Writing a good resume doesn’t mean you have to follow the rules you heard through grapevine. It doesn’t have to be one page of a specific resume format. Each resume is one kind of marketing communication. It should suit your situation and do exactly what you want. Instead of a set of rules and tips, we will cut the chase in this brief guide and offer you the basic principles of writing a highly effective resume.
If you have been online trying to understand everything out there about resume writing, you will realize that much of it conflicting advice. But do not panic, just stay out here, we have all the final word on those annoying questions about format? Font? Length? and Keyword? We have clear and no-nonsense guidance based on thousand even billion of real-life success stories. Here it is, how to do it yourself, broken down in several parts.
1. Know exactly What Kind of Resume You are going to Write
Typically, there are three basic types of resumes: Chronological, Functional, and Combined between Chronological and Functional. Generally, you prefer the Combined approach – but this decision must be informed by the type of job you are looking for and the type of employer you are looking to impress.
- Chronological
The chronological resume is traditional resume structure. The Experience section is the focus of the resume; there is no major section of skills or accomplishments at the beginning of the resume, and each job or the last several jobs is described in some detail. This structure is mainly used when you are staying in the same type of work or in the same profession. It is also typically used in certain fields such as academia and law. - Functional
The functional resume highlights your major skills and achievements from the very beginning. It helps the reader see more clearly what you can do for them, rather than having to read through the job descriptions to find out. Actual company names and positions are in a subordinate position, without any description under each. The functional resume is a must for career changers, but is very compatible for generalists, for those with a wide range of skills in their given profession, for those with spotty or divergent careers, for military officers, for students, for homemakers returning to the job market, and for those who want to make slight shifts in their career direction. - Combined between Chronological and Functional. A combined resume includes elements of both chronological and functional formats. It may be a shorter chronology of job descriptions preceded by a short “skills and Achievements” section or you can write with a longer summary including a skills list or a list of qualifications. It can also be a standard functional resume with the achievements under headings of different jobs held.
2. Guidance for a Career Change Resume
Generally, career change has become a new norm of working. There are 4 guidance of career-change job search calls for a Functional resume.
- Define your target market
Target market in the advertising business refers to people who aims to become customers. In your career-change job search, your target is the collection of certain organizations that might hire you to do what you want to do, also where you want to do it. You can start it with geographic requirements either the world or seattle. Within that geographic area, you should target the type of organization that interests you, Are you looking for non-profit, profit-making, or government? What kind of industry or business? What is the size of the organization? - Play up Transferable Skills
Generally, with lots of job in very different professional fields can often have a number of similar requirements. Let’s say you want to move from a marketing position in a pharmaceutical company to a fund-raising role and not to make a profit. What are the applicable skills you’ve already demonstrated? They may be more than you think.
You should consider these possibilities:
1. Time management
2. Persuasive communicating
3. Project management
4. Collaboration
5. Strong decision-making
6. Composure under pressure
7. Innovative problem-solving - Key on the Tribe
As a career changer, of course you are moving from one tribe to another. Within the boundaries of integrity, the story you tell must explain why the tribe you now want to enter is truly the right one for you and not the others. This is another example where research is critical. Go to LinkedIn and similar sites and take a look at a good number of resumes of people looking for similar jobs. Moreover, you can enter your circle of colleagues, friends, and family.
3. Pay Attention of Your Assertions Section
In most cases, a great resume has two main sections, that is assertion and evidence. First, you make assertions about your qualities, abilities, and achievements. Write in powerful style, but honest, an advertising copy that grabs the reader’s attention. (Exceptions to this are resumes that target generally conservative fields such as science, law, or engineering). The second is the evidence section. It will be discussed thoroughly in the nex sub chapter.
The real power in your resume is what you assert about yourself in front. This is where you can actually shine yourself. The hard truth based on research: Only one interview is given for every 200 resumes received by the average employer. Research also tells you that your resume will be quickly scanned, rather than read. You only have a few seconds to persuade a prospective employer to read more. The top half of the first page of your resume will either make or break your chances, so you must consider about it.
