Can't find a job after several hundred resumes sent out, what can i do to make my resume better?

Question

is listing military a bad ideal?

Most resume were sent electronically.

how do i post it for people to see?

Answer 1

First, listing military experience is a GOOD idea - as long as the experience is RELEVANT to the job you want. And it is probably relevant becaue, regardless of your rank or service, you've had leadership and management training and experience that is unequaled in the civilian world! Be proud of it! Smart employers value it.

You MAY want a professional to help you evaluate your resume, and free or low cost professional help is usually available from a couple of sources which should be near you:

- Check in with your state's employment services office for help - that's why they exist. Job-Hunt.org links to every state's employment office here - http://www.job-hunt.org/jobs/states.shtml

- And, look for a job search support group locally, too, either through the state employment office or Job-Hunt.org's list of support groups by state - http://www.job-hunt.org/job-search-networking/job-search-networking.shtml

Secondly, "blasting" out hundreds of resumes is a waste of your time and effort. Recruiters and employers receive literally thousands of unsolicited resumes.

You need to differentiate yourself with more than your miliary experience. To succeed in a job search, you must:

* Know the job that you want.

* "Target" employers who employ people doing the job you want (e.g. if you want to sell cars, you'd pick car dealers).

* Research the employer on the Web, visiting the employer's Website -
- What jobs, if any, do they have posted on their Website?
- How well are they doing financially (so you don't end up job hunting again too soon)?
- What products or services do they sell? How good are the products/services?
- If they are a non-profit, what do they do and how well do they do it?
- How are they organized (which department/division would be best for you)? Names of people you might be able to contact in those departments - like the dept. manager?
- Who is in charge?
- Who is the competition and how tough are they to compete with?
Anything else you can find out...

* Search a site like Indeed.com for jobs with your target employers. Also check the Craig's List(s) appropriate for your target geography.

* Look for people you know who know people who work at the employers' so you can get an internal contact to help you get your resume to the "right" people. The state employment office and job search support group mentioned at the top are useful for this too.

See Finding Jobs Online (http://www.job-hunt.org/findingjobs.shtml) for additional help in identifiying organizations and Websites that can help you with your job search.

FINALLY, when you've identified the job that you want, dazzle the employer with a resume and cover letter which is CUSTOMIZED TO THAT OPPORTUNITY (based on all your research and, also, hopefully, your networking). And, continue to dazzle them with your research in the interview process.

I've had recruiters tell me that they are buried under with resumes from unqualified people and that job seekers are lazy because it's too easy to apply for any job. Be different - using the process above. And BE SURE to do the research. I've also had recruiters tell me that they automatically disqualify anyone who hadn't bothered to visit the company Website.

Tough process, but, if you served in the miliary, this will be a piece of cake in comparison. Just view it as a "mission" - prepare and execute!

Good luck!

[And, if you are lucky enough to be a former Marine, Semper Fi!]

Answer 2

What you can do is play the game of how to land a job. If you really put your mind to it and play the resume trivia and expose your greatness in such a way that it is convincing. You must outsmart the Fox and play your hand right. Not everything they read is true, but what is not seen is believable to a point. Attcak it with a strong arm and write down less and keep your strong areas high on top. College criteria works every time. The odds that they will look up your degree is 100 to 1.
My last job I had a BS in Management and so I got a management job and played it very well. My family was in shock that I got the job, but here's the thing, if you call the bluff then you must be ready to play it. 8 years later I told my Boss I don;t even have a BS in Mangement, but it didn't matter, he said I was a genious.

Answer 3

Get more experience in the field you are looking for by volunteering or getting an internship while you continue the job hunt. Go to your local library and take out a book about resume writing. There are tons. This will be an excellent guide when re-working your resume.

Show your resume to friends and family and ask their opinion. They can often provide some useful tips. And lastly make sure the resume is neatly folded into an envelope or in pristine condition with a paper clip when you hand it in.

Try to personalize a cover letter to the employer with each of the jobs that you really want, for others that aren't your first pick you can skip this step or have a generic cover letter. Also, try not to fax them out to your top picks unless they are addressed to the human resources person (by name). I used to work as a secretary in an office, and unsolicited faxed resumes were looked down upon by HR - the sender appears lazy and not that eager about the job compared to someone who drops it off personally, and it wastes the employers ink and paper.

Good luck with your job hunt.

Answer 4

if you were in the miltary list it! it looks good and if you do happen to get a job that you didn't tell and they later find out that could cause problems because you did not inform them of this. Military is a good thing- i agree with it shows integrity, dedication, etc.

if you are not getting any feedback read over your resume again and see whats missing. did you list HS,College, other educational training? list you qualities and things you have learned abuot computers etc.. even if you did it on your own or in HS. did you go into too much detail on previous experiences or just ramble on in general?

without reading your actual resume it's hard to tell you exactly what to do.

Answer 5

ensure it is one page no one wants to read something that is to wordy

give it a nice format and nice paper with a matching evolope
alot of resumes at big places get thrown out in the first sorting without ever reading one word

proper gramer and puncuation
one typo and a resume is thrown out most of the time

put things in bullets

start bullets with positve action words
IE planed, orginized, led, managed, repaired, and what not

Also if you are ex-military if you want to go into a simalr feild to what you did while you are in have you talked to a head hunter? They are great most people i know who used them got pretty good jobs.

Answer 6

by your mention of military I guess you served. look into Air Traffic Control with the FAA (psudeo gov't - but not bad) they see military experience as "trainable". I served and did exactly that with only a GED and made a good living. 17-1/2 years later with, unfortunately, 2 heart attacks and I'm paid to stay home and play my PS2 on my 42 inch plasma w/850W surround sound! I travel the world (fly) for next to nothing and have been to almost every "resort" you can imagine. life IS good. ;-)

Answer 7

Military usually shows you have some kind experience so put it on there, unless you got a dishonorable discharge.

What type of work are you looking for? Maybe you just need some help with grammar. Put you resume up for us to look at.

Answer 8

Searching for a job on the net isn't the only way to search for a job. Yes, you need a good resume, but you also need to utilize other sources for finding a job.

Check out the article below.

Answer 9

Perhaps there's nothing wrong with your resume... but are you making face to face contact with your perspective employers? Do you check back with them regularly about the position? Do you follow up on interviews with a card or phone call expressing your gratitude for their time and consideration?

Answer 10

Post it on here and we should be able to help you better. I would think listing military would be a HUGE plus as it would demonstrate integrity, dedication, teamwork, leadership, etc.