10 Tips To Writing EFFECTIVE Resumes

In today’s world, applying for a job can be a competitive, frightening and worrying experience. Knowing how to write an outstanding resume is an important skill required to bring you ahead in the race to obtaining your dream job! This article will help you confidently write an effective resume to increase your chance of securing an interview for the job of your choice.

What is a resume?

A resume is also known as curriculum vitae or CV, which literally means the “course of your life”. Your resume is an outline of your educational and professional history, and should contain details of your qualifications, personal skills, and any work experiences you have which might benefit the employer. As a new graduate, you will probably detail more of your educational achievements, your personal skills and other skills you may have.

Why do you need a resume?

A well-written resume is important as it is the main starting point when applying for a job. It is your first impression on paper to a potential employer! On average, an employer/recruiter will spend only a couple of minutes scanning a resume to see whether it is worth their time to further read or trash it. Your task is to grab the employer/recruiter’s attention from the very beginning to want to read more about you. When that happens, it will be your first step to getting an interview.

What do you put in your resume?

A standard resume will contain these basic information in the following order – name, address, contact details, education history, employment history, awards and recognition, hobbies and extracurricular activities and other skills. You may also add a passport size photo printed on your resume, next to your name and contact.

How to write an effective resume?

1. Research your industry and spend some time looking at job advertisements in your field to see specifically what employers are asking for so that you may use the right keywords and tailor your resume to match yourself to the job you are seeking.

2. Prepare a draft and include all your academic qualifications, work experiences, plus other positive qualities and skills you have. Be honest about your information and write your education and work history in reverse chronological order.

3. Keep your style and layout simple and consistent.

4. Use short sentences and no more than 4 sentences per paragraph.

5. Organize the information in a manner that draws attention to potential employer.

6. Use business/conservative fonts and ensure your font size is readable. Recommended font size would be 11 or 12 points.

7. Keep your resume clear brief and simple. Your resume should be kept to no more than 2 pages, using one side of A4 size white paper. Tidy and summaries your draft according to this rule.

8. Proofread your resume – check that your grammar and spelling is perfect and without typo errors.

9. Print the final copies of your resume on quality white A4 paper.

10. Remember to include a cover letter with your resume to introduce who you are and why you are the right person for the job.

You now have the basic steps to write an effective resume. View a resume sample to obtain some ideas. As you rewrite and review your own resume often, you will be able to make changes to create the perfect resume to engage the potential employer.