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African-American Career World Magazine, launched in 2001, is the recruitment link between students and professionals who are African American and the employers that seek to hire them. The publication includes career strategies, industry trends, and role-model profiles that target the African-American community.

This magazine reaches students, graduate students and professionals at their home addresses.

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 Redefining Resumes: What to Include & Omit

 
By Michelle Joseph
 
 
In short, a resume is a one-page overview of your life. However creative you may get with fonts and colors, one thing stands constant; the content is of the utmost importance. As such, it’s essential to present the most relevant and accurate information to attract a future employer.
There are, however, many common and overused practices when it comes to building a resume that could turn your first impression into the last.
Here are some tips about creating the best professional resume by learning to identify the most vital information and avoiding or removing certain details:
Objective Statement: A long-time constant on resumes, the objective statement has run its course. By speaking only in generalities and telling the employer what you want, this sentence doesn’t lend any substance to the resume. If the resume feels naked without it, then interchange it with a sentence specific to the reason one will be successful for an exact position for which one applies.
Contact Information and References: Personal data and references cannot take up too much space on the resume. Ensure you have key contact details such as your name, email address and phone number at the top of the page. References, on the other hand, should be on a separate page and only be sent if specifically requested in the application or by the employer. If they want references, then the employer will request them; there’s no need for, “References available upon request.”
High School: There’s no room for high school experience on a professional resume either. The only time there might be an exception to this rule is if you attended a specific trade high school in the industry. Unless it holds this level of relevance, then it’s simply a waste of space.
Specific College or University Information: Providing the name of the college or university from which you graduated along with the degree that was achieved is a crucial part of any resume. For those who graduated within the last five years, coursework related to the industry for which you’re applying can be helpful. After that there’s no need for further information; employers don’t need your college’s address or phone number. Any low GPA should be omitted, as well.
Daily Duties: Descriptions of work experience should be an overview of tasks and duties during the duration of time there. Actually including descriptions of what happened on a daily basis is overkill and will turn a hiring employer off to reading that particular resume. Provide them with database systems in which you are proficient or a range of clients with whom you coordinated, for example, to showcase your ability to multitask and take on a sufficient workload.
Irrelevant Job Experience: Any job experience that’s listed should be relevant to the position for which you’re applying. Experience from more than a decade ago is no longer pertinent information for an application, as much will have changed since that time. Finally, unless a job was planned to be short term, such as an internship or event planning, then it should be left off the page, as well.
Expert Hint: Have a master copy of all past jobs, skills, dates, etc., so when you are applying for a specific industry you can easily compile the relevant data.
 
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