Things You'll Need:
- A resume outline, or completed resume
- A notepad
- A friend to help
- A Computer
- A Printer
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Step 1
1. Be both neat and free of Errors.
Check your grammar and check your spelling. Always have one or two people read over both your resume and cover letter. The smallest of errors just might lead to the recycling bin.
2. State specific objectives.
You are writing this resume for a specific reason, for a specific job. Make sure that it remains focused on a path that is inline with what the employer would want to see.
3. Why does the employer need you?
Focus on accomplishments that may be of interest for the position you are apply for. The reader of your resume wants to know exactly what it is you can do for them. Remember that the goal of a resume is to get the interview.
4. Make a good first impression.
It is estimated that employers spend less than
30 seconds scanning each resume. Most employers are more concerned about
career achievements than education. Place the most interesting and attractive facts about yourself at the beginning, such as a list of accomplishments in order
of relevance.
5. Emphasize your skills.
Prioritize everything in your resume while trying to keep it centered around the main talents and skills you have to offer. -
Step 2
6. Use keywords.
Always, Always, use specific keywords and/or phrases that are going to emphasize your skills and experience.
For example: Product Launch, Income Statement, Balance
Sheet, Sales, Account Management, C++, Visual Basic, Word Processing, MS
Excel, Adobe Illustrator, Graphic Design, and Advertising.
7. Use buzzwords.
Buzzwords are words and acronyms used in the industry use these kinds of words to express your familiarity with the employer’s business, but not to the point where it makes your resume
hard to read or understand. Spell out acronyms in parentheses if they are not obvious, such as TQM (Total Quality Management).
8. Use action verbs.
Always Portray yourself as active, accomplished, intelligent,
and capable of making a contribution.
Examples of great words to use: Managed, Launched, Created,
Directed, Established, Organized, and Supervised.
9. Avoid Personal Pronouns.
NEVER use personal pronouns such as ‘I’ or ‘me’
in your resume. Also Instead of complete sentences, use short action-oriented phrases:
“Coordinated and published a weekly newsletter concerning local community
events.”
10. Highlight key points.
Put key points or talents in bold,italics or underline. Use capital letters, quotation marks, even asterisks, to emphasize important words or section titles. -
Step 3
11. Summarize information. KISS!
Keep it simple stupid! Remember, you want your resume to only be one page, two at the very very most! Employers have tons of resumes to look at, if they see yours is 3 or 4 pages long they are not going to even bother.
12. List only recent information.
The general rule is to show your
work experience only for the last 10 to 15 years.
13. Quantify your experience.
Employers love numbers. Instead of saying
“Responsible for increasing sales in my territory,” use “Increased sales in my territory
150% in 6 months. Managed 30 accounts for annual revenues of $2M.”
14. In addition to reviewing your experience,
employers also use the resume to get a sense of whether or not you are organized, logical and concise.
15. Communicate simply.
Do not use exorbitant, exquisite vocabulary. Unless you are applying to a field in writing, publishing, or editing; do not try to impress employers with the depth of your vocabulary. Use words everyone can understand. -
Step 4
16. Omit salary information.
Never make reference to salary in your resume.
17. Avoid questionable subjects.
Do not talk about personal information such as race, religion, marital status, age, political party, or even personal views. In
all but a few instances, it would be illegal for the employer to consider such issues.
It is also advisable to avoid the use of humor and most certainly cliches.
18. Be honest.
Lying on a resume is one of the worst things you can do, employers often check into serious candidates, they will be awfully mad to see you have wasted their time.
19. Sell yourself.
Portray yourself in the best possible light. Mention skills and abilities (that apply) that may come naturally to you, you cannot overemphasize your strengths and experiences.
20. Write your own resume.
Create a resume that is personalized to reflect you. Although, you want this to be reflected by the words, not by the paper the resume may be on or designs on the paper, you will definitely want to stick with a plain paper format and an easy to read font. -
Step 5
21. Personal traits.
If you decide to include personal traits, such as “Dependable,
Highly-Organized, Self-Motivated, and Responsible,” make sure they are applicable to the position desired.
22. Show consistency.
Consider using a resume which focuses on your skills and accomplishments
rather than a Chronology, which emphasizes the progression of your experience.
23. Be balanced and neat.
The effective resume is balanced, neat, visually appealing
and flows consistently. Clearly separate sections and emphasize section
titles. Leave sufficient blank space between sections for easy reading.
24. Stick with common section headings.
Examples:
Objective, Experience, Employment, Work History, Skills, Summary, Summary
of Qualifications, Accomplishments, Strengths, Education, Professional Affiliations, Publications, Licenses and Certifications, Honors, Personal, Additional, and References.
25. Be positive. Remove any negative comments or feelings conveyed in your resume, especially when it comes to previous employment experiences. Emphasize a positive, can-do attitude.
