How to Write a Resume
Right… This is not an easy process, but it is easy if you follow some general rules and practices..
Contrary to popular belief, in these days of electronic mail and documentation, many resumes are not opened and read as they would have in the 1980’s. Most positions you apply for will 99.9% of the time be done via a Job Board. Your application and associated resume will go into a database. This database will then be searched, looking for the skills and attributes the employer or agent is looking for.
With this in mind, the first battle is to get YOUR resume read...
Start your resume with who you are:-
Name
Address
Telephone Number
Mobile Number
E-mail Address
Although we live in a world of privacy, you must remember that you may be applying for a role, competing with hundreds of applicants. So you want to supply as much information as possible so you can be contacted. A resume that makes it difficult to contact the owner will not be... You would be surprised how many people don’t do this due to perceived privacy needs…
So commence the content with an Aim or Objective:-
Aim
This is the primary objective of your resume, eg. What are you looking for in specific terms. Your objective should be clear-cut and precisely related to your qualifications, abilities and achievements.
Education
Record your most recent Qualification first. Be sure to include your degree, BSc, BEng (Mech), etc. and any Major. Include the Institution and your Graduation date. You can include any awards or citations here as well.
General Information
Here you can comment about your special interests, IT knowledge and other activities. Language skills and other training and experiences can be included in this section.
References
All Resumes / Job Applications today must include a minimum of three References. No Agency will send your resume to a client without first contacting your References. If you do now wish to include references, then ensure you write "References available upon request." When you are contacted by the Employer or Agent, you can then supply any References necessary.
Always get permission from these References before appointing them. There should be a minimum of three references, though they do not have to be all work orientated References, but at least two must be. Ensure you include their Name, Job Title, Company Name, their relationship to you, (Supervisor, Business Owner, Direct Report, Work Colleague etc.) and include their best contact telephone number. If you supply their mobile telephone number, ensure that they are OK with this.
Resume Templates
There are a wide variety of free resume templates that Microsoft Word offers and they are very simple to use. If you are using Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010, open Microsoft Word, click File > New > “New resume samples” OR “Resumes and CVs”.
Alternatively you can go directly to their website at http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/templates/CT010104337.aspx to access resume templates on line. These links may change from time to time. So look directly at the Microsoft site if they do not resolve.
One thing you will notice when using these templates, is that they are very methodical to how the information is displayed, almost like it has a rhythm.. over and over repeating the same pattern in the same place.. Following this pattern will help the reader work though your resume. Anything that helps the reader is a good thing. Do not change this pattern, keep it going until the end. Remember you are not writing an essay, it needs to be facts followed by facts followed by facts…..
COMPANY NAME, DATES FROM AND TO
JOB TITLE/POSITION
RESPONSIBILITIES
COMPANY NAME, DATES FROM AND TO
JOB TITLE/POSITION
RESPONSIBILITIES
Repeat until you finish the Work Experience section..
Content
Design:
- Use a font size of 10 or 12 points;
- Only use Arial or Times New Roman fonts;
- Only use one of them throughout the entire resume;
- Avoid using graphics or lines. They are unnecessary;
- horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading;
Electronic Resume Tips
Layout
Use plain text, bold headings and use bullet points rather than long paragraphs.
Save your electronic resume as a MS Word file (DOC or DOCX), do not save as a Text (TXT)or Adobe Acrobat (PDF).
Keywords
- Remember that your resume MUST include all the HIT words potential employers and agents will be searching on..
- If you have applied to a On-Line Job Board, use the words you used as keywords;
- The more keywords you use, the better your chances are that a recruiter will see it.
Re Check
Now that your resume is complete! It's time to have your resume read by someone else. Do this before you send it out. Take any criticism in the vein it was given, do not take it personally. They are only trying to help. You have probably been working on your resume now for a while and you have started to put, some very nice, but irrelevant information into it. It’s starting to look a lot like an Auto-Biography not a resume… The people reading your resume are looking at it objectively, exactly as a potential employer or agent will.
If they say something needs to come out, take it out. If they say something is missing, put it in.. Remember they are reading it objectively, exactly as a potential employer or agent will.