AT WORK
Targeting and refining résumé crucial in landing first job

By Anita Bruzzese
Gannett News Service

You know it's spring when the first red robin comes bobbin' along, when Boston Red Sox fans proclaim, "This is the year," and when college students' résumés start to flood companies.

While we may have little to no control over nature or the Red Sox, those who plan to enter the job world full time have it in their power to get the job they want.

The key? Research. Knowing what you want, when you want it, and how to get it are the critical first steps to landing a job. That means you can't whip up a résumé on a PC, fire it into cyberspace, and wait for the offers to come rolling in. In fact, if you use that strategy, you better let Mom and Dad know you plan to be in the nest a little longer than they planned.

Brenda Greene asked 50 Fortune 500 hiring professionals what they wanted to see in an applicant's résumé and cover letter, and she unearthed some interesting tidbits.

For one, more than half of the résumés submitted are rejected outright because of errors.

"The other key is really about targeting your résumé to what you want and what the employer wants. You focus on what fits your experience and your field, but you also focus on what you can do for the employer," Greene says.

That can be tricky when you're entering the job market — after all, how are you supposed to get experience if no one will hire you and give you experience? Greene says that most young adults today actually have more to offer than they initially may consider. For example, is there anyone over the age of 8 who isn't pretty computer proficient? Even if you haven't used computer skills in the workplace, your knowledge is important to employers who consider computer knowledge critical.

No job experience? If you worked on the school newspaper, operated a cash register at a hot-dog stand or volunteered at a summer day camp, then that is considered valuable information to an employer, Greene says.

"Everything you do can be turned into a marketable skill. ... It shows you know to turn up for a job every day," she says.

Greene, author of "Get the Interview" (Dearborn), also says those new to the job market should:

• Get feedback. Use the college career center or community job services to get direction on your résumé.
• Be truthful. Don't inflate a résumé with qualifications you don't possess, and especially don't lie. The résumé is not a reflection of your value as a human being, but rather a listing of your skills and abilities.
• Show your knowledge. Read the national job sites that will familiarize you with the industry that interests you, as well as checking out the individual company sites. You want to be able to use the language of the industry to put yourself in a knowledgeable, "insider" light.
• Be reachable. Set up an e-mail account just for the job hunt. No cutesy names.
• Focus on content. Don't worry about colorful paper and innovative design for your résumé. Use chronological order (most recent experience first), and try to keep it to one page. Include your grade point average only if it's above 3.0.