How to Write Resume 

Always keep in mind that your resume is the first impression a potential employer will get of you and it is the determining factor in whether they will call you for an interview, so it is very important that you write an effective resume. The first thing you need to understand is that most employers will receive anywhere from hundreds to thousands of resumes for one open position, so they are only able to spend a maximum of 30 seconds reviewing each one before moving on to the next .   It is very important to make sure your resume catches their attention, so keeping it short and simple is the key. Try to keep your resume down to 1 page, the only time you should use 2 pages is if you have had work history longer than 10 years AND more than 3 jobs.  You will want to keep your font between 10 pt. and 14 pt. and choose a font that is easy to read, not too fancy.  Don’t worry so much about trying to make your resume look ‘full of information’, white space is good, it allows your potential employer to scan through more easily. If it is too hard to quickly read through it may just end up in the trash.

Before you begin writing you will want to choose your objective. You will want to make sure that it is a detailed statement describing the sort of job you are looking for. Even start with a basic objective and expand upon it as you go. Just don’t be generic and try to have it relate to the job you are applying for. Once you have an objective you can start to write a resume and showcase your skills and accomplishments. Be to the point and confident with your statements, make sure to include any qualifications that would be beneficial to the position that you are applying for. Use bullets to make the key points stand out and try to only use positive affirmations.  When referencing previous employers and positions try to use actual figures and statistics such as; ‘Increased customer sales by 20%’ rather than simply saying ‘increased customer sales’, these stand out to an employer. Also, try to use as many action words as you can; some companies use scanners to look for certain words they have selected that may relate to the position.  Condense any unimportant information as much as possible and only include detailed information for previous employers related to the open position.  Always be honest and don’t lie about your skills or any gaps in employment, it will all catch up with you in the end.

Now that you have learned how to write a resume the only thing you may need to look at is your email address. Some employers may be discouraged by an unprofessional address, so you may want to consider setting up a new one to use just for job search.  Once that is done, you are on your way to finding the job of your dreams, all because you learned how to write a resume!