Tool Box
Issue No. 62 - December/January 2011
How to craft an effective resume
by Lisa Askwith
Writing a resume can be quite hard, even for people who have fantastic skills.
Often they find it really hard to put attainments down in writing, or feel they are bragging about themselves, which stops them from giving potential employers a good snapshot of what they can really do.
To craft an effective resume, take the following significant points into account. From the document’s appearance to how you support that good impression when answering the phone, these tips will help make your resume a useful tool that represents you accurately.
1 Appearance is Important. not just for the interview. No matter what level the role you are applying for, your resume needs to look professional. So firstly find a formatting style you are comfortable with, preferably one that’s easy to read and clearly defines areas in your experience, qualifications, interests, etc.
Like a first date, first impressions are important; if your resume is too chaotic, the font to small, full of typos, or full of rambling information many potential employers will not read past the first page or two and you won’t even get a phone call let alone an interview.
2 Your first page needs to sell you. Think in terms of a short speech where you cover what you have done, what you are doing now, and what you could do in the future – what you can offer your future employer. This really needs to be captured in the first page or two. You can do this by including a snap shot of your recent career history, just dates, title and employer followed by a couple of sentences about what you can offer and what you are looking for.
3 Are you easy to contact? Make sure your details are very easy to find. Have your full personal contact details in the opening but then put your name, mobile and email in the header or footer. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to contact you.
4 Have someone else read your resume. You want to make sure what you ha...
