30 TIPS ON WRITING A RESUME

The following are various guidelines to consider when writing your resume. Some or all may apply to you, depending on what style resume you choose to write.

1.) Your resume is your personal advertisement.

When writing your resume, always remember that its purpose is to make you interesting enough to a potential employer to secure you an interview. Your resume should be considered as an advertisement for yourself and, like a good ad, it should be visually attractive, brief, and informative. Above all, it should create interest in its product. In this case, you are the product. Who Are You?

2.) Be sure to start with your name.

Identify yourself, always start with your name, address, and telephone # placed in a conspicuous position. If your resume is longer than one page, be sure that your name is conspicuously placed on every page.

It is amazing that people would actually go to the trouble of organizing, writing, and having a resume printed, and then fail to include the essential information that identifies them. I don't know how people can do that, but they do. It happens almost every day.

3.) Be concise and to the point.

How long? If there is one single cardinal rule in writing a resume, it is simply this: Keep it brief!

No matter how superior a work history you might have, do your best to consolidate it into one, or at the very most, two pages. All resume readers concur in a preference for a concise resume -- not more two or, in the exceptional case, three pages. The following are comments from employers:

"I read about fifty resumes a day and never go beyond the second page."

"I want facts and only the ones I need for a judgment."

"If it's more than three pages, I assume it's an autobiographical manuscript and send it to a junior reader."

"If the applicant tells me he is expert in probate law, that is all he needs to say on his resume; I don't need to be told that he knows how to file a will or contest me."

4.) The job objective should logically connected with resume.

Even though the statement of a job objective is frequently advised in a resume, its inclusion is optional, as most employers are indifferent to its use. If it is stated, it should be placed right after the initial identifying data (name, address, and phone #).

The job objective should be brief, one or two lines, and your goal should be justified by the educational and work experience that will follow it.

You should avoid stating an objective that is too confining; you do not want one that will cancel out opportunities you might be interested in. On the other hand, avoid the use of cliches, "a challenging position where I can meet people", or overly vague generalities, "a job that will interest me and stimulate my best effort."

5.) A capsule resume can highlight marketable features of your career.

Often the job objective can be replaced by a capsule resume, which is more informative and more interesting to the reader. A capsule resume is a summary in three or four lines of the most pertinent information contained in your resume. It is the best way of emphasizing a solid work background and of highlighting qualifications appropriate to a specific job opening. The capsule resume is a means of directing it to a very concrete offer of employment without having to reorganize the resume completely.

The capsule resume, if used, should follow your name and address and serve as a headline for the body of your resume.

6.) If you've had experience, start with your work history, but if you've just graduated from college, start with your educational background.

The body of your resume should contain a brief history of your work experience and a concise summary of your education. You can start with either one of the two, but we believe it is best to place the most marketable information first. An experienced person usually starts with the work history, but a newcomer to the job market, with little more than summer or part-time work behind him, would be wiser to begin with an educational summary.

7.) Always start with the present or most recent experience and work back into the past.

Begin with your present or most recent employment and then work backwards in an inverted chronological order. In this manner, the most important information, which is usually the most recent, is emphasized.

Each entry should include the name and address of the employer, the dates involved, the job title, and a brief description of your responsibilities. The description should be succinct and to the point, but should still include all basic activities of each particular job.

8.) Don't use pronouns such as I, he, or she. They're unnecessary.

Always remember that you have a severe space problem in writing a resume; therefore, avoid any redundancy even though it may create an abrupt style. For example, don't write:

"I supervised a staff of twenty people", but instead, "supervised staff of twenty", or "supervised twenty people."

Since the reader knows that you are the subject of your own resume, it is not necessary to use the pronoun "I." Furthermore, using implied pronouns avoids an impression of boastfulness, and it gives your resume a businesslike air which results in a more professional impression.

9.) Always list your most advanced or most significant degree first, include education accomplishments which will benefit your marketability.

Your education, like your work history, is arranged in an inverse chronological order. Begin with your most advanced, or most recent, educational experience, and work backwards until you reach your bachelor's degree. If you have already had significant work experience, you simply give the date, the degree, and the name of your school.

