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 How To Write A Resume If You Didn't Go To College
-by Richard H. Beatty
John Wiley & Sons, 208 pages, $11.87

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There’s no better time to tune up your resume and have it ready to go for the New Year. How To Write A Resume If You Didn’t Go To College will have your resume hitting on all cylinders and ready to impress the toughest audience — potential employers.

The new job market requires a resume for career seekers in areas that traditionally didn’t require one. Submitting resumes online has become the norm, but this doesn’t mean career seekers should take shortcuts. Taking the time to prepare a great resume helps candidates recognize their strengths and better articulate their work experience and skills during an interview. According to Beatty, “It has the added benefit of helping you improve your self-confidence.”

How To Write A Resume If You Didn’t Go To College is full of sound advice that applies to any career seeker interested in taking their resume to the next level. Beatty includes lists of action verbs and positive personal description adjectives like reliable, hardworking, organized, committed, and energetic. He urges career seekers to ask themselves if they made suggestions that led to time savings, increased productivity, or cost savings in their former positions. Then he shows how to take this and add key accomplishment statements to your resume.

Trends in resume writing shift constantly and the information here is up-to-the-minute. For example, Beatty recommends that you use years only when listing employment dates. He also notes that the trend today is to exclude listing hobbies on your resume unless they are job relevant.

How To Write A Resume If You Didn’t Go To College discusses and dispels myths like “resumes should never be more than one page” or “don’t include a job objective.” Sample resumes are included for positions in a number of fields including Administrative Support, Human Resources, Construction, and Healthcare.

The book also gives instruction on creating highly effective cover letters. 76% of potential employers automatically eliminate candidates based on the quality of their cover letter. “This is the equivalent of wearing a neat, starched shirt to the interview and having a crumpled, stained tie,” writes Beatty. A cover letter has the ability to pre-market your candidacy. In today’s tight job market, job seekers need to be aware of all potential deal breakers and weapons that can positively enhance a potential employer’s decision. As How To Write A Resume If You Didn’t Go To College proves, it all begins with your resume.