Job Search 101 - Tune Up Your Resume

There's no doubt about it, looking for a job is stressful. In fact, many people can quickly find themselves overwhelmed by the process and as a result, they put off doing the things that they know they should be doing in order to find a new position. For many people, feeling like a task is too complicated mixed with a simple fear of failure, causes them to procrastinate and not be as effective as they could be.

The easiest way to overcome those feelings is to break down the large task and turn it into a series of small steps. The steps themselves are much easier to accomplish and it is always easier to convince yourself to “just do it”, when the job doesn't feel so big.

To make things a little easier, let's break it down into small steps, so that you can cover your bases:

• Tune-up your resume – It might take a little time, but do what you can to make it clear, concise and easy to understand. If you think that you need a little bit of help in making your resume the best it can be, consider using a resume writing service, like the one offered at Beyond.com. Or, if you are more of a do-it-yourself sort of person, read some of our past blogs filled with resume tips.
  
  
  Make your resume the best document you possibly can. This may mean writing and editing it, then putting it away for a day or two, then coming back to it with fresh eyes. This document is going to be your first impression and you best shot at getting an interview. Once you have your resume fine-tuned and you are happy with the information it contains, you aren't quite done yet. Using your resume as a guide, you need to create an internet friendly copy to be posted online to job boards and your Linkedin profile.
  
  
  The main things you want to change in order to make your resume ready for the internet is to remove your personal information. Your full physical address, your phone number and even the contact information of your previous employers should be removed. If you have been in the workforce for a long time, you will probably want to trim down your previous work experience to just the past 3 or 4 most relevant jobs.Think of your online resume as an advertisement.
  
  
  When companies search through the posted resumes, they are looking for qualified candidates to find out more about. Typically, an interested company will look at your posted resume, and if they are interested, they will ask you for a copy of your actual resume. Even though you want to be accessible to companies who are searching for new applicants, you don't want to have your personal information out there where it is easy for people with bad intentions to get to it.
  
  
  Keep an eye out for the next installment of Job Search 101.
  
  
  Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Be sure to visit PhillyJobs.com
  
  
  By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.