How to Develop a Good Resume
A resume is a summary of one's education and job experience, which companies use to select potential candidates for a job. Candidates should spend a lot of time creating a resume, because it is sometimes the only thing a hiring manager has available to judge someone's qualifications for an open position. Resumes should be highly informative, yet brief.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Purchase some books on writing effective resumes at your local bookstore. Some examples include "The Guide To Basic Resume Writing" by Public Library Association and "The Complete Guide To Resume Writing" by M. Sarada. Read articles online on how to write resumes. For starters, try Resume-Help.org and CollegeBoard.com.
-
2
Take out a notepad and the latest copy of your resume. Think of any tasks or duties that you have not listed on your current resume. Include major accomplishments and the steps you took to accomplish those objectives. Quantify any results you can in terms of dollars or percentages. For example, if you increased sales in your territory by 15 percent, include it in your resume.
-
-
3
Decide if you want to use a chronological or traditional resume or one that is functional, which lists areas of experience first, like questionnaire design or management, then describes the experience in detail before listing the companies and job titles. Write a functional resume if you have many years of experience and want to shorten your resume, and a traditional resume when you have just a few years of experience. Start drafting your new resume.
-
4
Center your name, address, phone number and email address at the top of your resume, leaving approximately one-inch margins on all sides.
-
5
Develop a concise career objective that targets the type of job you're looking for. End your one-sentence career objective by indicating your aspirations for your career such as, "To find a job in marketing that can potentially lead to a director or upper-level management position."
-
6
Write a three-sentence summary of your background and entitle it "Summary of Qualifications." Highlight your career and years experience in the first sentence, areas of expertise in the second and skills in the third sentence. An example is, "I have six years of brand management experience in the consumer products industry. At XYZ company, I set pricing and managed the advertising budget for a line of 15 products. I have excellent communication, analytical and creative skills, which would help me market the 20 brands as senior brand manager with your company."
-
7
List your "Career Accomplishments" or job history in chronological order, starting with your most recent job, title and the years that you worked that job. Write three bullet points about each position, focusing on your most notable duties. Use the last line to mention any major accomplishments.
-
8
Use business-like action verbs to describe your experience such as "managed,"
"executed," "developed" and "created." Try to keep your duties and tasks similar throughout your resume, as repetition on certain key tasks will better demonstrate your experience in certain areas. Add a section for your education, computer skills and interests. Include your references at the end of your resume, but do not say "available upon request" as most people do this. Be proactive and list your references, as it demonstrates confidence in your ability. -
9
Run your spelling through the spell check function on your computer and make the appropriate corrections. Print a rough draft of your resume. Allow one or two people to read through your resume and check for clarity.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Pick a font such as Times New Roman that is highly readable on paper. Avoid using print that is too small, like 10 point. Put your job titles and key accomplishments in bold for emphasis. Update your resume about every six months so you can remember all duties and tasks that you perform.
Do not let your resume exceed two pages. Create a one-page resume if you have 10 or fewer years of experience, and create two pages if you have over 10 years experience.
