Making resume is not a very tough job but making it perfect is not very easy either. A resume is something that generates opinion about the candidate. Therefore, we have tried to put the most relevant information about creating an impressive resume.
Candidates should think themselves as products and the employer the buyer. It will convince the employer to ask the candidate for an interview.
Overall format
Appearances count as much as content. The way the candidate's resume is presented and laid-out will make an enormous difference to how much attention it attracts. Use good layout and format the content nicely.
- The best resumes are usually no more than two pages in length, with critical information summarized in the top third of the first page.
- Information is presented clearly with plenty of bullet points.
- Wide borders and white space between paragraphs also help make resume easier to read.
- A clear font and simple layout will keep the employer's focus where it matters
Your Profile
This part of the resume is like the picture in the advert. It sits right at the top of the resume, just below the name and contact details of the candidate. In two or three sentences, a candidate need to highlight one or two important areas of his/her experience and pinpoint two or three key skills and abilities. One can also mention career goals, or what one is looking for in the next job.
Achievements
Next in a resume comes the Achievements section. This section provides extra information that goes into the advert. An achievement is a result that candidates personally brought about in their current or post jobs. The best achievements to include are those that can be measured in financial figures, statistics, numbers of people or units, as these show how candidates can help to bring about results to the organization. Reports written or awards won also count as excellent achievements.
Career history
It is advisable to start with the current or most recent job and work backwards through candidate's work history. For each job, the employer's name and location should be given, job title and the dates when a candidate started and finished the job. Next, details of duties for each post need to be provided. It is better to start with the most important responsibility and work downwards. Use of bullet points would be better to keep it neat and clear.
Education / Qualifications
This section is also like the small print. A candidate can simply list what he or she has attained, along with the place of study and the dates when qualified. If there is a degree, that's needed as an inclusion. Candidate can also include any professional qualifications and memberships gained in the past.
Personal Details and Hobbies
Hobbies and interests are not always important to an employer. However, for certain jobs, outside interests of the candidate might tell the employer a bit more about him or her - such as personality, leadership potential and team working skill.
Check it and double check it
Running Spellchecker on word processing package to check that there aren't any errors in your resume in a very important step. Candidates should reread the resume several times. Reading it out aloud will help him or her notice where the grammar or sentence structure doesn't work. Asking somebody else to read it for the candidate is highly advised.