Monday, August 04, 2008

10 Tips For Resume Writing

Searching for, and landing that one special job is going to require you to write a well prepared resume. Yes, the thought of writing about yourself can be very intimidating, especially not knowing where to start or what to include. Here is a list of 10 tips that will help you in writing that perfect resume.

1. One of the most important things to remember is that you are marketing yourself. The resume is only going to enhance your best qualities. That being said, you need to focus on one specific objective, or bull's-eye. This is what is going to make you stand out from the crowd. With out having a plan, or objective your final product will not be clear, it will seem unfocused. So take some time before you start to write, and focus on a objective, or bull's-eye.

2. As mentioned above you are marketing yourself to a prospective employer, and the resume is the marketing tool that is going get you; the product in the hands of the employers. This is where you want to put your best-self at the for-front. You are going to market your self through your resume. This is where you list your benefits and features. Show what makes you unique, these benefits and features should resonate through your resume.

3. Remember this tool is used to get you an interview, it is not intended to get you the job. Avoid going into detail about every accomplishment you have achieved. You want to be clear and concise. Tease the employer, peak his or her interest with your resume in order to get the interview. The interview is where you will go into more detail about yourself.

4. The construction of your resume is very important. First of all you want to make sure that you make it only 1-2 pages long, and the reading of it flows smoothly. Use proper grammar, and please make sure that your punctuation is correct. Also make sure that you leave white space between paragraphs, and your font size should not go any lower /higher than 10.

5. Next you want to choose your words carefully, Remember it takes the employer anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute to review your resume. This is a short period of time, so you need to make sure your strong points are at the beginning, and they capture the attention of the employer. You can do this simply by accenting your strengths with bullet points. When using bullet points make sure you use short strong sentences.

6. Now you want to show that you know what you are talking about. Stay away from only one strong point. Show the depth of your knowledge, highlight the different strengths that you have and just touch on them. You will want to accent the positive, and leave off the negative if you feel they will prejudice your chances of an interview.

7. This next step is very important, as mentioned above you want to make sure that your resume flows smoothly. By this I mean that the reading has to be smooth, not choppy and going in different directions. Remember you are writing around your bull's eye so everything has to be relevant, and flow from one step to the next.

8. Once you have a finished product you want to review it and make any changes that are warranted. You want to make sure that you read it as if you are the person making the decision as to who will get interviews. If it does not make sense to you, then it will most likely not make sense to that person.

9. Another good idea would be to let other people read it. They will probably see things that should be changed, plus they will not be as easy on you than you would be on your self. this will make for a better, and higher quality finished product. Remember to make changes based on the input you get from the other people's input.

10. Now it's time to submit your resume to prospective employers. When submitting your resume remember that your odds increase with the number that you submit. Do not be afraid to submit them. You want to submit to jobs that are what you are looking for, some that are just below what you are looking for, and some that seem to be a bit out of reach, You never know where you will find that jewel of a job,

By following these few steps you can create a resume that will point out your strengths and get the attention of the prospective employers.


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Searching for, and landing that one special job is going to require you to write a well prepared resume. Yes, the thought of writing about yourself can be very intimidating, especially not knowing where to start or what to include. Here is a list of 10 tips that will help you in writing that perfect resume.

1. One of the most important things to remember is that you are marketing yourself. The resume is only going to enhance your best qualities. That being said, you need to focus on one specific objective, or bull's-eye. This is what is going to make you stand out from the crowd. With out having a plan, or objective your final product will not be clear, it will seem unfocused. So take some time before you start to write, and focus on a objective, or bull's-eye.

2. As mentioned above you are marketing yourself to a prospective employer, and the resume is the marketing tool that is going get you; the product in the hands of the employers. This is where you want to put your best-self at the for-front. You are going to market your self through your resume. This is where you list your benefits and features. Show what makes you unique, these benefits and features should resonate through your resume.

3. Remember this tool is used to get you an interview, it is not intended to get you the job. Avoid going into detail about every accomplishment you have achieved. You want to be clear and concise. Tease the employer, peak his or her interest with your resume in order to get the interview. The interview is where you will go into more detail about yourself.

4. The construction of your resume is very important. First of all you want to make sure that you make it only 1-2 pages long, and the reading of it flows smoothly. Use proper grammar, and please make sure that your punctuation is correct. Also make sure that you leave white space between paragraphs, and your font size should not go any lower /higher than 10.

5. Next you want to choose your words carefully, Remember it takes the employer anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute to review your resume. This is a short period of time, so you need to make sure your strong points are at the beginning, and they capture the attention of the employer. You can do this simply by accenting your strengths with bullet points. When using bullet points make sure you use short strong sentences.

6. Now you want to show that you know what you are talking about. Stay away from only one strong point. Show the depth of your knowledge, highlight the different strengths that you have and just touch on them. You will want to accent the positive, and leave off the negative if you feel they will prejudice your chances of an interview.

7. This next step is very important, as mentioned above you want to make sure that your resume flows smoothly. By this I mean that the reading has to be smooth, not choppy and going in different directions. Remember you are writing around your bull's eye so everything has to be relevant, and flow from one step to the next.

8. Once you have a finished product you want to review it and make any changes that are warranted. You want to make sure that you read it as if you are the person making the decision as to who will get interviews. If it does not make sense to you, then it will most likely not make sense to that person.

9. Another good idea would be to let other people read it. They will probably see things that should be changed, plus they will not be as easy on you than you would be on your self. this will make for a better, and higher quality finished product. Remember to make changes based on the input you get from the other people's input.

10. Now it's time to submit your resume to prospective employers. When submitting your resume remember that your odds increase with the number that you submit. Do not be afraid to submit them. You want to submit to jobs that are what you are looking for, some that are just below what you are looking for, and some that seem to be a bit out of reach, You never know where you will find that jewel of a job,

By following these few steps you can create a resume that will point out your strengths and get the attention of the prospective employers.


Labels: ,

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