Writing a resume or CV and listing your employment history along with educational credentials are not the same things. Moreover, today resume writing has become almost an art. In fact, resume writing has become a profession - people earn money by helping job seekers find employment creating application documents on their behalf. Therefore, one of the most frequently asked questions of a typical job seeker is “How do I write my resume? Where should I start?” In this article, we would like to share some practical tips on how you can create your own resume or CV.
Step 1
. You have to decide what you need a resume for. The answer like “for job seeking purposes” doesn’t work. You have to be more specific. What type of job openings do you want to apply using your resume? Unfortunately, you can’t create one for all. It won’t work that way. Well, you can reassure yourself that that is OK, but the matter of fact is that it will unlikely bring you any results. So choose the positions you are going to apply for with your resume BEFORE writing it.
Step 2. Study the job opening carefully. Remember, this is still the pre-writing stage – no drafting/writing involved so far. Job openings that list requirements and qualifications are a great source for information. When you understand what the company needs, it will be much easier to know what information to include in your resume.
Step 3. Now you are to sit down and jot down all of the work experiences that you had in the past. Not only jobs but trainings, certificates, diplomas, awards, etc. List all you have ever done in regards to your professional experience.
Step 4. You have to choose what information from what you have written down you will put on your resume. Remember, it is all about relevant content. Potential employers will not be interested in something that doesn’t relate to what their company needs. They also would be interested in anything before college so save time and don’t include such information into your resume.
Step 5. Start with your name and contact details. Then create an objective statement or a summary of qualifications that will address requirements for a job opening you are applying for. Don’t copy and templates like “seeking ac accountant position” from the Internet. Whether you choose to go with an objective or summary it should be focused on what you can offer to a company (not what you want from specific employment).
Step 6. Then list your professional experience in a reverse chronological order clearly stating your responsibilities, positions, and past employers. Try to focus on your accomplishments rather than typical job duties.
Step 7. End your resume with educational credentials listing in reverse chronological order as well. Don’t forget to include any relevant certifications and training completed. These 7 steps are a skeleton for the resume writing process in general. It will help to direct your efforts in the right direction if you didn’t know what to do with the information you have had. After you are done with writing a resume, please double check for grammatical mistakes and typos. The final thing you could do is to give your resume or CV to a high schooler. If he/she can clearly understand your value as of a professional, then you can send it out. The point is your resume message should be clear so that even a high schooler can understand. Don’t forget to tailor your CV for different job openings to achieve better results.
