44 Resume Writing Tips

Your Resume is Your Introduction to the Employer

You will have better results when applying for a job you really want if you have a well-written and effective resume. It is your introduction to the Human Resources Manager of the company you would like to work for. How can you be assured that your resume is excellent quality and represents your abilities in the best light? You can find a few websites with limited tips, but, they are scarce. Here we have gathered all the best tips for you to read conveniently in one place. We offer the following 44 resume writing tips to enhance your introduction to all companies.

• 1. Your resume introduces you to the employer.

Do not write your resume as if it was for the sole purpose of landing a job. If you compile a long, boring laundry list of your employment history and qualifications, it will make you appear desperate. What you want to achieve is an introduction to your abilities and personality, which will encourage the HR. manager to grant you an interview. In person, you will have a better chance of getting the job.

• 2. Back up your qualities and strengths.

Rather than writing the information in the form of a list detailing your qualifications, relate some real life on-the-job experiences you have had. If you are creative, disciplined and know how to prioritize, connect those facts to the jobs you held in the past. Be specific about what you have done to exhibit your abilities.

• 3. Make certain you include the right keywords.

Keywords come into play when companies search for potential candidates for employment. They are using digital databases to look for the right person for the job. The HR. manager runs searches in those databases using specific keywords that relate to the position. You may be highly qualified, yet overlooked because you do not come up in the search results. Those keywords are usually nouns.

• 4. Use effective titles.

The employer may be going through a stack of resumes. He/she will make a judgment, possibly based on your opening paragraph. It is obvious how important your title is. It must grab the attention of your potential employer in five seconds. Scanning the page, the titles will either be interesting or not. If they are, it will encourage him/her to read through to the end.
A title should be descriptive. Consider the following:
Bad title: Graphic Arts Department
Good title: Team Leader in Graphic Arts Department

• 5. Proofread it at least twice.

It is not that perfection in punctuation, grammar and spelling are the most important of your skills. However, if those things are not 100 percent perfect, it presents you in a very bad light. Imagine what the HR. manager would think your day to day work would be like if you do not even care enough to send a meticulously executed resume. Proofread it twice. Ask a friend to proofread it. Read it out loud and then proofread it one last time before mailing it.

• 6. Use bullet points.

To make the resume concise and easily scanned by the HR manager, use bullet points. Shorter sentences are good for detailing your education and employment history. List some of your most productive work experiences and what you aspire to in the future.

• 7. What do you aspire to?

When you have listed professional goals, it lets the employer know you are not going to sit in one place in the company. You are going to be someone with ideas and goals who can contribute more than the basic tasks involved in the job. Do not be afraid to express the passion you have for your chosen field. Most HR managers would prefer an animated employee who truly cares about the position he/she is applying for.

• 8. Important information comes first.

This will result in an orderly progression of facts. Past jobs should be listed in chronological order. In many cases, work experience is the primary concern. List you skills by putting the best ones at the top of the list.

• 9. Typography should be standard.

Use a font size that is comfortable for the average person to read. Twelve points is optimal. Never capitalize a whole word or title. Arial and Times are excellent font choices. Your goal is good communication that will encourage the HR manager to invite you in for an interview. Good written communication usually indicates good oral communication, which is an attractive skill.

• 10. Do not make useless statements.

Never state the obvious facts. The employer knows you are available for an interview, or that you have references to present. It is like saying, I will wear a business suit rather than jeans and a T-shirt. Of course, that is understood without having to say it.

• 11. Explain how your skills will benefit the company.

Explain how your experience and skills will be a valuable addition to the company. Describe one of the job duties and tell how you have performed that task and how you would adapt that skill to the company if hired.

• 12. Negativity should not be included.

Negative information about yourself or a past employer will not be of benefit to you. You will only make a bad impression. If you disliked your last boss, keep that fact to yourself. If you felt as if you were superior to your co-workers, do not mention that fact in your resume.

• 13. List achievements instead of responsibilities.

