Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME
Every professional designation that is germane to your career goal should be listed and showcased at the very beginning of your resume. Providing hiring managers with visual cues as to your professional level quickly and effectively captures their attention.
Methods to Showcase Your Certifications and Licensure:
1. Include the licensure after your name in the resume heading (eg: CPA, MD, RN, JD, etc.)
2. Provide a separate section directly beneath the Qualifications Summary with details as to where you are licensed to practice law, medicine, sell real estate, etc.
3. Use company logos to indicate certification (eg: Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator, Oracle Certified Professional, etc.)
A Word About Providing Details of Your Certifications & Licensure
Because hiring managers expect specifics in applicant resumes, you should:
1. Include ending dates of certification, when applicable.
2. States or countries where the certification or licensure is in effect.
3. Whether continuing education is being met or has been met in order to retain certification.
A Word About Data Security
If you are planning to email your resume or post it to a website, it is advisable not to include any certification or license numbers. In the past, individuals have taken these numbers and sold them on the open market. Your best bet is to list the licensing agency and date on your resume with the note that your license or certification number will be provided during the interview process.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
· Although I am an attorney, I don’t practice and am currently looking for work in the HR field. Should I still include those states where I’m licensed to practice law?
Yes. All industries have legal issues that must be addressed. In HR these might be employment law, union negotiations, and contracts (just to name a few). By indicating on your resume that you’re an attorney and licensed to practice in the states where your resume will be distributed could give you an advantage over less-qualified applicants.
· Since I’m targeting a job as an Oracle Database Administrator, should I exclude my Microsoft Certifications?
Certifications within a certain industry (in your case IT) indicate that you’re willing to remain current in your field and to excel. With new IT companies and products continually entering the market, your past history of certification (Oracle and Microsoft) will indicate to a hiring manager that you will be receptive to future certification, no matter the company. However, because Oracle Database Administration is your current goal, it should be showcased first.
· I’ve only passed two parts of the CPA exam so far, how do I include this on my resume?
You may include it in your Qualifications Summary, writing something like this:
“Seeking CPA certification; successfully passed two parts of the examination in January 2003.”
By adding the date the examination was passed or the date you expect to be certified indicates to a hiring manager that you are serious about obtaining this designation.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME
It’s no secret that an increasing number of men have opted to be stay-at-home moms, while even the most energetic career women sometimes have to leave the workforce because of family needs.
Even if years separate you from the last job and the new career goal, there are tricks to turning a potential negative into an asset – it’s just a matter of knowing what to do.
1. Never explain in a resume that you have been unemployed for a number of years.
Opening a resume with a negative immediately places you at a disadvantage to other candidates applying for the same position. Instead, you should focus on your skills and qualifications as they relate to the job opening. That’s really all a hiring manager wants to see.
2. Personal data regarding your hiatus should not be included in the document.
All too often, candidates feel they must be completely up-front in a resume, or somehow explain their absence from the workforce. Therefore, they include comments like: “Being a stay-at-home mom with Johnny was one of the most rewarding periods of my life.” (That may well be, but a hiring manager will wonder if that person will be effective and professional in a business environment.) or “A serious disease and subsequent operation took me out of the work force. However, now I feel quite well and am able to meet all work-related challenges.” (Most hiring managers would worry about hiring a candidate who was so seriously ill, and that person’s effect on the company’s health insurance premiums.)
3. Use a functional format that stresses skills, rather than a reverse-chronological format that stresses an unbroken history of employment.
Think of a resume as a marketing tool with you as the product. Showcase the positive (skills, qualifications, recent education in the chosen field), while downplaying the negative (employment gaps).
4. List any Volunteer work or Community Service that is relevant to your new career goal.
If you have organized numerous charitable functions, raised funds, directed a group of volunteers, or interfaced with the media about community-related events, these are all transferable skills.
5. Showcase only that Education and Training which is current to the career sought.
This is particularly true for someone in Information Technology. IT has changed so rapidly over the years that showcasing coursework or degrees attained even 10 years ago will date your document, and be certain to hurt your candidacy. Instead, current training – as it applies to the new career – should be accentuated.
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME
In many professions such as Accounting, Medicine, Nursing, and Law, professionals are required to maintain skills through continuing education and seminars. By providing this information to a hiring manager, you’ll be stating unequivocally that you are prepared for the demands of the current industry, and that you meet all legal and licensing requirements.
