Getting an IT Help Desk Job For Dummies

Chapter 11

Creating a Winning Resume and Cover Letter

In This Chapter

• Discovering the importance of a resume
• Finding out about the importance of a cover letter
• Integrating tips and tricks to give yourself the best chance at success

In this chapter, I walk you through of a resume format that leverages the information hiring people are looking for, help you understand why your resume is important, and even reveal what people look at and how long they give your resume to decide whether you'll get looked at or binned. Preparation, focus, consistency, attention to detail, and sheer doggedness are all critical when it comes to preparing the documents that could very well land you a job. Think of working on these documents as a personal test for the job you are going to get. You will need to prepare a version for every job you submit your documents for, and they must be tuned for each position.

I'm not saying that you should pad, also known as falsifying, your resume, of course. That would be wrong, but you do need to shift the focus onto the skills that the particular position requires. You will find that, over time, you will be able to reuse major portions of certain versions for similar positions at different companies. Just make sure that you don't leave traces of another potential employer!

The Dreaded Resume

If there's one thing people don't like doing when they are looking for a job, it has to be the preparation of the resume, or Curriculum Vitae (colloquially known as the CV). ...