Resume Kick Start: 10 Steps to Success
It is surprising that many job candidates still have poor resumes. If you can do exactly what is listed here, you will soon be on your potential employer’s short list. Are you ready to start your new job next week? Do this and get ahead of the rest.
1. Study the format of good resumes by referring to some books in section 650.14 of your library. Be sure to check the copyright page for each book and get only the latest books.
2. Create a “master” resume worksheet that lists all of your accomplishments and skills from each previous job, paid or unpaid. It could be based on the job application form of some company. It must be thorough. Fill it out and transfer all the data to your computer. (Many libraries have computers for patrons). This will be a basic list of job titles and descriptions. You will refine it later. You won’t always need all the details on this form when creating a new resume, but you will refer to it over and over again to complete online and paper applications. Make a copy to keep in your car … now you are always ready to complete applications. PS Get a small USB memory stick for data storage.
3. Get your resume in an MS Word document and save it to your hard drive or USB stick. Also, do the same, but convert it to a Notepad format (or ASCII format). Notepad uses Unicode, that’s fine because it shouldn’t make any special characters at this point, just plain text.
4. Don’t use technical terms in the body of your resume, but include them in a summary section at the top. These are keywords or phrases that can be searched if a computer program scans your resume.
5. Use 8½ x 11 paper only, white or light-colored paper, 24 lb. 108 gloss rating, 11 or 12 point Arial font only, no fancy symbols, two page limit.
6. Use only a laser printer, do not bend or fax unless requested.
7. Do not enter personal data such as age, marital status, hobbies or SSN.
8. Don’t enter “References – Available on Request” or other nonsense.
9. Do not leave spaces in the dates of the work history. If you had a very short job, consider skipping it. Self-training or school fees are fine to fill in these unemployment “holes.”
10. As you refine your resume, don’t rely solely on the spell checker. You must read your resume out loud to find all the mistakes. PS: The style of the resume does not have to be 100% correct with the grammar; for example, job descriptions are not complete sentences with a subject and a verb beginning with “I”.
You are allowed zero mistakes on resumes. The resume should look clean and feel good in the hands of the employer. That means white space, margins of one inch or more, easy-to-read line spacing, and a clear font. Once the employer decides to read your attractive resume, they better have some compelling reasons why they should interview you. Getting their attention is essential. The time invested in a good resume will be worth it.