How to Create a Resume

A good resume is not difficult to prepare. It takes a little research, a little planning and clearly expressed information in an easy-to-read format.

Choose the Right Format

There are different resume formats for different industries. If you are applying at a small, locally owned business, the format you pick will not be as important as the format needed to apply for an executive position in a large company. Review various examples of resume formats to find a format that works for your type of job and level of experience.

Be Honest

Usually references are checked before you are hired; so, if you don't tell the truth about your education or experience, you may get an interview, but you would not be hired. If there are gaps between jobs, you need to explain them rather than try and cover them up.

Be Professional

Your resume should reflect your professionalism. Choose your words carefully. Humorous email addresses are fine for everyday life, but not for professional resumes. It is easy enough to get another email address that you could use primarily for work or applying for jobs.

Be Brief

“Less is more” in resumes. You should only have two pages if you have over 10 years of work experience. Otherwise, one page is plenty. You may want to write everything out and see where you can cut back or shorten some descriptions.

Tips for Making Your Resume Effective

Most resumes contain information about your education, career goals, experience, skills, and honors or achievements. They may also include activities and special interests and references. A good resume will have the right balance of style and action words to "sell" someone on hiring you.

Be Consistent and Clear

Your writing style needs to be consistent and clear:

Don’t try and impress with big or possibly confusing words.
Don’t use “I” or “my” and start each explanation with an action word.
Use the proper tense of verbs when referring to past or present activities.
If you reference an organization that is not well known, you need to put in a brief description of it.

Tell What You Have Accomplished

Your resume needs to show you in the best light possible:

Use words that convey action such as: achieved, administered, analyzed, coordinated, created, decided, designed, developed, improved, increased, introduced, investigated, modernized, negotiated, planned, promoted, reported, researched, and updated.
Stress accomplishments and the amount of responsibility you have had. An example would be, "Coordinated sales campaign leading to a 15 percent increase in sales."

Tailor Your Resume to the Job

If you are applying for different types of jobs, you may need to change the format and the descriptions of your resume to adapt it to each position.

You may need to emphasize different accomplishments and training to different would-be employers.
Always update your resume before applying for a job.

Make Your Resume Easy to Read

The person reviewing your resume may only spend a few seconds to decide if it is worth their time to read the full resume. The resume has to be very easy to read at first glance.

You need to explain any acronyms of abbreviations you use, and do not use contractions.
Cute and colorful fonts are fine in personal communication, but not on a resume. You need to use a font that is easy to read and the size needs to be between 10 and 14.
Proofread and remember that the computer will not catch everything, because some misspelled words make words. For example, words like “red” and “read’ need to be checked.
Make sure the structure is consistent. If you want all the headings bold, then check to make sure all of them are bold.

Print a Resume That Gets Attention

Compose a cover letter to accompany your resume.
Use good quality paper for your cover letter, resume, and envelope, and use the same paper for your cover letter and resume.
Your resume may be scanned because you are sending it to a high tech company or a large corporation. Make it easy to scan. Do not underline, do not include graphics, and don't use italics.
Your resume should not be stapled or folded.
The color of the paper used should be ivory or white.

Your Resume Should Open the Door

A prospective employer will use your resume to decide if you have the basic skills and experience for the job. Take a little extra time to make sure that you present yourself well and that your resume is easy to read. It might make the difference between getting the job, or not.