So You Need to Prepare a Resume…now what? Just for the fun of it, I googled “resume writing tips”…I received 21,950,000 hits. Wow, how in the world do you decipher all of that information? Where do you begin? What is right? What is wrong? I perused though the pages and found numerous articles on Top 10 Resume Writing Tips, Top 5, even a Top 44. All of these promised to produce a killer resume. I am not so sure that there are 5 or 10 or even 44 tips that will produce the perfect resume for everyone.
I firmly believe that a resume has to be personal…it must tell the personal story of the writer addressing the needs of the potential employer. That’s it…its pretty simple. Well, it’s not quite all that easy. Here are a few suggestions that I believe could help you prepare a good resume:
• Be yourself…your resume needs to reflect who you are, not who you think the company wants to hire. This is a mistake that is often made by many. No one is the perfect candidate; although we may think we are…we all have flaws and imperfections. Be yourself and make sure that your resume reflects you.

• Be professional…there is a professional appearance to resumes that should be followed. Review resumes on line and use a professional template to format your resume. There are plenty of free ones available. Also, professional language should be used for in describing your achievements, experience and education.

• Be truthful…often times, there is a temptation to enhance or embellish previous experience. Be careful not to “enhance” achievements, experience or education. Resume “enhancements” will be revealed in an interview and may lose the opportunity for you.

• Be clear…think through what you are going to put on resume. Be clear…don’t beat around the bush, so to speak. Be direct and right to the point. For example, when listing accomplishments, use phrases such as:

o served to Team Leader,
o cut scrap by 48%,
o increased sales by11%,
o recognized as Employee of the Month,
o etc.

• Be concise…write in terms of bullets rather than long paragraphs. It is much easier to read and also, highlights your strengths.

• Be organized…don’t jump around. Organize both your education and work history in a chronological format…from latest to oldest. Be careful not to let the short term positions overshadow the long term positions. If there is a period of time that you help several temporary positions, group them together as “Temporary Positions” and briefly summarize the responsibilities.

• Be personable…let “yourself” show through your resume. You want the person who is going to review your resume to have a mental picture of you after he or she is finished reading it. It is his or her “take away” about you that is important. By building your resume properly, you can paint your personal picture. You want to show how each position and resulting experience built upon on another. Also, you want to point out your successes in position where you flourished.

You need to recognize the overall objective of the resume. That is, to demonstrate to the potential employer your experience and education in such a manner that it will get you an interview. Somehow, you need to set yourself apart from the other applicants. Recently, I was told by one employer, it was not uncommon for him to receive upwards of 80 resumes for a local position. Wow, keep in mind, that you need to construct your resume in such a way that it rises to the top of a stack of eighty.

Last night a group of leaders met at North Side and discussed what we have been studying about Biblical Eldership. The attribute that we studied was humility…sounds pretty contrary to the popular opinion that is out there today. Popular opinion has it that as a leader, we should have all the answers. Not so…in the church, Christ is the true leader…we are stewards of His church and are allowed to lead the church as the Holy Spirit leads us.  The church belongs to Christ, not us. It is not about our leadership as much as it is about our “followship”. In order to follow Christ and His leadership, we must truly humble ourselves before Him.  There is clear Biblical instruction for church leaders, that elders are to be humble servants. We are to lead with humility demonstrating the example to our congregation that Christ set for us during his life here on earth. Here are Peter’s instructions to the elders in the early churches…

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,  casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NASB)

We lead others by influence…and our influence is clearly spoken through our actions more so than our words. Therefore, humble yourselves…

Transitions is a ministry to equip and encourage pastors. The reality is over 70% of our Southern Baptist churches have either plateaued or are declining. Churches are dying. Pastors are discouraged. The ministry was launched through a day long workshop led by Jeff for pastors of the Laurens Baptist Association. Jeff shared his 25 years of experience of leading Kingdom change in the local church with 15 pastors and the Director of Missions. The information was insightful and well received by the attendees. Jeff, in the way only he can do, encouraged the pastors to continue to do what God had called them to do in ministry.  The result…pastors were encouraged and left with some food for thought for an action plan.

Resources will be provided to pastors through our Transitions blog on the North Side website. Watch for updates.

This ministry has been on the hearts of our leadership team for years. It is now a reality and we can’t wait to see what God will be doing through it. Please pray for this new ministry.

I am a Dave Ramsey fan…he tells it like it is…doesn’t sugarcoat things…that sign was his…he is the author of Financial Peace University and Total Money Makeover…check out his website on the link to the right of this blog.

Here is an excerpt from Dave’s site on how to get your financial house in order…a “how to” on acting your wage!

Now its your turn! Use the Baby Steps to get your finances in order and on track.
		$1,000 to start an Emergency Fund
		Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
		3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
		Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
		College funding for children
		Pay off home early
		Build wealth and give! Invest in mutual funds and real estate

I talk to so many people that want to give to God, but cannot due to their current financial situation. They are very discouraged…Dave Ramsey gives the 7 basic steps to financial freedom. His principles can help us ACT OUR WAGE! Check it out and ACT YOUR WAGE!