As a Job Placement Specialist for the University of Washington, Bothell I worked extensively with graduates from Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Business Administration, Education and Liberal Arts programs. I've also worked with graduates of engineering, mathematics, statistics, science, zoology, fisheries and environmental programs - to name a few.

Many university graduates have gained valuable experience that relates to their career goals while completing their degrees. Yet their resumes fail to market such experience effectively. Obtaining a university degree is very important, yet many employers spend more time reviewing and appreciating both "paid and unpaid work experience" rather than education. Therefore, it's important that your resume effectively market whatever experience you've gained that relates to the type of jobs you want. It's important not to bury such experience or skills with weak job titles or an irrelevant chronological format.

Sarah is a good example of a student graduating with a four year degree in Business Administration but with a resume that makes her appear like an entry level worker. She wants to use her education and marketing background to land an Outside Sales or Marketing Management Trainee position starting in the $28,000 to $30,000 range. Take a moment and read these abbreviated sections from Sarah's before resume. What key information can you pick out that Sarah has buried and should build her new resume around?

Now take a look at the summary section and key headings from the new resume I wrote when working with Sarah. Do these headings and descriptions do a better job of marketing her for an Outside Sales or Marketing Management position? Which resume makes Sarah look much more qualified and worth a higher salary?

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my main website's home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

In Summary
As a university graduate, prioritize your background and skills based on what is most related to the types of jobs you want. If you have relevant internship, extracurricular activities, volunteer or paid experience then devote the greatest part of your resume to these skills. If you do not have "any" related experience then list and describe the coursework, research projects, presentations or papers you've completed that strongly relate to your job objective and devote the greatest portion of your resume to this information.

If you are making a career change, have extensive experience or are graduating from a 4 year university program, I recommend that you consider purchasing my booklet series, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Increase Salaries. It is targeted for job seekers with a salary range of up to $100,000+ and provides skill lists, skill headings and sample sentences for 40+ career fields. It also provides extensive examples and worksheets to help you identify your skills and market them to match the jobs you want. For a complete description click on the link below.

Get All The Information You Need to Write A Bullet-Proof Resume!

Buy ... Proven Resumes Strategies That Increase Salaries $27.80 ORDER THE PROVEN RESUMES SERIES for only $27.80 ... Download the ProvenResumes Series MS Word files in 5 minutes or Less! and receive 1 (one) FREE Career-Specific Resume & Cover Letter Book from list: Teachers, Accounting, CAD/Drafting, College Students, Customer Service, EET, IT / Computer Information or High School Students These career-specific books (36-57 pgs) were created with Adults in Technical & College Training Programs ... generally with experience in other fields.  Of course, the High School Student book was created with High School Students and their Teachers! ... or Hire Me ... MASTER RESUME WRITER PERSONNEL AGENCY OWNER  CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTOR UNIVERSITY JOB PLACEMENT SPECIALIST TRAINER OF PROFESSIONAL RESUME WRITERS TRAINER TO EMPLOYMENT SECURITY PROGRAMS AUTHOR OF 15,000 RESUMES ... 13 RESUME BOOKS

Need More Information to Make a Buying Decision?

Visit 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops they illustrate the power of these materials and will convince you they're worth far more than their price! why risk not having critical information that can help you understand, control and elevate your image to match the job and salary you want! buy them now!

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