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Writing a Resume Back in the 'good old days', finding a job was often as simple as walking in the door of the company you wanted to work for, and asking. Nowadays, however, the process has generally become a lot more complicated. Most of the time the first step in the process is submitting your resume to the company you want to get a job with. So if you find the whole idea of writing a resume scary, you're certainly not alone! If you want to write a really good resume, then you need to start by defining your goals. What sort of job are you trying to get? Who do you want to apply to? Once you know the answers, you can create your resume accordingly. Remember, though, there's no guarantee that your resume will get you in the door, no matter how good it is. So don't spend months stressing over making it perfect - just make sure it's good enough for what you need. One good rule of thumb with a resume is to keep is short and precise. A potential employer doesn't want to read page after page containing your complete life history. Think about the things the employer is most likely to be looking for in an employee, and make sure that's what your resume tells them. If you think the job will require someone with an attention to detail, then make sure you mention that's a strength of yours. In summarizing your responsibilities at past jobs, include tasks where attention to detail was required. That way you can show the prospective employer how your skills can be useful to their organization. Not sure what sort of qualities the employer might be looking for? Don't make the mistake of writing a very general resume in the hope that you'll cover all the right bases. Spend some time researching the industry. Ask professionals in the industry what sort of things they'd look for when hiring someone. Read job advertisements for that industry carefully, and pick out any clues you can find, such as if they mention any qualities they're looking for. Visit your library or do some research on the internet. In particular, check and see if your prospective employer has a website. The more you know about the industry you want to join, the easier it will be to target your resume effectively. It also means that if you make it to a job interview, your knowledge will help give the employer confidence that you know something about the industry. Once you know the sort of slant you need to give your resume, it's time to put it together. There are a number of parts to your resume, and these can vary depending on the industry, but the following points generally should be covered by your resume in some form: - positive personal characteristics - computer or technical skills - employment history - educational background and results (include GPA if it's over 3.0) - any other relevant accomplishments, such as a public speaking award If there's one basic rule to keep in mind when you're writing a resume, it's this - put in everything that shows the value you can add to the prospective employer, and as much as possible leave out everything that doesn't. That's it! |
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