How to Write a Great Resume
A resume is the most important tool of a job seeker - and there is a high possibility of overlooking it by a job seeker. Neither a carpenter can perform well with a broken hammer nor a surgeon can perform well with a faulty instrument. Thus for getting a job for you too will be very difficult without a proper - and powerful resume.
Making an effective resume requires you to carefully make objective assessments of yourself, to be well organized and to have an ability to write well.
Where to Start ?
Before starting to write your resume, its best to have a clear vision - plan. As a result, it will be really very helpful to consider the following :
Find your direction
First of all decide exactly in which direction you want to go. The more specific answer to this decision the more better for you. If you have been a sales man all your life and you want to continue in that field, than the decision is very simple, but in case of you are looking for a change in nature of your work - like you want to shift to administrative/back office role - then you have to dig a little deeper and have to work more on personal assessments.
Once decided, you can start making a resume with selecting the details which may match or are closely related with the requirements of the type of position you are seeking.
Uncover your qualifications and accomplishments
Identify and decide - which information you will be using including your past experience, education qualifications, training, certificates, and other accomplishments. Your accomplishments and strengths ensure you to stand out from other candidates having similar skills. Therefore its essential to showcase your most relevant summary and work history
Surprisingly many people find it very difficult to recognize their strengths and can completely overlook their best accomplishments. The trick to identify these covered key points is to look yourself from employer's point of view and what you can offer to him/her or to the organization.
Everybody is having certain accomplishments , although presently you can be unaware of it.
Only you can uncover it for yourself, just step back and think what challenges in past were cleared by you- what was your actions - what was the result ? .
Consider the visual elements
Determine the design of your resume, if you generally submit a typical 8 point margin (from top, left, right and bottom) - often made by those who believe in one page resume myth. Where can such a resume stand in the stack ? Will your skills, strengths, goals, etc will be easily identified by interviewer ?
White spacing can be put to your advantage, if you are on mid level of your career than your resume should be of at least 2 pages long, incase if you’re a senior candidate then the length of resume should be 2-3 pages - because of so long experience to write in it.
The 15-second review
Interviewers generally screen a resume between 10-20 seconds. Your objective is to capture his attention and intensify his/her interest to have an in-depth look into your resume. Thus a need for effective summary comes into the picture. You have to do decide a brief 4-5 effective lines that’s going to intensify the interest of the employer. Make sure to include those skills in the summary which are specifically required (or exclusively mentioned inside job ad) for the job
The basic elements of an effective resume will include:
- A clean, visually appealing appearance that invites tired eyes to have an in-depth look.
- A short - powerful and dynamic summary of qualifications that targets the position requirements.
- Accomplishments must be emphasized in the summary.
- Free from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes
- A strong, well-written work history that highlights precious working experience , it must include job title - job description - responsibilities also - to give a clear idea to employer regarding your work experience
- A section highlighting education, professional development - seminars, workshops attended and certificates.
- A table or list of specific technical skills may prove beneficial, depending on your field, goal, expertise.
Summary :
A brief summary of your work experience in past, your skills, your educational back ground, your strengths. A summary should be of 4-5 lines within an indented list. It should include those necessary information which is in according to job requirements and in-turn will help you to catch the attention of employer.
Work history
A strong, well-written work history that highlights precious working experience , it must include job title - job description - roles and responsibilities also - to give a clear idea to employer regarding your work experience. Work history should be arrange in reverse chronological order. And make sure you have proper supportive documents like (appointment letters, salary slips, relieving letters) before mentioning it on your resume. It could be crossed checked by employer.
Education and Training
Give a brief information that includes the level (e.g., bachelors, masters etc.), kind (e.g., arts, science, commerce etc.), and area (i.e. major and/or concentration) of degree(s) that you possess as well as the awarding institution, location and year of completion of degree(s)
If you have attended any workshops or seminars include these. If you have obtained certifications in your chosen field, list them here.
References
It’s make very high impact if you can use the references of your previous employers, or some other prominent personality under this column. References of College faculties in case of a fresher and last employees in case of an experienced candidate is most beneficial
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