LiveCareer Resume Expansion Style Guide

Tone/Voice:

Informational/Helpful. Professional yet engaging tone.

Do’s and Don’ts

• Please use the Oxford (serial) comma.
• Use active voice. NO passive voice! Use this free grammar checker.
  
• For this client, “jobseeker” is one word.
• Do not use the word “highlight.” Some readers take this literally and highlight portions of the resume, which is not appropriate. Instead, use phrases such as “illuminate,” “draw attention to,” and “point out.”
• Don’t use “OK.” Please spell out the word “okay.”
• Don’t write the word “percent.” Use the symbol “%” instead.
• Please spellcheck for the word “manger” and change it to manager!

Client Brief

|Top Skills to Include in a [Industry] Resume|

Word Count: ~45 – 65

Using the BLS OOH, at least two GOOD job postings on the following job boards (Glassdoor & CareerBuilder), and the references attached please create a bulleted list of skills that people in this industry should consider putting on their resume.

Please include a breakdown of roughly 75% hard skills and 25% soft skills.

Example:

|Top Skills to Include in a Customer Service Resume|

• Experience with CRM (customer relationship management) software, like FreshDesk
• Ability to handle and resolve customer complaints
• Excellent project management skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Suite
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Spanish fluency
• Committed problem-solver, with a knack for finding proactive solutions to customer problems

|Resume Writing Tips for [Industry] Professionals|

Word Count: ~300 – 400

Create a numbered list of 4 – 6 resume writing tips that are as industry-specific as possible. To do this, take a general tip and put it into the context of the industry you are writing about. See the example below for reference.

Please also identify one sentence in this section that can be highlighted as a pull quote and list it at the bottom of the page.

Example:

|Resume Writing Tips for Customer Service Professionals|

1. Prove your worth with numbers

Employers’ top priority is always the bottom line, and one of the best ways to prove you’re prepared to add value to a new company is to add metrics and dollar signs to the accomplishments on your resume. For example, as a customer service professional, consider including what percentage of customers you retained through problem solving, how much money this added up to, or how many calls you answered per day.

[Pull Quote] Employers’ top priority is always the bottom line, and one of the best ways to prove you’re prepared to add value to a new company is to add metrics and dollar signs to the accomplishments on your resume.

Save as: ID # – [Industry] – LiveCareer Expansion

Example:

1 – Medical – LiveCareer Expansion

|Top Skills to Include in a Medical Resume|

• Proficient in EHR/EMR (electronic health records or electronic medical records) software, such as eClinicalWorks and Allscripts
• Compassionate bedside manner
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Experienced at performing diagnostic tests, such as blood work, EKGs, and imaging
• Fluent in Spanish
• Current and valid license to practice in the state
• Board certification
• Adept at medical coding
• Strong problem-solving skills 

|Resume Writing Tips for Medical Professionals|

1. Demonstrate your value using metrics

It is not enough to tell prospective employers about your skills and experience; you also want to demonstrate to them the value you have given to previous employers. The best way to do this is through incorporating metrics and numbers into your accomplishments. As a medical professional, consider including how a program you implemented led to increased patient compliance or patient satisfaction. Other examples include your patient retention percentage, saving the practice money through reducing patient wait time, or creating a more efficient medical record filing system.

2. Focus on your most relevant work experience

A resume does not need to incorporate every single job or internship you have ever held. As a general rule, you only need to include the last 10 to 15 years of experience, although you might wish to include older jobs if they are directly relevant or if you have held a position for a long period. This means that you want to focus on jobs you held within the medical industry. Recent graduates might wish to include other experience if they gained important transferable soft skills, such as communication or problem-solving skills.

3. Make it easy to read

As a physician, nurse, or another expert in the medical industry, you might wish to incorporate medical terms and industry jargon to impress recruiters. However, too much might actually hurt your chances. An assistant or a recruiting consultant might read the resume first, and they might get confused. Create a balance between demonstrating your aptitude for the position while also creating a resume that is attractive to a spectrum of potential readers, including those not in the medical industry.

4. Display your soft skills in your work experience

Many recruiters want to find candidates with the right balance of soft and hard skills. Although you will likely list some soft skills in your skills and qualification section, it is important to also demonstrate your aptitude. To do this, utilize the bullet points in your work experience section. For example, it is important to have strong problem-solving skills in the medical industry. Detail an accomplishment that illustrates your ability to tackle a difficult situation. Perhaps you found the proper diagnosis for a difficult patient or you found a way to effectively and quickly treat patients in a busy hospital with high demand.

