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Black Jack! Top 21 Ways Customize Your Resume and Get the Interview!

You search hard for the perfect jobs to apply to.  Shouldn't your resume and other application materials be customized for each job and company/entity you are applying to?  Your application materials are a reflection of who you are, the pride you take in your work, and it is the first impression a prospective employer has of you.

Ask yourself these questions 'before' you hit submit!

1. Does my resume reflect me as an ideal candidate?

2. What was emphasized in the job listing and how did I tailor my responses and resume to meet the employer's needs?

3. Have I shown off my most relevant experiences?

4. Have I focused on accomplishments or just my duties?

5. Don't just post your accomplishments, explain how you achieved them!

6. Have I exaggerated too much or not said enough?

7. Read other people's resumes, such as on LinkedIn for similar positions.  Can I borrow or paraphrase some of the same language?

8. Have I gotten my resume down to one page?  Can I justify it being more than one page?  If so, make sure to put the most relevant information on the first page!

9. If you bullet list things, put the most important information first!

10. Get rid of resume fluff!  Get to the point and use as few words as possible.  Sound bite it!  Elevator speech it!  Give them the executive summary!

12. Avoid silly adjectives/adverbs/buzz words.  Instead, give solid examples of your successes.  If you must use adjectives/adverbs, use "power" verbs, such as directed, improved, launched, etc. Avoid job jargon, though, even if 'you' think it is more precise.

13. Use powerful words to describe your top accomplishment(s)

14.  Wherever possible, quantify your accomplishments!  Example: increased sales by 120% in first quarter on the job.

15. Don't repeat words.  Don't repeat words.

16. Divide your resume into categories such as Experience, Education, Skills, etc, but lay it out logically.

17. Ask a mentor or colleague to read over your resume and to be brutally honest.  Ideally, ask someone outside the equation to look it over and give you honest feedback.

18. Make sure your resume is up to date in terms of the people/places you have worked.  Example: has an old employer's business name, address or contact information changed?

19. Embellish your resume, but do not fictionalize your job titles!

20. Double-check all employment, education dates, and your contact information and proofread the whole thing carefully!  If you have the email address, "mrluck@hotmail.com" consider getting a separate, professional one, such as "johndoe@gmail.com".

21.Save your resume as a PDF so you don't inadvertently save a mistake.  Then, save your resume with a helpful name, such as Last Name, First Name - Resume.  When submitting it, include a job id number or title in the file name if appropriate.

Do this all and Blackjack!  You will get more call backs!

As always, it is our belief that these guys write quite possibly the best Resumes on the Internet!  MyStatementofPurpose.com

Perfct Cover Letters & Resumes - You can DO this!

Perfect Cover Letters & Resumes: You can totally DO this!

We live in an age of perfect information, with the answers to many of our most common and most complex issues literally at our fingertips.  You've got a one-of-a-kind story to tell, so let's get it right the first time!

So here it is, a list of probably the best tools available for creating a Cover Letter or a Resume that gets results!

I tried to make this a good mix, from the simplest infographics to full-fledged interactive writing guides.

Cover letters are frequently only one page, so you've got 300 words or less to make it truly effective.  Resumes are the same situation - one page to say it all.

Overall, the best advice I could possibly give you is this: do not use a cookie cutter approach!  Customize your Resume - yes, your resume! - as well as your Cover letter to your audience.  Recruiters, admissions boards, and more know what a form letter looks like as opposed to a thoughtful, well-planned, customized document.  It makes a difference and, frankly, it's your life.  You get out of it what you put into it.  So put in your best!

More specifically, cater your cover letter and resume to the company or school you are applying to, such as finding out names of contacts, reading, digesting and responding to the school's or company's mission, and or values statement.  Additionally, and by no means least, cater your skills and experiences to the position or program to which you are applying!

Resumes

Purdue OWL: Introduction to Resumes – It's not just for APA and MLA citations!  Make your resume count! OWL provides a list of optional sections and offers specific suggestions to tailor your resume for each perspective employer and or academic program.

ALA JobList: Resumes – the American Library Association resume resource page offers a variety of suggested topics for creating and maintaining your resume, including librarian the Resume Review Service Committee (service requires ALA NMRT membership).

UC Berkeley: Writing Effective Resumes Online Workshop – Excellent example-focused video guide that offers a comparison of presentation formats, sections to consider including, as well as industry and objective-based suggestions. Advice from a panel of human resource representatives provides practical tips for improving resumes and avoiding common mistakes.

Entrepreneur.com: How to Impress the Robots Reading Your Resume – Entrepreneur offers an entertaining and informative infographic that can help you understand how to tailor your resume to better appeal to filtering technologies, known as Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), to make your resume less susceptible to being filtered out of the selection process.

Boston University: Anatomy of a Resume – When researching resume writing you will encounter many terms regarding presentation styles and sections, such as chronological versus functional formats. Anatomy of a Resume is an interactive tool that allows users to identify common formats, sections, and styles with descriptions and tips to help you choose which ones best fit your needs.

