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How to Create a Resume

Friday, October 21st, 2011

At one time or another virtually every job seeker has wanted to learn how to create a resume. A resume is your own personal advertisement and tells a prospective employer why you should be considered for the position you seek. Here are some suggestions to help you in this regard.

A resume should contain several key elements. The first thing it should do is list your career objectives very succinctly and clearly. In the ideal case it tells prospective employer that you seek a position which is almost identical to what he is offering.

You should then create and organize a summary listing of some of your key accomplishments and qualifications. This tells someone very quickly and effectively what you have accomplished and its importance.

The next section should list your previous employers and what your key roles and responsibilities were at each job. Alternatively you can organize your resume into a functional format and list your accomplishments and qualifications in a structured and organized manner.

Make certain to include a section which lists your educational credentials. Show the school, type of degree earned, and any other relevant information.

These are key sections which should be included in a resume. You may also wish to add other sections like special awards, licenses or skills if they are relevant to the position of career goals sought.

Use an easy to read font when creating the resume and make certain to space out the information so that the resume doesn’t appear too crowded with text. Print the resume on high quality paper. Or convert it to an electronic file so you can email it to prospective employers.

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Why You Need The Perfect Resume

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

With the current state the economy is in now and the number of people that are unemployed, making sure you have the employment tools needed is vital in getting a secure job. Selling yourself and the skills you might have to those employers looking for what you have to offer can be done with the most effective and well written resume.

If you do not have any idea how to write a resume, you can hire someone to write one for you or use our resume builder. Hiring someone can be expensive. TheResumeBuilder.com can help you and save you money! The price you pay for getting the resume you need is well worth it when it helps you to land the job of your dreams.

Your full name and address plus all relevant and current contact information is necessary. The only way an employer can reach you in setting up an interview is with the information you provide, so make sure you give the best numbers and email addresses to reach you.

The layout of job listings and experience should be simple and easy to scan over at a glance. In fact, making one just for this reason is a good idea because in general that is usually what happens. Employers get so many applications and looking through them can be time consuming. Making yours stand out just with a glance is important in getting that employers attention. Choose a font that is pleasing and easy on the eyes.

Avoid using technical terms and jargon about certain positions unless they are vital to what you are applying for and the experience you have in that area. Going overboard can make you seem like someone that does not really know anything at all. Keeping the terminology simple and to the point is the best way to go.

List the accomplishments and experience you might have after listing the education you have. This is the natural order of things and mixing them up can cause confusion. Be sure to record all dates clearly and concisely and in the right time frame and order. In other words, do not put the year you graduated from high school at the end of your last job listing.

Each area of the resume needs to have a heading and it should be in bolder lettering than the rest of the text. This will help to identify parts that are important to the employer and it also helps to break up the text for easier viewing. Hiring a service for creating your resume is the greatest way to getting all the neat and eye catching additions such as bold lettering in all the right places.

Always remember to submit your application to all online job websites for making sure you are getting yourself out there. Making your qualifications and experience known to as many employers as possible is the only way to finding a job fast in the economy we are all currently experiencing. With the help of the internet and a good resume, your job search will not last as long as you may think.

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Enhance Your Resume

Monday, November 8th, 2010

How To Enhance Your Resume

Finding a job is no easy task these days. In fact, unemployment rates have risen dramatically in the past few years. Given the current economic situation in our world, everyone knows that if you have a good job, it is a good idea to prove yourself worthy of keeping it. Job seekers are desperate, overwhelmed, and many are feeling hopeless. However, there is a way to increase your chances of getting a job. Having the right resume makes all the difference.

At one time, perhaps this document was only a list of education and previous experience, but now it has become much more than this. Writing an effective resume has become an art. In fact, experienced professional resume writers have found themselves swamped as people have begun to realize how a powerfully written resume can help them land a job that dozens are applying for.

Start by making sure that you are writing with an objective that can meet the employers needs. Talk a lot about what you can do personally to benefit the company and how you have benefited other jobs in the past by what brought to the table.

Similarly, you should take care to list your past experiences not just as jobs, but as accomplishments. Tell the prospective employer how you made a difference at your last position. Turn your relevant work history into a list of accomplishments that will make you stand out from others with similar experience.

Also keep in mind that you need to stick to relevant information. List only jobs that are relevant to the current job in question and do not include skills that do not pertain to this topic. Otherwise, the resume can get confusing to the employer as they wonder why you are applying for a managerial position when you have teaching experience.

