Get that job by writing a winning resume

Your resume serves as your window to the world. How a potential employer views you can directly depend on the fashion of your resume. This how to article will give you a glimpse into writing a winning resume that will hopefully land you a great job! I am a college graduate working in public affairs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy Things You’ll Need:

• Resume Paper (Can be bought at Wal-Mart) This paper is usually thicker than normal paper. Card Stock can be a great substitute or any other decorative paper that is not too busy.

Step1 Resume Paper
Before beginning your resume collect all the needed materials. I recommend getting a good resume paper that can be bought cheaply at Wal-Mart. If you don't' have the money use card-stock or any other decorative paper that is thicker than normal paper. Special paper will make your resume stand out especially when you are in a career fair setting where many recruiters do not take the time to review your resume.

Step2
Your Personal Information Section After obtaining the correct paper it is time to get started on the meat and potatoes of your resume. Remember your resume should be a firm one pager unless your applying for a really big time job, such as University president. That particular job might require an entire vita, but for the standard job one page will suffice. First sit down and collect all pertinent data for your resume before you write it. This information includes your name (no nicknames) address, phone number, alternate phone number (if you have one). This information is in block style at the beginning of your resume.

Step3
Your next section will be your objective section. Your objective simply states your intentions. Here is an example objective "To obtain a job and become an effective member of the workforce, as well as gain knowledge and strategies for future job opportunities". If this is a highly professional job that you don't intend to leave remove the last part where you say gain knowledge and strategies for future job opportunities. That line usually is for younger job seekers.

Step4
Qualifications Section Your next section is qualifications. This section is optional but when I do use it I place it after objectives. This is where you will state what qualifies you for such a position. Do not state specifics because that will be found in the later portion of your resume. An example is "Past employment opportunities have enabled me to learn how to work successfully within a team-oriented organization....blah blah blah"

Step5
Your next section will either be employment or education. If you do not have extensive work experience but you do have a lot of education I recommend putting your education first and vice versa. Here you will start with your most recent experience and go backwards. Always put the name of the job, your position, city and date that you worked there and vice versa for education. Go back as far as you deem relevant to the current job.

Step6
If you are not near your one page limit I recommend adding a skills section after the education and employment section. In this section you can list a few bullets about special skills that will help you on the job. For example Types 55 wpm, Proficient in Microsoft Word...etc.

Step7
Last but not least is your references section. Some people choose to list their references, however I usually put available upon request. If the employer is interested in you they will ask for those references. Plus putting available upon request helps to keep your resume one page long. When going to career fairs, recruiters like one pagers. They are easy to look at and easier to read.

                                 Tips & Warnings

 

• Spell Check. We all miss spell words even after we have read through it a million times. Give your resume to someone else who hasn't seen your resume a million times and have them spell check it. Your computer misses words and so do we.
• If you need help just ask me. If I have time I would be more than happy to help you fashion your resume. There are many different styles that you can use. Please see the picture at the beginning to get an idea of what your resume should look like.
• Do not use paper that has a lot of designs in the background. You do not want it to distract from your resume. You want the recruiter/employer to read it not just look at it.
• Don't put too much in your resume.
• Never ever lie in your resume.
• Make sure that your email address is simply your name. Do not have hotjane@yahoo.com as that is highly unprofessional.
• If you are using your cell phone as your number please be sure to record a professional answering message. Employers don't want to hear soldier boy tell 'em on your ringtone or on your answering machine. Doing this is a good way to never get a job.