5 Top Tips For Writing A Winning Resume!

31 Oct 2013 1 Comment

by Nikki in Harmonious Home, Healthy Habits, JoyFULL Tags: , , , ,

Whether you are applying for your very first job or have decided to go after that dream job, job hunting can be a very stressful experience. You will possibly be one of 100’s of applicants. A winning resume is the most important step to securing you an interview. Yours must stand out from all the others. A sub-standard resume simply sends the message to a prospective employer that you are nothing special and another rejection letter or email will be heading your way.

Resume’s become outdated very quickly. As you gather more experience or undertake additional training, you must update it regularly so that important information is not accidently left out. If you are writing your first resume, you may feel you have nothing to put on it, but you will have some life experiences that are worthy of inclusion.

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5 Top Tips For Writing A Winning Resume!

1. STYLE AND DESIGN – Your resume is not the place to go to town with fancy fonts and a rainbow of colours! Stick to common professional fonts like Times New Romal and Arial. Not the most exciting fonts, but certainly the most practical and easy on the eye to read. No need for huge font or incredibly small font either. Use size 11 or 12. Using bold for headings is fine, but don’t add underscore as well, total overkill. A hint of colour can make your resume stand out from the crowd, just don’t over do it.

2. KEEP IT CLEAR – Standard plain English is the only acceptable language to use. No abbreviations, slang, SMS codes or profanties must creep on to your pages. Under no circumstances must there be ANY spelling errors on this very important document. Use spell check and get someone to proof read for you.

3. ONLY 1 IMAGE ALLOWED – The only acceptable image suitable for inclusion on your resume is a nice clear headshot of yourself. Your resume is not the place to include any other image, even if you are applying for positions in creative fields.

4. LIST IT ALL – In reverse chronological order (from most current) include Education, Employment History, Professional Development and Training. Don’t forget to include achievements (professional or personal), awards, voluntary or community involvement and interests/hobbies. Always include 2 or 3 referees and let them know to expect a call or two.

5. BE CONTACTABLE – Include every possible way that your future employer could get in contact with you. Address, postal address, email, land line and mobile contacts are a must. Make sure that your voicemail message is clear and professional.  This also applies to your email address, nothing tacky or inappropriate will do. Set up a new one that uses your name is the best choice.

You can go online and get resume templates, so that you just have to fill in the blanks. Use a little more creativity and make yours truly stand out.

Your resume is the only thing between you and your dream job. Investing time in creating your ‘story’ is time well spent. When your resume is complete it it time too put it to work for you. Registering with a reputable recruitment agency such as Randstad can help you find your perfect job as they are experts in matching vacancies with prospective employee’s. Keep your resume clear, honest and concise and before you know it your perfect job will be yours. If you really can’t manage to create your own resume, a quick internet search will reveal a bounty of professional resume creators that will do the work for you for a fee. This could be money well spent.