Make use of bold lettering for important experience, education, and other qualifications so that these things will stand out. Keep in mind that employers are busy, and they likely have other resumes to get thorough, too, so they may not spend a lot of time on yours. Make it easy to see your qualifications without reading every word of the document. While this can be helpful, be careful not to overuse it either.

Above all, make it unique and interesting. If your resume is boring, too long, or too wordy, no one would want to read it, much less a busy employer. Make it your brand, and a reflection of your personality, and use a little creativity to make it stand out from other resumes that he may have in hand, and make it interesting enough so that he reads through it without even realizing what he is doing.

If you can accomplish these few things when composing your personal resume, you may just find that you land that dream job. It really is not rocket science, but it is an important detail of the process that many underestimate. Take it seriously and spend a little time making yours stand out from all others.

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Tips to Presenting Your Resume

Friday, May 14th, 2010

There are many factors involved in designing and presenting your resume, and it is easy to get caught up in the various styles and customizations when you decide to give it a facelift. Should I use a high quality paper? Should I mail a hard copy though I have already emailed it? Should I email it as inline text or as an attachment? Below are tips and answers for some of these common resume styling quandaries.

Font: The font you select can be a telltale sign of keeping up with the times. Times New Roman is the default for many word processors and will prove that your job-searching days and abilities are somewhat dated. It was once believed that this font was the easiest on the eyes, but there are many similar options that are much better. The spacing of Times New Roman styled words and letters can be quite awkward, and when copying into an email or PDF can prove catastrophic. Try using Georgia. It should be free on your computer, and is a little more rounded than Times New Roman, for easier reading and more compatible spacing. If you have the cash to spare, consider browsing online professional fonts for one that might be more suited to you and your potential position.

Paper: Many people want to showcase their uniqueness by purchasing fancy stationary paper. This is a waste of time and money, and generally has the opposite effect. Fancy stationary is a thing of the past; you know it, I know it, and your potential employer knows it. In order to keep up with the times, you should use a good quality, smooth, plain style of paper. It should be heavier than standard copy paper, but not a lightweight cardboard. Printing shops and office supply stores generally have paper labeled as “resume paper.” There are many different weights out there, so try to avoid things too heavy such as cardstock, but the lightest copy paper options are not a good idea either.

Colors: Do not use colors. Do not use colored paper, fonts, stickers, or stamps on your resume. It is not cute and clever, it is not unique and memorable; it is somewhat childish and unprofessional. Stick with black. If you have a website, or a logo with colors that you plan to include, that is acceptable, but do not add any more colors of your own. If you absolutely must make something stand out, use varying shades of gray or navy.

Emailing: Many people are making the switch over to Mac computers, but others are still using and buying PC’s. This makes it even more difficult to email a properly formatted copy of your resume to an employer. If you do not know what kind of technology they are running with, there are still a few ways to ensure that they are able to see your resume in a format that makes sense. If you are able to save your resume in different formats, do so, and send them all. PDF’s are the most desirable, but some people are still functioning without Adobe or other readers. You should be able to save your copy as a .doc file, which is compatible with both Macs and PC’s (except for extremely old ones). However, the default for a Mac file is .docx, which is not always compatible with PC’s. Try downloading and using Open Office. Their files are compatible with both types of computers, and the programs are currently free. The third step is to include a simply-formatted version of your resume in the body of the email. Be sure to include a byline about the different versions of your resume.

Hard Copy: Many people prefer to know that their resume has made it into the safe hands of a potential hirer. For this reason, they will snail mail hard copies, or drop them off at the office even though they have already sent them in email form. The protocol for this is a bit tricky. Depending on the organization, sending or bringing a hard copy of your resume before being offered an interview can just add complications to the hiring process, and the last thing you want to do is become a nuisance before even landing an interview. Gauge your employer before doing anything over the top. If they seem to be slow on the Internet front, or a little more traditional than most, feel free to send or drop off a hard copy of your resume. If they are completely online and organized, the paper copy of your resume will probably end up in the trash. Always bring a hard copy of your resume to an interview.

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The Advantages of Using a Resume Template

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Developing your resume from scratch is often overwhelming. Resume templates make the process much easier, and eliminate the stress of formatting something to look professional. Whether you are applying for a job for the first time in your life, or for the first time in many years, utilizing a template can add great benefits to the overall allure of your resume.

Professional Appeal

There is often a misconception that resume templates can negatively affect your chances of getting the job. If you are applying for a highly creative or artistic position, this may be the case, as the interviewer will be looking for people who stand out for their artistic skills. In most other situations, a resume template is simply a way of double-checking your own work. Instead of starting with a blank sheet of paper, you can simply input your information into a template or wizard to make your resume look professional.

