Essay Online

Writing a Resume

Not that long ago, the easiest way to get a job was to visit the company you wanted to work for and ask for one. Today, however, it’s not quite that simple. Most companies require you to submit your resume to them before they’ll consider you for a position. So the resume has become a great deal more important, because it’s the first, and possible last, chance you have to make the right impression. That’s why it’s so important to get it right!

First off, you need to start writing a resume by being clear about what you’re trying to achieve. Which company are you planning to apply to? What type of job are you hoping to get? The answers to those questions will give you a direction for your resume. Remember, no matter how good your resume is, if the person reading it doesn’t think you’re suitable for the job, you won’t get any further. So make your resume good, but don’t spend countless hours stressing about making it perfect; you’re probably wasting your time.

It’s a good idea to keep your resume short and simple. The person reading your resume probably has dozens, if not hundreds more resumes to read through, and rather than waste time reading your lengthy life history, will put your resume aside and read somebody else’s. Work out the types of things the employer is most likely to want from an employee, and make sure your resume shows you have those skills or qualities. For example, if the job is likely to require attention to detail, mention your ability in that area. Summarize your past job responsibilities with a focus on skills requiring attention to detail. Give your prospective employer plenty of chances to see how your skills could benefit their organization.

Perhaps you’ve never had this type of job before, and so don’t know exactly what the employer will be looking for. That’s okay; just spend some time researching the industry. If possible, ask some professionals in that industry what type of skills or qualities they’d look for in a person holding the job you’re applying for. Look at job advertisements, searching for clues, particularly if they mention certain qualities they’re looking for. Check out newspapers at the library, or search on the Internet. Even better, look at the website of your potential employer, if they have one. Learn as much as you can about the business you’re trying to join, so that you have a better chance of targeting your resume correctly. That knowledge will pay off in an interview, because you can show you know something about the employer’s industry.

One word of warning - never make the mistake of writing a general resume, hoping that you’ll hit all the right buttons. That almost never works.

Now that you have an idea what sort of direction you need to give your resume, start putting it together. Most resumes contain the following sections, although they can vary a little depending on the industry. Still, you should always try to cover these areas somewhere in your resume:

- Employment history

- Positive personal characteristics

- Computer or technical skills

- Educational background and results (include GPA if it’s over 3.0)

- Any other relevant accomplishments, such as a public speaking award

Once you get the hang of it, writing a resume really isn’t hard. All you have to do is put in everything you can to show the prospective employer that you can add value to their business, and take out anything that doesn’t.

Imagine yourself sitting in an employer’s desk with hundreds of resumes falling in on your desk against a vacancy declared by you in your company.

Number of vacancy - 1, and number of applicants - innumerable.

As an employer it is your responsibility to select the most deserving, suitable and competent candidate. So it is up to the candidate to snatch the employer’s attention out of those hundreds of resume application. As such, writing a resume is all about knowing what employers specifically look for in an applicant’s application. So, never make the mistake of underestimating the importance of a “good and eye-catching resume”.

Now, a good and a perfect resume is not an allegory. Neither has it anything to do with the elite schools or exceptional work experience. A blue collar worker may have a exceptional CV, while the resume of a white collar professional may have a poorly written one. A good resume is your first step at the door of a good job; you must well-understand that it is your representative to an employer before you get there. A resume centers round the detailed info about a candidate that is truthful, brief and to the point; not something that is exaggerated or unnecessarily long.

There are certain things that a good and perfect curriculum vita has within its set margins.

1. First of all, decide the format of your resume. Decide whether you want it to be in a functional or chronological format.

2. Write your resume in active verbs.

3. Highlight your skills and objectives. Make it your resume headline.

4. Be specific about your professional background. If you are an experienced person, mention your tenure with previous employers; and in case you are a fresher, define your professional qualifications.

5. Define your current pay scale. And don’t forget to put down your expected salary.

6. If your CV is targeted towards a specific career path or employer, then you must know all their requirements and mention them in your resume very clearly. Research and know the qualities that will prove to be beneficial to the employer and think about how your capabilities match those qualities.

7. Next, be particular to provide every minute personal detail. Highlight your contact details.

8. Be professional, concise, brief and clean. Avoid from being too flashy with your resume design.

9. Stick to writing one page cover letter as far as possible.

10. Last but not the least, be sure to edit and re-edit your resume once you are done with writing it.

Remember, the objective of your resume is to unleash your accomplishments and qualifications to the employer’s committee. Think it to be a promotional brochure, a pamphlet displaying your organizational and career skills.