[Pull Quote] Create a balance between demonstrating your aptitude for the position while also creating a resume that is attractive to a spectrum of potential readers, including those not in the medical industry.

|Top Skills to Include in a Restaurant & Bar Resume|

• Experience with point-of-sale (POS) systems, such as Breadcrumb or TouchBistro
• Ability to perform manual labor and lift heavy objects
• Skilled in food safety practices and equipment sanitation
• Exceptional verbal and written communication abilities
• Strong understanding of inventory control and cash handling systems
• Proficient in dining room set up
• Excellent time management skills

|Resume Writing Tips for Restaurant & Bar Professionals|

1. Use clean, simple formatting

No matter how persuasive your content may be, a “busy” or sloppy layout can doom your document from the start. A non-standard format with fancy fonts may never make it to a recruiter’s inbox, thanks to automated applicant tracking systems that scan and score incoming resumes for relevance. To beat these bots and make your qualifications stand out, stick to simple formatting and use standard scripts such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier.

2. Ditch the objective statement

Recruiters and food service managers spend only six seconds reading each resume, so you need to put your pertinent skills and experience front and center. Think of your resume as a sales pitch, and you’ll see how a compelling summary statement is attractive bait that keeps hiring managers reading.

With that in mind, write your professional summary as a career branding statement that reveals who you are and what you do best. In three to six sentence fragments written in the first person, include your most relevant hard and soft skills along with a couple of key benefits you’ve gained for employers. For instance, note that you have mastered classic cocktail recipes or that you consistently deliver high quality service to restaurant patrons.

3. Brag about yourself, but keep it professional

When writing your work experience section, you need to polish your successes and incorporate them prominently. You not only maximize valuable real estate on the page, but you show hiring managers how all that day-to-day grunt work translates into excellence.

If you’re not sure where to start, try making a list and thinking of ways in which you went above and beyond the call of duty. List critical accomplishments such as awards, quotas you’ve exceeded, efficiency improvements in restaurant staff scheduling, or significant increases in liquor sales. Examples might include consistently positive customer feedback or helping your franchise earn top sales numbers. While you’re at it, don’t forget to include quantifiable metrics.

4. Think beyond traditional schooling

Educational backgrounds vary widely among restaurant and bar industry professionals. Entry-level staff may only have high school diplomas while management might possess undergraduate or MBA degrees. However, you should use the education section to mention any specialized training or certifications you’ve completed. For example, it would be important to list a certified bartender school listed in this section if you are looking for a bartender position.

[Pull Quote] Think of your resume as a sales pitch, and you’ll see how a compelling summary statement is attractive bait that keeps hiring managers reading.

|Top Skills To Include in an Administrative Resume|

• Exceptional time management and organizational skills
• Self-motivated and able to multitask
• Quick and accurate data-entry skills
• Expert proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook Express, and scheduling programs
• Active listener able to understand issues and develop effective solutions quickly
• Experience with telephone switchboard functions and videoconferencing equipment
• Strong communicator with managers, customers, and colleagues

|Resume Writing Tips for Administrative Professionals|

1, Demonstrate your soft skills with metrics

If you want to be successful in an administrative job, you need exceptional soft skills, such as communication, time management, and self-motivation. However, these terms can be somewhat generic and overused, so you need to find a way to make them stand out on your resume. One of the best things you can do is use metrics. For example, you could describe how many customer enquiry emails you answered on a weekly basis and note how much time you saved the rest of the staff.

2. Showcase your agility

Being comfortable with technology, such as computer software, printers, and videoconferencing equipment, is an essential skill for administrative professionals. However, you also need to be able to adapt to changing requirements by learning new skills and programs. Top recruiters say agility is a vital skill they look for, so use your resume to indicate your ability to create innovative solutions and change your approach when necessary.

3. Detail achievements, not tasks

Most administrative positions revolve around completing numerous tasks on a daily basis. However, you don’t want to your work experience section to read like a laundry list of these duties, since the employer will likely have a good idea of what your previous administrative jobs involved. Instead, phrase your bullet points in terms of successes and accomplishments. For example, you didn’t just plan the annual community outreach event, you helped generate hundreds of new leads and increase brand awareness in the local area. Be sure to use strong action verbs to help bring your duties to life.

4. Eliminate all errors

A resume with errors isn’t good in any industry, but it’s especially problematic for administrative professionals. As an administrator, many of your tasks involve written communication, and your resume is your first chance to show potential employers your skills in this area. An employer can’t trust you to engage with clients or handle intra-office communication if your own resume is full of typos, misused words, and poor grammar. Take the extra time necessary to proofread and consider having a trusted associate read it over as well.

[Pull Quote] Top recruiters say agility is a vital skill they look for, so use your resume to indicate your ability to create innovative solutions and change your approach when necessary.