Writing a resume

How to write a resume

In many ways, the resume objective is the bread and butter of the actual document. Including an objective provides the official introduction to the rest of your text, discussing your career objectives along with the kind of job you’re looking for. It sets the tone for the remaining contenct. Because of this, much attention should be paid to the resume objective.

Things Every Resume Should Have
You will want to layout your resume differently depending on the amount of overall work experience you have, as well as your level of experience in the field for which you are applying. If you don’t have much experience in the specific career field you are applying for, it’s best to detail your past work experience and relate the skills required in your previous jobs to the new job.

I. The Header
a. Should contain full name and all necessary contact information. Employers don’t want employees that are hard to find, so make it very easy for employers to setup an interview. Provide at least one phone number. If you have a cell phone, give that number.

b. Be wary of any email address or website URL you provide. You may be judged on the content of your website or the name on your email address. It’s better to create a generic email account such as johndoe76@gmail.com than use an email such as crazygamer@mysite.com. If your website is a portfolio for your work, it’s fine to include the URL, but if it’s a personal site or side project or business, it can do more harm than good and should probably be left off.
II. Objective or Qualifications Summary
a. More and more professional resume writers are moving away from objectives to a summary of qualifications. A qualifications summary briefly describes what makes you qualified to have the job.
b Objective to convey why you should get the job - your desire, work ethic or other intangibles.
III. Work Experience
a. Always include your most recent work experience at the top.
b. Always include all relevant or related experience, no matter how old.
c. Avoid long gaps in work history. If you have large gaps, try to include a description of any kind of related job or experience during that time somewhere on your resume.
d. If you’ve had many job changes or short stints at jobs, be sure to explain why, such as it was a contract job, relocation or whatever the reason. Never blame the job or previous employer as you could be seen as someone who is difficult to please, even if your arguments are legitimate.
IV. Education
a. Certain jobs take education under consideration more than others. Always try to include full details on your education including degrees and awards received.
b. If you’ve taken any relevant training classes for previous jobs, include them in the education section to beef up your credentials.

V. Skills
a. Many companies have Human Resources staff specifically designated to collect and filter resumes for various openings within the company. Often these workers are not overly familiar with the skillsets and various buzzwords used in your field. It’s important to include as many of the skills that are required for the job as possible. These include knowledge of specific business software, computer skills, even specific tasks that you know the job you are applying for will require.


Format:

Name Phone

Addresss Email

Education What, \where When?

Skills What, where When

Interests/Activities What, how When

Work Experience Responsibilities When Reverse Chronological

References