How To Do A Resume - 3 Things You Must Remember

Few people really understand how to do a resume and cover letter that works for them in their job hunt. While your resume is a factual document, it is also a marketing tool...and it is your best one. In some cases, it is your only one. Because it is so important, it requires some professional guidance. Almost every job-seeker I've encountered who thought they had a well-done resume found out how wrong they were once we started looking at their resume in detail. A successful cv has a number of factors which make it a success but there are 3 key ingredients that are at the top of the list.The first factor you need to bear in mind when it comes to how to do a resume is proper format. This is the one thing I see as a problem most often with my job-seeker clients. A lot of people have problem situations that create a challenge in producing a professional-looking resume, but with a little thought, they can include everything they need and keep the format. Keeping a resume in format is important for the hiring agent. Imagine you are the one weeding through a pile of resumes where some are three pages long and others are done in a script font in blue ink. Why add to the hiring agent's headache? Keep your resume to one page and use black ink in an 11 or 12 pitch Times New Roman font. Include only the last ten years of work history. Steer clear of colored paper, personal information like your birthday, and bolding or using italics, unless it is in a header. Many job hunters overlook the second most important factor on a resume: the stated objective that must go at the top. Your objective must be related to your abilities, it should be brief and specific. This is your opportunity to say what you are looking for. Many people fear doing this because they are worried about offending someone or don't know exactly what it is they are looking for. There is no denying that an objective is a qualifying factor and helps the hiring agent determine how suitable you are for the job. Maybe your objective will indicate to the hiring agent that you aren't a good fit for the job in question but you have to ask yourself how happy you would be to take a job that isn't what you want anyway. However, if it doesn't disqualify you and you are moved into the interview pile, then your objective could actually be the deciding factor.The third most important factor has to do with the posturing of your work history. If you already have a resume, pull it out and look at the duties that you list under your last job. Does it read more like a job description or does it reflect your abilities over and above what you were hired to do? The duties you list should be brief phrases that show how you added value to that particular company. You need to choose powerful words to describe your contributions, like "provided leadership," "organized," "created," "facilitated," "solved" and "entire." Do you see how these words can elevate the typical "filing," or "customer relations" language? Check everything that you list against your objective to ensure that there is a direct correlation between the two. You are giving evidence to support your objective, so do a good job in selecting your words, and let those words do a good job for you.Knowing how to do a resume is a valuable skill that every job seeker needs to master if they want to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. Thankfully there is help available if you get stuck so that tricky areas with your curriculum vitae can be quickly worked through and you can focus your effort instead on job hunting for that perfect job.