Tips For Resume Writing – 5 Critical Tips You Must Know For Writing a Resume That Gets Results
It is not easy to write a resume, but you’d already know that if you have tried making one for yourself or for another person. There are some critical tips for resume writing that you must know before you begin. One of the most important things is to know what information to include, primarily your career objective and your qualifications, and what should be left out. Then you have to deal with the structure of your resume to make it personal and try to present yourself in the best light so your prospective employer will take notice. It may be difficult but you can readily create a winning resume if you put your heart into it. The following resume writing tips will help you get that all important interview:
1. Never refer to your personal web sites.
It will be a mistake to include any reference to your personal web sites. If you want to show your prospective employer great samples of your graphic design work posted on the site, do so only if your web site contains purely work-related material. Many enthusiastic applicants unwittingly refer to their personal web sites despite the presence of irrelevant or inappropriate information. Employers deem it a waste of their time to skim through your numerous posts just to get to the entry you want them to read or see.
Make it a rule not to include your personal web site if you have posted jokes, clean or otherwise, and pictures that may be considered unbecoming. You would not want your prospective employer to read your blog and learn about details of your emotional roller coaster. So, if your web site has anything that is too personal, do not even mention it in your resume.
It’s a different story if your web site serves as your online portfolio to showcase your talents. By all means, provide the link to your web site that contains a copy of your updated resume, letters of reference, past presentations you made, professional photos you took, or the landing pages of the web sites you created.
2. Use appropriate font size.
Other than the content and writing style, the difficult part of making a resume is formatting it to fit a single page. The general rule of keeping a resume to two pages at most has become quite a challenge to many job seekers especially those who have switched jobs a number of times and therefore need to list their past experiences. Then, there is the statement of one’s career objective, a rundown of academic preparation and other qualifications as well as the list of references. Think how you can fit all that in one or two pages only.
Do not reduce the font size just to accommodate all your information. The smallest font size you should use must be 10 points. Remember to use a basic type of font, nothing fancy. Either Arial or Times New Roman will be acceptable. If you think your contents are too long, review and re-write your resume using more concise statements.
3. Do not abbreviate names of schools and employers.
Job applicants often list down erroneously the names of the schools they attended and former employers. This includes the use of abbreviations and variations of school and company names. Remember, resumes are formal documents that require a formal style of writing. Hence, you should use abbreviations only if they are part of the name like J.C. Penny for instance. But if you went to University of California, Los Angeles, do not write it as UCLA even if it is widely known as such. Instead, write the name completely. Failure to do so will reflect on you as being sloppy if not lazy.
4. Keep past experiences brief and relevant.
An effective way to list your responsibilities in past or present job positions is by the use of bullet points. Remember to begin your description with action verbs like developed, managed, etc. Complete sentences are not required and you do not have to form paragraphs. Doing so will only create excess verbiage making your resume more difficult to read. Remember to keep your statements brief, clear and direct to the point.
5. Avoid typographical errors.
You might have a remarkable content and a good-looking lay out but grammatical lapses or misspellings are bound to ruin your otherwise great resume. Make sure to proof read your resume. You are likely to miss certain errors so run a spell check and ask for help from friends and family members. If necessary, consult a career counselor. Exert every effort to perfect your resume. It may be your first and only chance to impress your prospective employers.
Take your time to make your resume shine. With today’s highly competitive job field, the slightest mistake can cost you the job. By following these tips for resume writing you will set yourself apart from the competition.
