How to Write a Good Resume | Good Resume Writing Tips |
Knowing how to write a winning, stellar, and sexy resume is very
important in today's job market. Before writing your resume you must have clear
idea about its function, proper format, and necessary content. Your resume
should be professional and exceptional as it is YOU on paper and represents you
to the people who do not know you. So, your effort should be to make it as
special as you are. Only a well-written and aesthetically pleasing resume can
help you secure an interview, which in turn can lead you to a new job
opportunity or secure you a position. You have to spend a considerable amount
of time to develop your resume and make several critiques and revisions on it
so that you can make it a flawless one. It is very important to update your
resume on a regular basis — make sure yours is completely up to date. However,
whether you want to write a fresh resume, or just want to update your existing
one, the following guidelines will assist you in making it stellar, winning,
and sexy, and thereby, you can stand out from the rest.
BASIC
GUIDELINES
Ø Use the same font throughout your resume, and
make sure there is nothing too fancy on it.
Ø Keep your resume margins at 1, .75, .5
inches, and do not keep more than three different indents.
Ø Your resume heading should be 14 point font
size and bold.
Ø Your resume body font should be 12 point. (11
point is also acceptable, but no smaller.)
Ø (v) Make sure that job titles and college
degrees on your resume are CAPS or bold so that they can stand out over company
and school.
Ø Do not use acronyms. Spell out everything on
your resume. (Putting the acronyms in parenthesis is acceptable, but you must
spell out first.) Avoid abbreviations.
Ø Avoid using personal pronouns (i. e., I, me,
you, etc.), but using 'my' in the objective is acceptable.
Ø Avoid using personal information on your
resume (i. e., height, weight, marital status, religion, ethnicity, age,
health, reason for leaving previous jobs, etc.).
Ø Print your resume on nice high quality resume
paper of a neutral color, such as white, light gray, or cream.
Ø Have a reliable professional review your
resume. Make sure all spelling and grammar are flawless.
Ø Do not fold your resume. Use a large envelope
when mailing it to a prospective employer.
Ø Often times your resume requires a cover
letter to accompany with it. Make sure your cover letter is professional and
informative. (See Cover Letter
Writing Tips).
RESUME
OUTLINE
Name
Ø Your name on the resume should be 20-24 point
font size and bold. It depends on your choice whether your name would be
centered or to the side of your resume.
Address/Phone/Email
Ø Your address, phone, and email should be 12
point font size. It also can be centered or to the side, depending on your
choice.
Ø Do not use period in between or at the end of
your two digit abbreviations for state (i. e., WA).
Ø Make sure to include your phone number with
area code.
Ø Do not write "Email" or
"Phone" on your resume. Write (hm) and (cell) after your home phone
and cell phone numbers.
Ø Make sure your email address sounds
professional.
Objective
Ø Include an objective on your resume only when
you submit your resume without cover letter.
Ø The objective on your resume should be
specific and concise (1-3 sentences).
Education
Ø List only college education and AA degree.
Place your most recent school first and working background chronologically.
Avoid listing high school.
Ø Make sure to bold your degree and major as
well as your minor if you have any.
Ø Include 'Relevant Coursework'. You can list
only relevant and interesting course titles (not course #'s).
Ø Include your cumulative or major GPA or both,
especially if it is at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Most often employers assume
it good.
Ø List study abroad experience if you have any.
Mention the school, location, and dates.
Ø List any certifications you have attained and
examinations you are scheduled to take.
Summary of Qualification
Ø Make sure your summary of qualifications is
relevant and specific—not generic.
Ø Use minimum three bullets to make this
section worthwhile.
Experience
Ø List your recent employments and experiences
in reverse chronological order.
Ø Make sure the work title on your resume are
more visual (CAPS or bold) than the company.
Ø Do not forget to include the city and state
(or country).
Ø Include volunteer experience if you have any.
(You can make a separate section if your volunteer experience is enough).
Ø Include any internship you have done.
Ø Describe your work experience and list your
job responsibilities in such a manner that markets you best.
Ø Present your achievements/accomplishments:
accounts expanded, percentages increased, budget responsible for, programs
developed, awards won, etc. (Whenever possible, try to use numbers, and make
sure your numbers are accurate.) Using numbers stands out your resume.
Ø Lead your sentences with action/power words
(i. e. Earned, Promoted, Analyzed, Designed, Supervised, etc.)
Ø If your job is self-explanatory, and you need
to list too many experiences, you can add 'Additional Experience' section. List
only title, company name, and dates in this section.
Ø Make sure you are using the exact words
according to the job description you are applying for.
Ø Make sure to list the dates of experience on
the right hand side (either tabbed or right justified).
Ø If yours is a functional resume, you should
list and explain work experience and skills in 'Mgt', "Sales', etc.
sections and then general information (i.e., title, company, dates, etc.)
chronologically with no descriptions.
Leadership/Involvement, Clubs/Organizations,
Awards/Honors/Activities, and Computer Skills/Language Proficiencies
Ø You should title the section(s) as required
for your accomplishments, and list the offices that you have held with those
organizations.
Ø This section is very important to most of the
employers — especially if you held any leadership position. Highlight the
accomplishments you have achieved in these organizations.
References
Ø Do not put this section on your resume, and
do not write 'References available upon your request' at the end of your
resume.
Ø Have a separate page and list at least 3-4
professionals (such as current or former supervisors or instructors) as
references.
Ø Avoid using the names of your personal
friends or acquaintances. Make sure to include their title, company name,
complete address, phone and cell number(s) as well as their email address.
Ø Choose such persons as references who will
represent you well and help you to secure the interview, which in turn will
secure the position.
Ø It is a common courtesy to seek permission
before listing someone as a reference.
Ø Make sure your reference page matches your
resume heading and format.
Very nice and informative article. It's very helpful for every every resume writer. Thank you so much
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