Companies are results-oriented, so in your resume, you should emphasize your achievements within the role, either through work or participation in co-curricular activities. The information you give should convince the employer how you could add value or make a difference to the company if they employ you.
The Resume could be in a Chronological or Functional format.
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a type of resume, and the term is often used interchangeably with a resume. A CV is usually longer and contains more information. It is usually more suitable for applications for academic positions, and for more experienced applicants.
Benefits of Writing a Resume
- Enables you to
know yourself better – your values, interests, skills, abilities,
competencies and personal attributes - as you consider your experiences
and attempt to describe yourself in words.
- Helps you to
focus on your achievements and accomplishments, and this knowledge can
help you ascertain the kind of career that may be meaningful to you.
- Gives direction
when considering career plans
- Keeps a record
of yourself for quick recall when required
- Avoids
forgetting or omitting important information after a lapse of time
- Facilitates
applications for school admissions, internships, job applications, etc
- Advertises your
value as a potential employee.
There are several styles of resumes:
- Reverse
chronological (most frequently used because it provides concise and clear
presentation)
- Functional
- Combination
- Personal
Information:
-Name (to be prominently stated)
-Address
-Email address
-Phone nos.
-Other information (include only if
relevant to the purpose of the resume)
- Career Objective
(Professional Objective)
-what you hope to do or achieve in your
career
-has a focus
-may omit if unclear about your objective
or aiming at a diverse group of jobs
- Educational
Qualifications
-Appropriate ones only
-Degree, school name, country and date of
graduation (or expected date of graduation)
-Major/area of specialization
-Minor (if applicable)
-Grades (only if impressive)
- Work Experiences
(also includes internship experiences)
- State job title, company, country
(if relevant), duration (list most recent job first and work backwards in time)
- Describe
jobs in a way that clearly draws attention to relevant skills, especially those
desired by the company/organization concerned.
- Write
several concise statements beginning with past tense action verbs, and set
apart from the rest of the text by bullets.
- Use high
impact adverbs and qualifying adjectives
- Quantify
when possible (e.g. supervised a team of 10 members; increased sales by 15%,
etc)
- Describe
your experiences (emphasizing those that relate to the position applied for)
- Use
alternate headings where appropriate (highlighting those most directly related
to your objective (e.g. Sales Experience; Technical Experience)
- Co-curricular
Activities
- Describe
experiences in a way that clearly draws attention to relevant competencies and
skills, especially those desired by the company/organization concerned.
- Write
several concise statements beginning with past tense action verbs, and set apart
from the rest of the text by bullets.
- Use high
impact adverbs and qualifying adjectives
- Quantify
when possible (e.g. Led a team of 10 members; increased membership by 15%, etc)
- Describe
your experiences (emphasizing those that relate to the position applied for)
- Use
alternate headings where appropriate (highlighting those most directly related
to your objective (e.g. Leadership Experience)
- Competencies or
Career-related Skills
-Communication skills
-Computer skills
-Language skills
-Leadership skills
-Entrepreneur skills
- Related
Professional Information
-Affiliations with civic and community groups, volunteer work
-Licenses and certificates currently held
-Publications
-Professional organizations memberships, and offices held (where applicable)
- References
- Check with your referees to make sure that they are willing to support your application for the position. Referees may be required to write reference letters or respond to inquiries concerning your suitability for that position.
- List your referees’ names, addresses and phone numbers in a separate sheet of paper with your name and contact information at the top of the page.
Presentation and Layout
· Usually not longer than one page
· Name
should be conspicuous for easy access
· Has
focus – employers do not want to make career decisions for you
· All
relevant experiences, skills and competencies are clearly presented
· Use
sub-headings wherever possible for easy reference
·
Information presented succinctly, and avoid abbreviations and acronyms
·
Contents are well-organized and well-presented (e.g. consistent format, logical
order, good layout and easy to read)
·
Grammar, sentence construction, spelling and punctuation are correct and
appropriately used
· Use
simple and clear type face, font size should not be less than 10
· Print
on good quality paper
Other Considerations
· Check
out resources on tips for good resume writing – websites, books, etc
· Get
several people to critique your resume – career center staff, HR professionals
– people who know you and familiar with resume writing
·
Revise and update your resume where required, and update the information
regularly.
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