Always describe professional achievements rather than responsibilities. A prospective employer would expect you to fulfill your basic responsibilities. Achievements, on the other hand, are above and beyond the things you are required to do. Resumes that include the things that were in addition to responsibilities are more interesting.

• 14. Do not send pictures

Unless you are applying for a position as a model or actor, do not include a picture in your resume. The employer is not judging a beauty contest, but looking for a solid, well-educated professional to fill a position. You can be a striking blond or a plain but well-groomed individual as long as you can handle the job.

• 15. Say it with numbers.

When you describe your professional achievements, do so as solidly as you can. Use numbers. Instead of relating that you increased the annual revenue in your department, detail the amount or percentage of that increase. Numbers are an objective statement of what you accomplished.

• 16. Individualize your resume for each employer.

Some people create a one-size fits all resume and send it to the companies they are applying to. It is far better to create a unique version to fit the parameters of the position you are hoping to fill. It is not a waste of time. You can replicate the facts about previous employment and educational histories. Simply stress those facts that relate to the specific job at each specific company. Do this on your cover letters too.

• 17. Exhibit your understanding of the company’s problems.

You may want to let a specific employer know that you are aware of problems within his/her company. Show that you have an understanding of the company and the industry it is part of. Show how your particular skills will help resolve those issues.

• 18. Age discrimination can be avoided.

Employers are required by law not to discriminate against applicants for a variety of reasons. Some examples are race, religion or ethnicity. The law states that age cannot be a factor. However, employers cannot set aside their preferences entirely. Allow yourself to be judged on your merits. Do not include your age on the resume. Why risk being passed over for an interview because you are a few years too old or too young.

• 19. You can omit some of your work experiences.

You may have that one job in your earlier years that did not receive your best effort. Flipping hamburgers on the floor rather than on the plate at the age of sixteen is irrelevant. It is not important in view of your current professional status.

• 20. Use what you have.

You may have little real work experience. You can include your volunteer work. If you have not finished earning a degree, mention the one you are pursuing. Include the title, such as Accountant, and when you expect to graduate. If you have finished four years of a five-year CPA degree, that may relate to the position you are applying for. If you have been accepted into the major, that means your grades are good.

• 21. Sell yourself.

You are the attractive product you are marketing to potential employers. If you have it, do not be afraid to flaunt it a little. Show your suitability for the position and all the qualities you possess that show you are a candidate who outshines the others.

• 22. Do not add irrelevant information.

Political affiliation, religion and sexual preference have no rightful place in a professional resume. These are factors an employer is restricted from considering in evaluating you for a job.

• 23. Use Mr. and Ms. when appropriate.

Your name may be Sydney or Alex, therefore you should include the Mr. or Ms. prefix to alert the HR manager of your gender. It is not a factor in your suitability, however, it is a courtesy to avoid confusing the employer.

• 24. No lies on your resume.

It goes without saying that you should not lie on your resume. However, there are numerous people who do. Even if you do not consider it wrong, consider that you are likely to be caught in a fib. HR departments usually do a background check. Your integrity on your resume is what an employer expects from you as an employee. Your credibility is at stake. Do not lie.

• 25. Resume should match the salary.

We hear of people being rejected for a job because they are overqualified. You may think you will have the advantage due to your credentials. In some cases, it will work against you. It is difficult to gauge the expectations the company has commensurate with the salary they are offering.

• 26. Analyze job ads.

If you read all the employment ads for the industry the company you are applying to is in, you will find useful information for possible use in crafting an impressive resume. Try to identify what they are looking for in the person to fill the position.

• 27. Get someone you trust to review your resume.

You may be an excellent writer; however, you cannot be completely objective when it comes to analyzing your own copy. Find a friend who is not going to simply flatter you, but will offer constructive criticism. You may even want to seek a third opinion. The individuals you ask to critique your resume should be impartial.

• 28. Length of resume.

When crafting your resume, keep it under two pages in length. HR mangers and employers consider one or two pages the ideal length. If one page can hold all pertinent information, that is a sufficient length. Never add extraneous details just to fill the space. It will be obvious to the employer reading it. Generally, the shorter your resume is, the better.

