Friday, August 1, 2008

Useful Information For A Great Resume

One of the most essential aspects of a job hunt is the resume. Whether you are successful in your endeavor or not, it’s expected that the resume is as professional as possible. Give your resume enough time and attention; it’s supposed to represent you and make a lasting good first impression with the potential employer.

Your resume should grab the reader’s attention for all the right reasons. You could have a resume that talks about the various jobs you’ve held along a reverse timeline or your resume could highlight all the positions you’ve worked in with the focus being on the nature of the jobs. Even though the latter is less preferred, you may want to use it when you’re considering a change of career paths; if you would like to get into sales it would be nice to flaunt your skills as a customer representative. However, you could make a resume that has your professional experience in a chronological order. The format could be different but some elementary guidelines include those on font size and style; stick to accepted norms and don’t be too flamboyant. Also, keep the usage of graphics to the minimum unless you’re applying for a job that requires such skills. Be brief and yet elucidate; you need to know when to draw the line with either. Ensure that the resume doesn’t exceed two pages.

Something that shouldn’t be overlooked is if the resume is conveying something that it shouldn’t be; you just can’t be dishonest or lie on your resume. In the wake of increasing number of falsified resumes, companies these days are also carrying out employment screening services. If it’s found that your resume hides facts or paints them in a different light, not only would you not be considered for the job but you could also be blacklisted.

You could include a cover letter as well. This is needed especially when there are things to be told to the employer. The cover letter also serves as an introduction to your job application. Your strengths should be made obvious in a very subtle manner. Talk about your weaknesses in such a way that the particular drawback made you discover a hitherto unknown strength of yours. Be absolutely certain of anything you write in the resume; you can always be asked to justify why you think you’re a team player if that’s what your resume says. You can always experiment a little but don’t do anything very drastically different unless you’re absolutely sure of what you’re doing.