Therefore, it is important to get it right the first time. Jobseekers either have what employers are looking for or they don't. And if they like what they see on resumes, chances are it was an effective piece of paper. Resumes, effective ones that grab employers' attention, contain several features:
Heading
Include all important information about how an employer can reach an applicant. This includes the applicant's mailing address, home phone, cell phone and email. If it is pertinent to the job, a Web site address would also be appropriate.
Profile
Different resume-writing resources sometimes have an "Objective" or "Goal," which is ideal for a new college graduate. But a basic synopsis should include an individual's skills and experience, such as: "Experienced public relations manager skilled in writing, public speaking and establishing good media relations."
Experience
This section should be outlined in reverse chronological order, with the most recent position at the top. In doing so, it is a good idea to put the company's name in bold, followed by the location of the company, the position (underlined), finished off by the date or dates worked at that company.
When listing job titles include no more than three bullet points of the duties and accomplishments under each. These bullet points should start off with strong action verbs, such as "managed," "produced," "created," or "specialized," making a candidate stronger on paper to a company looking to hire.
Education
An applicant's education should also be listed in reverse chronological order, starting with the highest degree attained, the program or major, the school, year and ending with the city and state. It is important to include the city and state because not all educational institutions are familiar to everyone, especially if applying somewhere that is not local to the area college.
References
Unless specified in a job posting, references should be made available upon request. In listing references it is not only a good idea to ask former colleagues, bosses or professors if they can be listed, can list but also important to ask what the best contact information so prospective employers can contact them without difficulty.
In conclusion, writing effective resumes takes practice. But it is a skill that gets easier and faster over time. It is also important to tweak each resume based on the job for which a candidate is applying, so it is important to proofread everything, especially the profile, before anything gets sent out. For more information on resume-writing, visit: How to Write a Resume
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