A great resume can advance your career but a poorly written resume can prevent you from obtaining opportunities that come your way. Because this is the first impression a potential employer will have of you, you want to be certain you use this chance to present yourself as effectively as possible.
A resume that will ensure you of the career position you want must be brief, accurate, well organized, attractive and informative. It must advertise your qualifications; after all, you are basically “selling” your skills and knowledge. You want the employer to feel that he or she simply must reach for the telephone and make an appointment for an interview with you. A resume that does not get you an interview for a career position for which you are fully qualified can not be considered an effective resume.
When creating your career-advancing resume, write in telegraphic style. This style does not use pronouns, including “I” or “me” because these words are understood. Create statements that are drive by accomplishments and that specify the quantities involved in your accomplishments. For example, “Lead team of 15 engineers” is much more effective than “team leader”.
In the past, most resumes began with an objective, stating the attributes sought in a job. Today, that has been replaced by the professional summary which includes information traditionally placed on a job application such as career skills. The first sentence should clearly establish the type of position being sought and career background. By using lots of descriptive words, draw a crystal clear picture of yourself as an asset the company simply can’t do without. An example, Innovative Software Developer with strong integrated network skills .”, perfectly describes not only the job desired but also what type of experience the applicant brings to the job.
Use action words to present facts. Achieved, created, improved, researched, trained, supervised, eliminated, expanded, developed, implemented, acquired and designed are only a few of the hundreds of choices. Always follow the action word with quantifiers that explain how much, how long, why and what were the results of the action. An example of an action word followed by quantifiers, “Initiated and implemented e-commerce website with over $2 million in sales during first year”, explains exactly what was accomplished.
Career background should note all employment history that is relevant to the position sought. Start with the most recent and work backward in time, covering at least five years. The education and publications section of a great resume should be short and to the point. List your most recent degree first and only include truly significant publications or awards that are directly related to the position desired.