WRITING RESUME TIPS

Second, it should contain your most recent employer and work back to the first employer. Each place of employment written on your resume should also outline the title(s) you held, the dates you worked, and the responsibilities for which you were accountable.

After that, the resume should outline your professional achievements, again, in chronological order. This portion of the resume should be separate from your professional experience, and should highlight the awards and accolades you have acquired in your career. The resume should next contain your key skills—those things that set you apart as a potential future employee.

Finally, in a chronological resume, you should briefly describe your education. The education section on your resume should just tell people where and when you went to school, as well as your applicable degree or military experience.

Skills-based Resume

A skills-based resume is designed for an experienced professional who either has a variety of key skill sets they have acquired throughout their career, or for the individual that is trying to change careers and wants to shift the focus of their career away from their primary career field.

This type of resume should still start with a career objective. Since you won’t be highlighting your work experience, the employer needs to see your career objective to understand how you intend to use your skills.

Secondly, you should start with your key skills, such as leadership, technical skills, communication and/or interpersonal relationship skills. Anything that is tangible, credible, and can be validated through a background check should be included.

After you highlight your skills, the resume should contain your employment history, with titles and dates only. There is no need to discuss your responsibilities with this type of resume. Next, your resume should contain your key awards and accomplishments as well as your educational information.

Resume Body

Recruiters will not look at resumes that are too long. A good resume of an experienced professional should be no more than 2 pages in length, and should only contain the individual’s career accomplishments and responsibilities.

However, if the individual is newer to the work force, for example, less than 5 years, the resume should be no longer than a page. Again, it should only outline the professional’s work experience and key accomplishments.

Action Words/Phrases

Regardless of the type of resume you choose to write, keep it simple, using short, phrased bullet points and action words to start each bullet point. Action words or phrases include (but are not limited to):

-Responsible for…

-Wrote…

-Led…

-Managed…

-Sold…

-Developed…

Using action words or phrases throughout your resume demonstrates your drive and focus, which are what employers look for in a new employee.

Summary

The key to writing a good, solid resume is to remember that your resume tells your professional story. It is only one component of obtaining an interview, but it can be the most critical component if you have not done any networking in advance of submitting your resume to a prospective employer. Keep it short, simple, but focused and direct.

A well-written resume is an essential component in helping you stand out against your competition, and will keep your name in the mind of the company you are targeting in your career journey.

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