A resume - sometimes called a 'Curriculum Vitae' or 'CV' - is a summary of your skills, education and work experience. A good resume demonstrates how your skills and abilities match up with the requirements of a job.
Step by Step Resume Building
Format
There are a number of different ways of formatting your resume and the one that I find works very well for most people is accomplishments based. This is different than the usual chronological work history in that it focuses more on you than your positions. I like the accomplishments based approach because I don't believe that your past defines your future and I think smart organizations hire for potential rather than experience.
So in an accomplishments oriented resume, there are six sections. I will describe each of these sections and you can click here for a sample resume.
Section 1: Identification
The first section in your resume is your identification. Here is where you tell people your name and how to get in touch with you. If you have a commonly used name, it is also a great idea to put that in brackets behind your given name so the interviewer will know what to call you.
If you have a designation, degree, license or accreditation that will be recognized, I recommend putting those initials behind your last name. Some usual ones might be: P.E. or P.Eng. if you are a Professional Engineer or you might want to put MBA if you have a Master of Business Administration degree. Do not put any designations that will diminish your credibility, e.g. IADW for the International Association of Dog Walkers. I would also limit any designations to no more than two otherwise it begins to look a bit - well - odd.
Also in this section, you are going to want to provide your full address, your phone number (with area code!)and an email address. I recommend putting your cell number down if you carry a cell phone with you AND it has voice mail. If you don't have voice mail on your cell phone, then use your home phone number and buy a cheap answering machine. Seriously - you do not want to miss these calls!
Email addresses should look professional as well. "HotChick@hotmail.com" is not going to represent you as well as say: "Bob@gmail.com. Google email addresses are some of the most highly respected free email addresses available.
Section 2: Personal Summary
Arguably the most important section on your resume, your Personal or Professional Summary is a key hook to get people read more about you in the rest of the resume. This is where your unique brand comes into play. It is your opportunity to tell prospective employers who you are and what it is about you that is so attractive.
This should be no more than three or four sentences and be sure to us it to describe who you are not what you have done. That part comes later.
I also like highlighting a few key things that I want the reader to take away from my resume. There is something about leaving nothing to chance. In other words, don't assume that they will piece together what you want them to know. Tell them!
One way of doing this is to have a second mini-section in the Personal Profile section called: Acknowledged Strengths or Specific Skills or words to that effect. This is just going to be a few key things about you that you want the reader to know.
Section 3: Accomplishments
Now we are getting into the meat of the resume. This section is a bullet pointed list of things that you are really proud of. These are accomplishments where you really felt you were at your best. Keep in mind that these do not have to be only work related accomplishments. Sometimes we indicate our true potential doing work we volunteer to do outside our place of work. So if you were proud of volunteering at the Olympics and were recognized for excellent customer service - well put that in...it is a great accomplishment.
Accomplishments mean a lot more to people if they are specific for example, "As a result of my sales campaign, sales revenue increased 20% over the previous year." This sounds so much better than just: "I increased sales". Ideally each accomplishment will include both what you did and what the results were. If you can also state why the result was important - that is an additional benefit.
Section 4: Work History
Once you have bedazzled them with 8 to 10 powerful accomplishments, it is now time to speak to your work history. This is usually a chronological listing of the places you worked and the positions you held.
I prefer to see the dates of employment first, followed by your role or title and then by the name of the organization and its location. Some people tend to highlight the company first but in keeping with my theory that a resume is about you - I think the position or role you held while at the company is more important.
Right below the data on when, what, who for and where you worked, there is an opportunity for one or two lines highlighting the nature of the role you held. For example, titles can be highly variable so the "Director of Development" for one company can be an independent contributor role with a small budget and yet for another organization it can be a role with 20 direct reports and a budget in the millions. So - use one or two lines to highlight the scope, span of influence or nature of the work you did while in the position. A huge list of your responsibilities etc., is usually pretty boring reading.
Section 5: Education and Personal Development
The section on education and personal development is aimed at two things. One to provide "credibility" based on the education you have, even if it is just a high school leaving certificate. Whatever your level of education, put it in. Some of my clients have been reluctant to put the fact that they only have a high school education in their resume until I point out that if they don't the assumption will be that they didn't graduate at all. Please put it in.
