Points to remember when writing your resume.
While an effective resume can take a great deal of time, it can be a very rewarding experience. A good resume is truly a reflection of you as a unique individual. Figuring out how to concisely describe your key experiences and skills involves taking the time to really think about your jobs, volunteer activities, and courses. As a result you will not only have a good resume, but you will also be better prepared to answer questions in the job interview. Furthermore, the resume often serves as the agenda for the interview, so you can influence what is discussed by including what is important to you on your resume or in your cover letter.
More than One Draft
Plan on writing and typing more then one rough draft so that you can experiment with different layouts and ways to word your ideas.
Thought
Is my resume easy to read and visually balanced? Don't negate your hard work by hiding key ideas. Ways to highlight include using a variety of techniques to emphasize different parts of the resume, such as:
- Underlining key words
- Leaving spaces to keep resume scannable
- Boldface print
- Large dots to highlight items in a list.
Caution
Before including or omitting any item, such as age, put yourself in the employer's shoes and consider what would be useful for him or her to know. In most cases, it is illegal for an employer to ask about gender, age, height, weight, race, religion, or marital status prior to employment. You need not feel obligated to supply this information.
Review
Before having your final draft professionally prepared, make sure that you have at least one other person carefully read and critique your resume. Someone in your field can tell you if the content is relevant. A friend can assess whether you have under or oversold yourself. Correct spelling, grammar and typing are a must. Consider your own reaction after setting it aside for a day or two. Would you hire the person described in your resume? You can also come to the Career Development Center in Room 21 for feedback and advice about your resume.