• 29. Use action verbs.

Job applicants are advised to use action verbs when writing a resume. An action verb is one that describes what someone did. Examples are solicited, promoted, publicized and recruited. They showcase your educational and work experiences. Communication is key to a successful resume. You might say you were educated, someone referred you or you were promoted.

• 30. Use a good printer.

You may be sending your resume over the Internet. If you are mailing hard copies, make sure to use a printer that gives the document a professional look. Use plain white paper and a laser printer for the best results.

• 31. Hobbies do not belong on a resume.

Hobbies are off-topic on a professional resume. Regardless of your pride in an amateur sports team or scrapbooking skill, discuss them on your own time. Potential employers want to focus on the skills that make you a suitable candidate for the position.

• 32. Update your resume regularly.

Your resume may need to be updated from time to time. Add any courses, training programs or other academic achievements earned since you created it. Not everyone will have to do this. However, if you have acquired new accomplishments, you will want to include them.

• 33. Mention who you worked with.

If you worked directly under a high ranking executive or someone well-known in the industry, it will be to your benefit to mention that in your resume. This could be someone in charge of your department or the company vice president, for example.

• 34. No scattered information.

Your resume should follow a logical sequence of education and employment. It is not beneficial to have been an art major, a math major and then received a degree in history, for example. The way you progressed should all work towards the goal of a position in the industry you are applying for a job in. You want to represent yourself as someone who is decisive and will bring that quality to the company.

• 35. Make certain the resume has adequate white space.

If the amount of information is too extensive to fit on one sheet of paper, allow it to continue on a second page. It should appear organized and easy to read. A pleasant appearance is going to be noticeable even before the employer begins to read. If it looks sloppy, you have one strike against you before he/she reads your name.

• 36. Lists all your positions promotions.

You may have worked for a number of years at the same company. This is admirable and even more so if you received a series of promotions during your employment. You can mention any special projects you were assigned to work on. Elucidate the many responsibilities you had while working there.

• 37. No jargon or slang.

There is no place for jargon or slang on the professional resume. Do not use fancy words for the purpose of impressing the HR manager with your literary prowess. If an impressive word fits into a sentence without disturbing the natural flow, by all means use it. Do not build a sentence around a word you want to show off with. It will be obvious to most employers who read it.

• 38. Careful with sample resume templates.

You may be tempted to use one of the free resume templates. It is useful to look at them for ideas on how to set up your resume. However, you should not produce a resume that is set up like ten others and obviously not your original format. It is preferable to stand out in the crowd of applicants then blend in with them.

• 39. Create an email proof formatting.

It is common procedure to submit your resume to companies by email. Your Word document should be perfectly formatted and sent as an attachment. Attachments are sometimes blocked by spam filters. Some companies ask that the resume be sent in the body of the email. Then they do not have to open an attachment. You will need a text version of the resume that will fit comfortably in an email. It must look as neatly formatted as the Word document.

• 40. Remove your older work experiences.

You may have an extensive list of jobs if you have been working for twenty or more years. If so, you do not have to list them all. You should go back for a maximum of fifteen years. Select the ones where you did some of your best work. Leave out that one where the boss did not really appreciate you.

• 41. Fancy designs are inappropriate.

Use white paper. Do not use a color, however good it looks. Do not use a font that looks like calligraphy or add a designed border. It would offend a businessperson in many cases. The HR manager might toss it in the wastebasket as inappropriate.

• 42. No pronouns.

Do not write from the first person’s perspective. No resume should include the pronouns, I or me. The fact that it is a resume indicates that it is about you; therefore using pronouns is redundant.

• 43. Do not forget the basics.

Your name should appear before anything else on the resume. Type it in a larger font than the text that follows, in bold letters. Your contact information should be clear. If you have a second page, your name and contact details should be on that page also.

• 44. Consider getting professional help.

If you have any doubt that you can produce a professional looking resume, hire a consider hiring a professional writer to do it for you. If you are being ignored by the companies you send it to, it may be beneficial to have it prepared professionally. It is a valuable investment in your future.