RESUME BUILDING TIPS

Download SAMPLE RESUMES

 RESUME BUILDING TIPS :-

1. Don’t lie in your resume:
   This is an obvious tip. An employer discovering a lie in your resume has the legal option of firing you immediately. Beyond this, many employers will do background checks and contact references during the hiring process. Avoid any potential problems by being truthful.
2. Beware templates and sample resumes:
   Using a template can be helpful, but use your own discretion when deciding which elements to retain. You must create your own original resume using valid personal information.
3. Ensure your resume is clear and readable:
   Use standardized formatting and clear, concise language when building your resume.
4. Use proper grammar, punctuation, and matching verb tenses:
   Use your writing as a way to demonstrate you have quality communication skills. Consistent verb tense keeps your writing clear and understandable. Most resume building uses past and present tense only.
5. Use powerful action verbs:
   Don’t say, “Responsible for performing,” say, “Performed.”
6. Keep your wording professional and free of jargon or slang:
   Use professional communication skills when writing your resume. Improper spelling or colloquial terms decreases your overall presentation as well as the clarity of your writing.
7. Use your resume to get the interview, not the job:
   A quality resume is merely a foot in the door. Your resume will not get you a job but merely introduce you to perspective employers. Use this as the first chance to sell yourself to an employer. The interview itself will provide you with another opportunity to do so.
8. Know and communicate the purpose of the resume:
   Tailor your resume for individual positions and companies. Send a single resume for each position you are applying for. Remember that the resume is meant to land you the interview and put you ahead of other candidates.
9. Analyze the job advertisement:
   Tailor your resume to fit the duties, responsibilities, and experience a company is seeking. Use specific keywords and phrases posted in the job listing.
10. List your keys to success:
    Highlight your strengths, such as volunteer work, community service, multilingual language skills, programming languages, technical proficiencies, and other qualifications pertinent to the job you are applying for. Be sure to list these qualifications and technical skills early, especially if they are immediately necessary to the job you are applying for. Employers will not scour your resume to find out if you are the candidate they’re looking for.
11. Use industry keywords:
    Research the industry you are applying for and show your insider knowledge. If you know about stage lighting and electrical work, use terms like: “grip, key grip, set electrician, and best boy.” Research like this highlights your ability to learn and adapt as well as letting the employer know you will require less training than other applicants.
12. Keep it brief:
    Most resumes should ably be read in under 2 minutes. Keep your important resume information, excluding cover letters and reference sections, under two pages. However, this limit does not include cover letters or references.
13. Sell yourself:
    Provide the best and most pertinent information to describe why this employer needs to hire you for this position.
14. Leave out irrelevant information:
    Hobbies, previous jobs with no marketable skills or work experience, and other unrelated material should remain off your resume unless they directly pertain to the position you are applying for.
15. Use concise bullet points:
    Use quality phrases rather than complete sentences and paragraphs for the information contained under your headings and titles. Lists communicate your qualifications more quickly and effectively than if the information were imbedded in a paragraph.
16. Use appropriate fonts:
    Use font sizes and types commonly used in business writing. Some industries actually prefer certain sizes and styles of font. Use consistent font formatting throughout your resume. Commonly accepted styles include Arial, Times New Roman, and Courier New at 11 and 12 point sizing.
17. Keep a professional design ethos:
    Do not include garish colors or inconsistent content. Keep your resume clean and professional.
18. Do not use pictures:
    Avoid background pictures, photos of yourself, clip art, or other artwork while resume building. Only include a headshot if the job advertisement specifically requests the inclusion of a professional photo. Artistic designs, artwork, and photography belong in your portfolio and not in your resume.
19. Avoid redundancy:
    Utilize word selection, pronouns, and creative writing to keep from repeating the same words and phrases throughout your resume. If you worked the same job at several companies, do not use a stock paragraph to describe your duties in this position. Instead, consider it an opportunity to sell yourself with newly phrased skills or job duties unique to that position.
20. Do not personalize your resume:
    Avoid the usage of, “I,” “me,” “my,” and other personalized language when resume writing. It is assumed you accomplished the things you listed on your resume.
21. Use headers properly:
    You want your headers to be placed and aligned appropriately according to your resume design, and the header must correlate directly to the information underneath.
22. Use appropriate title and heading sizes and styles:
    Titles and heading should be only slightly larger than your body text. If you choose to use bold or underlined titles and headings, keep it consistent and tasteful.
23. Include essential resume sections:
    Your resume should include a cover letter, your objective, your contact information, your work history, your education, your skills, and a personal references section. No matter what job listing you’re applying for, all employers will be looking for this information.
24. Clearly state your career objective:
    Whether included in your cover letter or in a separate objective sentence, your intent for preparing your resume must be covered. You need to make your reader aware of the job you are seeking with the resume they are holding. Typically, this is only one to two sentences and focused on the here and now.
25. Include proper information in your cover letter:
    The cover letter is used to inform your prospective employer of your qualifications and skills making you the best candidate for the available position. If required, this is where you can discuss what this job helps you accomplish towards your long-term career goals. Even if a cover letter is not required, it may be a good idea to include one.
26. Do not use a title:
    Your name and contact information are all your resume needs.
27. Include your contact information:
    Be sure your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and professional website are neat and easy to read at the very top of your resume. Do not include your social networks or blogs in your resume unless they are entirely professional and contain only information that enhances your chances of landing the interview.
28. Include pertinent work history:
    If you have limited or unrelated work history, explain why the experience you do have is relatable to this position. Those with limited experience, such as fresh college graduates, seeking jobs in their field may want to include education histories prior to work histories in the resume. Service and volunteer work may be included here, but those with several such entries may want to add a subsection within their work history.
29. Typically only include 15 years of work history:
    Out of date work history only applies if it is the sole experience applicable to the job you are applying for or is extremely relevant alongside your current history.
30. Add important educational history:
    Your education history may include finished and partially completed school and technical degree programs, certifications, and awards pertaining to the job you are applying for.
31. Incorporate military history, if applicable:
    Include military branch and time served as well as specific training and education received.
32. Include your expert skills:
    Your skills may include computer knowledge, mechanical experience, fluent languages, and any other relevant information that may help you land the job you applied for.
33. Add your personal references:
    Your resume should have at least three trustworthy personal references with current contact information. Some jobs require only two, several ask for more than three, and many don’t require personal references at all; however, including personal references assures employers you know several individuals willing to talk well of you.
34. Avoid obvious information:
    Do not state you are available for an interview, have references available, or make other obvious statements. The interviewer assumes you are available to interview and can provide references because you sent them a resume seeking employment.
35. Maintain a positive tone:
    Do not use negative words within your resume. You want to portray your accomplishments and education in a positive light only.
36. Use achievements and not responsibilities:
    Describe your professional achievements rather than the duties you performed.
37. Use numbers and statistics:
    Include your achievements with numerical and monetary statistics. “Increased monthly sales” is less impressive than “Increased monthly sales $6,000.”
38. Incorporate all positions held within a company:
    If you worked for the same company for ten years, but your responsibilities increased as time went by, list the increases in job duties as separate positions related to the work completed.
39. Omit your age on the resume:
    Your age is an unnecessary inclusion on your resume. Though illegal, discrimination because of age does occur in today’s society.
40. Only mention pertinent hobbies:
    Only talk about hobbies you can directly relate to the position applied for. Excess information is personal, unnecessary, and a waste of space.
41. Mention important figures you have worked with:
    This is your chance to name-drop. Only mention important figures related to the position applied for or the company at large.
42. Use a good printer:
    Ensure the hard copy of your resume is free of folds, wrinkles, and half-printed characters.
43. Proofread multiple times:
    Studies suggest putting a printed copy of your resume away for 24 hours prior to proofing it the first time. Mistakes are more difficult to catch when your writing is fresh in your mind.
44. Get a second opinion:
    You should let trusted friends, relatives, professors, or coworkers proof your resume to ensure spelling and grammatical correctness.
45. Stay focused without scattered information:
    Keep your wording and lists focused without jumping haphazardly between ideas. Keep similar concepts together to ensure clear, concise, and readable writing.
46. Keep it flowing:
    Ensure your ideas consistently transition into related concepts. Disjointed writing is difficult to follow.
47. Submit your resume to the appropriate people:
    Ensure your resume arrives on the desk of the appropriate person. Contact the company to determine who is in charge of resume submissions.
48. Find other places to post your resume:
    Now you know how to write a resume and tailor it to a specific job. Submit your resume to a variety of companies seeking qualified applicants like you.
49. Update regularly:
    Update your resume for fresh information, new contact numbers, and additional qualifications learned as well as tailoring your resume to fit new companies.
50. Back it up:
    Back your resume up in various places. Computers crash, hard drives die, and the unforeseen can occur.
51. Call after submitting your resume:
    Unless the job posting specifically requests no phone calls, it is encouraged to call the persons in charge of hiring between 3 and 7 days after they receive your resume.