How to Form a Proper Resume
This is how much time you have to impress your potential employer: If your resume is not in perfect form, he has now tossed it in the trash. Next! It may be harsh, but this is why you need to have an attractive yet concise resume. Because employers tend to skim resumes, help them out by using clean margins, consistent spacing and aligned bullets. This will help him focus on your experience, skills, accomplishments and education. When this important information shines through, your resume has done its job: getting you an interview.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer Printer Quality paper Your personal, educational and professional information
Instructions
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Put your name at the top and make it bold. Make it a little larger than the rest of your information. Include your address, phone number and email. Make sure this is easy to find. If an employer has to search for your email address, he may just move on to the next applicant.
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Include an objective if you are sending your resume to a human resources office cold. In that case, describe the specific job you are looking for, as well as if you are looking for a full- or part-time position. Otherwise don't include one.
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Place your experience at the beginning of the resume. If you have held a job, completed an internship, had a summer job or worked on the school newspaper, lead with that. Make sure you list any experience you have that will relate to the job you are seeking. If you have relevant experience in clinical work, volunteer work or research projects, those would be appropriate to list here as well. Start with your most recent information, and work backward chronologically. For each section of experience list your position, the name of the company or organization, its location and the dates you worked. Underneath, you can list the skills you learned and used, the extent of your responsibilities and the accomplishments you achieved during your time there. This is a good place to use bullets. Also, use short phrases instead of full sentences, and be sure to use action verbs. Remember to be consistent with your verb tenses.
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Start with your most recent education. List the name of your college or university, degree and date of graduation. You should also list your major, minors and areas of special interest. If you have a GPA over 3.0, you can add that here, along with any awards or recognition you received that relates to the potential job. Finally, if you have room, it is a good idea to list the completed courses that are relevant to the profession you are applying for. Do not include high school information. At the bottom of your resume, you can list any specific skills you may have, such as technical or computer skills.
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Don't include "References available upon request" on your resume. Employers will assume this, so have a separate reference page ready with the best contact information available for those people. Be sure to ask your references their permission before putting them on your list.
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Tips & Warnings
Most importantly, focus on your future employer's needs. Ask what you can do for them, then make those things obvious with the experience, skills and education listed on your resume. Don't be afraid to use numbers that quantify what you have done. Ask yourself: "How much? How many? How often? How frequently?" and include your answers. Show that you produced results. Be sure to print your resume on quality, letter-sized paper, and only print on one side of the sheet. When distributing it, do not fold or staple your resume.
Never lie or be dishonest about your past. This would be grounds for dismissal if an employer found out you were deceitful. Avoid the use of the narrative "I." Avoid lengthy phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Use concise phrases instead. Check for misspelled words, bad grammar and poor punctuation. Nothing gets a resume tossed in the trash quicker than "taht."