A Word About Courses and Seminars for Candidates Who Lack College Degrees
In this education-focused world, candidates without college degrees are often in a panic about what to put in the Education section of their resumes. High school diplomas don’t seem like enough (and usually aren’t). To overcome this, specialized training, in the form of courses and seminars, can go a long way to enhancing candidacy. This is especially true if the field is in the trades (i.e. construction, auto repair, etc.), but it is also relevant to white collar positions, such as administrative assistants or office managers. In those jobs, computer skills learned during evening/community college courses or at seminars are acceptable to hiring managers.
Positioning your Training for Maximum Impact
If your industry requires continuing education to maintain licensing, then mentioning your adherence to this should be included in the Qualifications Section of your resume. For example:
“Currently enrolled in accounting coursework to maintain CPA certification through June 2005.”
Or
If you are transitioning from one career to another, then training can be an acceptable substitute for lack of professional experience. In this case, industry-specific training should be added to the Qualifications Summary or immediately after it in a special section.
Or
Never combine Education and Training if they are not related. Never place Training at the end of your resume or in the Education section of your resume if it’s directly related to your current job search and can enhance your candidacy.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much detail should I provide in listing my training?
Training should always include the date, sponsoring agency, location, name of course or seminar, and whether certification or licensure was granted. Training that is especially important to your job search may include a brief description of the coursework to give the hiring manager a better indication of what was actually learned or accomplished.
How far back should I go in my training and coursework as an IT professional?
No more than 10 years as the Information Technology field is constantly evolving. Any training that led to certification through companies such as Microsoft or Oracle should be showcased if the data is germane to your current job search.
Should I include my online coursework, or will hiring managers dismiss this kind of non-traditional training?
It would depend upon the scope of the training and the sponsoring agency. If you’re taking online coursework sponsored by Microsoft or Oracle, hiring managers would easily accept this as valid. If your training is sponsored by a company with little to no name recognition, then it’s wise to include details, including course hours, level of expertise (beginner, advanced, expert), and any other information that will give the hiring manager a clear idea of what you’ve learned.
I received a lot of my training overseas, should I include it in a U.S. Resume?
If it’s relevant to your current job search. However, make certain to indicate what the U.S. equivalent of your foreign coursework would be to provide an accurate picture of your training to hiring managers.
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
by Darlene Zambruski, ResumeEdge.com Managing Editor, CPRW, SME
Because resumes are sent electronically or by regular mail, it’s not often that you can use your networking savvy until – or unless – you’re called in for an interview. However, by listing memberships in professional and academic societies, your resume is a silent partner in networking your skills to hiring managers who are also members of these groups. Additionally, affiliations quickly and effortlessly indicate your professional industry or academic status.
When to Emphasize Professional Affiliations
Mention membership in Professional Affiliations within the Qualifications Summary when:
1. You’ve held a leadership position within the organization (eg: President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer)
2. The organization is recognized as the leader in your specific industry (eg: AMA – American Medical Association – for a physician; SPHR for human resource professionals; The Writers Guild for authors)
3. Membership is required in your career field.
A Word About Maximizing Your Professional Affiliation Data
If you are in possession of the hiring manager’s name and background (through research on company websites), it’s a good idea to research professional membership files (eg: college alumni associations) to see if that person is affiliated with the organization to which you belong. If so, make mention of your membership in your cover letter. Networking in this manner may give you an edge in being granted an interview.
When to Emphasize Academic Affiliations
1. If you are a recent college graduate
2. If you have little to no professional experience
In the above scenarios, showcasing academic affiliations, especially honor societies, will impress upon a hiring manager your dedication to the chosen field and your potential as an employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. My only memberships are with the PTA and similar organizations since I’ve spent the last few years raising my children. Should I include this information on my resume?
If you held leadership positions within these organizations that would indicate to a hiring manager your potential for a management role. Even if you did not hold such a position, if you served on committees, that would indicate your teamwork capabilities and commitment to your community. This information should be included.
2. I’ve been out of college for nearly 20 years. Do I still include alumni membership information on my resume?
It never hurts to include this information as the HR professional viewing your resume may very well be an alumnus of the same school. That data, alone, may very well capture the hiring manager’s interest so that added attention is granted the information on your resume.
3. What is preferred by hiring managers – national associations or local chapters?
It would depend upon your role in each. If you are simply a member of a national association, but are president of a local chapter, the leadership position should be emphasized.
4. One of the professional associations to which I belong is fairly new and not widely recognized, should I include it on my resume?
If it enhances your candidacy, and if you provide the hiring manager with additional data regarding its importance. For example:
Member, Culinary Specialists Guild, founded in 2002 to promote the culinary profession and to provide beginning chefs with worthwhile information to master the craft.
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