Fixation on Histology

A Cutting Edge Resume Strategy – No Pun Intended!

  

How many times have you heard “Keep your resume to one page”? Well, if you believed it then you definitely have heard it too many times and it’s a MYTH!!

The purpose of the resume is to get you the interview. Ok, I admit, a resume that is too long probably won’t help your cause; conversely a resume that is too short is not going to do much for you either.


The one-page resume myth started back in the 70’s, probably by some bored HR Manager who got tired of reading resumes. I have seen some long ones in my day. I once received a resume from an engineer back in the early 80’s that was 40 pages long and bound like a hardcover book!
Yes, that is too long!!

I have also seen some accomplished professionals with great credentials try to squeeze all of their background onto one page, resulting in a garbled mess, or a lot of the good stuff just left out! Logic dictates that someone with 10 years of experience is going to have a longer resume than someone with 2 years of experience; that is why it is a ridiculous tenet to ascribe to!

Here are some key points to get you started on a new resume or a retooling of your existing resume.

1. The Objective:

Yes, Yes, Yes!!! Do start with an objective. I know we think that nobody reads it, but it is supposed to be there just like your name and contact info. If it’s not there it looks like something is missing. Make it a short and “sweet” statement about what you are looking for and what you can do. 

i.e. “A Senior Human Resources professional seeking a position as a Human Resources Manager where I can utilize my skills and experience to make a positive contribution to a company and its employees.”

See what I did there? I defined who I am, mentioned the title of the position I am applying for, (which should earn a tag as a keyword, we will talk more about that later), and I rounded it off with what the employer would want from someone in this position.

2. Summary of Qualifications:
Your Summary of Qualifications should be in bulleted format. List all of the keywords in the job description in your summary of qualifications that apply to you.

i.e.  
•    HT(ASCP)
•    Microtomy
•    Embedding
•    H&E
•    Special Stains
•    Grossing
•    IHC

Keywords Keywords Keywords!!!!! A large number of companies use automated matching programs to sort resumes. The resumes for each position are sorted by yes, you guessed itkeywords!! The more keywords that you match in the job description the more hits your resume

will get, which will get it ranked higher and make for a much higher probability that you will get selected for an interview.

Remember the more keywords that you match in the job description the more hits your resume will get, which will get it ranked higher and make it a much higher probability that you will get selected for an interview.

3. Education and Certifications: You should only include degrees that you have completed and certifications you have earned or are currently working on.

4. Employment History: 
For your employment history list each position you have held in histology Chronologically starting with your most recent employment. 

Include the company name, city and state, dates of employment, your title and a brief functional description of your day -to -day activities including the skills/requirements that match the job description.

5. Extracurricular Activities and Professional Memberships: 
You will list these with dates and contributions chronologically starting with the most recent. (Common ground with a potential employer is
always a plus!)

6. References: 
Make them available upon request.  You will want to be able to give your references a “heads up” before they get called for a reference.

Resume Size? Well, I think that 1-3 pages are fine and so have all of my clients. Save your publications and additional information, along with previous employment beyond 10 years or 3 pages, to offer as additional information in the interview!

REMEMBER…

The purpose of your resume is to get you the INTERVIEW!!!

Here is a sample resume to use as reference.


Written by: Pam Barker, Relia Solutions


#2023
#Blog
#LeadershipDevelopment
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03-27-2023 13:03

Hello Pam;  Clearly explained!! Thank you very much indeed!!!

03-27-2023 10:39

Hi Giorgis,  Thank you for your question.  What I am referring to in my article as far as keywords are for example the words one uses to perform a search on an internet search engine.

For example on google if you were searching for a histology job the keywords would be histology and job.

When someone applies for a position on a company's website it is has become the norm for companies to use software to screen resumes.

The way that the software screens resumes is to look for key words or words that match with words in the job description.  The employer sets the key words then the software ranks the resumes based on the occurrence of the key words selected.  For example if an employer posted a position on their website the keywords might be histology, microtomy ascp etc.  The more times these key words appear on your resume the more likely it will be considered.  I hope this answers you question.  And if you have any additional questions please feel free to reach out to me at relia1@earthlink.net  Thanks-Pam

03-25-2023 20:43

Thanks pam Barker from Relia Solutions for such valuable tips that is very important at this moment. One question is that what does " Keywords" represent? or mean?