How To Prepare A Great Resume

Sending the company you wish to work for your resume is the first thing you will do. Most people find that this is not exactly child's play. It isn't easy to write a great resume, one that shows up succinctly your strongest points without belaboring anything. Do you, for example, know what your future employer is really looking for? It's also important to know what a good resume looks like; so, learn the proper format.

 

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when preparing your resume:

  1. Know just what should be included in a resume. And make sure that you include those things and nothing else. Do evaluate your resume with care, so that before you go for an interview, you should be on top of what you have been saying about yourself. Don't let some discrepancy between what's written and what you may say raise a red flag during the interview. This may indicate that you are not quite truthful. Having a copy with you for the interview is a good idea, too. It enables you to double check things, should this be necessary.
  2. Market yourself: It is of paramount importance to list those experiences first that really relate to the job for which you are applying. Calling these by the right name is a good idea as well, such as Relevant Experiences, etc.
  3. Make it readable: This applies even to the font; don't use fancy ones that are difficult on the eyes. Most of the time, Times New Roman or Arial is the preferred fonts. The font sizes most commonly used in the business world are 10 and 12.
  4. Include relevant Education, Honors, Degrees, and Certifications: If you are applying for an internship, these things go to the top of the resume, but once you have some experience behind you, they should be the last things listed. If you are a recent graduate, again, these things should lead your qualifications.
  5. Proofread the resume with care: it is of paramount important not to have typographical or grammatical errors in the printed version of your resume. Sometime someone else should proofread it for you, because it's not easy to see your own mistakes. A single misspelled word can ruin an otherwise good document. A mistake can make it look like you are careless, and you don't want to create that impression, do you?
  6. Have lots of white space: Don't crowd the page - leave adequate margins, for example. And let there be spaces between the lines, too. Make the document easy to see, as if it were an outline.
  7. Make it the right length: There are not hard and fast rules here, but it's a good idea not to exceed two pages. Some people actually recommend a one-pager. However, watch out for this: if you only have a single page, it may not appear that you have enough good points to list.
  8. Include an Objective and Summary of Qualifications: These are optional, but they can come in handy as they tend to identify your strong points right off the bat. Some things, though, may simply be included in a cover letter instead of the resume itself.
  9. Include a cover letter: The resume alone is usually not enough; a cover letter or a job application in writing can be a good idea in and of itself. This gives you more of an opportunity to give a good introduction of yourself. And this lets the interviewer give you a better evaluation as well.
  10. Arrange the parts in accordance with their significance: mention the most important things first. If you don't actually have job experience to list here, do list your abilities and honors earned.
  11. Your personal information should lead the list: what's your name, where do you leave, what's your phone number, etc. But do not list personal information, such as marital status or religion and the like; these are not legal questions about you at this point.
  12. Have more than one resume prepared: this is a good idea for the simple reason that you may want to use different versions for different jobs that you may be applying for. Also, you may wish to structure different versions in slightly different ways.

 

Knowing how to prepare a great resume is an important marketing tool in your arsenal. A well-wrought resume can help you look as good as you can look. Remember that the resume is a kind of introduction, where the interview is your follow-up opportunity to shine. You should also ask friends who have succeeded in getting their dream jobs. You could learn from some of the way they prepared their resume to be able to get those jobs.

 

The guidelines discussed above are not exhaustive. They are meant to guide you on how to come up with the resume that will make you gain the attention of those you come across in your job search. You should also be aware that you are likely to come across very peculiar situations.