How to Write a Great Resume
July 23, 2019 8:57am
When it comes to your resume, you have just a few seconds to make an impression with a potential employer. Therefore, it’s important that you follow a few simple guidelines so you don’t get passed up. Before you begin writing the content, you should avoid any fancy formatting or designs. You might think these embellishments make your resume stand out, but having an elaborate design, fancy fonts, colors, designs, graphics, and charts can actually distract the reader from the skills and experience you bring to the table. They also make it difficult for your resume to be imported into online application programs used by many companies.
Now that you know to keep the style simple, here are some things to include (and omit) in each section of your resume so you can get noticed and hopefully hired.
Personal Information
Your personal information is the first thing to list on your resume. It should be centered at the top and should include your first and last name, phone number, and email address. It’s important to note that your email address should be professional and the voicemail greeting on your phone should be appropriate. It’s also fine to include the link to your LinkedIn profile so long as your account is updated, includes a professional picture of you, and complements your resume to include professional connections and industry recommendations. If not, it’s best to leave it off.
Career Profile
Your career profile section is basically a brief summary of your skills, experience, and work ethic as they relate to the job in which you are applying. You will likely need to alter this paragraph for various jobs you apply for. Also, add some core competencies in this section and focus on things that help you stand out from other applicants. For example: “Registered nurse with 10 years of experience looking for career advancement into a management position.”
Professional Experience
Your professional experience should be in chronological order with the most recent position listed first. For each job, you will want to include your job title, years employed, company name, and a description of your accomplishments in that position. Be sure to quantify your accomplishments. For example, explaining that you “assisted 100 new customers per day and provided follow up for 25 previous requests” sounds much more impressive than “provided excellent customer service.”
It’s also a good idea to review the job description you are applying for and include some of the keywords into your professional experience so the hiring manager or person reviewing your resume can relate your previous experience and skills to the current position.
Be careful here to not list jobs that are irrelevant or go back too far in time. If you are on your second or third position since you graduated college, there is no need to list positions you held while in school or back in high school. Unless it somehow pertains to the position, it’s best to leave those jobs off and focus on the career positions you have held that have given you career skills and experience.
Education
Just like your professional experience, your education should be listed in chronological order with the most recent degree or completion listed first. Include the area of study and the outcome, i.e. graduation, degree, or certificate. Also, include the college, institution or program in which you received the education, and year it was earned. And be sure to include any distinctions, such as graduating with honors. Including that you were an exceptional student can absolutely give you an edge.
Technical Skills
Include any technical skills that might be applicable to the position. These might include your experience with hardware, software, or other technical programs that might really highlight your versatility.
Another thing to include is a cover letter. Some employers request them with a resume, others don’t. Not all employers utilize them, but the ones that do will appreciate the work you put into one. You should also have your references ready. Don’t include them on your resume, but rather have them on hand in case you are asked for them during the interview process. The final thing to remember, and perhaps most important, is to always proofread. Spellcheck is a great tool, but it doesn’t catch everything. Be sure to read over your resume several times, even printing it if that helps. Hand it off to one or two trusted people and ask them to review it. Simple errors on your resume will not speak well to your attention to detail and could cause someone to immediately exclude you from the list of possible candidates.
For more career tips, visit the Southwestern College Professional Studies YouTube channel or blog.
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