The second thing this section tells employers is that you believe in keeping current in your chosen career and that you are a continuous learner. So in addition to putting in your education, use this section to highlight some of your other courses, seminars, workshops or conferences that you have attended complete with when you attended, where it was and who put it on. I would normally suggest you limit this to four or five such things that you feel are most relevant to what it is you want to do. A whole list of every course you have ever taken is overkill here.
Again, keep in mind - this is about providing you with the credibility afforded you by your education and secondly with the message that you are a life long learned interested in staying on top of your game.
Section 6: Other Interests and Activities
The last section on the resume is to provide some interest hooks for the interview to bring you to the top of the pile. This is a great place to put your awards, your scholarships, your volunteer work etc. as well as your interests. Keep in mind someone that lists "reading" as an interest is not going to get the same amount of attention as someone who lists "wine making" or "adventure travel" as an interest. The latter two examples may cause the interviewer to be curious and sometimes that is enough to get you the interview over someone else.
Watch Out For...
Here are some additional things to be careful about when preparing your resume.
Length
Your resume should be bikini like - large enough to cover the essentials, small enough to attract interest. Please format your resume to be no more than two pages in length. If you have a lot more than that - start trimming out the stuff that doesn't align well with your brand. Long resumes are boring and if you have a list of publications or something else you want to include - well bring the list to the interview and leave it with the interviewer. Remember, unless you are a University Professor or delegate to the United Nations, TWO PAGES MAX!
References
I rarely recommend including references on your resume and even the usual, "references available on request" line just takes up space. Most people will want references but they will ask for them in the interview. Bring your references' contact info with you to the interview. It will show that you are well prepared and understand the process.
The only exception to this rule is if you have a reference that is well known and highly regarded - like say the President or Pope for example. If you have some internationally recognized individual as a personal reference, well then you will likely get some benefit from including it. Otherwise, I recommend leaving them off.
Font and Style
Keep your font and text style very simple and classy. A lot of resumes are fed into a computer these days and the computer scrapes the information off them into a database. If you have done your resume in script or some unique font - the computer may not recognize it and all you work will come out as gibberish.
Similarly, I have seen people format their resumes will all sorts of pictures, weird formatting, blocks, tables and other things. I think this is risky and I recommend against it. Stick to the basics and you will be fine. It is the content that matter the most.
Keep in mind
1. Make your resume keyword-rich.
Recruiters and company resume databases search for resumes using keywords. Think of it as similar to the way you’d search for a restaurant on Google; you enter your key criteria for a place to eat, right? If your resume doesn’t have those keywords embedded, it won’t be included in the results. It’s crucial to identify the right terminology in the industry you’re applying for. Take time to research the company, look at the job requirements and highlight all the keywords and key phrases. Don’t get too crazy with the keywords, though. Just put enough to help employers find you faster. Remember this equation: Excellent Resume + Keywords = Job Opportunities.
2. Get your resume branded.
While employers care about your address, mobile number and e-mail address, what’s more important to them is how you do things differently; what makes you unique and what your bottom-line impact is in the organization. Ask yourself what you consistently do really well that is of value to the prospective employer. Once you identify it, turn it into a branding statement of three to four sentences, max.
3. Make it easy for employers.
Avoid the likelihood of conversion mistakes during upload and keep formatting as simple as possible; make it aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow. Use a different font – legible and not too fancy, but somewhat diverse from the usual Times New Roman or Arial fonts that everybody uses; this may just make a big enough difference to the eyes of the worn-out employer that has probably browsed through hundreds of resumes with the same fonts. Now there’s a good chance to give them – and yourself – a break!
4. Add a link.
Face it, social and professional networking sites are becoming hubs for job seekers and recruiters. Among the popular ones that most recruiters employ are LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. Add links to your profiles. Likewise, if you have a website, a blog or if you are featured on somebody else’s website, add those links to your resume, too. Be sure that they contain information that will impress the reader.
5. Pitch a positive personality.
Just because you’re listing facts doesn’t mean you can’t make them sound pretty. Use positive language in all instances to give the employer an upbeat positive attitude when they’re done reading your resume. These ostensibly little differences in the choice of words can have a major impact on how your resume is perceived.
