Responsible Office Management or Clerical Position" if that is what you would really consider - and qualify for.

2. Define a "bracket of responsibility" to include the possibility of upward mobility - Resume Objective.

While you may be willing to accept a specific job drawing on your current skills keep yourself open for jobs that require higher levels of responsibility and pay. Use categories of skills and titles so that the person reviewing your resume might consider you for other openings.

In effect, you should define a 'bracket of responsibility' in your objective that includes the range of jobs that you are willing to accept. This bracket should include the lower range of jobs that you would consider as well as those requiring higher levels of responsibility, up to and including those that you think you could handle. Even if you have not handled those higher levels of responsibility in the past, many employers may consider you for them if you have the skills to support the objective.

3. Include your most important skills - Resume Objective.

What are the most important skills needed for the job you want? Consider including one or more of these as being required in the job that you seek. The implication here is that if you are looking for a job that requires 'Organizational Skills,' then you have those skills. Of course, your interview (and resume) should support those skills with specific examples.

4. Include specifics if these are important to you - Resume Objective.

If you have substantial experience in a particular industry (such as 'Computer Controlled Machine Tools') or have a narrow and specific objective that you really want (such as 'Art Therapist with the Mentally Handicapped'), then it is OK to state this. But, in so doing, realize that by narrowing your alternatives down you will often not be considered for other jobs for which you might qualify. Still, if that is what you want, it just may be worth pursuing (though I would still encourage you to have a second, more general objective just in case).

Finalize Your Resume Objective Statement

The most important is that you can clearly state what sort of a job you want and know what kinds of skills and experiences are needed to do well in that job. Even if you decide to change your job objective later, it is very important that you decide on one now for effective marketing.

Don’t be afraid to interview for jobs that seem far outside your skill set. If you don’t force yourself to reach higher you will never be considered. Don’t expect lady luck to come knocking when you could have opened the door and walked thru. Ask about opportunities for advancement. Apply for jobs above your last experience and challenge yourself.

Having spent years working with highly paid executives it is obvious most executives are learning as they go. Few know exactly what they are doing. What they do know is how to take chances, accept risk and turn everyday events into income producing opportunities. Make yourself reach for that next level up. You too can make it to the top of your field/company. See you there.

Other Resume Resources

Ultimate online encyclopedia including resume tips and information
Resource maker and writing site with dice type information
Helpful site for assembling a resume
Good Career development resource
The Ultimate Monster for job seekers
Learn the ultimate interview method
Career Builder lacks the search engine of the ultimate sites but a good resource
Great resume resource
Full of information on resume objectives and has that cute owl
Online resume builder
Ultimate resource for college graduates
Free examples of resume objectives
Monster provides resume samples here
Good site for general resume info
Rock Port Institute brings free resume objective information
Resume writing center
The Riley Guide of resume writing
The Job Web has many library resources including interview coaching and resume objectives
Key and free is where resume objectives are obtained
Home page for a great example of how to make a resume
Free resume help and resume online maker and writing service
e-resume with ultimate key resume objectives

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