TIPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE RESUME

Tips For Best Results on Paper

HEADING

• Include your name, address and telephone only.  Include your email account if doing searches online.  Never include your work phone. 

OBJECTIVE

• Know the direction you want to take your resume before setting it up.
• Clearly state your objective in short, concise terms. Be specific in what you have to offer vs. what you'll benefit from receiving.
• If you don't use an objective, ensure your resume has an overall theme.

SUMMARY OF STRENGTHS

• Summarize your relevant strengths, skills, qualifications and abilities.  
• Include "Key Words" in your summary relevant to your objective.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Acceptable employment dates include only going back 10 years (15 at most).
• Show experience that is relevant to your career direction.
• Show the dates for each employer. Month and Year or just Years.
• By listing no dates for employers, indicates you are hiding something.
• Provide highlights of your career accomplishments, showing progressive responsibilities, and responsibilities with results..
• Stay away from telling your life history. Sell the Sizzle!!!! Give the reader a reason to interview you.

EDUCATION

• Do not include dates on education unless recently degreed.
• If you have a degree, flaunt it. List degree, name and location of school.
• No degree? List education and training programs relevant to your objective.
• Education goes after your professional experience unless you are new college graduate or applying to academia.

OTHER HEADINGS 

·         Show other headings for "Computer Skills," "Technical Expertise," "Licenses," "Associations," "Awards," etc.

REFERENCES

• List "References Available" as visual closure to the resume, ("The End").
• Furnish 3-5 references who are familiar with your career and will give you a glowing report.  Have these references available on a separate sheet of paper.
• Provide references at the interview, unless specifically asked to provide prior to the interview.

OTHER IMPORTANT TIPS

RECOGNIZE DATES EQUAL AGE

• Age discrimination still occurs, so be aware that dates equal age.
• Employers still add up how old your are based on when you graduated college.
• Seek employers who welcome your level of experience.  
• Do not show 30 years of work history or the year you earned your college degree if more than 10 years ago.  
• Let employers view your qualifications vs. judge you based on age.

USE ACTION WORDS

• Create verbal impact. Let the words jump off the page.
• Maximize the use of: managed, designed, directed, developed, implemented, prepared, created, coordinated, etc.

SHOW BULLET POINTS

• Use concise one line (maximum two line) bullet points describing a responsibility or career accomplishment.
• Limit the number of bullets per employer in proportion to the rest of your resume.

NO HOBBIES, INTERESTS AND PHOTOS

• Provide these only if it relates to the position or if the duties and responsibilities require it.
• An example is a school teacher with an opportunity to coach. Never include your picture unless you're a model and seeking a modeling position.

PROVIDE AN EASY FORMAT

• Keep your resume to a one or two page format, highlighting your strengths, skills and accomplishments based on the career direction you want to go. Create visual impact.
• Use easy to read fonts and keep to 12pt type.  Recommended fonts include Times Roman, Helvetica, Univers, Ariel, CG Times or equivalents.
• Keep margins at approximately 1" margins for effective use of white space.  
• Use a chronological format or a combination style of functional and chronological.  Never use a traditional functional style resume.
• Caution in using strictly a functional style resume, again, it indicates you're hiding something.

Please Note: The average employer takes less than 10 seconds to review your resume. Remember, more pages doesn't mean more review time! Many employers are now machine scanning resumes and searching your qualifications based on "key words."  Include "Key Words" for your Occupation / Objective.