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Resume Experts
Writing your own professional resume
The Basis of a Resume A resume is like a delicate bridge built between you and the employed recruiter. It will hold as a summarized outline of who you are, where you have been, and where you are going. Its purpose is to invite a potential employer to want to set up an interview with you. Writing resumes has become an increasingly necessary part of a job search and quite simply, you will not land a job without an impressive one. The business world, especially that of the Internet, is more intimate and more competitive with each coming year. And as in all things, you face competition from people who are more qualified and better experienced than you. So the better your resume is written, the more you open doors of opportunity for yourself. It will be the most effective and important marketing tool you will be using. Its a good thing to know also that it isn't necessarily your resume that is going to land you the position, but your ability to sell yourself. How well you convey your work experience along with the organization of your layout. A recruiter is more interested in a resume that is selling what he/she is targeting to buy.
Guidelines
Present your unique qualities in the most positive and scrupulously honest manner.
Be consistent with format – use spacing to allow skimming.
Quantify, where possible, by including numbers and/or specifics.
Use short, terse phrases, not sentences.
Include skills such as foreign languages, technical and computer, etc.
Try not to exceed one page; if two pages are required, the second page should be filled and your name should be included at the top in the event that the pages separate.
The page make-up should be consistent. Top, bottom, left and right margins should be identical. Allow space between categories and items within categories. Heading or titles may be bold, capitalized or underlined. All headings should be the same style.
Neatness and accuracy are critical. Carefully check your grammar, verb tense, spelling and eye appeal.
Your final draft must be laser printed or typed on a letter quality typewriter.
Use standard 8 ½ x 11inch white, bone or very light gray paper.
Do not include high school accomplishments.
Do not use personal pronouns – use action verbs to relate more specific information.
Contents of a Resume
Identification
Include your name, address and phone number (permanent and/or temporary if residing away from home) and e-mail address.
Career Objective
State what you wish to accomplish as concisely as possible. Avoid flowery, trite word phrases like challenging, established firm, and opportunity for advancement.
Education
Begin by listing your most recent or highest degree. Include all post-secondary education. For each entry, list the degree title, date of completion, major and/or minor, emphasis or specialization, and the name and location of the school. Grade point average is optional.
Honors
List academic honors such as Dean’s List, honorary organizations, Honor’s Day recognition, etc.
Experience
Describe experiences most related to the position you are seeking. Do not overlook volunteer work, internships and self-employment. Detail the job title, organization, major responsibilities and dates. Be specific and use action verbs; do not list every duty, but rather those that show your diversity and willingness to take responsibility.
Certification/Licenses
If you are in a field that requires specific credentials, make certain these are listed.
Skills
Include skills related to your field, such as computer/technical or foreign languages.
Memberships
List organizations of which you are a member and indicate offices held or involvement in committees/projects.
Achievements/Accomplishments
This section may include scholarships; service, athletic or any non-academic award; and various types of recognition.
Professional Development
Indicate if you have attended any special workshops, seminars or conferences.
Activities
Note community, school and volunteer commitments. Describe how you spend your free time on selected interests or special talents.
References
You may omit this category; state "available upon request," or list the names, addresses and phone numbers of three to five individuals.
Scannable Resumes
A scannable resume should use a standard font and have crisp, dark type.
Preparing a scannable resume is as easy as preparing a traditional style resume, as the focus for both is content and format.
Content: Recruiters access the resume database in many ways, searching for applicants with specific experience or skills. They will search for key words, such as writer, BS, Pascal, Microsoft Word, etc.
Tips for Scannable Resumes
Use white 8 ½ x 11 paper and black ink.
Use laser printed originals only. Do not send copies or dot matrix printouts.
Use standard typefaces such as Arial, Courier New, Helvetica, Futura, Optima, Universe, Times, Palatino and New Century Schoolbook.
Use a font size of 12 to 14.
Use boldface type and/or all capital letters for section headings as long as the letters do not touch each other.
Do not condense spacing between lines.
Avoid fancy treatments such as italics, underline, shadows and reverses.
Do not use pictures or graphics, vertical or horizontal lines, or boxes.
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