Tips For Writing Your Resume

A resume is a great tool for getting a job.  It has become much more essential than in the past, perhaps because it is much easier and faster to produce with high-tech computers and software than with typewriters and carbon paper. Many hiring managers won’t hire someone without one, even for labor positions. A resume is a sales tool. You have to be able to sell yourself, by using truthful, factual information about yourself that employers are looking for.

The resume is a supplement to the application, or the cover letter. Or, it is a tool that the staffing professional will use to demonstrate on paper the things already told to a client company about you.

Things to do if you want to be considered for the job:

	Put dates on your work history.
	Account for any gaps between jobs.
	If the wage of the job you are applying for is in line with your history it will help you to put past wages or salary requirements on your resume. Otherwise not.
	Make the job title or objective match the job you are applying for.
	Have someone proofread your resume for spelling and grammar.
	Write clearly and be brief.
	Leave off religious and personal information. No one ethical will hire you on that basis.
	Make the resume easy to speed-read. High points of your skill and experience should stand out.
	Put most recent work experience first.
	Put your name on every page.
	Keep the resume believable. Avoid exaggerating or bragging.
	Avoid templates and generic wording. Employers see enough resumes to recognize the difference from original work. Resumes should be a measure of the skills and written style of the individual.
	If you can, tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for, emphasizing skills that will be most valuable on that job.
	If you don’t have much work experience, list school clubs, organizations, volunteer work, and other leadership roles. If you don’t have any of those, get some!

For more information, see examples:

Things to keep in mind:

No one is ever hired on the basis of the resume alone. There are more important tools for hiring: the application, the interview, and the recommendation of a staffing professional. Never write, "See Resume" on the application. You are telling the hiring manager that you don’t like their form. You will seem to be either a troublemaker or someone who can’t follow directions. Fill it out completely and quickly to make a good impression. To do that, you will need to be prepared with your employment history including phone numbers, addresses, supervisors’ names and salary. And, bring your own pen, just like they taught you in high school.

Most hiring managers will not read the resumes that they receive. Reading 30 or more resumes per job opening is just too time consuming. At best, they will scan for important features that interest them. If they can’t find them right away, the applicant may be rejected just because of the screener’s time limitations. To have a better chance of getting read, a resume should list all the applicant’s skills up front in an easy-to-read format. Keep it short!