How To Create a Great Resume

Resume’ writing isn’t something that comes naturally for everyone. Some people struggle with building an impressive resume that reflects who they are and the work they want to accomplish. Fortunately, creating the perfect resume’ doesn’t have to be challenging. Understanding a few key points can make all the different between a mediocre resume and a great one.

The first question that an individual should ask is if their resume reflects their skills. A person must be sure to list skills, abilities, and experiences that reflect who they are and what they want to do. If they don’t, it’s likely that they’ll end up with a job that is unsatisfying. Resumes must be careful to highlight the skills and unique abilities of an individual. Each employer wants to know what a potential candidate can bring to the table, and the resume’ is where a person explains what they can offer.

Where a person places their skills, abilities, and experiences on a resume is also significant. Some career development professionals see resume’s in the same light as they do real estate, what matters most is location. The most valuable information on a resume should be located at the top. If it’s the work history that a person is most proud of they should put that first. If it’s education, then that should be placed at the top. A brilliant resume should be organized in a way so that the best parts stand out first.

Staying honest and authentic is also essential. According to the popular economics book, Freakonomics, about fifty percent of people admit to lying on their resume. Some of the most common lies include stretching employment dates to cover any gaps in the career, enhancing job titles and embellishing career achievements and duties. Some people even invent employers. In many cases, there is a reasonable chance the prospective employer will find out about the lie. Companies are doing background checks more often. People should be honest about themselves, because there is a possibility that the employer will find out in any case. Even a small lie can cost an individual the job.

Individuals should also remember that it’s OK to follow up, but it’s not OK to stalk an employer. Calling to check on the ‘status’ of a resume has been the tradition of many job seekers for many years. Following up with a company is perfectly appropriate and reasonable, however, individuals cross the line when they start to harass the employer about the position. Calling more than once or twice can lead the employer to believe that the candidate is a nuisance or desperate. Unfortunately, there aren’t many human resources departments that are willing to hire the annoying or desperate.

Checking spelling and grammar is critical for a great resume. There is nothing worse on a resume than grammar and spelling errors. Most word processing applications have a grammar and spell check tool.  This allows a person to fix misspelled words and place commas and periods in all the right places. A resume that is filled with grammatical errors can reflect poorly on an individual. Too many misspelled words and other mistakes can cause an employer to believe that a person is careless or not detail-oriented.

Finally, an individual should hire someone if they can afford it. Not everyone can hire a professional resume writer. As a matter of fact, many people who are looking for a job are living on their last few pennies and barely have the money for a professional resume writer. However, an individual that can afford a professional resume writer should hire one. A reputable professional resume writer will help you highlight skills, experiences and abilities. The writer should be able to give the resume a glow that the individual could not produce. If the resume writer is particularly good, than the expense for the professional service will earn its costs back ten times over.

Always remember to follow the above guidelines in order to have the best possible resume and to land that dream job that you desire.