|
If the cover letter is the
alluring photo on the front of a travel brochure, the resume represents
all the nitty-gritty details you find inside. The resume
is a fact sheet about you, a basic outline. It sums up your career objective
and job history. It is essential to be accurate, honest, and focused
here. You must carefully and objectively examine your resume before
sending it out, just as you would a travel itinerary before confirming
your reservations. "After the fact" is never a good time to discover
that you misspelled your own last name on your resume or booked the
wrong flight for your trip. The goal of a resume is to get an interview.
Its job is to get you in front of someone who can hire you. Therefore,
you do not want to bombard them with unnecessary information that is
not directly related to the position for which you are applying.
You will need a reference sheet to go along with your
resume. What is it? A reference sheet is a one page listing ot three
professional individuals who have agreed to provide references to potential
employers to you. Ideally, these should be people who directly supervised
your work. If you have not had any previous work experience, your college
instructors can often provide appropriate references. Why do you need
a reference sheet? To be able to quickly provide potential employers
with a listing of those individuals who will provide them with information
about you and your work. If you have any doubts about what the person
will say about you, do not use that person! What
your professional references say about you is vital. Be sure they describe
you in glowing terms!
| Follow
these guideposts to a successful resume: |
|  Know
the 3 C's: Resumes must be Clear, Concise, and Consistent.
List your most impressive or recent information first. Keep in
mind that people read from top to bottom and from left to right.
|
| Move
right along: Keep your resume short and to the point. Do not
fill the page with long paragraphs. Use bullets to mark each fact. |
|
Sight
unseen: People scan resumes for 10-30 seconds, so use
that time to make an impact. Try this at home by scanning
your own resume. What stands out? Use boldface or capitals
to highlight key points. Keep the margins clean and even. |
|
| Don't
interrupt: Avoid using hyphens, parentheses, and unnecessary
abbreviations. The only exceptions to this are common abbreviations
such as WPM, GPA, or CA for state. |
| Banish
these bad words: Avoid using pronouns (my, I, he, she, they,
etc.) The employer knows that you are speaking about yourself.
Sentences should read: "Improved sales by 30%" or "Promoted to
head designer." |
| Appearances
always count: Do not skimp on stationary! Use clean, high-quality
paper available at office supply or stationary stores. If you
are faxing, use only clear white stationary. |
| Just
the facts, please: Do not list any personal information such
as height, weight, age, marital status, number of children, or
sex. |
|