6. Read Sample Resumes
If you have no idea about how to write a resume, then probably the best thing you can do is pick up a sample resume or the resume of your friend. Do note that the sample resume should only be used to understand the overall structure of a resume.
7. Choose a Layout
A resume can be laid out in a variety of formats namely chronological, functional or a combination. A chronological resume focuses on your professional experience and is ideal for people who have progressed in a single career stream. A functional resume focuses on skills rather than experience and is ideal for people who have worked in a variety of jobs. A combination resume is a hybrid between the two styles and is ideal for dynamic professionals.
8. Make it Crisp
Economy of words is of prime importance while writing a resume. A resume is meant to give a quick overview of a job seeker to the employer and wordiness would beat the entire purpose of the resume. Lay out your resume in bulleted format with short points.
9. Customize It
An ideal resume is tailored as per the requirements of the employer. Your resume should very well emphasize your attributes which are required by the potential employer. The order of your qualifications and skills should also be set as per the job requirements.
10. Put the Recent First
While stating your professional experience and educational qualifications, you should always put down the most recent one first and the older ones should follow in a reverse chronological order.
11. Spell Check
One of the things that are most scorned upon and can instantly put you out of consideration for a job is misspelled words. Impeccable grammar and correct spellings are a prerequisite, irrespective of what job profile you may be applying for.
12. Fonts
Resume should ideally be in typed format. One of the biggest blunders one can do with a resume is with the choice of fonts. A resume should be written in only one font which looks to be professional and minimalistic. Calibri, Times New Roman, Helvetica and Tahoma are some good fonts for resume writing.
Some Common Questions
How long should a resume be?
Resumes give you the opportunity to sell yourself to a potential employer. A resume is not an exhaustive list - if it's too long it probably won't get read at all. The best resumes are usually no longer than one or two pages.
Do I need to change my resume every time?
You should change your resume with every job application so that it lists the skills and experiences you have that are most relevant to the job you're applying for. A tailored resume will be much more successful than a generic one, even though it means more preparation.
What if I don't have much experience?
While things like your academic record and work experience are typical ways to show how suited you are to a particular job, these are not the only things you should include. There are other ways to demonstrate that you are the right person for the job, including your:
- Personal traits - you're an honest worker, you enjoy being part of a big team
- Strengths - things you're good at or enjoy
- Experiences - volunteering or extracurricular activities
- Key responsibilities and achievements - any awards or recognition that you've received
How do I organise my resume's information?
The structure of your resume will vary depending on your work experience and education and training background.
A resume usually sets out information in a reverse order. Your most recent work experience and study details should be first on the list.
What do I include on my resume?
Here's a brief rundown on the essential things to include on your resume.
Personal details
Full name and contact details including address, telephone number(s) and email address.
Education and training
A summary of your education and training history, starting with your most recent studies, making sure you include all training that's relevant to the job you're applying for.
Employment history
Start with your most recent work history and work backwards chronologically, listing the name of the employer, your job title, the dates you worked there, and your responsibilities, tasks and achievements. Make sure you include everything that's relevant to the job.
Skills and abilities
A list of the things you're good at. These can be general skills or skills specific to a particular job. List them under broad headings such as "Communication" and "Teamwork".
Career objective (optional)
Tell the employer what type of job you want end up with; this shows that you've given thought to your future career.
Interests (optional)
A list of your hobbies and interests; this gives employers more information about you and also shows other areas of your life where you've gained experiences such as teamwork and commitment.
Referees
List people who can talk about how good a worker you are. Make sure you get their permission before including them on your resume. List their name, company name occupation, and contact details. For more information, look at our
Who can be my referee page.
Resume checklist
After you've written your resume, and before sending it, go through this checklist:
- Proofreading - Make sure there aren't any spelling mistakes, typos or grammatical errors.
- Tailoring - Make sure everything you mention shows how well-suited you are for the job you're applying for.
- Presentation - Make sure the resume is well laid out, easy to read and printed on clean, white paper in a standard font (like Times New Roman, Arial or Verdana) and at a standard size (10 or 12 point).
- Detail - Make sure you've provided specific examples of your achievements and how you've used the skills you have.
A resume is mostly the first point of contact between you and your potential employer. This piece of document can make all the difference between getting an interview and not even being considered for a job.