Cover Letters

Purdue OWL: Cover Letter Workshop – OWL asserts that the cover letter may be one of the most difficult documents you will write and offers a wide variety of advice regarding formatting as well as writing tips to help you get your audiences’ attention.

The Ladders: How to Write a Great Cover Letter – According to The Ladders’ research-based article on writing a cover letter, generalizations (such as a blanket salutation) can make you seem lazy and work against you. This article provides examples from hiring professionals on content and format to help you connect with perspective employers.

The Muse: The Pain-Free Cover Letter Builder – This interactive tool helps applicants create a custom cover letter (requires Muse account).

Boston University: Anatomy of a Cover Letter – Anatomy of a cover letter is an interactive tool that demystifies the components of a cover letter and provides specific recommendations for each section to help you refine your letter and make an impact.

The Muse: 31 Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter Examples – This article lists introduction suggestions for opening statements to cover letters that will help your resume get attention. You can also sign up for a free cover letter writing guide.

And of course, it is our belief that MyStatementofPurpose.com is quite possibly the only writing site you will ever need.

University Rankings for MBA in the US

Key factors in this rankings methodology is Brand Value of the institution, Career opportunities with Fortune 100 companies, Funding available.

1	Harvard University (MA)
1	Stanford University (CA)
3	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
5	Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
6	Columbia University (NY)
6	University of Chicago
8	Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
9	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
10	University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
11	Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
11	University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
11	University of Virginia (Darden)
14	New York University (Stern)
15	Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
16	University of Texas–Austin
16	Yale University (CT)
18	University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
19	Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
20	Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
21	Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
22	University of Southern California (Marshall)
23	Purdue University–West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
24	Vanderbilt University (Owen) (TN)
25	Ohio State University (Fisher)
25	University of Rochester (Simon) (NY)
25	Washington University (Olin)
28	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)
29	Georgetown University (McDonough) (DC)
30	Michigan State University (Broad)
31	University of Arizona (Eller)
32	Arizona State University–Main Campus
32	Tulane University (Freeman) (LA)
34	Case Western Reserve University (Weatherhead) (OH)
34	Penn State University–University Park (Smeal)
34	Rice University (Jones) (TX)
34	Thunderbird Graduate School (AZ)
34	University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
34	University of Wisconsin–Madison
40	Boston College (Carroll)
40	University of California–Irvine
42	Brigham Young University (Marriott) (UT)
42	Georgia Institute of Technology (DuPree)
42	Southern Methodist University (Cox) (TX)
42	Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays)
42	University of California–Davis
42	Wake Forest University (Babcock) (NC)
48	University of Georgia (Terry)
48	University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
48	University of Notre Dame (IN)

Spring Semester Deadlines for US Universities

Spring Semester Deadlines for US Universities. Deadlines for MS in US, PhD for Spring 2014, Spring 2015. Most of these deadlines are correct, but couple of Majors may have different deadlines. So, check the graduate department website of the university for the exact deadline information.

Universities with Deadlines in June

1. University of Maryland, Baltimore County – 1-Jun
2. University of South Florida, Tampa – 1-Jun
3. Texas Tech University – 15-Jun

Universities with Deadlines in July

1. Florida Institute of Technology – 1-Jul
2. University of Pittsburgh – 1-Jul
3. Washington State University, Pullman – 1-Jul
4. North Carolina State University – 15-Jul
5. University of Illinois, Chicago – 15-Jul
6. University of Rhode Island, Kingston – 12-Jul

Universities with Deadlines in August

1. University of Michigan, Dearborn – 1-Aug
2. Kansas State University – 1-Aug
3. North Dakota State University, Fargo – 1-Aug
4. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo – 1-Aug
5. Wichita State University – 1-Aug
6. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – 15-Aug
7. South Dakota School of Mines & Tech – 15-Aug
8. South Dakota State University, Brookings – 15-Aug
9. University of Kentucky, Lexington – 15-Aug

Universities with Deadlines in September

1. Florida International University – 1-Sep & 1-Oct
2. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago – 1-Sep with Funding 15-Oct without Funding
3. East Carolina University – 1-Sep
4. George Washington University – 1-Sep
5. Indiana University, Bloomington – 1-Sep
6. Lamar University – 1-Sep
7. Mississippi State University – 1-Sep
8. Oakland University, Rochester – 1-Sep
9. University of Nebraska, Lincoln – 1-Sep
10. University of Oklahoma, Norman – 1-Sep
11. University of Texas, Dallas – 1-Sep
12. University of Texas, San Antonio – 1-Sep
13. Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University – 1-Sep
14. California State University, Chico – 15-Sep
15. Northeastern University, Boston – 15-Sep
16. Texas A & M University, Kingsville – 15-Sep
17. Tufts University – 15-Sep
18. University of North Carolina, Greensboro – 15-Sep
19. University of North Texas, Denton – 15-Sep
20. University of Texas, Arlington – 15-Sep
21. California State University, Fresno – 30-Sep
22. California State University, Northridge – 30-Sept Online, 31-Oct Doc