If you are a college graduate, it stands to reason that you finished high school, so it is not necessary to list it. If your high school or preparatory school is very prestigious, however, naming it may enhance your prospects in certain fields of employment. On the other hand, it may be considered snobbishness on your part and work to your detriment.

Even though you want to strive for brevity in your resume, avoid the use of abbreviations except in listing your university or professional degrees, such as B.A., Ph.D., C.P.A., or M.S.W.

Be sure to list all dates of attendance at college as well as date of graduation and the degree received. A recent graduate should include the major and minor study sequences, as well as any academic honors that were earned. If you maintained a high scholastic average (three or four points out of a possible four), you should mention your academic standing. Don't call attention to a mediocre average by mentioning it in your resume. Of course, any merit scholarships or fellowships should be mentioned.

10.) Extracurricular activity can be important.

If you are a recent graduate, you should list all of your extra-curricular activities. Not only does such a list paint a more rounded portrait, but it also indicates talents that are outside of your work experience or areas of study. Membership in your college debating society implies an articulate, poised personality. A class officer will be pictured as an outgoing individual with leadership potential. A staff member of a college publication would usually be seen as appealing in the communications industry.

11.) Recent graduates should mention summer or part-time employment.

Recent graduates should list all of their summer and part-time jobs, even if they have no relationship with present job goals. This experience should, like any other, include names of employers, dates, job titles and duties. Simply showing that you have worked before is significant to a prospective employer. Experience as a clerk-typist, waiter, babysitter, or anything else will demonstrate an already proven ability and willingness to work. A part-time history establishes the applicant's preparedness to accept responsibility.

12.) Educational history is important, even if you don't have a college degree.

The educational history is handled in the same manner as it is treated by college graduates, if one cannot truthfully claim a college degree.

The most recent or the present educational experience is placed at the very beginning. If you have attended a trade or business school, or a service-connected or company-sponsored training program, list it with date of attendance. If high school was the last school you attended, simply list it with appropriate dates.

All certificates, diplomas, and honors should be included. If you supported yourself while studying, be sure to highlight this accomplishment in a prominent manner.

13.) List all professional associations and organizations that have a bearing on your career goals.

Membership in job-related organizations implies dedication to your field of work and an ability to get along with others. For example:

Member, Society of Chemical Engineers; Member, Society of Polymer Chemists; Phi Beta Kappa.

14.) List titles of all publications and note when and where they were published.

If the list is extensive, merely highlight it and offer a complete list if wanted.

Published in Journal of Society of Chemical Engineers and in Polymer Chemistry.

List of publications furnished on request.

15.) Keep personal data to the minimum, be honest.

Personal data may be included, at your option, in order to provide a more fully rounded picture of you as an individual. This section, by definition, should contain material pertinent to the job seeker and his or her qualifications. Do not include the job seeker's, parents' birthdays, and pets' names. Inclusion of this type of information is not only considered verbose; it's considered in very poor taste.

Information concerning your age, marital status, number of children, height and weight can be included, but this is strictly optional. You might want to include your height and weight in order to give a more three-dimensional picture of yourself.

It is true that overweight people have more difficulty in finding a job than those who are slim. It is not only a question of appearance; it has to do with the policy of many companies which require a physical examination before making a job offer. Being overweight is considered a health hazard, and many employers are sensitive to this. However, be particularly careful that if you do carry a few extra pounds and you do mention your weight, tell it as it is! When you go for the interview, your slight deviation from the truth will be obvious, embarrassing, and might even cost you the job. Being caught in a lie is usually the kiss of death.

16.) Age need not be mentioned.

Because of equal employment acts (especially the Equal Employment Opportunity Act 1972), it has been illegal for any employers to discriminate because of age, sex or national origin. Employers have been very conscientious about adhering to this. Regarding age, many companies are relearning what they had forgotten as our culture became more youth oriented: that the experience and wisdom that come with maturity are major assets for a prospective employee to offer a company. Therefore, since your age is not allowed to be a factor in your opportunity for employment, it is strictly up to you as to whether or not to include it in your resume. If you decide to include it, put down your date of birth rather than your current age. Not only is it more professional, but you won't have to update this on your resume should you later decide to change jobs; you would just have to add information about your current employment. Of course, be completely honest as to your age.

