Your resume is your credential to go past a first contact when looking for the desired position at the desired organization. Resumes can either step it up a notch or doom your chances at once. This is why it is so important to get the basics on how to make a resume that will impress and give you that push to the next level, the interview.

In the process or confectioning the perfect resume for your industry and position, there are several aspects to consider:

Phase 1 - Analyze market and desired position Phase 2 - Aesthetics, how visually attractive your resume should be Phase 3 - Content Included:           Contact information           Your general statement           Work Experience           General Education and Qualifications           Major Achievements           Other Skills           Affiliations           Hobbies           References Phase 4 - Final Review Video: How to Create a Resume Heading (View at the bottom of this article)

Making The Resume

How to make a resume - Phase 1

If you are planning a career change or are just finishing your studies your target industry may be a multiple choice. You may be experienced in areas which fit several  industries and positions. When making your resume, it is important to have a firm idea in order to tailor your information in accordance with what you are looking for. General / functional resumes never make it past the recruiter's desk.

How to make a resume - Phase 2
Aesthetics, how visually attractive your resume should be

• Try your best to tailor your resume size to no more than two pages. Resume for entry-level candidates are usually one page long, where as experienced professionals may fill two pages worth of content. The problem with long resumes is the time it takes to be read, in many cases recruiters scan through the information and miss several important points. Make your resume concise and straight to the point.

• Avoid using patterns and backgrounds, these don't look professional on paper and you will risk appearing amateurish and sloppy.

• Use bullets throughout your resume and allow one line space between items if the target resume size allows it. This will help the recruiter focus on the key/active points of each section of your resume.

• Use an attractive, professional and standard font type. Especially if you are emailing your resume. If you use custom/imported fonts (which only reside on your pc), this will cause the received copy to switch to the default font, which may alter the format and length of the document. Recommended are Arial, Verdana and Times New Roman (in sizes between 10px - 12px for the body copy). Avoid using monospaced fonts such as Courier, a font is monospaced if each character takes the same amount of space, this will cause your content to take more space. Do NOT use different font colors, that would be just like adding patterns and backgrounds.

• Do not use underlined words or all-uppercased words on your resume. Underling causes words to lose visual clarity, and using upper case yells out the text and it does not look professional. Also, avoid using shortcut words, abreviations (i.e. thru), foreing words (i.e via); spell through instead of thru and by instead of via. Also, do not use the old, tired and retired word upon (i.e. "furnished upon request"), use the word on in its place.

• Avoid including pictures of yourself unless you are looking to work for an industry that requires such (film, modeling etc.).

• Use quality paper correctly. If you use quality watermarked paper, make sure you are using the right side of the paper. To know which side is the right side, hold a blank sheet of paper up to a light source. If you can see a watermark and read it, the right side of the paper is facing you¹.

• Finally, use a confident, active and professional tone, but avoid sounding pretentious.

Create your resume online now!

How to make a resume -Phase 3
Content Included

1. Name and contact information:
   Your name should always be at the top of your resume, you should use a larger font to make it stand out (14px is a commonly used font size).   Immediately, place your contact information underneath your name. If you were to include cell phone numbers because   you are best reached that way, avoid labeling it as "Cell Phone", just leave it as "Phone Number". The font size for your contact information should be smaller (generally 9px).

2. Your general profile / statement:
   Give the recruiter a straight-to-the-point, active and concise overview of yourself, your background and your goals within the organization. Use active    verbs, but don't sound like you are trying too hard. If your profile fails to grab the reader's attention, he or she may discard your resume without reading it further. A profile can be your first opportunity to sell yourself ¹.
    

3. Work Experience:
   Showcase your experience in a chronological order (starting from the most recent employment down to the earliest). Use strong and quantifiable information, do not include experiences which ended negatively, but avoid skipping it (this may create a gap on your history and that is not good either); instead, try to find a positive aspect of it and briefly talk about it. Again, use active verbs and most importantly, bullet each item in this section so it can be easily read.
    

4. General Education and Qualifications:
   Just like you did listing your work experience, outline your studies and   qualifications in the same chronological order. Include every course, you have made from even 10 years ago unless you have too many and some are not      relevant to the job. Industry certifications also go here. Try not leaving any large gaps. Format in bullets to organize and individualize your items as well.
              

5. Major Achievements:
   This is where you need to list any awards or major successful projects of your career. The more relevant to the desired position the better. Try to fit as many and as relevant as possible without going beyond the resume. If you   have many, you may want to include these on a separate document and refer to it from the resume to provide it upon request.
    

6. References:
   These are optional and generally set as "furnished on request"
   Other optional items to consider are: Other Skills, Affiliations and Hobbies. These will add to your resume but they are not required. Remember 1 - 2 pages.

Content NOT TO INCLUDE:

Salary Requirements: your resume is no place for salary requirements, this should be discussed in personal once the interview has been scheduled and at a very specific stage of it. Talking about salary on the resume is unethical but also sets yourself up to being rejected due to high requirements or under-paid if the position salary is higher than your requirements.

Personal Information: Marital status, date of birth, social security number, immigration status or ethnicity have no place on a professional resume.

How to make a resume - Phase 4
Final Review

Once you have finished your resume, proofread it for spelling or grammar errors. Your resume must make sense, be persuasive, accurate and honest. Check the size, fonts, bullets etc. Have someone else review it and see what impression it makes on them.

Take some time to view this video about how to create a resume heading. Enjoy!
 

Other Articles by Reyna Abbott:
Outsourcing: Controversy & Criticism

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References:

(1)Gallery of best resumes

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