Cindy,
I have had some simple successes through my life, one of them being I've never been unemployed unless I chose to be. That is... until I tried to break into appraising. I'd never had to go through more than one interview to be offered the job I was applying for. In appraising, it took two, the first firm took someone else with experience over me... with none.
With that been said, it did take 20 or 30 resumes/faxes/hand shakes to actually get asked into an interview. Your 1st goal should be to get a 5 minute phone conversation with an interested appraiser, 2nd would be 30 minutes of sit down one on one time with the lead appraiser or the owner of the company you'ld like to work for.
Once your in the door, you have one shot to make an impression. Believe me, they'll read your name on your resume, look at the pretty colors, sit it down in front of them and pretend to look at it. What they are really doing is waiting for you to tell them what you can do to improve thier business/lifestyle/pocketbook.
If your faxing resumes, don't bother with details like you worked in the library in high school, you have 5 seconds to make an impression with a fax. Two or 3 paragraphs, no more than 2 or 3 sentences each... what have you done, what can you do, what will you bring. That's it, put your phone number on it.
Only include things specific to the job. Yes, a quick mention of B.S. degree is great, but don't spend a whole sentence explaining where you got it and how many minors you got etc. You can tell them that at the interview. Include it in the "what you've done" paragraph. An appraiser doesn't care that you majored in micro-biology. Just say, B.S. (UCLA), and move on.
Come up with a catchy one liner to center at the top of your fax that will get thier attention, you want them to want to scroll down and read more.
If your doing the cold hand shake thing like I did, have an impressive resume package to hand them. Appraisers around town have forgotten my name, but the minute I say "Remember the baby blue folder with the sample appraisal in it, came across your desk a few months back?", they know exactly who I am, and I still get complements on that package to this day. Yes it even had a picture in it, albeit a very poor one (it was on my temporary learners permit certificate from the testing site). Looks nothing like the guy over to your left.
There's tons of stuff, I could give you hints all night. If you not so good in the speaking/interviewing arena, you can put a little more in you resume. If your not so good at writing (like me) dazzle'm on the phone until they agree to meet with you.
Be prepared to answer the following questions.
1) Why do you want to be an appraiser?
2) Why are you better than every other trainee banging on my door.
These may sound silly, but you better have a pat answer before the first interview. Those are the first two questions your going to get. And you don't have time to think up your answer after your in the office.
Good Luck
Steve
Oh and one last thing... NEVER LET'M SEE YA SWEAT
