How to write a perfect resume
hey guys,
i know this isnt security related, but knowing that alot of people need to write one of these, i thought i would share it with all of my friends on AO.
here goes.
This is a tutorial on how to write the perfect resume. Well, I wouldn’t call it perfect but its gonna be pretty good.
Before I start, I just want to make some points that might help along the way:
1) You can have more than one resume. What I mean is that, if you were applying for two jobs, one as a cleaner, and the other and a salesman, it wouldn’t make sense to give them both the same resume. Change and swap things around. For example, on the cleaning resume put down points that show you are a hard worker and that you only have to be told once. On the salesman resume, make notes that you boosted sales last year from $50 to $50, 000
2) Its very important to keep your resume updated all the time. It is a lot easier to add a piece of paper every now and then as you receive them, that having to add a stack of them and basically create a new resume in the first place.
Ok, so lets get started:
The first thing you wanna do is title your resume, preferably “Resume” and underline it and center it at the top of the page. Then we start on details, it is very important to classify your details into sections so the employer and even you can quickly look at certain parts. Another reason for this is so you don’t miss important details, and then find them again once your past the section. It also shows your employer that your organised.
Ok, now you want to decide the format and layout of the resume. You can either have the ‘name’ of the details and a colon after it or you can place a nice picture, but this mainly depends whether you are creating the resume on the computer or in writing. For this tutorial, we will be demonstrating how to make it on the computer.
So, we have Name: Joe Blow and that is how we are going to set out our resume, the subject and a colon, then the response. It is also important to have your name a tiny bit bigger and bolder that the rest of the text. This enables the employer to clearly see your name, so they don’t make a fool of themselves and blame you :P
Next heading is your address, same format, and place your address in there. Ahh, now, we have the telephone number, fax number, mobile number and email address. Now when I was making my resume I picked carefully which I was going to place on the paper. I decided on the fixed phone and a mobile phone. It is also I good idea to place your email address for quick responses, but be warned, if your email address is something like [email protected] then I recommend you don’t put I there. Things like this can deter the employer.
Now, the next section is your personal details, this lot includes your date of birth, hobbies/interests and personal qualities. Personal qualities is what I was talking about at the top. Your not going to put slow worker just cause you are, you want to impress the employer, but don’t over do it. Its ok to omit some qualities but its not right to lie about ones you don’t have.
Also, for your hobbies, don’t put I love to sing for a counter clergyman, because this doesn’t really have relevance to the job your enquiring about.
Career objectives are not what you want to be when you “grow up”. Its what you are motivated to do and what you might be able to do for the company of persons you are being employed under. For example, someone wanting to be a social worker may put “I am highly motivated to pursue a career in the Human Services Industry”
This is a good example because it is short, precise and is relevant to the job. I strongly advice you not to put, I want to be a punk rock and roll artist, when being employed as a gardener. (however they might think your singing talents might help the plants grow :P)
Work skills or demonstrated abilities are similar to personal qualities but should not be confused. Personal qualities are about you only, and work skills are about what you can do on the job. However there are some answers that can fall into both categories, for example, active listening skills. However, it is unwise to place them twice as the employer might think you are daft and trying to get attention.
Employment History and education sections should not be mixed. This is because they are two totally different era’s in your life. If you are fresh out of high school and haven’t held many or no jobs, you can still place teachers, family and friends as your references, and that might give the employer an insight into your capabilities.
When you set out your employment history, it is usually and best to place the topics in this order.
First you list the employer (in bold) and then your position held. You then list your work by placing the most recent experience and work your way back. It is also a good idea to list duties in point form as it is easier to read.
Next is your educational background. List any educational achievements here, including any part-time courses, and same with the employment history, start from the most recent and work your way backwards.
Provide results or highlight the achievements in your best of favourite subjects to let the employer know which course was your major.
Referee’s are always needed. This helps the employer get more input of your experience and your capabilities. Without a reference the employer has nothing to go on, and therefore could think that you made everything up.
Include names, addresses and contact numbers for people you wish to add as a reference. It is also a good idea to ask the reference if you can add them to your resume as not to surprise them and make them unprepared. Also it is just generally polite.
Another item that I personally think is important, is documents like School Reports, certificates of achievements, and various other documents that might push your resume ahead of the others.
Ok, now lets say its been a week or two, sometimes, and this does happen, the employer might forget about your resume and it could sit indefinitely in the “in box” so its always good to follow up with a letter, explaining your situation that you have sent a resume and tell them If they have any queries to contact you on the number that is also, written on your sheet.
In every document that you send your employer, have a header stating your address and possibly your phone number.
Also, when you finish a letter, always end it with yours sincerely or yours faithfully, you use sincerely when you are writing specially to a person, and you use faithfully when you don’t know the person you are writing to.
That about wraps it up, if you have any queries please send an email to [email protected] or if this gets to AO then pm me on Trust_Not_123.
Cheers all
