Three Surefire Steps to Write a Splendid Resume

Some candidates hire a skilled resume writer to design their resume while others shape up their own resume. People who are familiar with business writing usually succeed in forming a polished resume. But anyone can learn how to string together a successful resume through some guidance.

What differentiates an exceptional resume from just an average resume is:

1. Formatting and final presentation

The mediocre resume grabs the attention of the employer for a span of only a few seconds. It is immediately cast aside if it fails to leave a strong impact. Treat your resume with the same amount of care and consideration you will give an interview. Don't treat it with a casual approach.

Choose the right kind of format. If you have relevant experience, use a chronological format. This format begins with your current job and builds backwards. If you are new to the job market or reinventing your career by joining a new industry, use the functional/combinational form of resume. This means assembling your skills and attaching a short chronological work history in the end.

Other points that you need to consider include:

The removal of errors: Utilize the spell check tool and get your resume reviewed by someone for sentence structure and any other errors
Consistency: The format should be kept consistent and the use of capitalization and punctuation should be maintained throughout
Use of white spaces: Use white spaces to highlight core parts of the resume
Correct use of fonts: Don't use more than 2 fonts
Inclusion of important details: Enclose your name, address and contact details
The quality of printing: Use a laser printer and quality resume paper

2. Accomplishments and Responsibilities

Your accomplishments demonstrate how you managed to perform your responsibilities.

Accomplishments can just be the simple details of what a candidate continually achieved in the course of their job. Many of your common job activities can be specified as accomplishments.

While naming accomplishments, be sure to answer these questions:

Did you save company resources?
Did you improve the sales?
Were you productive and efficient?
Were you instrumental in implementing new systems?
Did you contribute to new products or services?
Did you solve a major issue with little resources?
Were you responsible for any technical/operational development?
Did you exceed expectations regarding quality?
Were you the author of original reports or studies?
Did you make a discovery regarding the need for a new program?
Were you part of any committees?
Did you solve customer issues?
Were you termed as outstanding?

2. Most common resume errors

The inclusion of some items is a complete no-no. These include:

The use of "I", "me" and "my" structures; Drop the pronoun to make it sound more appealing.
Use of words like "responsible for" and "duties included"
Use of unnecessary personal information; Remove your age, health, ethnicity and marital status
Use of photographs unless you are an actor/model
Use of unneeded reasons for unemployment periods
Extra documents such as certificates or work samples
Salary information
List of references