Resume Writing Tips & Advice
A resume is the first step to getting your dream job. A good resume ca nmake an employer very excited to talk to you. A bad resume won’t evenget you a call. What makes an effective resume for the job you are applying for, or a particular field, can vary a little bit. However, there are some common Do’s and Dont's that will help you put together a strong resume and snag some interviews. Here are theYourBeanstalk.com resume writing guidelines:
DO’s
- Format your resume in a simple, bulleted manner. Remember, some companies want you to submit your information online. Crazy formatting means they might not be able to read your resume, so they’ll pitch it.
- Realize that it’s okay to have a two-page resume if you need to – but only if you need to. Anything beyond that is too long.
- Make sure your contact information is up to date and that if you included a cell phone or e-mail address, you check both of them regularly.
- Have someone read over your resume. It’s good to have a second opinion.
- Spell-check and proofread your resume. Sending something out with errors does not make a good impression on a potential employer.
- Use the resume as on opportunity to sell yourself.
- Describe your skills and responsibilities in an action-oriented way. Words like “achieved,�? “grew,�? “developed�? and “collaborated�? sound much better than a laundry list of actual duties.
- Use numbers to back up your accomplishments. If your work directly made the company thousands of dollars, be sure and say so.
- List your jobs in chronological order – the most recent job needs to be at the top of the list.
DON’Ts
- Never lie on a resume about anything. Employers will eventually find out, and you could lose your job.
- Forget about mentioning your hobbies or personal interests on your resume. They are not related to the job. If you participate or have received honors in something that is related to the job, you may mention it.
- Avoid embellishing your skills and accomplishments. You could find yourself in hot water on the job if you give the impression you know how to do something and you really don’t.
- Too much experience isn’t necessarily a good thing. Don’t go on and on listing your jobs and your skills. If you’ve been in the job market over 15 years, you don’t need to list any jobs older than that. Try to incorporate those old job skills in your cover letter or somewhere else in the resume.
- Leave off really personal information such as anything that relates to gender, marital status, race, religious affiliation, height, weight, age, pictures, social security number, names of former employers, etc.
- You don’t need to list your high school, but any other education or training is appropriate.
- Keep your list of references on a different sheet of paper. If you feel like it, you may put “References available upon request�? at the bottom of your resume. However, it’s not necessary or expected to mention that. Most employers will ask for your references once you have made it to a certain point in the interview process.
- Avoid using the words “me,�? “my�? or “I�? on your resume. Your resume needs to be an objective description of your skills and work history.
- If there are certain job activities you’ve done in the past and you don’t want to do them anymore, make sure you don’t emphasize that.
