Resume Evaluation: Grammar and Spelling

This is one of series of articles being written by Alpha Dog Resumes.com explaining how the online resume writing service evaluates the thousands of resumes that are sent to it each year.

One of the ten criteria that is reviewed is Grammar and Spelling.  The resume is given a score of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

A score of 3 or lower indicates that your resume contains multiple grammatical and spelling errors.  Such errors are the easiest way to get kicked out of a job pool.  Software spell and grammar checks help, but do not solve the problem.  Some errors are difficult to find.

For example, is the following sentence grammatically correct?  Are there any spelling errors in the sentence?

“The combination of today’s difficult job market, the use of resume management software by HR Departments, and human nature dictates that your resume must focus on your accomplishments, contains the correct density and placement of key words and phrases, and avoid disqualifers that unfairly preclude you from getting that crucial job interview.”  There are two errors in the preceding sentence…did you spot them?

We correct these job killing errors.

Resume Evaluation: Emphasis on Accomplishments

This is one of series of articles being written by Alpha Dog Resumes.com explaining how the online resume writing service evaluates the thousands of resumes that are sent to it each year.

One of the ten criteria that is reviewed is Emphasis on Accomplishments.  The resume is given a score of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

A score of 3 or lower indicates that, while your resume may list your past job responsibilities in great detail, your current resume does not sufficiently market your accomplishments - in other words, the ways that you made or saved money for your previous employers.  Accomplishments are difficult to write.  They require the proper action verbs and, wherever possible, quantification.

For example, a properly phrased accomplishment would be “Increased market share by 25% as a result of focusing on transit finance opportunities in excess of $100 million each.”  A bad example would be “Marketed transit agencies for new deal opportunities.”

Our Background Analyzer helps you dig deeply into your professional background to allow us to work together to sell your valuable accomplishments.  Accomplishments set you apart from the hundreds of other applicants.

How Does Resume Service AlphaDogResumes.com Evaluate a Resume?

One service that we provide here at AlphaDogResumes.com is a Free Resume Assessment for any and all job seekers.  We receive many requests for these reviews from all sorts of people seeking all types of jobs in many industries and experience levels.  After our free review, some hire us to rewrite their resumes and some do not.  However, they all have one thing in common:  we can give an initial, rough evaluation of their resume within 30 seconds.  Of course, our complete 10 point, 7 page Free Resume Assessment is much more detailed than that.

How is possible to give a resume evaluation in 30 seconds?  And why is that important?  It is possible because our resume experts are just like other Human Resources professionals and employment recruiters.  We see so many resumes that we know what to look for; we know what is going to impress an employer, and we see immediately whether the resume in question meets the standards or not.  Why is that important?  Because that 30 seconds or less is how long you have to impress a potential employer or recruiter.  If your audience does not see your qualifications within that very short timeframe, the qualifications might as well not exist.

For that reason, we at AlphaDogResumes.com are going to start a 10-part series of articles dealing with how we evaluate a resume and, thus, how employers and recruiters will evaluate your resume.  The articles will be published in this blog over the next couple of weeks.  Please contact us if you have questions or comments.  And, if you would like a Free Resume Assessment, click here.  We believe this insight will help you decide what you need to do with your resume in order to Dominate Your Job Search_®.

Financial Aspects of a Job Search

If you are like many millions of Americans looking for work right now, the financial aspects of a job search impact your daily life.  Your bills keep coming even if the paycheck does not.  Here are several suggestions for making the best of the situation:

1.    Prepare a budget that honestly lists your monthly expenses and any residual income like unemployment benefits, severance pay, interest, dividends, etc.  This means that you must start keeping track of all your expenditures, even down to your Starbucks coffee.  For help here, consider budget management software such as Quicken - click here for more information.  For help in California with unemployment benefits, click here.

2.    Reduce your expenses in each and every category.  Start with the major expenses first.  For example, if possible, reduce your mortgage or rent payment through refinancing or renegotiation.  A mortgage broker or loan officer (such as Stephanie Gossett at Bank of America - click here for more information) can help you evaluate your options.  If you work hard it, you are likely to be able to cut your monthly outlays by at least 25%.

3.    Consider your actual job search expenses such as resume preparation fees, job search travel, etc.  Many of those expenses are tax deductible - learn more here.

4.    If you get into a real financial bind, consider government aid sources.  For example, San Francisco Bay Area residents can get help by just dialing 211 on their telephones - click here for more details.  For Federal government assistance, click here.

Prepare now so that you can Dominate Your Job Search_®.