• Use letter size ivory, cream or neutral color paper.
• Make your resume easy on the eyes. Use normal margins (1" on the top and bottom, 1.25" on the sides) and don't cram your text onto the page. Allow for some breathing room between the different sections. Avoid unusual or exotic font styles; use simple fonts with a professional look, e.g. Times New Roman 11 point.
• Avoid excessive graphics use, boxes or distracting lines and designs.
• Be sure your name, address and phone number are on every page you use for job hunting (resume, cover letter, reference list, etc...).
• Do not present your resume in first person. Don't use declarative sentences like "I developed the..." or "I assisted in..."; leave out the "I".
• Functional versus Chronological. If you’re on a simple career path, and your last job is the most relevant experience to your next, a standard chronological resume is generally best. This lists your employment from last first, and puts your experience under each employer. However, if you are changing careers, going back to something you used to do, or have a scattered work history, then a functional resume will probably serve your needs better. This kind lists your achievements first, dividing them into about two to four categories, and then puts your employment afterwards with relatively little comment. If your resume is more than one page (and most functional resumes are), be sure the most relevant sections for your new position are on page one.
• Make sure you are consistent. Check your bolding, capitalizing, underlining, italicizing…Check your tabs. Check your space between sections. Is everything lined up?
• Check your vocabulary. Don't write, "maintain inventory, forecasted budgets." Notice the change in verb tense. This should read either, "maintain inventory, forecast budgets," OR "maintained inventory, forecasted budgets." Your entire resume should be consistent in vocabulary and verb tense.
• It is highly effective to use bullet points for each job duty you are describing. If someone is scanning your resume it helps to decipher one point from another.
• Be sure to include all of the following in your description: your title, the company name, the dates of your employment and what you did or accomplished here.
• Always allow the most space for the jobs that are most relevant to the job you're applying for.
• Drop off work experience that is irrelevant. If you want a financial analyst position, don't include your experience at the Pizza Palace running a cash register.
• Drop off work experience that is more than 10 or 15 years back; it isn't current. Don't advertise your nationality, race, religion, etc. Keep your resume as neutral as possible. Your resume is a summary of your skills and abilities.
• Don't put anything personal on your resume (i.e. birth date, marital status, height, hobbies, etc.) These items are inappropriate.
• A one page resume is best, but do not crowd your resume - shorten the margins if you need more space or if you find it necessary to do a two page resume, make sure you balance the information on each page. Don't put just one section on the second page. Be careful about where the page break occurs. Make sure your name and phone number are on the second page.
• Use #’s, $’s and %’s. Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Use them.
• Include your computer skills.
• It is very important to keep your resume updated. Don't have "9/92 to Present," if you ended your job two months ago. People perceive that as misrepresentation. Do not cross out and handwrite on your resume. People perceive that as unprofessional.
• Never lie on your resume. There is a difference between making the most of your experience and exaggerating or falsifying it. A falsified resume can be easily spotted by an employer (if not immediately then during the interview process), and if it doesn't prevent you from getting the job, it can cost you the job later on.
• Always proofread your resume AND have someone with excellent grammar and spelling skills review it.
• Always have spare copies of your resume, NEVER ask a potential employer to "make a copy because it is your last one."
• Understand and remember everything written on your resume. Be able to back up all statements with specific examples.
• If you list references on your resume, contact them first to let them know the job(s) for which you are applying, and ask them if it is acceptable for potential employers to contact them.
• Use buzzwords, e.g. problem-solving, self motivating, conceptualizing. If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your resume.
• Remember a resume is a marketing tool, a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview. It's not an official personnel document.
|
