How to Write A Resume

June 21, 2010 - PRLog -- LET’S START WITH THE BASICS.
Why are you writing a resume? You are trying to sell yourself for an opportunity. You are the product you are marketing, so sell yourself! Why does a prospective employer need you? Explain your value proposition. Remember, your resume is typically your first opportunity to introduce and sell yourself; it is often also your last opportunity.

Readability / Storability
Keep your resume readable and fairly simple yet make sure you mention the most pertinent experience and accomplishments. In terms of format, use standard fonts, easy on the eye, limit how many fonts and styles you use, and be consistent with their use. And while your audience will be a human at some point, the resume may also be found via an internet search or stored in a database so the format should lend itself to electronic management (Word, PDF, HTML; standard fonts). Of course use spell check and have someone in your industry proof your resume.

Be consistent
As with the use of fonts and style, keep the formatting consistent with employment and education. Typically the Company/Institution is listed first, followed by the Job Title/Degree Obtained, and then the dates of tenure.  Typically years suffice for periods longer than one year, ex. 2007-2010. Use action verbs and appropriate jargon. Don’t use passive sentences. Focus on results.

Marketing Message
Remember this is a short marketing piece: sell your product (yourself). Prioritize and showcase your key successes, accomplishments, awards, skills, experience. The hiring manager or recruiter reading your resume needs to come away with a comprehensive understanding of your skills and value and what you bring to the opportunity. Be truthful and do not embellish to the point of misleading.

Keywords
Keywords are helpful in this age of the search engine. Whether you are targeting a particular position or not, you should consider using vocabulary that match the description of the job you want, and are best qualified for. Keywords can call out specific job titles, skills, abilities, certifications, companies and education.

RESUME STYLE: FUNCTIONAL OR CHRONOLOGICAL?
Years of screening candidates and reading resumes leads us to the conclusion that there is not really a choice between a functional versus a chronological resume. All resumes should have both approaches incorporated.

Below we’ll discuss the various sections that may be included in your resume. An effective resume summarize the objective, the skills and qualification as relate to a particular opportunity, and the special competencies or accomplishments that will be of benefit to the future employer. It then details the professional experience and education in reverse chronological order.

THE SECTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
Your resume needs to cover the information that is important to an employer. It needs to paint a picture of your talents and abilities, and how you will be a valuable addition to your employer. The Sections of your resume will depend on your strengths and experience, and your own style. There is not a one-size fits all approach, yet there is a single objective: get the job! Here are some of the sections you might include.

Contact Info
Your resume needs all the basics such as your contact information: name, email, phone. We’d strongly suggest including your LinkedIn and/or other online resume URL.

Objective
The merit of such a section is that it succinctly states the position that you want to be considered for. If someone has had a long or varied career, this can be especially valuable. An effective objective statement will also communicate the skills and abilities that you can bring to the prospective employer. Your focus should be what you can contribute to the role and the organization.

Title or Headline
Beyond this basic data, the top of your resume offers an opportunity to brand yourself. Some people title this section as their “Objective” and describe what they are looking for and why they are qualified to get the job done.

As an alternative to the “Objective” section, try using a title or headline to catch people’s attention and position your area of expertise immediately. Ex. “Senior Manager Unified Communications” or  “Dedicated Customer Service Director with 15+ years of experience in building and managing efficient and productive support teams in E-commerce, Entertainment industries and Government.”

Profile or Summary
If you haven’t already covered this in an “Objective” or “Headline” style approach, you may want to include a profile or summary next. This is like a “bio” section that outlines your valuable talents and skills, your relevant accomplishments, and how you can bring them to bear for the employer. This is where you can describe the opportunity you want and why you are uniquely qualified to succeed at it. Mention the qualifications that are pertinent to the opportunity at hand, including any relevant certification, education, experience, awards or professional recognition.

Core Competencies / Technical Skills / Strengths
This section may be used to list your relevant core competencies or technical skills in a bulleted list or table format. If you’ve incorporates a Profile or Summary correctly, you’ve probably already hit these points and don’t want to be repetitive. The main goal here is that your audience knows the specialized knowledge or main strengths and competencies that you bring to the table from the outset.

Experience (Professional Experience, Work Experience, Relevant Experience)
This section should cover your work history, in reverse chronological order, giving the most emphasis to recent positions and relevant work. Typically you want to list the name of the organization, location, job title, employment dates. Use either brief text, or bullets to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments.

If you are a recent graduate or have gaps in employment, you may want to include unpaid jobs or other experiences. A Sabbatical, consulting or contract work, volunteer activities, continuing education, or taking time to care for a family member may be included such that the continuity of your activities is communicated. Any valuable experiences or skills coming out of such experiences should be briefly included, especially where there is a direct strength to be applied to the position at hand.
Education

Include the name of the university or educational institution, location, degree obtained (major, minor), graduation date, and optionally your GPA. Describe the areas of study, specialized instruction, and any accreditations, as well as any awards or honors. List all institutions from which you received a degree or certificate, in reverse chronological order.

Recent graduates may choose to put this section before Experience, and spend more time describing the field of study that relates to the employment sought.  Professionals with solid career experience will likely devote less detail to this section, and place it after the Experience section. Dates of graduation are not necessary for those in mid to late career. If your degree is completely unrelated to your professional experience, you may want to consider omitting the major.

Other sections to include optionally are:
Awards and Honors, Accomplishments, Professional Development / Continuing Education / Additional Training / Certifications, Activities / Interests / Volunteer Work / Affiliations / Memberships, Military Experience / Military Background

For more resources on career management, resumes, interviews, etc, visit us on the web.
Job Seeker Resources:
http://www.redfishtech.com/resources/candidate_resources.php

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Redfish Technology specializes in locating talent in the High Tech and Green Energy sectors. Recruiting since 1996, the company offers nationwide coverage and offices in Silicon Valley, the East Coast, and the Intermountain West.