Your resume is your calling card. Therefore, you should do your best to make sure it stands out from the rest and presents you as the most qualified candidate.
1. Start with a pencil and paper. Brainstorm all your accomplishments and awards at past jobs. Also consider anything worthwhile you may have done in your local community.
Write a list of all the software you know how to use and another list of any skills you’re good at.
Then, make a list of everyone you think would be happy to recommend you and find their contact info. Call them before you even add them to your resume to be sure it’s okay for you to use their names as references.
2. Use no more than two fonts in your resume. I recommend Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman. A good resume uses a variety of simple functions, different-sized fonts, capped letters, bold and italic fonts. But make sure you’re consistent. For instance, if you capitalize and bold the titles of the companies you’ve worked for, make sure you do it for all of them.
3. Highlight your accomplishments. It’s fine to discuss your duties, but you should bullet some accomplishments, too. What did you do for the company? What was the result of what you did? For example, “Created packaging initiatives and increased quarterly sales by 25%.”
Make sure you also state how you can contribute to the hiring organization.
4. Don’t use the first-person tone in your resume. And always use verbs. Even inventing a new filing system could impress your reader if you write, “Implemented filing system to improve productivity.”
If you answered phones, you can say “Responded to inquiries” instead. Think of other words that will energize your resume: collaborate, facilitate, orchestrate, spearhead, generate and revamp. Use these verbs in the present tense only if you’re talking about your current job. The rest should be in the past tense.
5. Revise anything you write, especially a resume. Proofread. When you’re done with the whole thing, print it out and let it sit for a day. Come back and read it. Better yet, ask a friend to glance through it. Check for spelling and grammatical errors that can completely blow your credibility. But also select a good length and look for your resume.
In resume writing, there are no clear rules. I’m sure you have read articles that say your resume should only be one page long or that it should be in chronological format. Otherwise, it won’t be read. But each job seeker has a different set of circumstances. You need to evaluate your situation and come to a conclusion that fits into your reality.
According to Cornell University Career Services, only 20% of jobs are advertised. So answering want ads or posting your resume on the Internet is only one way of looking for work. You must be an active job seeker and use other avenues to find employment.
Wishing you every success in your job search!
Tags: Business Writing, resume writing