Over the course of time, commonly accepted styles can change drastically. A few decades ago it was commonplace to worry about the amount of “white space” on your resume before submitting it. This is not a contemporary art project, this is a resume; employers are not worried about things like white space, but rather, the way that you fill that white space. With resume templates, all the guesswork is taken out of the equation, and you can view a final product with all of your professional information on it in just a few minutes.

The visual appeal of your resume is very important. Jamming as much information onto a single sheet of paper can seem over-eager, jumbled, and messy. It is important to highlight certain aspects of your skills and past experience, but it is not necessary to include every Girl or Boy Scout badge you have received. Since templates only allow a certain amount of information, they force you to decide what information is relevant to the current job, and what can be left off of your resume.

Saves Time

The job hunt is intense, and many people like to have more than one resume on hand as they search within a wide variety of different positions. Having separate resumes is always a good idea since they can each showcase your different skills, and focus on the experience relevant to a particular position. That being said, the idea of creating five unique resumes is overwhelming. You may try and change the style or font size depending on the amount of relative experience or skills you have for any given position, which only adds to the length of time it takes to make five somewhat unique resumes.

With resume templates, you no longer have to worry about the extra time it takes to create job-specific resumes since it rarely takes more than ten minutes to create a resume. Once you input all of your personal information, you can simply change the work experience and qualifications to suit each job. This makes writing a few unique resumes much simpler. The time it takes to create one resume is significantly reduced, and creating many different resumes based on the job market and position for which you are applying becomes extremely efficient.

First Impressions Matter

Your resume is essentially the first impression you will make on your potential employer. While the initial impression may change if you get an interview, the first impression made by your resume also determines whether or not you even get that interview. It is important to understand that you are trying to sell yourself, and showcase all of your best attributes, which is difficult to do on paper.

If you submit a sloppy resume, it will reflect extremely poorly on you, and negatively affect your chances of landing an interview. It is important to have an organized resume that is easy to read. Resume templates can help you create that lasting first impression that lands you an interview. Looking neat and organized on paper puts out the impression that you are neat and organized in person, which is exactly what employers want to see.

Employers generally scan resumes before deciding if they should bother reading it or setting up an interview, much like you might casually skim over an article in the paper before deciding to read the entire thing. You want to make sure that you have words and phrases that stand out and convince the employer to take the time to read it, or, at the very least, convince them to pass it along to someone else in the hiring chain. Including these buzz words is a way of controlling the first impression that you make, which is a key factor in the decision making process of employers. Resume templates are created by people with a knack for  making buzz words and phrases stand out; utilizing templates can help you create a resume that makes a lasting impression.

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5 Common Resume Mistakes

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Creating your resume can be the most frustrating aspect of your job search, but if you build it, they will come. Being without employment is a bit scary, but constant vigilance, determination and focus can quickly turn that around. You should always begin your job search by spending some time with your resume. See what experience and skills you have, as well as what you would like to do with them. This will help you figure out what jobs to apply for, and how to sell yourself.

1) Typos and Grammatical Errors: While it is said that 50% of statistics are made up, it is definitely true that a large majority of personnel will discard a resume due to typographical and grammatical errors. At 90 WPM, you are very likely to make a typo, so be sure to re-read your resume many times, otherwise they may be thinking, “no wonder they type so fast – look at all these errors.”

Additionally, if one of your skills is listed as “Close attention to detial,” the person reading your resume will laugh at you, will show it to other people in the office, and then promptly dispose of your resume. Mean what you say. Prove that you can pay close attention to the details by showing that nothing on your resume has been overlooked. One grammatical error or typo might get overlooked, or go unnoticed, but two will surely cost your the job.

2) Too Generic: There is nothing worse than printing fifty duplicate resumes and dropping them off at various companies. Regardless of where you are applying, the positions, procedures and personalities of each company will be different, so you should mold your resume to fit them. There are simple ways to do this without fabricating any personal information.

Say you were a bartender at a restaurant and you were responsible for learning a wide variety of new drinks in a short period of time, marketing your bar and the nights you work to current and potential customers, keeping track of inventory, locking up and setting the alarm, and dealing with the money for the restaurant on a daily basis.  You can market that for a plethora of different positions. You have: customer service experience, evidence of being a fast learner, sales and marketing potential, organizational skills, managerial responsibilities and tasks, as well as reliability. It is amazing to realize what you can do with a simple bartending position.

