This article comes to us from our guest blogger Jack Thomas. Mr. Thomas is a Manager for a National Company, Certified Facilitator for Advanced Management, and a Consultant to other Agencies.

With all the changes in the way people communicate, we knew it was just a matter of time before the face to face applying for a job would become a thing of the past. There are a few exceptions out there, but far and large, more and more companies are using electronic media to at least start the process. So, how does this pertain to you? This is the first in a series of articles about how to address the process. Over the next few days I hope to share enough with you to make the process less cumbersome and more productive.  Let’s get started.

You are interested in a position and are told that you must submit an application and resume on line. Where do you begin? Here are some basic tips before we get in to the meat of things.

1. Know what you’re applying for. This may sound elementary, but it is critical in how you are going to establish and format your resume. Is it an entry level position? Is is something you’ve done before? Is it something that requires special training that you may or may not have? Is previous experience a requirement? You really need to spend some time on this and be honest with yourself to see if you can portray yourself as a good fit for the job. After all, if you’re not sure that the job is right for you, how can you ever convince someone else of the same?
2. Before starting a resume, get your facts in order. Make yourself some notes. When did you graduate school? What was the school’s address? Did you receive any special training there that may be applicable to the position? These are important notes, regardless of the level of the education. You may not have the highest schooling overall, but you may have experienced something that could be of immense value to your potential employer.
3. Previous experiences? For now, just assemble your work experience in chronological order to make the resume easy to follow. We will get in to much more on this subject in the resume discussion later.
4. Set time aside to review all the facts you have gathered. Are there any missing time frames? Some Human Resource Managers, and some companies as well, view huge gaps in time as questionable. Were you seeking employment, or just hanging around? Were you doing something during those gaps that you are trying to hide? Remember, most companies are going to conduct background checks based on your resume and application, so don’t try and hide anything.
5. Step five appears now for a reason. Repeat step number one. What? Has he lost his mind? On the contrary, after a careful review of what you are going to present, the time to reassure yourself that this is the job you want is now. If not, you’re just wasting your time. Move on to something else. A good interviewer will pick up on these things even if you make it past the application process. ( See interview tips at www.safeemployer.com.)
6. Make yourself a rough outline in the order that is either preset by the employer, or if no order is set, use a timeline.
7. You are almost ready to apply. On a separate piece of paper, write down a unique experience from each job or educational experience.( We’ll talk about how to use them later.)

Finally, you are ready to start the application process. Since most applications also require a resume, we’ll start with that for today. Tomorrow we will get in to the applications themselves.

Resumes- A four letter word that uses 7 letters of the alphabet!

Well, that’s how a lot of people feel about them. But let’s take a look at them. What is their purpose and how can you use it to your advantage? Their purpose is to give your prospective employer a snapshot of your experience and education. That’s it!

Remember this——In most cases, the person reading the resume does not know you. You need to make it a good quick read and represent yourself in a manner that warrants giving you a second or perhaps third look. I can not stress this enough. Many times I have met applicants after a position has been filled and they have told me they could have done a much better job on their resume, but they just didn’t know how to go about it. This is very common!  So, what’s the mystery of a quality resume? Why do some sound so much better than others?

The truth?- It is what you put into it. Let me explain. Let’s say you have some good work experience and references and even have some special training that may look good on a resume. Do you have the ability to convey that to paper? Exactly. You are not alone. Many people have a hard time selling themselves in print. These are just a few tips to improve the chances of your application getting that all important second look:

(For the best result, pick the tip that most matches your circumstance-be honest with yourself!)

• Ask a friend to read it. No, REALLY read it. Ask them to review it as if they did not know anything about you. Would they want to know more? ( If you’ve done a really good job, they may just ask you about some surprising items listed in your resume!) Pick someone who is not going to just make you feel good about yourself. YOU WANT THE JOB!
• Pay someone to prepare it for you. This is not as easy as it sounds. First there’s the financial obligation, and secondly, their work is only going to be as good as your preparation. ( Remember steps 2 and 5 above?) If you are unsure about something, work it out before putting it on paper. Make sure the person you hire is able to draw details out of you with just a few questions.
• Check with a local school or college. In some cases, a student may be able to help you for a small fee, and receive credit for an extracurricular activity, ( Check with the Business or English Departments.)

In the next installment, we will talk about the other notes I asked you to jot down and how to use them. (Don’t finalize that resume yet!) We will also get into some details on the application process.