Well begun is half done. Most of us understand why the statement is true based on experience. Beginning a project successfully makes it so much easier to do the rest. A good indicator is the number of google queries that begin with "How to start...". Resume writing is no exception in this context. Many job seekers are puzzled when they have to develop their own resume simply because they don't know where to start. What should one do first when writing a resume? Is there anything particularly important that has to be mentioned in the very beginning of the document? Are there things that need to be done prior to actual writing? These are some questions that have been bugging job seekers for quite a while. Today, in this blog we are going to address the issue of starting your resume successfully.
Start It Strong
The mistake many job seekers commit when writing a resume is they start writing before they understand what the document will be used for specifically. Understanding that you are creating a resume for job search purposes isn't specific enough. Before you ever sit to write anything, there are some things you have to do first in order to develop a winning resume. One (and this maybe the most important) is you have to understand what kind of jobs you are going to apply for with this document.
There is a huge difference between creating a resume to apply for inventory control jobs and the one for a teacher's position. Obviously, it is much easier to draft a generic document that will tell how good you are in everything you do and send it out to as many employers as you can possibly find. But we are talking about effective resume writing, not generic (=ineffective) resume writing.
Therefore, rule #1 is to establish the target job. Once you establish your target job you have to identify your relevant skills, qualifications and experience for the position. The key word here is relevant. You may be a true professional having vast experience in many fields but hiring managers usually have no interest in "other fields" whatsoever. Employers are interested in the skills and qualifications they need to cover certain area of operation.
Thus, rule #2 for starting your resume effectively is to identify key relevant experience - things that will prove to employers that you can manage the job by showing how you did the same or similar task successfully in the past. Having chosen the target job (and knowing its requirements) and having identified your relevant skills, you can now get to actual writing. It is important not to skip the aforementioned steps as this will result in a resume being generic and not up to the point.
