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Even in the day and age of the Internet the single most valuable thing you can do while seeking employment, is to arm yourself, with a clear, concise and powerful resume.
A resume is the first and only way prospective employers will judge you, a well written, powerful, resume, will definitely put you on the to call list, rather than the "keep on file" stack. Your resume should reflect your skills and personality.
Here are some general tips for creating your resume, in addition to the pertinent contact information (Name, telephone and email information, individuals seeking computer opportunities who do not have e-mails, are subconsciously telling the employer their lack of interest).
- Select the appropriate resume style , chronological , to show progressive growth if you had long steady periods of employment. Or functional (Job/Task) related if you have had periods of inactivity or are in the midst of career changes.
- You're resume should be neatly printed on a laser printer, or similar high quality output device, avoid color or bubble jet printers. Use an easy to read font, and size, leave adequate white space to keep your layout clear and easily digestible. Use bold and italics only to stress emphasis.
- A common misconception is that printing your resume on high quality paper will improve your chances of getting the job. Content is ten times more important than the paper the resume is on.
- Include a powerful, clear and concise Objective line, to indicate your purpose for seeking this position.
- Neatly organize your past employment/experience
history into concise, bulleted paragraphs
outline your responsibilities, roles and accomplishments. Try
to use numbers and figures when you can...
- "I increased our departments revenue by 20%" or
- " I lead a team which completed a $1.5 million project two months ahead of schedule"
- "I wrote 20,000 lines of bug-free code in 3 months"
- "The product which I worked on went on to generate $50,000 of additional profit in the third quarter"
- For technical professionals, it is imperative to discuss hardware, software and other technical experience gained from previous employment projects
- Group or create a separate section of the resume, that shows your technical aptitude in the various are of hardware, software and systems. List them in order of familiarity.
- Show you have interests outside the office,
many candidates often neglect the non-work aspects of their personality,
this leads employers to think of them as one-dimensional. Include a
Hobbies or non-work related section, this helps the
individuals reading your resume, to make a personal connection, such
as
- Your potential boss (person reading the resume), goes out golfing, with other members of corporate management, and notices that your an avid golfer, with no handicap
- Your potential employer has been meaning to go on vacation with his wife to the Caribbean, and notices that you're a certified scuba instructor
- Use powerful words in your resume, to call attention to your accomplishments and responsibilities, you can find a list of these powerful words in many resume writing books and web-sites.
- . Conversely avoid negative or ambiguous words or phrases in your resume body. Many resumes, describe common tasks in mundane details, try to describe your abilities beyond the obvious. Describe your skills as how they can relate and help an organization.
- Do not include an over-abundance or Internet or URL information on your resume. Potential employers reading your resume will not scurry to their computers to check out your web-pages, one contact e-mail or URL is usually sufficient.
- Do not blatantly lie or embellish items, which can easily be verified or discovered. These include school records, degrees held, positions held etc.
- Validate your contact information, especially your phone number, it's very easy to mis-type or assume your contact information is correct, don't overlook this. After all if the employer can't contact you he or she will not offer you the position.
Resume writing , Interview ,Follow-up
interview