Creating an Effective Resume
Have you ever thought of your resume as a personal marketing tool? If not, maybe it’s time you do. Your resume should be designed to electrify potential employers by highlighting your most valuable skills and achievements. Below are ways to create a proper resume and things to take note while creating your resume.
- The first thing is the document title, Resume, followed by your name. This should be in bold with a lager font, but not too big.
- Your address, contact details should be neatly presented, with date of birth, nationality and marital status also possible here.
- Brief Personal Profile: This will be about 3 to 4 lines of text giving a brief overview of your key skills and attributes, and perhaps your objective regarding such a position. Be concise and try to appear interesting and professional to the reader. It will encourage them to read on.
- Your employment history starting with your current or most recent job first, then go backwards through your career. State the company name, job title and the period you worked there. Begin by listing your duties and responsibilities. Be specific and detail on your duties and experience gained. List specific achievements such as finishing a job/project ahead of schedule, or learning a new skill. List any industry training and qualifications you gained while in that
Employers like to see employees who learn and respect new skills. - Education: Briefly list your school qualifications, college certificate/diploma and university degree giving dates, location and exam results. Again start with your highest level or most recent training first, and then go backwards through your education.
- Additional skills: List your important everyday skills such as some IT skills, programs used, professional skills, languages. Perhaps provide some evidence of where you have used them.
- Interests: Employers are usually more interested in activities which require you to show team commitment or personal initiative and drive.
- References/Referees: Write ‘References available on request’ if you prefer
Things to Take Note While Creating Your Resume
Check Your Grammar and Spelling
Remember that any type of grammatical or spelling mistake in your CV will create a negative impact in the mind of the employer. It will give the impression that you cannot do any work correctly. So after preparing your CV, read it intensely and let it checked by somebody who knows correct English.
Be Honest
Lying or exaggerating about your skills and abilities will only come back to haunt you.
Be Organized and Logical
In addition to reviewing your experience, employers also use the resume to sense whether you are organized, logical, and concise. Make sure your resume is balanced, neat, visually appealing, and flows consistently. Clearly separate sections and emphasize section titles.
Utilize Bullet-Points
Use bullet points in the body of your resume instead of long paragraphs. Resumes are read rather quickly and anything you can do to draw the reader in will bring you one step closer to landing an interview.