Over the past 6 months, I reviewed an overwhelming number of resumes from jobseekers interested in joining my team. After a exhaustive search, we’re excited to have found a great fit for the team – Ryan from M7 Database.

During the process of identifying candidates with potential, I was most surprised at how quickly jobseekers disqualified themselves from the selection process. Like most managers at MS, I'm busy, and simply do not have time to give all interested candidates an interview. It was clear to me that jobseekers that made an effort to position themselves as a qualified candidate, based on the job description, had a significant advantage in moving forward in the hiring process. One of the top requirements for my Program Manager position is an intense focus on understanding customer needs. The first communication from a jobseeker to the hiring manager is a critical part of the interview. For this job, I was the customer. Did the jobseeker understand my needs?

As many of you know, my wife Taunya has a small business that provides professional services including resumes and cover letters and small business marketing. Her email is filled with varying degrees of resume brilliance from contractors to executives. We recently coalesced our experiences into a list of resume best practices that will increase a jobseeker’s probability of securing “the” interview.

I know the resume tips aren’t specific to Access; however, I think this information is super helpful to readers thinking about the next step in their careers. Enjoy!

Clint

The original is published here.

Effective Resumes and Cover Letters

Content doesn’t align with phase of career

A resume update involves modeling content to align with the next phase of a jobseeker’s career. The appropriate content sets the stage for the most advantageous compensation and leveling for the jobseeker.

The following are basic career phases with resume content guidelines:

• Phase 1, Entry-level: Academic career is the foundation of experience. Resume con