Resume Builder

Resume Builder

Your resume is one of the most crucial aspects of your job search. A resume is what represents you and your expertise.

With the Internet, now more than ever, the appearance and flow of your resume is more important. Rarely, do people who are job hunting drop off their resumes in person. Your resume has one shot to catch the HR/Recruiter’s attention within the first 20 seconds they look at it.

Below is a list of what your resume must have:

Heading:

Make sure to list your name, address, two phone numbers, and an e-mail address. It is prudent that employers can reach you in a timely fashion.

Objective:

Be sure to have a broad objective if you are entry level. As you move ahead in your career, you can make your objective more concise. There is no problem with altering your objective to help fit the job you are applying to.

Summary:

A summary section is used by a person who has been working for a while in their given field. Many times their resume will be several pages and this will help the employer decide if they want to spend more than 20 seconds scanning the resume.

Work History:

This can be the hardest section of the resume to get correct. It can be tricky to get the balance between giving too much information or not enough information. If you put down too much information, there will be nothing to talk about during the interview. If there is not enough information an employer cannot properly assess if you are the right person for the job. A brief job description followed up by bullet points is one of the widest used formats. Be sure to include any awards or accolades for customer service or company savings.

Education:

List your education starting with your highest degree of education completed and then go back in order. Include the academic institution, location (many colleges have satellite campuses), and major. Only put your grade point average (GPA) on your resume if your GPA was a 3.0 or higher.

Miscellaneous:

This section is where you put additional information about yourself (interests and special skills) that you would like for a prospective employer to know about. Be sure to use positive words in this section when describing what you are like. Use words like dependable, hard working, willing to learn, enthusiastic, loyal, etc.

Things to Note:

1. Misrepresentation. Do not lie on your resume. Now, more than ever, companies are conducting thorough background checks to make sure they are getting the best candidate.
2. Inappropriate language or comments.
3. Negative remarks or comments about your previous employers or your departure.
4. Never use “slang” or “catchphrases.”
5. Spelling and grammar mistakes.
6. Bright colors or graphics.
7. Giving too much information.
8. Using acronyms from your previous company.
9. Cuteness and/or cleverness.
10. Only listing years for tenure at a company and not including the month you started and ended. For example, if a person says they were at a company from 2000 to 2001. The employer does not know if the person has been there from 01/2000 to 12/2001 giving the person almost two years of employment. Or, if the person worked from 12/2000 to 1/2001 giving the person only two months of employment. Not including months is a serious red flag for potential employers.

If you follow the above formula you will end up with a resume that looks good and reads well. It will allow employers to see what you have done in the past and what you can do for their organization in the future.