17.) Marital status need not be mentioned.

Since your marital status has nothing to do with your job qualifications, it is not necessary to mention it in your resume. May people feel that saying they are married, with children, implies they have a great sense of responsibility, and hence, more stability. This is not necessarily true. Including your marital status is very personal, and either decision is acceptable.

18.) List only those hobbies and activities that can help.

Should you include hobbies and leisure-time activities? You must decide for yourself. If you feel that a description of your avocations will enhance your image, by all means include them.

A 55-years-old man who participates in outdoor sports should say that he's a sailing enthusiast. This helps the reader of his resume visualize him as a healthy and active person. After all, despite the jokes about President Ford's failing on the ski slope, most people were aware that a man in his sixties was engaging in a sport that is usually considered an activity for someone thirty years younger.

The hobby of photography would be helpful if you were applying for a reportorial position on a newspaper. Sewing or needlepoint could be of interest on your resume if you were looking for editorial work on needlework or women's magazines, as it would show you have the patience of details and ability to concentrate. Even pastimes such as chess or cryptography tend to paint you as a logical and analytical person.

If you include your hobbies on your resume, there are two things you must remember. First, keep it brief! You don't want to create the impression that all of your time and energy is spent on your hobbies or that you are unable to sustain an interest in one or two avocations and need dozens to fight off boredom. Secondly, be completely honest!

19.) Mention your military service so that there is no time lapse in your history.

Completion of military service is of interest to any employer. Completion of that service, or a draft-deferred status, should be mentioned on he resume as a means of assuring the employer that you have an initial intention of being a permanent employee. That is the major reason for including it in a resume.

Another reason would arise from your military service having a direct effect of your job capabilities. If you had received special technical training in the service and your nonmilitary occupational specialty resulted from that training, both of those facts should be mentioned along with relevant dates and the highest rank achieved.

If your military service has no relevance to your intended work area, it would be best to simply state that you completed military service and were honorably discharged. You could add arm and branch of service if you desire. If you are beyond draft age, there is no point in elaborating on military service unless it adds important occupational information to your resume.

20.) Use personal history only if it makes you more employable.

A short paragraph describing your personal background can be included if you feel that it would offer information not readily discernible from your work or education, but which would add to your marketability. Most agree that, with only the rarest exceptions, all pertinent information is already included the resume.

Some examples that could be appropriate are:

Born in Spain of American father and Spanish mother. Came to U.S. at age five. Returned to Spain with mother every summer. Speak, read, write Spanish as fluently as English.

Oldest of four children. Due to mother's death, have managed household and supervised younger siblings since age fourteen.

Observe that in the first instance, the information offered was valuable to an employer in that it not only claimed fluency in Spanish but corroborated the claim. In the second instance, a responsibility and maturity which believed the lack of work experience was manifested.

These are valuable pieces of information; the fact that you were born and raised on Sutton Place or in Bronxville, or that you spent your summers in Bar Harbor and winters in Marbella is not.

21.) Do not include your photograph.

Some people seem to think it is good idea to include a picture of themselves with the resume. Actually, most resume readers react very strongly against applicants who enclose photographs.

A personnel director said; "When I see a photograph, I don't bother reading the resume. I figure any person counting on looks doesn't have much else to sell."

So while including a photo is not completely taboo, we strongly advise against doing it. It is worth noting that if an offer of employment were to request a resume and a photo, unless it were in the modeling or entertainment fields, it could be considered illegal on grounds that this is a covert form of racial screening. In addition, such a request may indicate that the job has duties other than those normally pertaining to the position offered.

22.) Your resume should NOT contain your references.

You should never supply the names of your references in your resume. Not only is it unprofessional, but it can also cause unnecessary bother to the references listed. You should only give permission to call your references when an employer has indicated that he is really interested in someone with your qualifications.

