Resumes for Dummies

by Joyce Lain Kennedy

Is your job search stalling out after you submit a resume but before you're offered an interview? With reinvented recruiting technology, unmanageable millions of resumes choking employer databases, and government mandates in the name of diversity, a gigantic change has occurred in the recruiting world over the past several years--and it demands a fresh look at how you write and market your resumes. Whether you're entering the job market for the first time, changing jobs, or changing careers, Resumes for Dummies, 5th Edition will show you the ropes and rules for a new era in recruiting and job finding. With 85% new content added since the previous edition, this up-to-date guide gives you the very latest strategies on how to create, and more importantly, distribute your resume in today's new job search environment. You'll learn:


Why most generic online resumes fail How to customize resumes for each job opening New quick ways to find the right jobs How to use meta search engines to your advantage Why both digital and print versions of resumes are still needed How to use resumes interactively The resume basics that still knock 'em dead How to create resumes for your life's changing phases What to do after you send them your resume With a wealth of sample resumes--organized by industry and career field, experience level and age, and special circumstances--along with tips on choosing professional resume help and other valuable resources, Resumes for Dummies, 5th Edition will help you get noticed in a universe saturated with billions of resumes and more on the way.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Business, How To

Paperback

First published April 26, 1996

Reviews

[Callina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the reasons I am employed.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book on crafting resumes that get recruiters, hiring manager's attention, and get you to the interview.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will help you get started with a resume. You'll find lots of examples and the keywords to use in a resume. It is a litte out of date for today's job market.

[CTEP]

I checked this book out from Rondo on our last Corps day. Of course on my bike ride home my watermelon tupperware came open and it got all juicy, so I expect I'll be forced to buy it. Wasn't planning on that, but if anyone wants to borrow it, let me know!

I really like the approach of the "Complete Idiot's" and "For Dummies" books. Things are laid out well, and it's easy to look up a particular topic and find exactly what you need.

The 6th edition opens with a section on digital concerns: social networking, online job search, mobile concerns, correct filetypes, and in general some really good baseline info about navigating the digital job search/application landscape. Digital self-representation is paramount, so encourage your clients to seize gmail accounts with their full name before someone else does. Maintaining a professional online presence is mandatory as well; LinkedIn is discussed (and is the favorite of recruiters, apparently), as well as Facebook and Twitter.

This book's greatest strength is in curbing unwise resume habits. There is good advice on avoiding cliches and backing up self-praise with concrete accomplishments or involvements (and vice versa!). Targeting your resume to specific jobs ("the generic resume is dead") was a particularly helpful section and have discussed this topic with every one of my clients. I had no idea that larger firms use software to filter out resumes that don't contain "keywords," which are often spelled out in the job description and can be either general adjectives or specific technical skills--so even a perfectly qualified individual with a generic resume may get passed up just because they didn't take the extra step of assuring they included the specific language that the employer is looking for.

I used the extensive list of job search sites to draft a more comprehensive document than was extant, and drew from several sections to draft a document about representing non-work skills professionally and convincingly. There is a really nice section on the three main resume formats, with advice about which works for particular sections. For instance, a reverse-chronological resume is traditional and works for someone who was recently employed, while a skills-based resume ("functional") focuses on abilities gleaned from non-work pursuits such as social organization, parenthood, refugee hardships, etc. Quite relevant to many of our positions.

This book is quite extensive and worth perusing.

[James]

Create a "KickButt" resume that gets your foot in the door! Show employers what you've got and why you're the one for the job! Careers expert Joyce Lain Kennedy provides step-by-step guidelines for creating a resume that powerfully presents your skills, experience, and personality -- to get you the interview you're after! Whether you're a recent graduate after your first big job or a seasoned professional looking to expand your career horizons, Resumes for Dummies, 2nd Edition, will help you create a resume that won't take "no" for an answer. Make a lasting first impression: Find your most marketable self with easy worksheets Choose a format that plays up your best features Draft cool summary statements that sizzle and sell Goof-proof your resume for picky computer scanners Go digital with your resume -- online strategies that really work! Use effective key words and avoid rookie rhetoric Put a positive spin on tough issues like demotion and gaps in employment

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great piece of advice by ms. Kennedy. I used this one as a hand book when doing my first steps as a resume writer. It's easy to read, comprehensive and well formatted.
Nowadays plenty of companies offer help in resume preparation (like TopResume, LiveCareer, ResumeYard or PongoResume) i hope they advice this book to their junior writers.

[Jason Riemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second resume book I have read in the last couple of weeks. This one is far superior. In general, I am a huge fan of the Dummies series of books, and this one was no disappointment. I'll be honest in that the resume world is changing in a way I am not sure is for the better of job hunters.

For example, it is clear that one needs to mimic a job's requirements nearly verbatim to not get weeded out from an automatic tracking system. Ironically, it would seem only someone without real experience, qualifications, or creativity would do this on their own. Thereby, the person who has but merely the talent to copy from their computer screen to a Word document gets ranked atop the database listings.

Luckily, this book provides the guide to getting an interview, which should be the only objective of a resume. I would have ranked the book at 5-stars until the last few chapters, where example resumes were shown that (a) seemed to use different phrasing than suggested and (b) were so diverse that they seemed to have no rules at all (which may be a positive, showing that strong content can be placed in many suitable design formats).

Overall, this book provided me with an amazing level of information that I wish I would have known before I submitted any resumes to employers.

[Mark Braun · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, this could be a great book and probably is in hard copy. i love my Kindle but looking at washed out graphics of (guess what?) resumes on a gray background is more than disappointing. It makes no sense when you can't read what is on the page. I just can't understand why a book on style and polish of maybe the most important document has such a poor layout with respect to tables, lists and graphics. Come on Amazon, you need to get this right. With 16 shades of grey/black, why not pick one where you can pull the text of the graphics out of the picture. There is nothing more annoying than reading two pages describing a great idea referring to an example and having to imagine what it was you were supposed to see.
Come on Amazon try reading the books you sell !
Get the more expensive hard copy of this book because this edition is almost unuseable

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our community college had outdated career books, particularly how to write resumes and cover letters. Although there are many online resources to pull from, including university career centers, many of our students don't have Internet access at home and prefer print for lengthier works, so I ordered some newer print replacements. One of my co-workers took this home for her architect husband, and he found it really helpful for making a new resume. I took this home to browse, and I really thought it had helpful information. It even has suggestions for former military transitioning to civilian life.

[Aaron Anteski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up a lot of useful tips while reading this book and I hope that one day I can get the job I want. I know now not to put a bunch of useless vocabulary on there and make it nice and neat, cut straight to the point. I also know that attendance is the most important thing when you're going through the hiring process and that if you're at work everyday you're much more valuable than someone has a better skillset than you do but poor attendance.

[Kimmie Strader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ihave a different edition of this book.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up some very good pointers in making a resume that a employer would stop and look at. It has helpful information with very good examples to go by.

[Ola · Rating 4 out of 5]

FULLY LOADED FOR ANYONE READY TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

[Jay Phillips]

very informative!

[Bjm Index]

9

[Claire Berslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!
Great examples and helpful tips.

[Elizabeth Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, straight forward, easy to put into practice resume advice and examples.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good points that are easy to flip to.