How To Make A Great RESUME

The resume is your marketing tool for your skills and experiences. Create a resume that succinctly highlights the best of what you have to offer an employer.  The most effective resumes are easy to read and clearly state your skills and achievements.

Instructions

1. Create a Headline

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     Your resume needs a headline with your name and contact information. Use a simple, professional font such as Times New Roman, Arial, Tahoma or Verdana. Bold your headline and make the font for your name two sizes larger than the rest of the resume. Center your name and contact information so that readers can clearly see it.
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     Type your mailing address and telephone number underneath your name.Your contact information font should be smaller than your name.
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   • Include a personal email address. The email address should be something professional such as "your name@abc123.com." Don't use an email address like "sexyman102@abc123.com."

   Summary or Professional Profile

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     Outline your key skills and abilities in a bulleted list with with a heading such as "Professional Summary" or "Summary of Skills."
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     Use concise, catchy wording that highlights your top skills and abilities. This summary gets to the point and sells what you do best.
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     Give particular preference to skills and abilities that are most pertinent to the job for which you're applying. Use the job description or advertisement for clues as to what the company is looking for in filling the position.

   Work History

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     List your previous job titles, company names, and dates along with a brief description of what you accomplished in each position. Use bullet points for each thing you did on the job.
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     Include months and years for your work experience like: "January 2005 - December 2007" instead of "2005-2007." Including the months is a more accurate snapshot of the amount of time you worked for a company.
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     Go beyond just listing duties; tell employers what you did, how you did it and the results of your efforts. Don't list every job you've ever had if it's not relevant. You don't need to list your high school job as pizza delivery person. Only list jobs you've had since college graduation or high school graduation if you don't have a college degree.

   Education and Training

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     Create another section that lists all post-secondary education. Include degrees, dates of attendance and your major. If you don't have a college degree, list your high school diploma.
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     Mention coursework that is relevant to the position.
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     List any industry-specific seminars you have attended, training sessions and certifications or licenses. Provide the dates for these accomplishments. Include any continuing education courses as well, especially if they're relevant to the job.

   Other Sections

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     Include a section listing any special skills you may have such as computer software capabilities, technological expertise or specific research methodologies.
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     Create a special section for your volunteer work, involvement in local community groups or leadership positions you've held. If you're applying for political jobs, you should list campaigns you've worked on. Think about the particular job for which you're applying and highlight the extracurricular work that is most relevant.
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     You may have a section that lists your published work if you're a writer, academic achievements, or any awards and recognition you've earned.