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Home > Archive > Mar 27, 2008

Proactive Searching
By Mac Mcgee
When employers look for viable candidates from a website search engine, they have the option of 'keying-in' certain phrases or words that best describe the type of individual they are looking for.
As an applicant utilizing a search engine, you must realize that these ‘search agents’ utilize software which employs the Boolean method. This is a search engine that seeks 'search terms,' key words and phrases that transform your resume from being these encrypted sequences in space, to something that will grab the attention of an agency looking to hire someone. Most agents reviewing your resume will only look at the top quarter page. If you get their attention, they’ll scroll down, if not, they’ll move on. The resume must highlight your overall skills and abilities
Be direct
Start with your name, and contact information. Then list your profession. This could encompass several different occupations as listed in most skills resumes. Now, briefly describe your skills and abilities in a summary of qualifications.  Format the rest of your resume to reflect positions you have held and the ‘contributions’ you have made to previous employers. Identify these contributions in terms of money, time, percentages and effort individually or as a part of a team.
Seldom should you list experience on your resume more than ten years old. Eliminate dates on your college graduation, if those dates are more than 10 years old. Age discrimination is real, and you must avoid the pitfalls that tend to date you. You’ll want the focus to be on your skills and abilities.
Highlight Your Contributions
To an employee new to the workforce, your contributions can be simple to describe, but immensely important to employers and the agents that they hire to find you. A young woman had said; “I don’t really know how I contributed? I just showed up for work everyday and did my job” My answer to that is to highlight positive contributions that can be recognized by all. Statements like: “100% attendance.” “Coordinated the efforts of myself & 3 other co-workers” These kinds of statements give weight to what you are trying to convey.
Gear a Resume Towards the Position
I had a college student show me a resume that was done for her by an employment office. It was a one-page, poorly written resume that said nothing about this young lady’s skills, qualifications or contributions to previous work history. She had told me she was “advised” to keep her resume “to one page, because employers will only take 3-5 seconds to scan it.” Unfortunately, untrained individuals, even with good intentions, will often pass on only half the information, even to facts they have heard over and over again.
I included the 3-5 second rule in a recent publication as an example to show how one must gain the attention of those scanning a resume.  This is done by utilizing carefully placed “action verbs” at the beginning of each bulleted line item (Performed, Knowledge, Abilities, etc.). The addition of darkened text to bring emphasis to something of greater importance also draws the attention of the reader.
Where Do I Get My Words?
Often, individuals tend to reflect very little on what their actual duties and responsibilities are, and how those duties and responsibilities should have been included on their resume. The best suggestion I can give for finding accurate wording for a resume is to utilize the Governments Web site for job descriptions.  The web site is called O-NET and can be found at http://online.onetcenter.org/find.  Men and women come to me after I have written their resumes and say, “Mac, you hit the nail on the head as far as what I do – how did you come up with the wording?” Quite simply, by the O-net system. I looked up their occupation and wrote the key phases that are utilized to describe what it is they do.
Learning and applying these skills is essential to constructing a resume that gains the attention you want. Ensuring your resume is noticed is the vital precursor to getting that interview and job offer.

Mac McGee is an accomplished business owner, published author of self-help employment books, articles and training videos. He has assisted the state employment development department in making presentations about networking and job searching. He has helped thousands of people find full-time permanent employment, and personally constructing over 1000 resumes. His advice to start-up and existing businesses has produced hundreds of opportunities for business owners.

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