Thursday, April 22, 2010
Welcome!
This career blog was created to assist students in answering questions they may have about anything and everything job related - from resume writing, to securing an interview, to networking, to concerns regarding the job market and your marketability - this blog is designed to help you. As this is a new venture, we would appreciate any comments you have, however, please abide by all the standard rules regarding postings - no profanity, etc.
Resume Submission 101
Many, if not most of us have written resumes at one time or another. While we feel we have the perfect resume, it is always a good idea to get a second or third opinion (or fourth or fifth if you're unsure). Here are a few rules to abide by when writing a resume for a tax accountant or assurance position:
1) NO ERRORS! In this day and age with spell check and grammar check available there should be no spelling or grammatical errors. If a red or green squiggle line appears below a word or phrase, please double check it. Please be sure you also have the correct email and phone number on the resume as this is how the recruiters will contact you. There is no room for error and no second chance for a first impression.
2) CONSISTENCY! I cannot tell you how many times I have reviewed a resume where the dashes, periods and/or bullet points are inconsistent. You want to present yourself as a polished individual which means maintaining consistency throughout your resume. If you wish to have a space between the dates or your employment, please be sure that all the dashes are the same. Similarly make sure all bullet points, regardless of which section - education, employment or hobbies - are consistent.
3) OBJECTIVE. Please be sure that you state an objective, but keep it short and concise. If you specify a firm name or a group of firms (i.e. Big Four), please be sure you update your objective as appropriate when submitting to other firms.
4) GPA. Please list your GPA, both graduate (if applicable) and undergraduate. Recruiters may throw out your resume if you don't have your GPA listed. If your GPA is below a 3.0, you still need to list it. Not listing your GPA creates a negative image as they feel you are trying to hide something.
5) HOBBIES. Believe it or not, firms are interested in getting to know you as a person. However, be honest about your hobbies as you never know whether or not the interviewer has the same hobby. You don't want to walk into the interview saying you are interested in fishing, only to find out that your interviewer is a fishing aficionado.
1) NO ERRORS! In this day and age with spell check and grammar check available there should be no spelling or grammatical errors. If a red or green squiggle line appears below a word or phrase, please double check it. Please be sure you also have the correct email and phone number on the resume as this is how the recruiters will contact you. There is no room for error and no second chance for a first impression.
2) CONSISTENCY! I cannot tell you how many times I have reviewed a resume where the dashes, periods and/or bullet points are inconsistent. You want to present yourself as a polished individual which means maintaining consistency throughout your resume. If you wish to have a space between the dates or your employment, please be sure that all the dashes are the same. Similarly make sure all bullet points, regardless of which section - education, employment or hobbies - are consistent.
3) OBJECTIVE. Please be sure that you state an objective, but keep it short and concise. If you specify a firm name or a group of firms (i.e. Big Four), please be sure you update your objective as appropriate when submitting to other firms.
4) GPA. Please list your GPA, both graduate (if applicable) and undergraduate. Recruiters may throw out your resume if you don't have your GPA listed. If your GPA is below a 3.0, you still need to list it. Not listing your GPA creates a negative image as they feel you are trying to hide something.
5) HOBBIES. Believe it or not, firms are interested in getting to know you as a person. However, be honest about your hobbies as you never know whether or not the interviewer has the same hobby. You don't want to walk into the interview saying you are interested in fishing, only to find out that your interviewer is a fishing aficionado.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)