WRITING YOUR RESUME
What is a Resume / Purpose of a Resume/ Resume Tips

WHAT IS A RESUME:

A resume is a powerful sales tool in the pursuit of a new career. It may take several drafts to prepare effectively, but when done with careful attention, it can open doors that would otherwise remain closed, and make a lasting impression by presenting you in the best possible light. Today’s business environment is so competitive that most resumes presented to prospective employers receive an initial 15-second glance. Your resume can make the difference between interviewing for positions or wondering why you haven’t received any responses!

PURPOSE OF THE RESUME:

The purpose of the resume is to secure an interview! From the employer’s perspective, the resume is a screening tool to rule out applicants who do not meet the qualifications or present themselves professionally in writing. The resumes that clearly articulate the candidate’s experience, skills and accomplishments may be considered further. From the candidate’s perspective, the resume is a creative personal statement of your education and experiences of your past, as well as your career direction for the future.

RESUME TIPS:

To stand out from the crowd, your resume should illustrate your accomplishments, which include items such as productivity increases and cost savings for which you were responsible. The resume should also demonstrate (by bullet point) your skills which prospective employers are seeking. The following tips will cover the kind of information that should be included and how the resume should look for best results.

Appearance –
create a document that will pass the 15-second test, but keep it professional!

Use a Standard Font: (Arial, Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, or similar) that is easy to read

Avoid Using Graphics:

Cleaner resumes are easier to fax, e-mail and read
Be Consistent:
Use the same font for headings throughout your resume.
You can emphasize important points by using the computer to create italics, underlines or boldface type (Do not overuse them!)
Check the Margins and Spacing:
Use white space to guide the reader through your document
Laser Print it on High Quality Paper in White: Handwriting, typing, dot matrix printing and even jet printing look pretty cheesy.
Don’t waste your money on special bond paper, matching envelopes, or any color deviances from plain white.
Your resume will be photocopied, faxed, and scanned numerous times defeating any special paper effects Content
– anyone reading your resume should be able to tell at a glance what you do and where your professional interests lie!

Target Your Resume:

It is important to tailor the resume to each position you pursue. Highlight your specific industry experience when it is relevant. Vague, general resumes that cover several areas of specialization often get lost among the crowd.

Sell Your Skills:

The prospective employer wants to see results. Use percentages and numbers to show increases in activity or decreases and cost savings which you were responsible. Outline the actions you took and emphasize the resulting benefits.

Don’t Sell Yourself Short:

This is by far the biggest mistake of all resumes. Your experiences are worthy for review by hiring managers. Treat your resume as an advertisement for you. If you have a valuable asset that doesn’t seem to fit into any existing component of your resume, list it anyway as its own resume segment.

Use Action Verbs:

Portray yourself as someone who is active, uses their brain, and gets things done. Descriptive words (such as implemented, organized, prepared, streamlined, etc.) add power to your sentences. Begin each sentence with an action verb and remember to use the proper tense. Use the minimum number of words necessary to accurately convey what you wish to say.

Be Concise:

A ten page resume will not pass the 15-second glance. Best results are achieved with a one to two page resume. A resume that is short and to the point covering the pertinent information will often pass the 15-second glance.

Make It Inviting:

Capture the reader’s interest by showing them what they want to see. Emphasize your skills which you believe they are looking for and make deletions where necessary in order to achieve a readable product

Be Complete:

A good way to emphasize your professionalism to give complete information. Be sure to include your current address and telephone number, spell out all abbreviations, names of schools, companies, organizations and titles.

Omit Personal Statistics:

It is no longer considered professional to include information about age, marital status, height, weight or health on a resume. Requesting this information from candidates violates anti-discrimination laws, and most organizations will be pleased that you did not include that information.

Proofread and Edit:

Do not rely on spell check 100%. The spell check will not display words which are actually spelled correctly, but do not fit into the sentence (i.e. “to” used in a sentence should have been “two”).

Ask For A Second Opinion:

The second eye may find errors that you overlooked. Be sure to pick someone who is attentive to details, can effectively critique your writing, and will give their honest and objective opinion.