Resume Writing Tips for Service and Support Personnel
Although low-level workers and support personnel will never be able to claim that they "increased revenue 500 percent", there is much they can do to make their resume more powerful. Since these workers are the ones who enable upper and mid-management to do what they do, their resumes should demonstrate that they are highly effective in their support roles.
Low-level workers and support personnel should avoid offering a boring list of job duties that are common to the particular field in which they work. Instead, they should focus more on listing work experience and skills that are most beneficial to the employer, or that are not commonly performed by someone working in that position. For example, everyone knows that a secretary types letters, answers the telephone, makes copies and files documents, therefore, she doesn't need to list this on her resume. Instead, she should focus on what particular skills she has that another secretary might not have. For example, an employer would want to know about the following skills and experience:
- Has 15 years experience working in the construction industry
- Can type 90 wpm without errors and do the work of two typists
- Is an expert user of the entire suite of Microsoft Office applications
- Has three years of experience supervising and training three junior clerks
- Helped write the new employee personnel manual
- Routinely composes correspondence for three managers
- Makes travel arrangements for 10 sales people
- Is in charge of arranging company meetings and the annual employee picnic
- Does the payroll for a 20 person office
- Completed workshops on payroll processing, employment law and office management
- Selected the new office computer equipment
- Is a notary public
- Has always received an outstanding job performance
- Is a graduate of the Acme Secretarial College