3) Unfocused: A resume needs to have a point. It does not need to have a punch line or a moral, but rather, a focused goal. If you have had a lot of variety in past work experiences or are trying to move away from one expertise to another, you need to focus your attention on your versatility. Show that you are good at whatever you do, without giving away too much about the details of your various tasks. If you are applying for a common position that generally looks for a good deal of experience, such as at a restaurant, you can omit everything that is not restaurant work-related, but you should include all relevant experience. And finally, if you are applying to a job in a specialized field, you want to showcase your knowledge of the tasks at hand, as well as your current skill set and its relevance to the position. Make sure you seem quick to learn and qualified, without appearing too experienced, or overqualified.

4) Too Long/ Too Short: A standard resume should be one page in length. If you are applying for a position that requires a portfolio, they will tell you to provide one, but you should still have a one-page summary of your skills and accomplishments. Otherwise, assume that you should supply a one-page resume and a separate page for references. If you have a lot of information, by organizing it appropriately and taking advantage of bold font, italics, and underlining, you can avoid making it look smashed together. If you do not have a lot of experience, you should elaborate on your individual positions and tasks and show how they make you a perfect candidate for the job.

Entry-level positions often do not bother checking your references, so if you include extensive information about them on your resume, you are merely wasting space. You can simply note one or two references from one of your most recent positions just to show that you did actually work there, and you are not afraid that they will be contacted. For many higher up positions, your references are one of the most important factors, and should be treated as such by being on a separate sheet, as a professional list of references and contact information.

5) Irrelevant or Negative Information: It is great that your son is a Harvard Law student, your mother is an Irish immigrant, and you train your dog on the weekends. Unless you are applying for a position that finds any of that information relevant, exclude it entirely. Most decisions to interview or discard are made in less than a minute; do not waste their time with anything that will not sell you as a perfect candidate.

Under no circumstances should you have any negative information on your resume. While there are plenty of cynical people who would enjoy some dark humor, keep it lighthearted and positive. Make your tasks seem interesting and fun, and never have anything that might allude to poor management, a terrible boss, or negative internal relationships.

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Developing your resume is a tedious part of the job search and is also one of the most important steps of the process.  Below is a list of do’s and don’ts to help you along the way.  Stick close to these guidelines and you can start searching for the job of your dreams.

  • DO use bullets to establish your points and organize your experiences. This makes it a thousand times easier for employers to glance over your skills, experiences, and qualifications.
  • DON’T list everything with bullet points. You want the important information to stick out, not blend in with the rest of the details. Use bullets, but use them sparingly.
  • DO save your file as your name and resume if you are sending it via email. This will make it much easier to access, and avoid confusion when interview time comes around.
  • DON’T use whatever generic or default name is provided, and avoid using dates or version numbers. Employers do not need to know how many different versions of your resume you have, or how often you update it.
  • DO include all available contact information such as phone number, email address, and even home address to ensure that you can be found if they want to check references or set up an interview.
  • DON’T include personal email addresses that are not professional, such as “luvskittens@hotmail” or “dottiethehottie@yahoo.” If it is the only email address you have, you should definitely open a new account.
  • DO use high quality paper of a relatively neutral color. Something more substantial will stand out in a stack of resumes.
  • DON’T use bright colors, scented paper or pens, or standard white copy paper (if you can avoid it). These “artistic” additions are distracting and unprofessional.
  • DO use font enhancements such as bold, italics, and underline. This will make your resume look more interesting, and help the important parts stand out.
  • DON’T go overboard with these enhancements. Much like the bullet points, you should use them to drive a point home, but use them sparingly. Additionally, do not change your font style throughout the paper, and never use varying colors.
  • DO highlight your achievements and accomplishments. Show how far you advanced in various positions, and what you did.
  • DON’T focus too much on the duties you performed. Highlighting individual tasks is a waste of time since employers rarely have time to read through them. It just takes away from the more important points.
  • DO use fragmented sentences. You may not realize this, but fragments actually help to enhance a point. When employers are scanning a resume, they rarely spend more than a minute or two on it, so shorter sentences and phrases are helpful.
  • DON’T use personal pronouns. Omitting “I” and “my” will add to the fragmented sentences, but will also make your resume easier to read. Your resume is obviously about you; so don’t bother with first person pronouns.
  • DO make your resume job specific. Include information that is relevant to the job for which you are applying, and make it show that you are the missing puzzle piece to their organization.
  • DON’T submit the same generic resume to many different job openings. Though you may be applying for similar jobs, do not use the same exact resume. When employers read it they will know it is generic, and that can greatly affect your chances.

The most important thing to remember is to remain honest. It is okay to be a little bit more confident in your skills than you normally are, but only include honest information. Good luck!

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