Job Seekers' Guide
Suggestions and strategies to get the most out of your job search
Resumes & CVs 101
A resume gives potential employers a snapshot of your experience and highlights your skills. Resumes are typically about one page, but two pages is acceptable if necessary. On average, potential employers only spend up to 15 seconds reviewing your resume before moving onto the next candidate. So do what you can to make your resume stand out from the crowd.
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is used by those in the academic, medical, or research fields. A CV will be much longer because it includes a bibliography of publications, such as books, articles, and presentations.
Drafting your resume:
- Tailor your resume content to reflect the needs and desires for the position you're applying to
- Break your resume into practical sections such as: Work Experience, Education, and Technical Skills
- Use bullet points to describe your accomplishments, not paragraphs
- Begin your bullet points with action verbs
- Bullet points under your current job should be listed in the present tense. Bullet points in past positions should be in past tense
- Your resume should be completely error free of grammar and spelling mistakes. It is a good idea to have someone else proofread your resume.
- Follow the employer's instructions about submission guidelines and supported file types (ex. pdf, doc, png)
- Include your name in the file name so the hiring manager can find your files ex: johnqpublic_resume.docx
- Use an easily readable font such as Calibri, Cambria, and Helvitica
- If applicable, include a link to your LinkedIn profile, professional website, or other professional social media
Online Training Recommendations for Writing Resumes
Your Boston Public Library card gets you free access to all of these resources. These suggestions are just a few of the many tools and resources available to BPL patrons. Click here to see more Job & Career Success related databases and tools.
- "Resume Makeover" by Jenny FossJenny Foss is a Career Strategist, Speaker, and Recruiter. Watch her videos to get expert advice on how to craft your resume & cover letter, and download free samples and templates. Use your library card to sign in to LinkedIn Learning and get access to all their resources.
- Gale Presents: Peterson’s Career PrepGet the job—create the perfect resume using our intuitive resume builder tool! Quickly choose a template, add your information, import from LinkedIn, adjust fonts, and more—all from your browser. Once it looks amazing, easily export your completed resume to PDF, Word, or share an online link.
- Job & Career AcceleratorThe Job & Career Accelerator from LearningExpress Library provides templates and tools to help you: Build Resumes and Job Letters, Find a Career Match, Explore Occupations, Search for Jobs and Internships, Prepare for an Interview, and Discover Schools and Scholarships.
- TechGoesHome: Making a Resume in Google DocsThis training video, "Making a Resume in Google Docs," was a training video for TechGoesHome and presented by BPL librarian, Marta Mazur Rusak.
- The CAR MethodThis handout describes a framework useful for writing thoughtful cover letters, resumes, and LinkedIn summaries.
Helpful Links
- Best Resume Formats - The Balance CareersWhich type of resume format should you use: Chronological, functional, or combination? This guide helps you choose!
- How to Write a Resume - The Balance CareersA step-by-step guide to writing your first resume.
- Targeting Your Resume for Your Audience - Job HuntAdvice on what to include and exclude from your resume.
- Power Verbs List - the University of Northern Iowa Office of Career ServicesA list of stand-out words to choose from to use in your resume or cover letter.
- Curricula Vitae (CVs) versus ResumesGreat overview of the difference between a CV versus a resume from UNC Chapel Hill. Includes links to other online resources.
- Writing the Curriculum VitaeA overview of what a Curriculum Vitae (CV) is and what should be included from Purdue University.
Suggested EBook Reading
How to Write a Stellar Executive Resume by
How to Write a Stellar Executive Resume is a step-by-step guide that empowers readers to create an effective and stand out from the crowd as a top candidate for an executive position. Brenda Bernstein, a Certified Executive Resume Master and author of the #1 Bestseller How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile, shares the tips and tricks she's learned from more than two decades of helping job seekers get connected with the right position. Readers will discover: * The importance of knowing the target audience and how to best connect with them * Key social media tips for spreading the word about their skills and experiences * Why good ol' cover letters are important, and how to use them effectively * Power verbs to use, and words to avoid * Samples of successful resumes For many executives conducting a job search, it may have been quite a while since they were last "looking." It's easier than ever to apply for a job - and as a result, there's a lot of competition for a limited number of openings. There's a lot to learn about the recruiting world we live in, and the best ways to use the tools at our disposal. This book provides practical, proven, up-to-date best practices for creating an effective executive resume that gets results.