Always, of course, get permission from all parties involved to use them as references before releasing their names. Be sure, also, that your references can be reached quickly. For that reason, it is preferable to list people who can be reached by phone rather than by mail. If giving the business phone of a reference, always ascertain that they are still employed by the company.

If your name has changed through marriage or for any other reason during your work or educational history, be sure that your references know you by your new name. It is wise for married women to indicate their maiden as well as married names on the resume, if the change occurred during any of the resume history.

23.) In your resume, don't tell why you left previous jobs.

Your resume should be a brief summary of your own particular talents, abilities, and qualifications. Since the reasons that you have left your previous employment do not add to that summary, they should not be included in your resume. Like salary requirements, your reasons for having left earlier jobs should be discussed in the interview.

24.) Never discuss salary in your resume, neither minimum salary requirements nor your earnings in the past.

Most employers consider salary a most confidential subject. Your resume will probably be seen by many people in the company who would not be entitled to know your rate of pay, so no indications of it should appear in your resume. You will have an opportunity to discuss it in your interview. The interviewer should be the one to introduce the subject, and almost certainly will.

25.) Remember, honesty is the best policy.

We can not overemphasize the necessity of being truthful in all elements of your resume. It is probable that many lies, half-truths, distortions, or exaggerations will escape detection in an interview. It is even possible that you can get your immediate supervisor in a previous job to back you up. Eventually, however, you will be put to the test and will find that you have not only lost the job, but seriously damaged your projects for future employment.

Admittedly, there are successful people who bluffed, which is a polite way of saying "lied", their ways into positions that started them up the ladder. But you can be assured that there were very few who were able to do so, and many who tried were found out.

26.) Be sure your resume appeals to the eye.

Since your resume probably will be the first contact between you and your prospective employer, it is imperative that it invite reading. The physical appearance of your resume is as important as the information it contains. A resume that is hard to read or confusing to interpret will end up in the wastebasket, while the reader goes on to the next one. Your resume is competing with many others and as a result is scanned very rapidly. (It has been shown that personnel offices rarely give more than 30 seconds of attention to a resume in order to decide if it merits a detailed reading.) The more attractive your resume is, the better impression it will make in the few moments that are given it initially.

Bearing in mind that your resume is meant to serve, in part, as a personal advertisement, it would be a good idea to take a hint from the professional ad-makers. As one "pro" expressed it, "A good ad looks good enough to grab your attention, and once it's got it, tells you what it wants to say as quickly and effectively as it can." Like the ad, your resume should be visually compelling and brief and to the point.

27.) Remember, keep your resume brief.

Don't run off at the mouth. Keep it brief! We've already said that, but it can bear repetition because it is important. One page, if possible (and do everything to make it possible); two pages, if necessary; three pages in the rarest and most exceptional cases.

Your resume should contain just enough information to sketch your abilities and qualifications. It is not an autobiography nor a vehicle for your personal philosophy. Your aim is not to tell the reader all about yourself, but to create enough interest so that the reader will want to know more about you.

28.) Be sure to have adequate margins.

The first thing you have to consider is the layout. Be sure that is it easy to read and that the different sections are clearly separate from one another.

Use the white space on the paper effectively, even using your margins imaginatively. Many resumes whose information indicated easily placed applicants, are so badly laid-out and cluttered, that they are not even considered by prospective employers. If possible keep at least two space between every block information.

29.) Use standard-size, good-quality paper.

Even though odd-sized paper might be more arresting visually, it can create a filing problem. Use the standard 8 1/2" X 11" paper. It is easily filed and easily handled.

If you need to send out your resume, of course this is in addition to keeping it filed here with ImageJOB, choose a good quality watermarked bond paper and, if not using white, be sure that is a pale color that will contrast well with the color of the type. Use only one side of the paper, and if the resume is more than one page, staple the pages together, being sure that your name appears on each page.

30.) Proofread your resume.

Be sure that there are no spelling or typing errors. It is a good idea to have several people proofread your resume for you.