The foundation of your job search is a solid résumé that quickly conveys what you have to offer to a potential employer. Below are some professional résumé writing skills you’ll need to increase your chances of getting noticed and selected for further consideration.
| Guidelines for writing a winning résumé |
Apply these basic rules for the best presentation:
- Keep length within two pages; high-level executives may need three to four pages.
- Body, address, phone numbers, and email address: 11-12 point size; name and headings: 14-16 point size. Apply bold style to name and headings.
- Use a standard font, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
- Center at top of page in the following order: name, address, phone numbers, and email address.
- For previous jobs, do not include company street address, salary, and reason for leaving.
- Leave out personal information, including photos and hobbies, unless they are relevant to the position.
- Keep the format simple – avoid using tables and complicated indents, tabs, and other formatting. They may get lost in translation when sending your résumé electronically.
- Prepare your résumé in common formats, including Word document format and PDF.
- Avoid using the pronoun “I” throughout content.
- Proof several times for clarity and proper grammar and punctuation.
| Guidelines to grab readers’ attention quickly |
 |
|
It takes Human Resource professionals and hiring managers less than 20 seconds to decide whether applicants merit further consideration. Therefore, it is necessary for you to grab their attention quickly – within the first third or half of page of your résumé. The following tips will help you achieve this:
- Your résumé should have a professional presentation and be easy to read.
- Be concise and use consistent formatting that allows for plenty of white space.
- If you are a new graduate or have less than five years of experience, state a short, yet specific, career objective underneath your header information. In writing a résumé objective, make sure it reflects your qualifications for the particular position that you are applying for.
- If you have more than five years of experience, instead of including an objective, briefly describe your professional qualifications – strengths, capabilities, and experience – in a bulleted format.
- To capture potential employers’ attention online, include several key words that they might use to search for candidates in your field. Also pull key words from job descriptions when you apply for an opening – your résumé may be screened first by a computer.
- Write cover letters that directly address the job requirements listed in each job posting as they relate to your experience. Refer to the position by its exact number or title as it appears in the job posting.
|
|
| How to communicate content efficiently |
|
|
The content of your résumé must allow the reader to quickly and easily review a summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience. Using a standard format and implementing a few writing techniques will help you accomplish this.
- For new graduates and applicants with less than five years of experience, format résumé in the following order: Header, Objective, Education, Experience (job history and additional applicable skills), Professional (associations, awards, volunteer work), References (References available upon request.).
- For experienced applicants, format résumé in the following order: Header, Qualifications, Experience (job history and additional applicable skills), Education, Professional (associations, awards, volunteer work), References (References available upon request.).
- List items under Education and Experience in reverse chronological order. For Education include: degree, major, year graduated, honors, awards, and any other relevant information. For Experience include: dates, title, company, location, and duties.
- When listing specific tasks or accomplishments within a job summary, use bullet points whenever possible to make it easy to read.
- Within your accomplishments, include a few examples where you resolved a problem that demonstrates your professional expertise.
- Use specific detail and strong verbs to add impact and fully demonstrate what you’ve done.
- Put a positive twist on any gaps in employment − state the time period and the interesting or significant things you did during it.
|
|
