How To Write A Resume
So You Always Have a Current Resume
Learn How To Write a Resume
Most people write a resume as a chronological summary of everything they’ve done in their professional lives.
Employers only care about one thing: what you can do for them. If they can’t quickly get that answer out of your resume, it’ll get tossed in the garbage can.
An effective resume draws their attention, clearly spells out why you are a better choice than the other candidates, and lands you an interview.
Should I use an experienced resume writer to write a resume?
Yes. Get it done right the first time because once your resume starts circulating, you won’t get a chance to go back and clean it up. Frankly, when I work with people on their resumes, I am shocked at what they’re sending out. These days, employers keep resumes in their databases for months or even years. So if it is poorly done and unimpressive, you may have blown it. Don’t take any chances on this.
How long does a really good resume take to prepare?
At least several weeks. You can’t throw one together and expect it to be your best. That’s another reason to engage a writer. That person will look at the resume with a critical eye, speed up the process, and improve the quality. It’s very, very important to start working on your resume early. I can’t tell you how many people send me resumes that need a ton of work. Yet they need to send it in “tomorrow”.
Does this mean I have to use a resume writer forever?
No. And be very wary of someone who tries to tell you otherwise. The writer should explain how to update it yourself, going forward. You need to take ownership of your resume. It’s your life. It’s your career. When I do resumes, I show the person how to organize each section and how to add new information in a way that attracts the most attention from a prospective employer. Now, if major career events take place or if you are going after a job that has a lot of competition, you may want to engage a writer to make sure your resume is in top shape.
Should I have a cover letter professionally prepared as well?
Yes. People who haven’t yet met you personally will judge you by your communications. If you send a poor quality cover letter or email, the prospective employer will immediately suspect your resume and all the time you spent working on it will go down the tubes. It’s worth the small additional investment to have a good cover letter or a professional email done ahead of time. Don’t take a chance on this detail. It could make or break you getting in the door.
How often should I update my resume?
Go back and re-examine it at least twice a year. A good time of year to do that is January. You will have finished a full year of work and probably will have things to add or change. The job market typically heats back up in February-March, so you’ll be ready by that time.
How To Write a Resume
The way to write a resume is to stop thinking how you can parade all that wonderful experience that you gained over the years and start thinking “What do they NEED to know”.
The only thing that any hiring manager wants to decide is: should I interview this candidate?
So write a resume that makes it easy for the employer to conclude that they want to interview you. This is what better resume writing is all about.
First aim to get your information in the right order, then be sure to keep it brief and relevant. If you provide too much information, it can disguise what they really need to see.
o The top of the first page is the most important area of your resume. Can they see immediately who you are, what you have to offer and where they can contact you?
o Clearly identify your level of expertise and competence by a section which highlights them.
o Showcase your specific skills on your resume.
o Identify what level of job role you are seeking.
o Start with the most recent job – employers take most notice of current skills and experience.
When you write a resume to get hired faster, include within each employment section the company name, the dates, your job title and two or three lines which describes the purpose of your job.
Follow this by detailing simple bullet points of information that show how you have met that purpose, including achievements and outputs quantified wherever possible. To write a resume that works don’t make the list too long however – you can have only done so much!
Go backwards through your career history but don’t bother too much with what happened more than 10 years ago; with the pace of change much of it may not be too relevant any more.
Conclude with a section that shows professional memberships or specialist qualifications, you may also add external activities but only where you derive useful additional skills from.
When you write a Resume, it should be carefully and clearly laid out with enough ‘white space’ for it not to appear cramped. Use a bold typeface for individual section headings and employer details/dates of employment
Keep it brief but relevant – your Resume is merely to get the reader’s attention and interest. Adding too much information about exams and training courses can make for tedious reading.
To write a resume and get hired faster be positive – its OK to write confidently and to highlight your strong points. For example, when listing your achievements, show what you actually did and use numbers to make it more convincing wherever possible.
Be honest – you might omit some details which you would prefer the employer not to know about, but do not lie on your Resume and you must never knowingly give inaccurate or misleading information, because it will backfire on you at some point.
This is how to write a resume and get hired faster – for more information about how to write a resume or a CV go to CVs and Resumes on my All CV Writing website.