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F: Hi, welcome to the New Horizon. Our guest today is Bruce Schuman, who runs a job advising center in the city. Now, Mr Schuman, many people find it not easy to find a good job. One of the reasons for this is that they don’t know how to write a good resume. So can you tell us what the purpose of a resume is?
M: Well, the main purpose of a resume is to convince an employer to give you a chance for an interview. Generally, there are two kinds of resume. One is familiar to us, the one we call "tombstone". This kind of resume lists your educational background and working experience in time order. The other one "Functional" is more descriptive and fun to read. It may bring more opportunities for an interview.
F: I see. But from the prospective employers you have met, which is used more often?
M: It’s convenient to have "tombstone" for certain occasions. But many prospective employers throw away most of these unrequested "tombstone" lists, preferring to interview the applicants with the lively resume rather than the dead one.
F: Can you give us some idea on how to write a functional resume that will get read?
M: As a matter of fact, it’s not so difficult to write a resume that makes you come alive and look interesting to employers. First of all, in order to write a resume others will read with enthusiasm, you have to feel important about yourself. Then, try to sell what you can do rather than who you are. Translate your personality traits, character, accomplishments and achievements into skill areas. Believe it or not, there are at least five thousand skill areas in the world of work.
F: Another point is that most people tend to be modest when writing a resume. What do you think of that?
M: That’s a good question. Many people think they don’t have any ability. What we should remember is that everyone has ability and maybe one of yours is just what an employer is looking for if only you show it.
F: In the job market today, there are some women who want to return to salaried employment when they no longer want to be a housewife. Do you have any suggestions for them?
M: Well, if you are returning to the work force after fifteen years as a parent, simply write a short paragraph, like a summary of background in place of list of experience in time order. Don’t apologize for working as a mother; it’s the hardest job of all.
F: It seems that many people have no idea about how to find personal accomplishment. How do you think of this?
M: There is nothing special in it. You can simply take four or five hours off and write down every accomplishment in your life, on or off the job; that made you effective and unique. Study the list and try to spot patterns. In the process of doing so, you will identify your remarkable skills. Once you discover patterns, give names to your cluster of accomplishments, for instance, leadership skills, budget management skills, child development skills, etc.
F: Writing a resume is really a complicated job.
M: It really is. It may take four drafts or more and several weeks before you are ready to show it to a stranger for reaction. When you are satisfied, print it instead of photocopying it because it shows an employer that you regard job hunting as serious work, worth doing right.
F: Thank you, Mr Schuman. Those are really helpful advice.