Dream Jobs Start With A Proper, Professional Resume
By: Shawn Cox
Submitted: 2011-07-27 11:39:42 | Word Count: 931
Resume is a French word, which literally means "summary." Another word for it is Curriculum Vitae.
Thus, in essence, a resume lays down a summary of all of your educational and professional background for a particular job. It is such a crucial document for your job search because this is the first impression that a prospective employer gets about you.
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Remember the old saying, "The first impression is the last impression." Well, this is exactly what a resume is prepared for. A solid resume will tell and convince the employer that you are indeed the perfect man for the job. A poorly prepared resume will be quickly forgotten. The employer will put it aside along with hundreds of other irrelevant resumes for the required job. In order to avoid such a dreadful result, a little extra effort on your part in preparing a good resume will open up countless avenues of opportunities.
1. Always Keep the Purpose of your Resume in Mind
Think of your resume as a chance for you to advertise about yourself. The more you spice it up with creativity and substance, the better chances you have getting that dream job you have always desired. In this day and age of extreme competition in the job marketplace you can be rest assured that there are many other potential job candidates who might be better skilled and more determined to fight for the job in question.
It is a war out there and you have to prove your worth by drafting the best resume possible. You have to stand apart from the rest of the crowd. The reason for overemphasizing the importance of a resume is to make you understand the important role it plays in your job search. So when you start to write a resume, keep yourself fully focused and determined to catch the attention of the prospective employer.
2. Use the Resume Style that Best Describes your Skills
There are a number of resume styles that you can choose. A reverse chronological format is the most preferred resume format. It allows you to list all your achievements and experience, starting from the most recent ones. It is most appropriate for you to use such a format if you have an extensive professional experience.
The functional resume format is used to target specific skills and experience for a particular job. Rather than briefly enumerating all of your academic and professional achievements in a reverse chronological resume style, you can list the most relevant of your skills and experience for a job that requires a specific set of skills.
Finally, you can always use the combination resume style that incorporates both of the two styles mentioned before. However, be warned that such a resume leads to a lot of wastage of space and is less widely used.
3. Focus on What the Employer Demands from you
Try to keep the words you use to describe about yourself targeted towards at what the prospective employer is looking for. This can be best done by putting yourself in the shoes of the employer. Look at your resume through the employer's mind. Write in a natural and concise manner. Do not be tempted to endlessly brag about yourself and dwell into everything from your past.
Just try pick out the key experiences and skills and list them out. Moreover, an intelligent way to write is to make appropriate connections of skills with what the job description requires. Tell them how you would actually be a valuable asset if hired.
4. Write an Eye-Catching Objective Statement
The objective statement is actually the first crucial part of your resume. It is the first thing a prospective employer reads about you. This is where you should clearly state your career goals and direction. You must demonstrate clarity of vision and scope.
Do not write a vague and boring statement that will definitely make the employer put aside your resume without reading the rest of it. Many job seekers tend to use very broad words in their objective statement, which is a very bad and risky thing to do if you are applying for a job that requires specific skills.
The best thing to do is briefly summarize all of your relevant skills and experience that the particular job requires. However, if you are applying as an entry-level graduate then it's wise to stress on your academic qualities and achievements.
5. Carefully Proofread your Resume and Correct All Mistakes
Many job applicants tend to submit their resumes without checking for crucial errors. You might have a lot of excellent abilities and experience but if your resume is full of spelling and grammatical errors then this can make a world full of difference. Think about this. If a prospective employer has two resumes in front of him and he has to make a choice.
One resume is written by a person who has an extensive professional experience and has all the right skills for the job. Yet his resume is full of careless spelling and grammatical errors. The other resume is from a recent college graduate with a humble professional experience. However, his resume is brilliantly drafted and is completely error-free.
It is highly likely, and experience has shown, that the employer will choose the latter resume. This is because that a errorless resume shows professionalism and seriousness on the part of the job seeker. It is an indirect indicator to the employer that the candidate is really committed to fulfill the job requirements.
