What makes a good Resume?
Being able to write a “Masterpiece of a Resume” can be a gruelling task, knowing what to write, how to make it stand out, let alone typing it up when computer skills may not be your specialty.
Rest assured, there are ways around making the task less of an effort and more of a challenge. Remember this could be the key to getting the perfect job! So what makes a good Resume?
The following tips and tricks are some quick wins to creating your, “Masterpiece” and catching the attention of your prospective employer.
- Your Resume should be no more than 3 pages long. Give the reader the lasting effect to pick up the telephone and discuss your Resume further.
- Capture the reader’s attention by ensuring the content is at a high level. Make it easy for them to understand, highlighting, such things as: who you are, where you have worked and a short introduction on what the company does.
- Keep the layout simple. Overcomplicating the Resume with fancy fonts and special effects can make it look busy and be the difference between a call back or not. Stick to a simple layout with fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri, with size 12 font. Bolding headings may be necessary, particularly for: company names, key dates and heading of sections throughout the Resume, for e.g., Personal Information, Education, Work Experience, etc.
- Jobs and education should be in reverse chronological order. Too much detail about earlier positions in your career are not relevant. Focus on the most recent and relevant.
- Be sure to make reference to any degrees or licences you have acquired in the education section and any advanced training that may be relevant.
- Use short, concise sentences and bullet point them to show emphasis. Longwinded sentences may stop the reader, reading on! Use verbs to highlight job responsibilities, such as; managed, developed, implemented, initiated. Impress the reader by selecting your most poignant and relevant jobs you have held.
- Any achievements or awards or personal affiliations that may be relevant should be included.
- Don’t waffle about personal interests. Keep them short and concise and only mention if relevant. If mentioning them serves no benefit, then leave it out!
- References should be listed at the bottom of the Resume as, “References available upon request”. Should the prospective employer acquire them, they will ask for them?