- Focus
Ask to yourself with these several questions: What does the employer really want? How would you fill those shoes? What would set a truly exceptional candidate apart from a simply good one? If you are not sure what will make someone a superior candidate, you can gather information from the job postings you see, or from people who work in the same company or the same field. You can even call the prospective employer and ask what they want. Don’t try to make wild guesses. - Your Objective
So many resumes we see try to make a strong effort to tell the reader. We don’t want the employer to be informed, but we want them to be interested and curious. In fact, it’s best to leave your reader with a few questions they want to ask you. In your assertions section, state your objective, your really intended job. Ideally, your resume must convey why you are the perfect candidate for a particular job or job title. There is debate out there about whether to declare an objective, but in general, it is a good idea. If you’re in a creative field or have gained insights suggesting that the employer would prefer an approach outside the box, perhaps you may sacrifice an objective. - Your Summary. The summary consists of several concise statements that focus the reader’s attention on your most important achievements, achievements, and abilities. If you have an account in LinkedIn, it is important that the summary be reflected in what you have in your LinkedIn summary. You have more space to work with LinkedIn, so they need not match exactly, but they must be close enough so they show consistency. You should be recognize as the same person with the things you mention should be the most interesting demonstrations of why you should be hired, why not the other candidates. This is your short window of opportunity to highlight your most impressive qualities especially the spiciest part of your resume.
- Skills and Achievements
In this final part, you must go into more detail. Focused on your most special highlights. Imagine that you now tell the rest of the best of your story. Let the employer know about what happened because of your efforts, what results you produced, what you are especially gifted or experienced at doing.
4.You Must Detail in Evidence Section
The evidence section includes some or all of the following: education, experience, and possibly additional items such as affiliations and publications. While this section is secondary to your assertions section, it is still very important. TIP: Think of it as the foundation that holds your assertions so they can shine. If this section isn’t strong enough, the resume will not unite and the recruitment manager will question the credibility of your assertions.
- Experience
Create a list of jobs in reverse chronological order. Just focus on the most recent or relevant jobs and don’t go into detail on the jobs early in your career. You have to summarize a number of the earliest jobs in very short paragraph, or list only the bare facts with no position description. If you want to describe the employer in a phrase in parentheses, it will impress the reader. Include internships, military service, and major volunteer roles if desired; because the section is labeled as your experience. Other possible headings here include: Professional History, Professional Experience, do not use words such as “Employment” or “Work History,” because both of it sound more lower-level. - Education. List of education typically write in reverse chronological order – list f degrees or licenses first, followed by certificates and advanced training. Set degrees apart for easy viewing. Put in boldface whatever it will be most impressive. Do not include any details about college except your majors, distinctions or awards you have won, unless you are still in college or just recently graduated. Include your grade-point average only if over 3.4. Make a list of selected coursework if it will help convince the reader of your qualifications for the targeted job.
- The Rest
- Awards
If you have received an awards, then this section is a must. If you have received praise or commendations from some very senior source, you can call this section, “Awards and Commendations.” In that case, continue and quote the source. - Professional Affiliations. Include only the latest, relevant and impressive. Include a leadership role if necessary. This is a good section for you for showing your membership in an association that would enhance your appeal as a prospective employer, or to communicate your status as a member of a minority target for special consideration by employers.
- Languages. Being fluent in more than just one language is definitely something to include.
- Civic / Community Leadership. It is good for you to include if the leadership roles or achievements are related to the job target and can show your skills acquired. For instance, a loan officer hoping to be a financial investment counselor who is a Financial Manager of a community organization charged with investing its funds. Any Board of Directors membership or “chairmanship” would be good to include but you must be careful with political affiliations, as they could be a plus or minus with an employer or company.
- Personal Interests. Tread seriously here. While personal interests tend to stand out on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, you have to consider how much it can help you when applying for a job, ideally on a case-by-case basis. It you include a section like this, keep the formula in mind.
5. Make Your Resume Eye-Catching
Think of your resume as a visually interesting work of art. Remember, this your masterpiece. No matter how much you follow the guidance we convey here so far, if you fail in the presentation of what you have written you are doing an extraordinary disservice.
A note here if you are using images or video. Of course, there are many instances where applicants are encouraged after using creative visuals or making a video resumes. This kind of approach is situational, and should be considered carefully based on what you know about the job and the tribe. For instance, if you’re applying to a video production firm or a start-up with a culture that would accommodate a video submission just go for it if, or if you are a graphic designer, why not show off your stuff to a certain extent? That said, you also recommend to traditional PDF with written information accompany your video.
With 5 key of how to write a great resume above, why don’t you start to make it right now? Anda get the bers result from the company you are applying for!
