Writing a killer resume-3 Tips

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Writing a killer resume-3 Tips

When deciding to look for a new job and putting together a resume there are a couple things you need to consider, the first thing you need to do is to think about what type of job you want to acquire and use this to write your objective.

Once you have your objective you can build your resume based upon the objective. Your objective will be the “headline” of your resume. Just like a magazine or a news article the first thing that people typically look at before deciding to read the article is the headline. Having a strong objective will entice a hiring manager to read further.

Here are three tips to use on your resume:

1. State your objective clearly

When writing your objective make sure that you use power words and action verbs, words such as increased, managed, developed, and many other action verbs will help your objective stand out from the crowd.
“As most hiring managers do quick scans of your resume once receiving it these action items will highlight your past accomplishments”
As most hiring managers do quick scans of your resume once receiving it these action items will highlight your past accomplishments.

2. Use bullets

When someone quick scans a document, such as your resume, they will be looking for short sentences that stand out. The best way to make sure that your major accomplishments stand out is to use bullets. For each of your past jobs use three to four bullets on some year major accomplishments and use specifics such as grew customer base by 200% in assigned territory.

Using bullets and specifics will catch the eye of the hiring manager and this will be one of the first things a look at after they get past your objective.

3. Use space wisely

If at all possible try to use one page for your resume. Make sure that your resume is easy to read and uncluttered and use a lot of white space. There is no need on your resume to go completely in-depth on all of your past experiences just make sure that you highlight your major accomplishments. When someone sits down to read your resume, since most people have a short attention span, give your information to them in quick bite sized chunks.

The main job of your resume is to catch the attention of the company or the person who is doing the hiring, make sure your resume grabs their attention and they will want to interview you and this is where you should really shine. The resume is like a presale of yourself and your accomplishments make it as easy as possible on the person reading the resume to get to the important parts.