Top 10 Tips for Writing an Effective Resume
Posted: 12.01.2015
Your resume is the first and far most important document towards getting the job that you want. Some recruiters receive literally hundreds of resumes per day and getting your resume to stand out among them can be challenging.
Your resume should be a well-organized profile of your qualifications for a career. It should also communicate enough information to an employer to keep them interested.
Here are the top 10 tips for writing an effective resume:
1. Write with Style
Font size should be 12 point and either Times New Roman or Arial style. Use 1 inch margins at the top, bottom and sides. Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading.
2. Use Effective Vocabulary
Define all experiences with as many action words as possible such as, accomplish, delegate, achieve, conducted, organized, etc.
3. Don't Get Too Personal
Your name, address, postal code, telephone number and email address is fine, but specific information such as age, birthdate and marital status is not important. Also avoid nicknames.
4. Objective
Write your objective statement and be specific. Explain in one or two sentences how your abilities will benefit the company or organization for which you are applying.
5. Achievements
Show your unique skills and list the most important skills first e.g. memberships, clubs, languages, awards, etc.
6. Work Experience
List work experience in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent should be listed first) including:
List any related or community experience.
8. Education
List your education in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent education, years and program or courses taken.
9. Interests
List specific interests that will show that you have the skills and attitude wanted by the employer.
10. References
Generally, references are not required to be listed on your resume. You can include a line that says: “References available upon request”.
The finished product should look clear, concise and not have any spelling or grammatical errors. Also be honest and don’t include anything that is not correct.
Your resume should be a well-organized profile of your qualifications for a career. It should also communicate enough information to an employer to keep them interested.
Here are the top 10 tips for writing an effective resume:
1. Write with Style
Font size should be 12 point and either Times New Roman or Arial style. Use 1 inch margins at the top, bottom and sides. Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading.
2. Use Effective Vocabulary
Define all experiences with as many action words as possible such as, accomplish, delegate, achieve, conducted, organized, etc.
3. Don't Get Too Personal
Your name, address, postal code, telephone number and email address is fine, but specific information such as age, birthdate and marital status is not important. Also avoid nicknames.
4. Objective
Write your objective statement and be specific. Explain in one or two sentences how your abilities will benefit the company or organization for which you are applying.
5. Achievements
Show your unique skills and list the most important skills first e.g. memberships, clubs, languages, awards, etc.
6. Work Experience
List work experience in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent should be listed first) including:
- Title of position
- Name of organization Location of work (city, province)
- Dates of employment
- Work responsibilities and accomplishments
List any related or community experience.
8. Education
List your education in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent education, years and program or courses taken.
9. Interests
List specific interests that will show that you have the skills and attitude wanted by the employer.
10. References
Generally, references are not required to be listed on your resume. You can include a line that says: “References available upon request”.
The finished product should look clear, concise and not have any spelling or grammatical errors. Also be honest and don’t include anything that is not correct.
