Are you one in a million looking for a job? Have you recently graduated from high school or college and feel like you lack traditional job experience to include in a resume? Do you want to liven up your resume? If you said “Yes” to any of these questions, check this book out! Alternative Resumes: definitely not your parents’ resume book by Michael Howard. While a statement on the book cover says, “140 creative, eye-catching resumes for young job seekers!” I would suggest this book to anyone, no matter their age, who wants their resume to stand out.
The way that people find jobs, apply for jobs, and are hired is much different than it was ten years ago. The traditional resume may not be effective in landing a job right out of school. So what can be done? Try an alternative.
Alternative Resumes breaks down career fields into six chapters: retail, hospitality, labour & trades, office & technical, community service (non-profit jobs), and miscellaneous. In each chapter, you will find resume examples with ideas specifically for that industry. If you’re new to the job scene, this books provides ways to spell out how your skills, character, or volunteer experience has prepared you for a job.
In order to gather information for a resume, chapter seven offers resume worksheets, which have questions to help you think about your experience and put that into words. For example, someone recently out of high school, “if you took computer classes, what specific skills or hardware/software knowledge did you gain?” The resume worksheets can be found in this book or online at www.alternativeresumes.com.
This book also presents one page answers to frequently asked questions about resumes and resume design. For example, are you wondering: What information to include that will positively highlight your experience? How to format your resume using fonts, paragraphs, bullets, or text enhancements? If you should or should not include a graphic on your resume? What’s wrong with using a resume template? The responses to these FAQs will assist you in developing your resume.
You will also find examples for cover letters with surprising formats and information presented to employers. I will leave this discovery up to you, but I was interested in how job seekers prepared their cover letters to demonstrate that they are very interested in a job.
This book is one of many resources at the Dallas Public Library that might assist you in preparing your resume or enhancing your career skills. Visit your nearby branch library or take a look at the Job Seeker Resources on the Dallas Public Library website.
