The best and most effective resume starts by asking yourself the question, "What exactly does the employer want when they hire someone for the job I'm looking for?"
Do you have what the employer needs? Look at every thing. What have you done that will fill those needs. Obviously past work counts, but don't overlook education including self-study, possible volunteer work, hobbies and travel. This sort of thinking is the foundation of a great resume that will result in the all important interview.
The actual writing of the resume is important, but excellent writing by itself will never overcome your failure to understand what the employer wants. By positioning yourself squarely in the center of the employer's needs you will assure that your resume elicits a positive response.
Here are some pointers to make sure you clearly answer the all important question: "What does the employer want...?"
1. Emphasize you strongest asset compared to the employer's need. If your current job makes the best case, put it first. If your education is strongest, list that first. De-emphasize anything that may detract from what the employer wants. If you've changes jobs often, for example, put the dates on the bottom right with a brief mention of what you did in each job. This will minimize their impact.
2. Organize your resume that presents your strengths, relative to the employer's needs, as powerfully as possible. Employers generally prefer that you start your work history with your current job and work backward. A good practice if your prior jobs contain the most relevant experience, is to group positions by category, and then lead with the most relevant.
If you go with a non-chronological style of resume, include a separate work history section that briefly lists all job titles, organizations and dates of employment. This should satisfy most employers.
3. List your job goal that emphasizes what you have to offer the employer rather that what you want. You aim in writing the job goal is for the employer to quickly see that you are looking for a job that exactly fits the employer's needs. Never make demands in your job goal or requirements such as "opportunity for advancement."
4. Results, results and more results. Focus on outcomes as they are more powerful that listing responsibilities or activities. Achievements should be quantified whenever possible. Take credit for everything you've done that is relevant. Describe the results not how you did it. Save that for the interview.
5. Keep it brief. The employer will only allot a few seconds or a minute or two at most in reviewing your resume. A long rambling resume with lack of focus requiring the employer to dig for relevant information will be set aside. Try to keep the resume to two pages or less. Make it easy to scan. Eliminate unnecessary words using a telegraphic style, with short sentences, and keep pronouns to a minimum. Leave plenty of white space and keep entries and paragraphs to four lines or less.
6. Keep the resume simple in format. Avoid distracting fonts, graphics or pictures. Be careful about spelling, grammar and consistency of tenses. Use heavy stock paper and grey, beige and off-white are good colors.
7. Be sure to have information where the employer can contact you during business hours. If using an answering machine have a professional message. Change your email address if your current email is chickmagnet/at/funnynames.com or something similar.
8. Never, never lie on your resume. You can emphasize or de-emphasize aspects of your background to find the needs of the employer. This is a legitimate approach but everything on you resume must be true.
Finally, be flexible and realize constant revision of your resume will be necessary. As your job hunt continues you will learn more about what the employer's want and you will want to position yourself to reflect you new insights. Keep asking the question on what the employer wants and you will be well on your way to the next step-the interview.
