You should write good resume, because if you know how to write a resume well, you will probably stand a higher chance to win the job. When it comes to resume writing, there are two main characteristics that are more important than anything else: your resume’s format and the language you use.
The resume format refers to many things. It includes the type of resume you have; the way you choose to present the text on the page; your use of bold, italic, and underlined text; how easy the resume is to read; and your use of white space. Free resume examples.
There are three main types of resumes:
-Functional resumes
-Chronological resumes
-Combination resumes
The type of resume you choose determines the order of information. Some resumes have education at the top, while others list experience first.
Besides the order of information, resume format is also concerned with how that information looks on the page. You may want to center your name and make headings such as “Experience” and “Education” bold. You may want to use a size 12 font. These choices all help employers read your resume quickly and efficiently. The following are good tips to use:
~Keep your format consistent. If you center one section header, such as “Experience”, then center all other section headers.
~Use only one font. If you must use more than one, don’t use more than two. All fonts should be simple and easy to read. No cursive fonts, symbols (like Wingdings), or decorative fonts.
~Be consistent in your use of bold and italic font, too. However, don’t overuse these elements. You want your resume to consist of mostly plain text.
~Use white space. Make sure the entire paper isn’t filled with text.
~Using bullet points is wise. It helps organize a list. Also, a bullet point list is easy to scan because the bullets separate different items; thus, there is less confusion.
Once you have the format for your resume chosen, you want to focus on your language. Use active language to describe things you’ve done and learned in the past. Avoid passive tense, such as “I had done this…” Instead, use concrete words like “managed,” “performed,” “produced,” etc. Make sure these words are also in the correct tense. You don’t want to use the present tense (i.e. catch, see, am) for jobs you’ve completed in the past; use past tense (i.e. caught, saw, was).
Make your bullet points sharp and concise, rather than using long sentences. You want to be clear and get right to the point so that an employer scanning your resume will be able to see the most important skills you have. On average, employers spend less than a minute reading your resume, so they won’t have time to read long sentences.
Most importantly, though, be accurate. Don’t stretch the truth or misrepresent yourself. Make sure that your language communicates skills you actually have.
