The purpose of a resume is to present basic facts about you, your career objectives and your work history. The problem with most resumes is that they do not capture your personality or enthusiasms. Your objective as a job hunter is to portray yourself in the best light. Education and Technical Expertise are important elements that must be pointed out but employers are also interested in the interpersonal qualities that set you apart from other applicants. Therefore, you should strive to prepare a resume that gives a distinctive, personalized impression of you. To accomplish this, follow these five guidelines:
1. Use a professional, easy to read format.
Your resume should be visually appealing. Bring attention to special qualities with underlining, bullets and bold type. Leave ample white space, this adds to the readability. Don't use anything less than 10-point type. Print your resume on white or light colored paper.
2. Point out how you can benefit the company.
Decide what you would like to communicate to the person reading your resume and design a format that will achieve your objective. You should capture the reader's attention and make it easy for them to identify your best qualities. Emphasize ways that you can benefit the company or assist with a current problem.
3. Organize your resume in a logical order.
The information in your resume should flow in a manner that matches your job objective. Stress work experiences that match your career goals. Start with broad, general statements as attention getters then use short descriptive statements to maintain interest.
4. Keep your wording simple and to the point.
Steer away from the Passive Voice. Use short words, sentences and paragraphs in an Active Voice. Avoid cliché's. Technical buzz words are an advantage but make sure you use them correctly.
5. Let your total personality show.
Present an exciting resume, this will reflect an equally exciting personality. Don't boast but sell your best qualities. You should avoid coming across as a me-oriented person. Remember, companies want team players who are also individuals.
John Jordan Jr.