Publication Date: 2018-01-02
The Elements of Resume Style by
Building your résumé should be one of the easier parts to the whole job-interview process. But instead it's becoming increasingly stressful as well! What kind of résumé will spark the employer's interest? Which kind most often get passed over? How far back are we supposed to go? How can we best explain those time gaps in between jobs? Are the rules different for online résumés? There are so many vital questions when it comes to building a résumé today, but only one way to be assured you're getting the right answers--by asking a hiring expert.Scott Bennett has hired hundreds of people in a variety of industries, and he knows firsthand the insights that will catch an employer's eye, as well as what dangers to avoid if you want to survive the first cut. In The Elements of Résumé Style, Bennett shows readers how to craft clear, compelling, targeted résumés and cover letters that actually work. In this new edition that includes social media and online-application tips, readers will be provided:* More than 1,400 action words, statements, and position descriptions that help sell your skills and experience* Hundreds of words, phrases, and vague claims to avoid* Advice for handling employment gaps, job-hopping, and requests for salary history and requirements* Sample résumés, response letter, inquiry letter, informational interview request letter, references, and more* Surprising tips for acing the interviewIn today's ultra-competitive environment, competition is intense no matter the field or position. And the often-overlooked first hurtle to jump over is no doubt the résumé. This candid book's time-tested tools will make sure yours stands out--helping to get you the job you deserve!
Publication Date: 2014-09-03
Resumes for Dummies by
Master the art of resume writing and boost your chances of getting hired With unemployment rates still running high, getting an edge up on the competition in your field--whatever it may be--can be an intimidating and exhausting undertaking. Luckily, Resumes For Dummies is here to serve as your life raft as you navigate the murky waters of a modern-day job search. Inside, you'll find expert guidance on writing a winning resume that will set you head and shoulders above the crowd to land that elusive interview and get the job of your dreams. There's nothing easy and breezy about looking for a new job--whether you currently have one or not. But rather than succumbing to the panic that might convince you to hide under the covers, Resumes For Dummies arms you with the confidence you need to write a resume that will have prospective employers knocking your at your door. Includes tips on avoiding common resume-writing mistakes Provides updates on the latest changes in the job market that you'll need to take into account when writing a resume Outlines how to approach a lay-off in a professional light Covers how to confront privacy and reputation issues in online social job search Whether you're a recent graduate, second-timer looking for your next job, prime-timer who hasn't job-searched in decades, or the unfortunate victim of a lay-off, Resumes For Dummies takes the fear out of putting your skills on paper and sets you on the path to getting your foot in the door--and landing the job of your dreams.
Publication Date: 2019-03-12
Expert Resumes for Managers and Executives by
Expert Resumes for Managers and Executives gives readers the strategies and insight they'll need to create a strong resume. The book features a collection of nearly 100 professionally written resumes aimed at people at all levels of management, from frontline supervisors to top-level executives. In addition, the authors present sound resume-writing advice, including up-to-the-minute information on how to create and distribute a resume online. This edition has been enhanced with updated sample resumes, a resume questionnaire worksheet for documenting experience and accomplishments, and an appendix of resume power verbs.
Publication Date: 2020
Blue Collar Resumes: Third Edition by
This practical and helpful guide takes you step by step through the process of writing a job-winning resume. Steve Provanzano starts off with some general background on deciding what kind of job to look for, and how to find the best opportunities. This resource offers sound advice on how best to present education and work experience...including what to tell, and what the job candidate shouldn't reveal. There are suggestions for workers who have been fired, have gaps in their work history, or have some other troublesome issue in their past.
ISBN: 9781564144126Publication Date: 2018
