Resumes are vital when applying for a job, second to you and your skills of course. When talking about resumes there are things that a job hunter must consider and should give more
focus on. Most people who make resumes focus on having a good objective, summaries of skills and experiences, profiles, the title headings, reference statements, dates, personal interests, salary history, keywords, graphics, fonts, and not to mention, how long the resume should be. More so, the format to be used is always one thing an applicant things hard about. Should it be on the chronological order, should it be functional or the combination of the two? But one thing should be remembered; the resume is like a personal advertisement it should sell the strengths and qualifications of a candidate. It must contain your full contact details, well-organized, with the necessary information of what the HR of the company might need in order to decide if the candidate is well suited for a certain position or not. The resume should also hold a list of relevant experience and achievements.
WHAT IS A RESUME'S PURPOSE? The purpose of the resume is like an advertisement, a resume holds a list of skills and competencies it is a marketing document that sells the candidate. So it should communicate your career objective and worth to a hiring company. A good resume should be planned carefully and developed in an appropriate style or format designed to showcase your experience, skills, and accomplishments in relation to the position you are applying for.
Do's and Don'ts of Resume Writing
- Make your name in bold and enlarge it at the top of everything.
- Make each section consistent and lined up.
- Use professional fonts like Arial or Times New Roman font
- The font size should not be less than 11pt or bigger than 12pt, looking at rule one the exception will be on your Name and Headings.
- Avoid using the pronoun "I," salary and why you want to leave your present company.
- For 2-page resumes: make sure that you fill the 2nd page with at least 50% of the page.
- Indicate label by placing "Continued" at the end of the first page and make sure you place your name again on the second page.
- If you are applying for a job that entails creativity use graphics. You can use a borderline.
- If you are applying as a model or an actor/actress it is safe to put photos, and hobbies. If not then just leave it, as well as other personal data.
This and the following blogs will illustrate the main differences among resume styles.
Chronological. The chronological format is the most commonly used by applicants. It is straight to the point and with this style, the hiring manager can easily trace the career path and progression of the candidate, with this format it is impossible to hide employment gaps, that is why this is the favored style of recruiters and employers.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE XYZ Co., Brooklyn, NY 1999 - Present Sales Representative • Garnered sales for telecommunication services to various business accounts in the Northwest and Midwest cities. • Discussed with clients on the advantages of cost-effectiveness of switching from regular service which brought about a 15% increase in market penetration. This brought about an increase in revenues of $20,000 in 1999.
Jefferson Home Equipment, Bronx, NY 1993 - 1999 Business Development Officer • Held market analysis on European markets and conducted feasibility studies to gauge the marketability of the business in Germany and Italy. • Assertively marketed Jefferson's business logo and message in media advertising, promoting brand awareness all throughout the US and Europe.
