Resume Helper & Career Search Tips

Before you can begin to design your resume on paper, you need to have the right words. Use the following writing process to help you clarify your experience, accomplishments, skills, education, and other background information, which will make the job of condensing your life onto a sheet of paper a little easier. With a well written, concise resume your career search will be much easier and more effective.

Stage One: Focus

Do a comprehensive career search to decide what type of hospitality job you will be applying for and then write it at the top of a piece of paper. This can become your objective statement, should you decide to use one, or be used in the first line of the profile section of your resume to give your reader a general idea of your area of expertise. Never write an objective statement that is not precise. Objectives are not required on a resume, and often the cover letter is the best place to personalize your objective for each job opening.

Stage Two: Education

Under the objective on the first piece of paper, list any education or training that might relate to your career search. If you are a recent college graduate and have little relevant experience, then your education section will be placed at the top of your resume. As you gain more experience, your education almost always gravitates to the bottom. If you participated in college activities or received any honors or completed any notable projects that relate directly to your target job, this is the place to list them.

Stage Three: Job Descriptions

Be sure to write a detailed description of your job, stating any responsibilities you were given or tasks that you performed. Never make up a job description, but it is ok to use descriptive wording to enhance what type of job you were doing.

Stage Four: Keywords

In today's world of emailed and scannable resumes, make sure you know the buzzwords of the hospitality industry and incorporate them into the sentences you are about to write. Keywords are the nouns or short phrases that describe your experience and education that might be used to find your resume in a keyword search of a resume database. They are the essential knowledge, abilities, and skills required to do your job. Even well-known company names (Hyatt, Westin) and colleges are sometimes used as keywords.

Stage Five: Your Jobs

Starting with your present position, list the title of every job you have held on a separate sheet of paper, along with the name of the company, the city and state, and the years you worked there. You don't need to list addresses and zip codes, although you will need to know that information when it comes time to fill out an application.You can list years only (1996-present) or months and years (May 1996- present), depending on your personality.

Stage Six: Duties

Under each job, make a list of your duties, incorporating phrases from the job descriptions wherever they apply. You don't have to worry about making great sentences yet or narrowing down your list.

Stage Seven: Accomplishments

When you are finished, go back to each job and think about what you might have done above and beyond the call of duty. What did you contribute to each of your jobs? Write down any accomplishments that show potential employers what you have done in the past, which translates into what you might be able to do for them. Quantify whenever possible - numbers are always impressive. Remember, you are trying to motivate the potential employer to buy . . . you! Convince your reader that you will be able to generate a significant return on their investment in you.

Stage Eight: Delete

Now that you have the words on paper, go back to each list and think about which items are relevant to your target job. Cross out those things that don't relate, including entire jobs (like stocking shelves back in high school if you are now a professional hospitality with ten years of experience). Remember, your resume is just an enticer, a way to get your foot in the door. It isn't intended to be all-inclusive. You can choose to go back only as far as your jobs relate to your present objective.

Stage Nine: Sentences

Make sentences of the duties you have listed under each job, combining related items to avoid short, choppy phrases. Never use personal pronouns in your resume (I, my, me). Instead of saying, "I planned, organized, and directed the timely and accurate production of code products with estimated annual revenues of $1 million," say, "Planned, organized, and directed. . . ." Writing in the third person makes your sentences more powerful and attention grabbing. Make your sentences positive, brief, and accurate.

Stage Ten: Rearrange

Go back to the sentences you have written and think about their order of presentation. Put a number 1 by the most important description of what you did for each job. Then place a number 2 by the next most important duty or accomplishment, and so on until you have numbered each sentence. Again, think logically and from the perspective of a potential employer. Keep related items together so the reader doesn't jump from one concept to another. Make the thoughts flow smoothly.

Stage Eleven: Related Qualifications

At the bottom of your resume, think about anything else that might qualify you for your job objective. This includes licenses, certifications, affiliations, and sometimes even interests if they truly relate. For instance, if you want a job in sports marketing, stating on your resume that you play tennis or are a triathlete would be an asset.

Stage Twelve: Profile

Last but not least, write four or five sentences that give an overview of your qualifications. This profile, or qualifications summary, should be placed at the beginning of your resume. You can include some of your personal traits or special skills that might have been difficult to get across in your job descriptions. This profile section must be relevant to the type of job for which you are applying. Write this profile from the perspective of a potential employer. What will convince this person to call you instead of someone else.