Need Some Tips for Writing a Resume?
Writing a resume is an intimidating task. What should you include or leave out? What do you want to highlight? Your resume is the make it or break it way to an interview, a one-of-a-kind marketing tool. Hiring managers typically spend 10-30 seconds looking at a resume to decide whether or not you get an interview, so your resume must shine!
While writing your resume, remember that the most important goal of a resume is to get an interview. It is a marketing tool used to get you into the company and in front of your potential boss and coworkers. It doesn't just tell a potential employer what you have done, but it tells what benefits the company will gain by hiring you.
Before typing anything on your resume, determine your objective. You must clearly state what sort of job you are looking for, and know what skills and experiences are needed in order to succeed in that job. Once you determine your objective, you can structure your resume content around that.
First of all, try to be as clear and concise as possible. You don't want to go into depth about every accomplishment on your resume - save that for an interview. Use bullet points with short sentences instead of lengthy paragraphs to highlight key phrases and important information that someone could pick out with just a glance. Use action words, such as prepared, managed, developed or presented. These key words will stand out to a reader and could relate to the position you want.
This is your time to brag about yourself. Highlight your strengths and what will be most relevant to the potential employer. Put the strongest and most relevant points first, where a reader would be most likely to see, which will hook him/her in to read the rest of your resume. You want to match the needs of the hiring company, so read the job description closely and use the key words listed in the ads. Match those words to the bullet points in your resume. A custom resume for the job instead of a generic one will increase your chance for an interview.
An important factor in a resume is white space. White space is open area in an ad; unused space. Don't worry about filling your entire resume page with text, keep some white space in between sections. Your resume should be one page with a font size no smaller than 10 point. If it is necessary, you can add a second page to your resume, but only if it is absolutely necessary.
After you've completed your resume, make sure to proofread and revise it. Read over it several times and have other people proofread it. Any spelling or grammatical errors could be reason enough for you not to even get an interview. Ask any proofreaders if your resume sells you for this job or anything you could remove. Put down your resume for a few days, then come back to it with fresh eyes to see if you catch anything else.
Good luck!
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