What's going on with resume content these days?

@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
May 5, 2011 11:33am CST
I am creating a resume for my daughter, recently ending her law enforcement career (police service officer) and she doesn't want to stay in law enforcement. In reviewing her job discriptions of all her 15 years... other than specifically saying the law enforcement terms...her clerical experience is same as any admin asst or secretary. She has lots of other things that I can "revise" to be used in the public sector. But I was wondering what the "buzz" words are these days for job titles. She is looking to be secretary, admin assistant, admin executive...that's how that line of work's title has changed in the past 20 yeas for doing the same thing! She would also like to go into law as a paralegal or assistant to such. PRetty much anything in this field she is interested in. Her problem is that with being on the same job for 15 years...she has no other job history. I am a very good resume writter as I have done my husbands so many times and conformed them with his talents to their requirements. He is in construction and you have to do that cause jobs change, but with my daughter..this field is pretty much the same all the time as far as requirments...I mean no matter what you call her, a "secretary/assistant" still has to type and file and do phones etc. But having been out of that field for so long, I just don't know what it out there anymore and I stopped following the chatter about it. I have done job searches and such, and have a few things going, but....help me...those that are either in this field of work...what are you called? If you wanted to hire a person in this field, what would your "want ad" say? What are the current "buzz" word used today in this field? By "buzz" word (which I hate to begin with!) I mean words like in recent years of "teamplayer" (only means one person to do the job of 3 for the salary of one) "multi-task" (ditto above definition!) etc. A Any information anyone can share would be greatly appreciated. And if there is anything you know that brings extra attention to a resume, things that the employer would like to see or likes to see in a resume...please share that to. Thanks and my daughter (single mom of one) thanks you!
1 response
drasnian
@drasnian (548)
•
6 May 11
I'm afraid I don't know anything about the field, but I do have a few tips for making the resume stand out. First of all, although it's mentioned mostly as a way to laugh at Elle in legally blonde, putting a cv on differently coloured paper can really make a difference. I'm not saying put it on hot pink, but a pastel colour, like very pale green or cream, on thickly weighted paper, suggests you've put a lot more effort than white printer paper. Secondly, a lot of people don't include a hobbies/personal statement anymore, it's literally name, address, job history, references. I really feel it's worth putting in a few lines about your life outside the office. This has a number of functions: a) it implies that she does in fact HAVE a life outside the office, and have friends/social skills...she isn't just an office drone b) Mentioning that she takes part in some kind of sport/activity/exercise routine looks good on a CV - it implies that she's disciplined, enjoy a challenge, and frankly, that she isn't some lazy so-and-so who sits down all day, every day. c) Any experience that isn't strictly job related can go here. No matter what it is, it can probably be made relevant to her job application, even if it's just to say that she has good time management skills from managing to juggle her commitments. I totally agree with 3honor, if she has the time for some work experience, it will always look good on a CV. It doesn't need to be relevant necessarily, anything that can add to her skill set can only be a good thing. If she wants to go into law, a writing internship or work experience placement will go a LONG way. Email around, write to the local newspaper, anything that will give her some writing experience. If she can't find anything, even just signing up to be a contributor to a blog can go on her CV and prove she's a clear, competent writer. One of the most important things you can do for her CV is to proof-read it. Again, and again, and again. Get as many people as possible to check the spelling and grammar. Very few things will turn an employer off as quickly as terrible spelling or grammar - particularly for a secretary style position. Good luck!
1 person likes this
coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 May 11
drasnian - thanks for the tips. Only thing about the colored paper...no one wants one by mail anymore. I have been hunting for a job for my husband for nearly 2 years now...construction... and they always stipulate to send the resume in .txt, .pdf, .doc text format or it won't be accepted. They have an email to send it to and I copy and paste and most of the time get this same response."the file was distorted, please send in .txt, .pdf, .doc text format". I even finally figured out how to do a .txt format (I don't have Word, I have Works and apparently no one knows about that!) and sent it to myself, and it came out fine...but I still got the "distorted..." return mail. And yeah, the grammar is important. I just did a rough draft with spell check but cause i was looking at it all day, I sent it home with my duaghter to proof and give back. Second set of eyes is always a good thing!