HISPANIC Résumés Generate Job Interviews

By Murray A. Mann and Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias
Co-authors, Barron's The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos
www.JobSearchGuideforLatinos.com

HISPANIC résumés are persuasive career marketing tools that set you apart from the competition in today's tough job market.

HISPANIC résumés are dynamic and honest portraits of "Brand YOU."

HISPANIC résumés are crafted to be read from the hiring official's perspective. Companies are seeking employees to satisfy some kind need: The need to be more competitive, expand business, make or save money, improve productivity, save time, attract or retain customers, build relationships, solve problems, and so on.

Seven Key Factors of a HISPANIC Résumé:

High-impact summaries of measurable achievements: Your résumé should focus on contributions, core competencies, and skills, with emphasis on what you can accomplish and how you can contribute to the bottom line.

Illustrate your capabilities: Examples of personal and work attributes -- like detail orientation, communication abilities, team working skills, and the ability to multitask -- should be added to the résumé in context to illustrate your competence and ability to contribute to the bottom line.

Strategically aim toward your job target: Your résumé should demonstrate your ability to perform the job by focusing on relevant keyword skills and industry buzzwords. If you are seeking employment in more than one industry, or at more than one level, prepare different versions of your résumé.

Professional in appearance: A good résumé should be eye appealing and have plenty of white space to invite readability and emphasize critical points. The format should also be well organized and designed in a style that is appropriate for the job target.

Actively advocate and sell your candidacy: A Professional Profile or Qualifications Summary at the beginning of the résumé is crucial to advocating your candidacy and capturing readers' interest. It provides a quick overview of your experience and expertise, and establishes who you are, what you can do, and how you can benefit the organization.

No errors: In résumé writing, attention to detail reflects your professionalism and commitment to excellence. To ensure accuracy, the résumé should be proofed several times (by yourself and others) for typos, correct grammar use, formatting consistency, and readability. Even one typo can doom your résumé to the recycling bin.

Internet savvy and keyword loaded: The résumé processing systems used by the majority of employers search for keywords to determine whether you are a match for job vacancies. Without the proper keywords, your résumé will sit unnoticed in a company's database. To ensure that your résumé has the right keywords, research your job target to determine the most important hard skills, soft skills, work experience, and industry terminology for your field.

Compelling and Inviting: If you do a good job of writing and formatting your résumé, stressing the right keywords and accomplishments -- and making readability a priority -- hiring officials are much more likely to see you as a "must interview".

Check out the H.I.S.P.A.N.I.C. Résumé Checklist