So You Need to Prepare a Resume…
So You Need to Prepare a Resume…now what? Just for the fun of it, I googled “resume writing tips”…I received 21,950,000 hits. Wow, how in the world do you decipher all of that information? Where do you begin? What is right? What is wrong? I perused though the pages and found numerous articles on Top 10 Resume Writing Tips, Top 5, even a Top 44. All of these promised to produce a killer resume. I am not so sure that there are 5 or 10 or even 44 tips that will produce the perfect resume for everyone.
I firmly believe that a resume has to be personal…it must tell the personal story of the writer addressing the needs of the potential employer. That’s it…its pretty simple. Well, it’s not quite all that easy. Here are a few suggestions that I believe could help you prepare a good resume:
• Be yourself…your resume needs to reflect who you are, not who you think the company wants to hire. This is a mistake that is often made by many. No one is the perfect candidate; although we may think we are…we all have flaws and imperfections. Be yourself and make sure that your resume reflects you.
• Be professional…there is a professional appearance to resumes that should be followed. Review resumes on line and use a professional template to format your resume. There are plenty of free ones available. Also, professional language should be used for in describing your achievements, experience and education.
• Be truthful…often times, there is a temptation to enhance or embellish previous experience. Be careful not to “enhance” achievements, experience or education. Resume “enhancements” will be revealed in an interview and may lose the opportunity for you.
• Be clear…think through what you are going to put on resume. Be clear…don’t beat around the bush, so to speak. Be direct and right to the point. For example, when listing accomplishments, use phrases such as:
o served to Team Leader,
o cut scrap by 48%,
o increased sales by11%,
o recognized as Employee of the Month,
o etc.
• Be concise…write in terms of bullets rather than long paragraphs. It is much easier to read and also, highlights your strengths.
• Be organized…don’t jump around. Organize both your education and work history in a chronological format…from latest to oldest. Be careful not to let the short term positions overshadow the long term positions. If there is a period of time that you help several temporary positions, group them together as “Temporary Positions” and briefly summarize the responsibilities.
• Be personable…let “yourself” show through your resume. You want the person who is going to review your resume to have a mental picture of you after he or she is finished reading it. It is his or her “take away” about you that is important. By building your resume properly, you can paint your personal picture. You want to show how each position and resulting experience built upon on another. Also, you want to point out your successes in position where you flourished.
You need to recognize the overall objective of the resume. That is, to demonstrate to the potential employer your experience and education in such a manner that it will get you an interview. Somehow, you need to set yourself apart from the other applicants. Recently, I was told by one employer, it was not uncommon for him to receive upwards of 80 resumes for a local position. Wow, keep in mind, that you need to construct your resume in such a way that it rises to the top of a stack of eighty.
