Resume Presentation by A Better Resume Service, Inc.

On the morning of January 26th, 2006, William Potter, Vice President of Harvard Oaks Enterprises, Inc. A Better Resume Service, Inc., offered advice on resume preparation and job search strategies. He addressed the main issues involved in preparing for the rigorous task of finding new employment. The audience listened intently as he offered his expertise in such areas as the essentials of resumes, lengths of resumes, effectiveness of contact information, sources of opportunity, and professional advantage. Potter insists that all of these elements must be in place in order to ensure an effective and successful job search.

ESSENTIALS OF RESUMES
First and foremost, before sitting down to mold a resume, certain information needs to be sorted out in regards to past positions. Make an outline of the managing responsibilities of the properties worked. Make sure to include specifics: property size, whether it is commercial or residential, organizational makeup, scope of responsibilities, and accomplishments. This information alone will help to highlight some of the areas that stand out to employers; but don't get too detailed, the length of a resume is important to take into consideration as well.

LENGTH OF RESUMES
When structuring your resume, be sure to gather all of the necessary information and decide which route is best: a one-page resume or a two, three, or four-page resume. There is no wrong way to go as long as all of the information is in there that appropriately gives employers an understanding of the necessary experience. Make sure that a complete background is able to fit: more people are eliminated with too little than too much. But, do not get carried away--if a three-resume is prepared for a position in customer service, there is the possibility that the employers may toss the over-detailed and redundant resume away. The length of a resume is also important to consider when posting on the internet. Web sites don't allow for anything other than plain text to appear on their sites, so prepare for this and do not make the employer read more than he has to of a bland and repetitive document; impress him with as much information in as little space as adequately possible. After all that is taken care of, double-check the contact information: what good is all that work and information if there is no way to access the person applying?

EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTACT INFORMATION
A job search runs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Contact information needs to be readily available so that employers are able to reach a prospect anytime they see fit. Will the employer call at 3am? Probably not, but be ready to answer that fun if such a thing were to happen. Also, make the contact information highlight a secondary phone number in case the primary number is unanswered during business hours. Phone access is important but also keeps the address you use on a resume effectively as well. Employers will look to see if the address on a resume is accessible from where the job site is located. Don't list an address in Chicago if a job in Los Angeles is desired. After everything is double-checked and corrected, the job search gets a little more proactive as a decision is made on how to go about finding a desired position.

SOURCES OF OPPORTUNITY
With technological advances, researching and keeping track of a company's growth gets easier and easier, but unfortunately, due to the availability of so much information, the job searching gets a little more competitive: If one person is able to access information on a company, hundreds of others are easily able to do so as well. But, this does not mean giving up is an option--merely make more of an effort to get ahead of the competition. Go to association's web sites and see how certain places are operated, and gather some information that will impress interviewers when the time comes. Also, brows the information that IFMA-Chicago.org has readily available to job searchers: specialized lists of recruiters and secrets can be found as well as job search articles. Potter mentioned that if anyone knows of an opening and posts it to the IFMA-Chicago.org; they can earn 5,000 IFMA bucks. While IFMA's site is extremely useful, do not stop there: search the internet and local newspapers for stories on certain companies. The news holds a bevy of information regarding companies' information and needs--use this as an advantage, hit while the iron is hot. While searching those news stories in the papers, do not be too timid to look in the want-ads as well. People are getting more and more reliant on the internet for their job searching needs and frequently overlook the ads in their newspapers--applying for listings in newspapers may be an advantage due to the lower amount of possible competition. Once all this is done, there is still more that can aid in a successful job search: do not overlook the importance of networking. A person that has a job a in a field that is desired as hundreds of people at his or her disposal that can help find available work. Keep these people close and check in with them periodically for updates. All of the hard work should pay off, but keep in mind that there are many professionals in the region that can make things a lot easier.

PROFESSIONAL ADVANTAGE
Resume writers are people make a living out of making other people's lives easier. These professionals have experience through working with hundreds of job seekers and helping them to find a job that suits them. They can take an objective look at experience and responsibilities and mold it into a resume that works. A certain discipline is required in writing a resume as well--there's a dedication and personal investment in everything a professional resume writer produces. The clients have faces that the writers like to see smile, and they have worries about the job market that the writers like to ease. Aside from the expertise and convenience of having a resume professionally prepared, there is also the sense of security a client receives. All resumes are saved onto a database that is easily accessible to make any changes needed--one never has to worry about losing any job opportunities because they could not produce an updated resume quickly. A professional resume writer makes a job seeker more confident and helps him or her to succeed in the search.

A Better Resume Service, Inc. has 8 offices in the Chicago and the Suburbs.
They offer a free consultation to become acquainted and show you what they can do for you. They may reached at 800-730-3244 or go to their website at http://www.betterresumes.com for more information and all of their locations.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the next meeting....topic, date, time.