In the current economic environment, competition for every single job opening is fiercer than ever. With the glut of laid-off workers in the market, there are a high number of qualified candidates applying for every opportunity. In order to get in the door for a job interview, it is necessary to pass the first step in the employment screening process: submitting a good resume.
Components of a Good Resume
The resume tells the potential employer everything he needs to know about the candidate’s qualifications for the job. Below is a checklist of what to include on the resume. Use this as a guide, but a good job hunter tailors the resume for every job applied for to show that he is a perfect match.
While common practice is to keep a resume to one page, if the candidate has an impressive job history he would be well served by extending this to two pages.
Contact Information: The candidate’s name and contact information should be right at the top of the page in a font that is easily distinguished from the rest of the resume. Include as many forms of contact as possible – phone numbers, email address and physical address. If an employer cannot easily find a way to contact the candidate, he will likely set the resume aside.
Job Objective: This component comes right after the contact information. This tells the employer what the candidate is looking for in a job so he knows whether the applicant is likely be happy in the role for which he applied. If the resume indicates the candidate looking for a job that has room for advancement and the job he applied for does not have that, this will not appear to be a good match. This section also gives the employer a quick look at who the applicant is as a person, so be sure to make a good first impression with a well-worded job objective – one that fits with the job applied for.
The rest of items on the resume can be reordered as needed to put the most relevant and impressive items first.
Qualifications and Skills: This is a place to list the skills and qualifications that make the applicant a good candidate for the job. In the interest of being concise and personalized, keep this list to items that are relevant to the job. This includes special licenses, software the candidate is proficient in (be specific), physical capabilities, typing speed, soft skills like leadership and training, etc. Use a multi-columned bulleted list to save space.
Work Experience: This is the section to list the applicant’s job history, starting with his current job if he has one and continuing backward in time. For each position, give the company name, dates worked and position. Follow this with a bulleted list of accomplishments in the role, using as many quantifiable terms as possible. For example, “Created a spreadsheet that streamlined processes by 50%”.
List awards the candidate received on the job as well. Avoid vague “corporatese” that sounds impressive but doesn’t tell the reader anything. Do not list 20 years’ worth of jobs, including that brief stint at McDonald’s – use the most recent, most relevant jobs. If there are have any gaps in the job history, explain them in the cover letter.
Education: If the applicant has a college degree, list it here. List the school, dates and course of study. If he received awards or any other distinctions, include them as well.
Associations: List professional organizations that are relevant to the job or in any way shows that the candidate is a good match.
Tips for Making a Good Impression with the Resume
Once the resume is created, proofread it carefully to make sure it is perfect, then write a cover letter to introduce it and cover any gaps. Avoid using cutesy or hard-to-read fonts in an attempt to stand out - keep the resume professional.
For candidates who are unclear on how to create a good resume, there are resume services available that can take the customer’s information and craft it into a nice presentation.
With all of the competition in the job market today, having a good resume is the first step toward making a good impression and landing an interview – and eventually a job.
Resources: Money-Zine,com, "How to Write a Resume"
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