Friday, April 13, 2007

7 resume writing tips

1. Keep it professional – this is a business document so use professional language, layout and styles. Also if you have an email ensure that it is professional. A funny or cute email might be great for family and friends but it will just make human resources laugh and most likely form an opinion of you that you don’t want.
2. Keep it simple– don’t over-complicate the style, if you are using bullet points stick to one style, try and stick to one or two font types and keep the style consistent throughout. This isn’t an art project.
3. Use headers – separate your areas with headers and make it easy for the employer to read. Don’t leave them guessing as to which part of the document they are at. If you put dates and job titles in make them bold and obvious so that at one glance for example: the reader knows between Sept 2000 and Mar 03 you were an Administrative Assistant.
4. Keep it concise – This is supposed to be summary of your important and relevant skills. If you learnt how to operate a switchboard in your first job and went on to becoming an administrative assistant don’t mention answering phones in extra detail for every job description, your employer will realise if you can do it once you can do it again. Instead use each new job to show how you have grown in your career and professional development. Instead of answering the phone try a different phrase such as ‘handling customer enquiries or complaints’.
5. Choose the right font – use a font that is easy to read and easy to photocopy. New Times Roman does not photocopy well and sometime the numbers can become illegible after a few copies. Try a font like Arial which is easy to read and easy to duplicate.
6. Avoid graphics and colours – Most employers use mono-lasers to print out their application submissions. So colour is pointless and in most cases it just looks childish. Graphics are generally taboo on the resume, unless you have a good reason for them being there and I have yet to note one, leave them off. If you are a graphic designer then you may consider creating a website that acts as portfolio and putting the link on there. Your resume is after all a business proposal not a design portfolio.
7. Sell your skills – Focus on what you can do for the employer not what the employer can do for you. Highlight the skills they want to see and tell them what you can bring to their company. Make your marketable and valuable skills centre stage so the employer only needs to take one quick glance to say, yes this person is worth more than a quick glance.