Tips for Writing an Exceptional Resume

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Resume Tips Articles : Tips for Writing an Exceptional Resume by Fei Lim

When you are writing a resume, your key goal is to have the resume help you get an interview for the job. It is important to remember that the prospective employer will no doubt be going through hundreds of resumes, so you want to be sure that your resume stands out among the many resumes they are looking at. The following are a few tips to help you write an exceptional resume that will get you noticed by prospective employers.

Tip #1 - Make it Readable - One very important tip for creating a resume that will stand out among the rest is to make it easily readable. Make sure that your resume is no more than a couple pages long, otherwise employers may just skip over your resume if it is too long. You should also be sure that you use a font that is large enough to be easily read. If the employer has to strain their eyes to see your resume, they may just bypass it for one that is more easily read.

Tip #2 - Market Yourself - The whole point of your resume is to make yourself look like a great person for the job. When you are writing your resume, you want to do your best to make yourself look as great as possible without lying or stretching the truth. Make sure that your resume points out your strengths and make sure that you show what sets you apart from the rest of the applicants for the job.

Tip #3 - Avoid Paragraphs - One mistake that many people make when they are writing a resume is using paragraphs. You want to use quick ways to get the reader’s attention, so use bullets to help direct the reader’s attention to important parts of your resume. If you use paragraphs, the important things may just get skipped over when the employer browses over your resume.

Tip #4 - Showcase the Positive - When you are writing your resume you need to be sure that you showcase the positive achievements in your career. If there are negative points or even points that are irrelevant to the job, you may just want to leave them out altogether. Stress important parts of your previous jobs that may qualify you for the job you want. If you are older and you are afraid that an employer may not like your age, then leave out things that may point to how old you are. You want to make a great impression on the employer the first time, so be sure to focus on the positive.

Tip #5 - Use Keywords and Action Words - Often people fall into a rut when writing a resume and use bland and general terms. If you want to get attention, you need to use keywords and action words throughout your resume. You can identify keywords to use by looking at the job advertisement and the job description. Take the terms used and try to incorporate them through your resume to show that you are qualified for the job. Also be sure to use action words as well throughout your resume to give it a powerful feel.

Tip #6 - Show Broad Knowledge - While you may be tempted to only put some of your jobs on your resume that are directly linked to the job you are trying to apply for, it is important that you show a broad scope of knowledge. You want the prospective employer to see that you do have excellent experience in the area of expertise needed for the job, but you also want to show other knowledge and skills that you have acquired that can make you an even better candidate for the job.

Tip #7 - Show Accomplishments instead of Responsibilities - It may be easy to just start listing off the responsibilities that you used to have at a previous job, but these tend to look bland. You want to show what you accomplished and how the previous job may relate to the job you are applying for. Show accomplishments that you made at each job and try to make them relate to the job you want.

Once you use your resume to catch the eye of a prospective employer, you will have a chance to impress them with a resume and you may even get the job. Remember that your resume is the very first step in getting a job you want, so make it a resume that gets the job done.

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Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=429452