How to Write a Resume

The most difficult thing about writing a resume is knowing what to emphasize. You must attract the attention of HR managers, who receive hundreds of resumes every day even when they haven't advertised any positions. Follow these steps to compose a resume that will earn you an interview.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Write a cover letter. This is not a synopsis of your resume. Simply introduce yourself and say why you are the best candidate for the job.

2. Know what type of job you are applying for and what the qualifications are for employment.

3. Choose a design for your resume. You can search for samples that are specific to the job you are applying for, although it is more important to have an outline that best suits the job and fill in the blanks with your personal information. The outline could include objective, work experience, qualifications and references.

4. Put in the resume your objective, fitting the job description. This can determine whether you get the 10 to 30 seconds and if the reviewer will send your resume to the next round.

5. Use bullet points to convey information and strive to be clear and concise when writing the rest of the resume. Study the job qualifications and highlight any skills that meet those requirements. It is also best to use action words like prepared, directed, managed, developed, monitored, implemented, coordinated and presented. If you lack experience, focus on how your education has prepared you for the position for which you are applying.

6. Include symbols like %, $, and #. These symbols will save space, allowing you to include more information on your resume. A symbol like a dollar sign can also draw the HR manager's attention to a significant financial achievement. For example, "directed and closed first year with two million in revenue" should be changed to "directed and closed first year with $2M in revenue."

7. Highlight your strengths by putting the most relevant points first where they can be viewed quickly. Remain positive and avoid negatives such as reasons for leaving an employer and history gaps in employment. These can be discussed in person if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Font should be no smaller than 10 point and the length 1 to 2 pages.

• Some companies will pre-select resumes based on key words chosen by the Human Resources manager. So when reading the job description try to pick out these key words and implement them into your resume.

• Use white space in your resume like the ads do in the newspaper. You know when you open up the paper and your eyes go directly to the white space that is an advertising technique that can be used in resumes too.