Universities with Deadlines in October

1. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb – 1- Oct
2. Tennessee Technological University – 1- Oct
3. California State University, Long Beach – 1-Oct Online, 15-Oct Doc
4. Indiana University Purdue University – 1-Oct with & without Funding
5. University of Detroit, Mercy – 1-Oct
6. Eastern Michigan University – 1-Oct
7. Illinois State University, Normal – 1-Oct
8. Minnesota State University, Mankato – 1-Oct
9. Oklahoma State University, Still Water – 1-Oct
10. Old Dominion University, Norfolk – 1-Oct
11. Oregon State University, Corvallis – 1-Oct
12. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville – 1-Oct
13. State University of New York, Stony Brook – 1-Oct
14. Stevens Institute of Technology – 1-Oct
15. University of Colorado, Denver – 1-Oct
16. University of Houston, University Park – 1-Oct
17. University of Idaho, Moscow – 1-Oct
18. University of Iowa, Iowa City – 1-Oct
19. University of Louisiana, Lafayette – 1-Oct
20. University of Massachusetts, Amherst – 1-Oct
21. University of Nevada, Las Vegas – 1-Oct
22. University of North Carolina, Charlotte – 1-Oct
23. University of Texas, El Paso – 1-Oct
24. University of Virginia, Charlottesville – 1-Oct
25. West Virginia University, Morgan Town – 1-Oct
26. Worcester Polytechnic Institute – 1-Oct
27. Duke University – 15-Oct
28. Texas State University – 15-Oct
29. University of Georgia – 15-Oct
30. Villanova University – 15-Oct
31. California State University, Fullerton – 17-Oct
32. California State University, Los Angeles – 31-Oct

Universities with Deadlines in November

1. Florida State University – 1-Nov
2. Monmouth University – 1-Nov
3. Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn – 1-Nov
4. Portland State University – 1-Nov
5. University of Louisville, Louisville – 1-Nov
6. University of Miami, Coral Gables – 1-Nov
7. University of South Carolina, Columbia – 1-Nov
8. University of Utah, Salt Lake City – 1-Nov
9. University of Wyoming, Laramie – 1-Nov
10. Vanderbilt University – 1-Nov
11. Arkansas State University – 14-Nov
12. Marquette University – 15-Nov
13. New Jersey Institute of Technology – 15-Nov
14. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth – 15-Nov
15. Marist College, Poughkeepsie – 30-Nov
16. Southern Methodist University – 30-Nov

Universities with Deadlines in December

1. Lehigh University – 1-Dec
2. Louisiana Tech University, Ruston – 1-Dec
3. New York Institute of Technology – 1-Dec
4. University of Houston, Clear Lake – 1-Dec
5. University of South Alabama, Mobile – 1-Dec
6. University of Southern California – 1-Dec
7. Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla – 15-Dec

Universities with Other Deadlines

1. Florida Atlantic University – 1 year before
2. Wright State University, Dayton – Rolling
3. University of Toledo – Rolling

Top 5 Scholarship Essay Mistakes to Avoid

1. Waiting to the last minute: Deadlines really light a fire under most people, but in order to do your best, start writing early!  Nothing is worse than sending out your application materials and then thinking of a great way of saying something better two days later.  Also!  Write when you are on vacation, the weekend, or other times when deadlines and demands on your time are at a minimum.

2. Not researching who/what you are writing for or about: Don't fall into the cookie cutter mentality!  While the bottom line is getting money for school, each application is to be approached appropriately.  Take your time to get to know your audience.  You know you can tell when someone is recycling, they can too!  Moreover, follow directions to the "T".  If they call for 12pt TNR font, and 1" margins, do it without question!

3. Blah Writing: The scholarship committees don't want to read dry, sterile drivel and incidentally, you don't want to sound this way, especially since you are talking about your favorite topic: You!

Be creative!  Use an original opening and ending that comes from the heart - your heart! not someone else's!

4. Using slang, and abbreviations: Your scholarship essay may require you to write only 300 words.  This does not mean that you use abbreviations that should be reserved for the cellular device!  Avoid slang at all costs, however, some colloquialisms are OK, but only in extreme moderation, maybe once per 300 words.  Be professional not texty!  For example, "through" is not spelled "thru", and "espc" is not an acceptable replacement for "especially"!  IMHO...

5. Spell check and grammar check are not enough: 

Will you please read your essay carefully before printing it or sending it out?  Spell and grammar check are good for picking up glaringly obvious errors, but leave plenty behind.  They are not perfect and may never be completely perfect. It doesn't pick up on the fact that you said, "amazing" three times in your essay, so proof it yourself before letting Dr. Grammar Check at the patient.  Have a friend read it over, or if your best friend is a rock, then try your school's writing center.