Responsibilities

If this an area where you’re strong, end the paragraph about your duties or responsibilities with an action-oriented sentence about a problem you solved. Use facts, numbers, figures and dates, as long as they’re true.

I once helped a company bring in a $12 million dollar invoice that was overdue by manually inspecting a file that looked like computer code. You better believe I put that on my resume, as well as the fact that they promoted me because of it.

But you don’t want the whole paragraph to be about your achievements - experts disagree on this, but as someone who had a couple of stints in HR, and now becoming an employer, here’s my take. I want to know that you’re a go-getter, but I also want to know if you can handle the day to day job.

if this is an area where you’re weak, and you’re out of work, sign up with a temp agency, immediately. Even if you only get a one day job here and there every four months, you can truthfully say that you were in their employ from the day you got accepted to the present. No more questions about gaps in your work life. I’ll do a post about how to get more work from temp agencies soon.

Another possibility if your work experience is weak- include interns and volunteer work. Make sure you say so in the description that it was volunteer/paid, but also show what you learned there and list some of your responsibilities.

See also Listing Education: Free Online Resume Tips & Advice.

Once again, I’m not a resume expert or job hunting guru. This is all based on my experiences from working in HR, and as a person who hires people to work for me. You’re taking my advice at your own risk, so please do your due diligence - that’s why I’m including links for further study.