Helpful Resume Writing Hints
When you are on the job hunt, ensure that you have all of your tools in the best shape possible. Of course, one of the most essential of these tools is your resume. If you have the best possible resume that paints you in a positive light, you will maximize your chance of a hiring manager taking a second look and calling you in for an interview.
Other People Are Reading
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Tailor Made Resumes
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Tailor your resume towards every job that you apply for. The job requirements, qualifications and descriptions are going to be different for every position. Adjust your resume for each position so that the qualities and experiences you have that connect most directly to the job are mentioned. Skills and experiences that are most relevant should be given precedence in the beginning of resume because a hiring manager may not take the time to read the entire document if he doesn't see something that catches his eye right away.
Brevity
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Write your resume so that it is clear and concise all the way through. Never let it get longer than two pages; it is unlikely that anyone will be interested enough to read that much. Use bullet points to communicate your experiences and past successes rather than writing in paragraph form. This allows the hiring manager to learn at a glance whether or not you might be a fit for the available position.
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Formatting Tips
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Always follow the formatting trends accepted in your industry. For instance, a legal resume might appear differently than a teacher's resume, following different guidelines. However, always ensure that your resume looks clean and is easy to read. Never use fancy fonts that are difficult to read. Stick to basic fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial. Also, use 11 or 12 point fonts. Smaller fonts are too difficult to read.
Use Concrete Numbers
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People in charge of hiring like to see concrete statistics that can be measured and proved. Provide concrete evidence of your success in past positions. For example, a teacher might mention that test scores improved by a certain percentage during her tenure. Sales professionals should quote dollar figures or growth percentages. When a hiring manager can quickly see evidence of success, he is going to be more interested in digging deeper into what you offer.
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References
Resources
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