A resume is a path that sets people on the roads of success in their career. In today’s competitive world, only a few resumes get to the top table for a brief glance. A resume should be written in a manner such that the reader is enticed to peruse it. A well-written resume stimulates interest in meeting the candidate and learning more about him/her. It inspires the prospective employer/recruiter to pick up the phone and ask the candidate to come for an interview.
Every resume has its own way of communicating and creating an impression, but there are certain things that a candidate should be careful while writing a resume. There should be no constraint on its size. A resume can be of one or more pages depending on the experience of the person. However, the number of pages does not necessarily increase with experience, and an employer may feel reluctant in picking and reading long resumes. Thus a good resume should bring out a clear and concise piece of required information.
The resume is a tool with one specific purpose, which is to win an interview. It should be able to convince the employer/recruiter.
A quality resume will help job seeker to get the job being sought after.
Typically, resumes are formatted as follows:
Objective, Achievements, Skills, Certifications, Experience, Education and ending with your hobbies or interests.
As earlier mentioned, a quality resume is to get or win interview and must avoid the following
Spelling and Grammar error
Make sure you have your resume proof read for spelling and grammar errors before sending it out.
Too Long
Employers/Recruiters read a lot of resumes. Keep to the point. Resumes that are too long are probably filled with non-pertinent information. Stays focused and keep it to one page. You don’t need to write complete sentences or paragraphs.
Difficult Reading
Watch your font type, paper colour, asterisks, and bullets. Make sure it flows and is easy to read. The reader should enjoy reading your resume, not struggling through it. Try and say as much possible with as few words as possible.
Job Specific
If your resume is too generic it will appear that you’ll settle for any job available. You’re trying to make a good fit to a specific position within a company. One that you’re best qualified for over the other candidates. In order to accomplish this, you need to be specific in your objectives and accomplishments.
Non Essential Information
Omit your personal information like marriage status, children, religion, height, weight, etc. (If it’s needed, they will ask you at the interview)
Finally, make sure your resume is factual and truthful. There’s a lot of competition with other applicants so make sure you resume shines!