How To Write A Better Resume

By Brian Konradt

Which word is more scarier to you? If someone yelled fire! or if someone whispered, resume? To most people, hearing the word resume induces panic attacks and beads of sweat across the forehead.

Writing a resume is hard work. You must write your resume correctly; it must be perfect! Any blunders in your resume could cost you the job. The entire resume-writing process can be confusing. Weve all asked ourselves these questions: Which information goes in? Which stays out? How exactly should I format my resume?

If you jumped into a pile of books and articles on how to write the perfect resume, youd drown in words, sentences and advice that all sound the same. So what in the world will make your resume leap out of the pile and scream out, Grab me! I am the person you want to hire!

Writing a resume is an art and a science. We need to know a successful formula of words, sentences and phrases to convey our selling points. The following tips are shortcuts to write a stellar resume for whatever sort of job you desire.

FORMAT WITH CAUTION

Your professional history will strongly dictate your resume format. We must choose one of three basic resume types: chronological, functional or combination.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME – This is the most common type of resume, the one that comes to mind when the word is mentioned. A chronological resume is appropriate if youve had steady work experience with little to no breaks, have kept each of your jobs for long periods of time, or have industry-related experience that shows your working toward a specific goal. The Chronological Resume is comprised of:

Objective (which well discuss in a few paragraphs)

Employment history (starting from your most recent job)

Education

Optional section (for things such as military experience or any special skills/interests

that may pertain to the job at hand)

References

THE FUNCTIONAL RESUME – A variation of the chronological resume, a functional resume intends to highlight skills found outside of work experience; its useful if youre in the process of changing careers, have little to no work experience or have held several, seemingly unrelated jobs. This sort of resume is comprised of:

Qualifications summary (a bulleted list of achievements or interests that qualify you

for the job for which youre applying).

Employment history

Education

Optional section

References

THE COMBINATION RESUME – A combination resume is what it sounds like: a combination of the chronological and functional formats. It tends to be slightly more useful than the functional resume, as that format sometimes makes an employer suspicious that youre hiding something (such as a lack of experience). The combination resume is comprised of:

Qualifications summary

Education (especially if its a particularly strong area for you)

Employment history (in reverse order as the chronological resume)

Optional section

References

RETHINK YOUR OBJECTIVE

Many books and articles extol the virtues of an objective; it is, after all, a great way to position yourself within a job and show an employer what you want and how willing you are to get it. A lot of job-seekers have been ditching the objective in favor of a qualifications summary, and employers seem to be responding well. The reason for this is simple: objectives are, by nature, focused heavily on you and not the employer. Your potential employer, while certainly interested in what you want, is far more concerned with your qualifications and what you can do for the company.

The idea isnt all bad, though. It just needs a little tweaking. Instead of an objective, try creating a positioning statement.; it functions on the same way as an objective but puts the focus on you. Take a look at these examples:

Objective: To become an associate editor of childrens books at a major publishing house.

Positioning Statement: Childrens book editor with 10 years of experience in publishing.

These are loose examples, of course, but you get the idea; put the focus on you and the employer will take notice.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL

Be specific about what exactly youve done. Your former job responsibilities and achievements are excellent selling points in your resume. Avoid being vague, unless you want your resume to read like everyone elses. Think about your previous jobs: what exactly did you do and how does that qualify you for a new position? For instance, dont write that you assisted the senior editor with a number of editorial duties. Instead, write contributed to editorial copy and content editing, cover design and overall concept of several major projects. Detailing your specific job duties and accomplishments show the employer what youre capable of and what he or she can expect from you as an employee.

SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO

Its tempting to outline your responsibilities to save some space and not appear overly conceited, but remember — youre here to sell to yourself. You have one shot to make an impression. Chances are good that the employer will already know a bit about the duties of your last job (especially if its linked to this job), so they need to read about what youve accomplished as opposed to what you did. Anyone could go through the motions of a nine-to-five day, but what did you actually achieve? What were the results of your work? Dont be modest with this; if a book you edited hit the best-seller list, then by all means, let the employer know. Never withhold important information about your achievements.

WORD IT WELL

The words you use in your resume are just as important as the results youve achieved or the jobs youve held. Make sure you use lively, engaging words and always avoid the passive voice; it reads in a boring, trite manner. Always write in active voice so you sound more formal and direct. Stay concise — are you using more words that necessary? Would a great action verb effectively replace a whole sentence? Are there any obvious clichs, like great customer service skills? Strive to say things in the most interesting manner possible, and make sure you spell all words correctly. Theres nothing worse than a typo on a resume, as it leaves the impression that if this person doesnt care enough to spellcheck their resume, the employer thinks, then how in the world will they care enough to do this job well?

PERFECT THE PRESENTATION

Resume presentation is another crucial aspect to the resume-writing process. How your resume looks will serve as the employers first impression of you; if it looks bad, or amateurish, your resume may not get a second glance. Make sure the visual formatting is correct (consult a resume guide book for samples of formatting) and always leave lots of white space; this makes it easier for an employer to skim through your resume and find the information they need. Use an easily readable font, such as Arial or Times New Roman; print it on high-quality white stock (no photocopies!); and send it in a white or manila envelope with a printed mailing label. And always, always, always remember to include your contact information, even your email address; itll be hard to land that new position if the employer cant even get in touch with you.

About the Author: Brian Konradt writes articles on

english grammar

and

literacy

for www.LousyWriter.com and www.LiteracyNews.com.

Source:

isnare.com

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