In order to get the job you want, you must identify what that job wants from you. An applicant should ask several questions: Who is the employer and what is the employer’s product or service? Where has the employer been, what is their current status, and what are their future visions and goals? What kind of employee does this company need? Finally, are you the qualified candidate and do you want this job? If so, then you’ll need to prepare if you want to successfully apply for the position!
The job application process consists of five basic components: Resume, Cover Letter, Phone Interview, Job Interview, and Thank You Letter.
Resumes should be clear, in a traditional, plain-vanilla format: name at the top, a summary of one or two sentences, and then a succinct review of employers and jobs held, in reverse chronological order. According to experts, resumes usually garner just a quick scan—no more than 15 to 30 seconds. If the reviewer cannot gain a distinct sense of your qualifications in that time, your resume will most likely be set aside. Always be honest when writing your resume. It will be more effective if you can clearly state your career goal, work history, education, background, and any special technical skills you may have. Make sure you list your accomplishments and not just a string of job descriptions. Your resume should tell a story about you, and what you highlight about yourself needs to be unique and compelling.
The typical approach to resume writing considers one’s strengths, weaknesses, and accomplishments. Competency-based resumes focus more on the employer’s needs and are built from one question: what characteristics does the employer seek? Check the company’s pulse and analyze the particular job in which you are interested. Then describe yourself using terms based on the competencies the employer is looking for; in other words, you should cater your resume to each specific job posting. (“Competency-Based Resumes” by Robin Kessler)
The advent of the internet, where information flows quickly, means that the job application process has also changed. Traditional delivery of the resume through snail-mail has largely been replaced by e-mail. Whereas before, job seekers might mail their resumes to only ten or twenty people at a time, now they can easily attach their resume to an e-mail and send it to hundreds of employers – without spending a dime. However, the quality of your resume will always be more important than the quantity you can send out. You should continue to focus on creating a skill-based and quantitative resume. Indeed, many large companies now have software that searches for key words in the multitude of resumes they receive. Try to reserve a special section for especially descriptive or significant terms that prove you are a qualified applicant.
As a whole, your resume should be straightforward and built from factual facts. Avoid wordiness and meaningless introductions, and always keep the 15 to 30 second rule in mind. Error-free spelling and grammar, and use no more than three different font sizes are also crucial in making your resume an easy-read for the reviewer. Alone, a good resume will not get you the job, but it will get you in the door for an interview. Stay tuned as the Summer Job Search Series continues: next week, it’s tips for the document that goes hand-in-hand with your resume – the Cover Letter!
On the Job Search,
Sufen Wang
Wang Solutions
Wang Solutions 
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