OK as part of my plan I wrote about my resume summary rather than an Objective, I summarize using bullet points to attract whomever is reading. Make sure you capitalize on percentages and number factors as this gives the reader some kind of idea how much you were involved, how much you saved, etc. Numbers and percentages are gold mines to many people. They can actually tell how much your experience is worth based on this. But be truthful. Many will say, I have no idea. Sit back and think about what you have done in your position.
If you were an electronics tech and you worked on 10 boards a day on average, multiply that by the number of electronic techs in your department let's say for example you have 5 that would be on average 50 boards being worked on in any given day. Again multiply that by 5 days a week or the number of days you work. Using 5, that would be 250 boards on average a week. Multiply that by 4.2 weeks a month and you have on average 1050 boards a month. Now if you want to add dollars to that. Do you know how much the boards and components cost to work on? How much does it cost to repair, maintain? If you don't have this information a simply rule to follow is if you make $10.00 an hour and there are 5 techs in your department and you work on average 8 hours a day, again 5 days a week at 4.2 weeks a month. Your estimated dollars for working on these boards are $8400.00 a month to work on 1050 boards a month. You want to add a percentage of how much you work on? Do it based on an average of 1050 boards go through your department monthly and if 1050 is the norm figure you're using as 100%, you're working on 210 boards a month,that is 20% of all boards per month you're working on. Now if you want to make this more sustainable how many of these boards have you worked on that you saved in that one month that would have been otherwise scrapped? If you scrap out 50 that leaves you with 160 useable boards that you have refurbished. Roughly that is 76.2% you have saved the company per month. Get larger numbers and percentages by calculating things on an annual basis.
So here's a simple way of obtaining those numbers and adding them to your resume. You're not lying. You're simply using the information available based on what you do. Now you have percentages and numbers to add to those bullet points.
* Saved company 76.2% in product refurbishment per month.
* On average refurbished 210 electronic boards per month minimizing scrap outs.
* Reduced waste by $500.00 or 23.8% in scrap while maintaining required inventory of 160 units per month.
It's not lying, it's being creative. You can stand by your testimony because it's what you yourself did each and every day!
Regarding dumb-ing down resumes. I've had many people tell me based on my experiences that I need to dumb-ie down my resume. No way will you get hired with all that experience. That's just it, I have experience and my education stems from what the employers have given me to learn whether college courses, in house training etc. But, I can support everything I have done. I tried dumb-ing down my resume one time. I have to say if you have a lifetime of achievements and experience it becomes rather hard picking and choosing what to leave off and leave on. However, I always read the job description and applied my resume to that job. That's a chore in itself. Yes it takes discipline, but remember this is currently your job. You are the CEO of your job seeking business. No different than if your boss in a job said do it for me. Discipline and time is the cost you pay. I quit dumb-ing down. It makes no sense. One resume depicts the last 11 years which was in the building products industry. The second resume I have created and used includes the last 27 years, building industry and oil and gas service industry. One depicts much experience over time in many avenues including progressive responsibilities and my growth whereas one depicts my experience in management, materials and distribution. They somewhat go hand in hand. But based on reading the JD I usually figure out what's important and which one to send. Yea it doesn't make much sense to send my 27 years of O&G experience to a job that is in the building industry, but I might rob a few lines from my management part and add it to the bottom line of my building experience since I realize the JD requires some time of a particular experience. Again, I'm not lying that I did not do it, I can explain it when I get in an interview if I'm asked.
The adage listed by many recruiters and headhunters is don't stay on job boards because if one recruiter calls you for a job someone else might have cherry picked your resume for their system and the recruiter doesn't know about it so when the company tells the recruiter they already have you on file they lose or you might have applied to a company and the recruiter says let me know so I don't submit it in case they have it. Well my take is this. I have submitted over 1700 resumes to companies in 2010. Am I suppose to remember everyone I have applied to, to satisfy the recruiter. I realize they have a job, but if you found me and wanted me, then do what you have to do. If that means, you cannot submit me, well then I won't get submitted. In my experiences, I don't depend on recruiters. I use them as added arsenal to my job search, nothing more. I will talk with them. I will be professional with them and treat them as the person they are, but I do not depend on them. If I have any opportunity at all, I will go directly to the company or at least work with the corporate recruiter. Just as recruiters say it is not their job to give me advice on what I did wrong or how to get better, it is not my job to help a recruiter get a paycheck and it is not my job to do their job.
I know that sort of statement will cost me on many recruiters list. Oh well, I'm not worried. I've had this discussion with many recruiters who I'm friends with and understand my professionalism.
Continuing on with my search, yes I used many job boards and applied to many jobs from sending resumes and cover letters. As I've stated before I do have a standard cover letter that can be utilized for standard jobs, but for my career oriented submits, I personalized each cover letter to depict my interest, what they are looking for and letting them know I meet their requirements. I've included a couple of cover letters for examples.
Cover Letter #1
Dear Hiring Authorities,
Thank you for considering me as a candidate for the above referenced opportunity as (Position)for your (City), (State) office. Our concurrent goal is for you to fill this important position and for me to demonstrate that I am best qualified to assume its responsibilities. After living in City for the last 10 years, I look forward to relocating myself back to the geographical region and feel my qualifications would be a good fit to meet (Company name).
Although my career has prospered in the adhesives, building products, and oil industries, I am not restricting myself to those exclusively. I am confident, as an experienced professional the knowledge, skills and abilities I have developed are universally applicable and effective. My proven work ethic will allow me to gain the necessary knowledge required to become a contributing and valuable member of your company’s team.
I am eager to meet with you in person to discuss your objectives and to explain how my ability will meet those needs and more. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted at the numbers listed above or my email address (email address @). Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely yours,
(name)
Cover letter #2
Dear Hiring Authority,
I see you are seeking a (position title) position for your (town), (state) office that was published on (company's)career site. My work history extends over 17 years working in the oil service industry with a technical background for (the company I worked for); whereas I have held numerous positions with progressive responsibilities. Throughout my career my experience also reflects in quality, inventory, and management.
With this experience, progressive growth and responsibilities I feel my skills working in this environment meets your requirements for understanding of processes, ISO quality systems, and analytical skills, verbal and writing skills including years working in the quality department of (company name). I feel I would be a great addition to your team. I can offer computer skills, strict attention to every facet of details required, great communication and exceptional organizational skills along with my extensive experience working with certainty and having the ability to work independently without supervision.
The (position name) position sounds exciting and given the opportunity to contribute to your success would be an exciting career move. Because a single correspondence is limited in fully representing my range of abilities, I would like to request an interview to better determine my contribution for the (position title) position. If there is any other information I can supply you with please do not hesitate to contact me at my email address (email address @) or I can be contacted at (phone number). You are welcomed to view my profile on Linked In at http://www.linkedin.com/in/denmorgan. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
(name)
These are just 2 examples of my customizing my cover letters for positions I have applied to. At times I have received numerous calls, whereas other times I might not have received any. But I am confident in saying you have to indicate things that will allow you to stand out.
I'll break for now and move on to Part 5 shortly. More to come.
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