How to Use a Resume

You've polished up your resume, now what?

Follow these tips to get the most out of your job search efforts.

Get your resume out there.

Once you've crafted a solid resume, your job is to get it to the right people. Give it to every employer you meet with; even if they are not currently hiring. Give it to networking contacts who can be on the look out for job opportunities for you. Give it to your references, it will help them talk to others about your qualifications and find job opportunities for you. Give it to your instructors and vocational and college placement offices.

Send your resume to people, not places.

Avoid sending the resume to a job title such as "Production Manager" or to a place such as "Human Resource Department." Take the extra effort and find out the name and title of the appropriate person to send it to.

Send it where you are asked to.

If asked to send your resume to personnel or human resources divisions, do so. Then, you can also send a copy to the person in charge of the department in which you want to work. Most of the time, personnel does the screening but it's the department manager who is the final hiring authority.

Send your resume with a cover letter.

Never send it by itself. Your cover letter explains your intentions in details you are not able to include in a resume. And it just looks more professional.

Don't mass-mail your resume.

Mass-mailing your resume to as many employers as possible, with the hope that a few might get someone's attention, is not an effective strategy. Statistics indicate that for every 1,000 resumes you send to an employer, you can expect to get two interviews. Additionally, an accepted standard is that for every ten interviews, you will receive one job offer.

Find out if your resume will be scanned.

When researching an employer or an employment agency, find out if they use a resume scanning system. This information may be provided by the job listing or included with other information about the employer. If you don't know, you can call the employer and ask if they use a resume scanner. If they do, find out how to make it scannable.

Send your resume together with the job application form.

When applying for a job with an employment application, you may want to attach your resume if you feel that the application form doesn't capture your best attributes. The additional information contained in your resume can be effective in overcoming employment barriers. However, if you are asked to fill out information on an application that you feel matches information in your resume, never write on the application "See resume." Take the time to fill out the application completely.

Follow up after sending your resume.

After sending a resume, follow up by calling employers. It is no use mailing resumes if you do not take the time to follow up on your efforts. Be courteous, professional, and sell your qualifications. Ask for an informational interview, if it is appropriate. If you are not getting responses or interviews from your resume, you may want to reevaluate it. The true test of an effective resume is that you are offered interviews.

Source: Creative Job Search , Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development