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COLUMBIA (WACH)—The September job market numbers due out this week, but August unemployment numbers were among the highest in the Nation, at 11.1 percent.

Top assist those searching for a job in a very tight market, the Richland County Public Library offers their Job Center, providing skills such as resume building, interviewing, and other professional skills which will help increase the chances of cutting through the stacks of resumes an employer reviews.

Each week, RCPL Job Readiness Trainer Lori Cook joins Good Day Columbia for the “Back To Work” segment, offering resume advice, job tips, and other skills.

The resume is often the first glimpse an employer has at a potential employee, so according to Cook, it is important to “put your best foot forward.”  In last weeks segment, Cook talked about the importance of the objective section of a resume, and how carefully selected words could make a big difference in initial 15 seconds an employer may spend with a resume.

This week, Cook expanded on some key areas of a resume, including describing who you are, outcomes you can deliver, and what you offer to a specific employer.

Cook says that it is important that your resume is tailored to each potential employer, as they will have specific needs.  Rather than having a generic resume that is sent to 50 potential companies, each one that is sent should address specific areas outlined in the job posting.

Cook also suggests the use of action words, such as maximized, dedicated, proficient, supervised and processed.

Cook also suggests that the way people you is important.  She recommends that email addresses that include something about your personality (CoolGuyInSC@com.com) or indicate a birth year (TylerRyan76@com.com) should not be used.  Also, ensure that your voice mail sounds professional, and doesn’t include music, or other things that may be perceived as unprofessional.

The RCPL Job Center is open to the public, and the services are free.  Membership to the library is not necessary.  Information can be found at the library website, or by calling 803.929.3401

Back To Work airs each Tuesday morning at 7:45 AM on Good Day Columbia.