Resume Hints
For many people, one of the hardest parts about looking for a new job is putting together a resume. You want your resume to accurately portray the experiences and abilities that would make you a great asset for a company, but how do you begin? Below is a list of information that should be included on your resume and some questions you can ask yourself to help get started thinking about your past achievements and experiences that will be important to include on your resume.
Every resume should include the following parts:
Contact Information –
This should be at the top of the resume and easily visible. Employers do not want to have to search for your contact information. You should include your name, address, phone numbers you can be reached at, and e-mail address if you have one. Make sure that you voice mail/answering machine message for the phone number you provide is professional.
Summary -
This is where you need to summarize what you are all about. You should tell what type of job you are looking for and what you want to both give to and gain from this job. You can also quickly summarize what skills qualify you for this type of job. Use strong concise language. This should be approximately four to five sentences at most.
Employment History –
You should give the name, city, and state of the company, the dates worked, and your title at the company. You can list some general information about the company and the scope of your responsibilities. This helps people put into context your accomplishments. Underneath each position you should list 2 to 3 accomplishments. These should be specific to you. What are the things you are most proud of that you accomplished in that role? You should list your positions in reverse chronological order.
Education History –
You should list the name of the school, the degree attained, and the date in which the degree was attained. You can list highlights and accomplishments. Make sure to list each degree separately, even if more than one degree was earned from the same school.
Optional: Skills –
Some technical jobs might require you to list certain skills on your resume. When listing your skills give the name of each skill, the level you perform at, the last time you used the skill, and the number of years of experience you have with the skill.
Optional: Activities –
If you have other activities, such as community involvement or volunteer work, you should list them under activities rather than employment. You can also include professional trainings, languages spoken, affiliations or appointments, and any licenses held.
Personal Information-
You should NOT include personal information such as date of birth, social security number, or marital status. This type of information is not appropriate for a professional resume.
The resume should not be more than 2 pages long.