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Tips for Writing Winning Resumés
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It is a mistake to think of your resumé as a history of your past, as a personal statement or as some sort of self expression. Most people write a resumé because everyone knows that you have to have one to get a job. If you realize that a great resumé can be your ticket to getting exactly the job you want, you may be able to muster some genuine enthusiasm for creating a real masterpiece. When you write a resumé from the intention to create interest, to persuade the employer to call you, the final product will be very different than if you write to inform or catalog your job history.

Here are 15 tips to help you not only tackle the task, but also write a winning resumé.

  1. Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resumé. Once you have determined your objective, you can structure the content of your resumé around that objective. If you write your resumé without having a clear objective in mind, it will likely come across as unfocused to those that read it. Take the time before you start your resumé to form a clear objective.
  2. Think of your resumé as a marketing tool. Think of yourself as a product, potential employers as your customers, and your resumé as a brochure about you but do not use coloured (pink) paper to be noticed faster. Market yourself through your resumé. What are your features and benefits? What makes you unique? Make sure to convey this information in your resumé.
  3. Use your resumé to obtain an interview, not a job. No one cares if you are single, married, play the trombone, or enjoy cricket league. Focus on the duties that do support your objective. Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resumé is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview. Use the interview to provide a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to land a job offer.
  4. Use bulleted sentences. In the body of your resumé, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. Resumés are read quickly. This bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resumé and still absorb it.
  5. Use action words. Action words cause your resumé to pop. To add life to your resumé, use bulleted sentences that begin with action words.
  6. Use #’s, $’s and %’s. Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resumé. Use them. Here are two examples:
    • Managed a department of 10 with a budget of $1,000,000.
    • Increased sales by 52% in four (4) months.
    Don't be afraid to brag a little -- just be honest.
  7. Lead with your strengths. Since resumés are typically reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.
  8. Play Match Game. Review posted vacancies for positions that interest you. Use the key words listed in these vacancies to match them to bullets in your resumé. If you have missed any key words, add them to your resumé.
  9. Use buzzwords. If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your resumé. For marketing people, use "competitive analysis." For accounting types, use "reconciled accounts."
  10. Accent the positive. Leave off negatives and irrelevant points. Leave off your resumé date that will subject age discrimination and list job held in reverse chronological order. Leave off irrelevant personal information.
  11. Show what you know. Only your relatives have the patience to read through every job you've held and rather than going into depth in one area, use your resumé to highlight your breadth of knowledge. Very effective is a 3- to 5-lines overview of your unique professional strengths and consolidate the past into several lines. Use an interview to provide more detail.
  12. Show who you know. If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your resumé. Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important.
  13. Construct your resumé to read easily. Leave white space. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. Limit the length of your resumé to 1-2 pages. Remember, resumés are reviewed quickly. Help the reader to scan your resumé efficiently and effectively.
  14. Have someone else review your resumé. Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have someone review your job search objective, your resumé, and listings of positions that interest you. Encourage them to ask questions. Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently left off your resumé. Revise your resumé to include these items. Their questions can also point to items on your resumé that are confusing to the reader. Clarify your resumé based on this input.
  15. Submit your resumé to potential employers. Have the courage to submit your resumé. You really do increase your odds of winning with every resumé you submit. Use a three-tiered approach. Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you. Perhaps they will turn out to be more than they appeared to be once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn of other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem to be just at your level. You will get interviews for some of those jobs. See how each job stacks up. Try for some jobs that seem like a stretch. That’s how you grow -- by taking risks. Trust the process. Don’t rule yourself out and don't forget one of the most important adjuncts to a good resumé -- THE COVER LETTER. Good luck in your job search!

Others Resumé Writing Tips

  • Experience. Don't go into detail on the jobs early in your career; focus on the most recent and/or relevant jobs. Decide which is, overall, more impressive - your job titles or the names of the firms you worked for - then consistently begin with the more impressive of the two, perhaps using boldface type.
    You may want to describe the firm in a phrase in parentheses if this will impress the reader. Put dates in italics at the end of the job, to de-emphasize them; don't include months, unless the job was held less than a year.
  • Other headings: "Professional History," "Professional Experience"--not "Employment" or "Work History," both of which sound more lower-level.
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