A well-written resume is the gateway for an interview. It is the first tool that job applicants use to market themselves. It helps a prospective employer to screen potential employees. Therefore a well-written resume is a key to securing an interview. The job market is saturated and therefore the potential employers have a lot of people to choose from. The rate of unemployment is at an all-time high and this has left many people out of their jobs. This means that more people with experience or who previously held jobs as well as those seeking a job for the first time are competing for the few jobs available. Therefore writing a winning resume is paramount.
Tips for writing resumes are very important in writing winning resumes. A resume should have the applicants’ experiences and for those who have never been employed they should list their extracurricular activities, interests and any volunteer work that is in line with the advertised post. This shows that the applicant has an interest. The applicant should convey their interest to learn and work hard if offered an opportunity (Beale, 2004).
The second tip is to begin writing your resume when you think of looking for employment. Going through other people’s resumes enables one to get ideas on how a resume is written however one should compose their own resume. The resume should be written with a particular job in mind so as to give relevant experience. Choice of words is crucial when describing one’s experiences from duties previously performed as well as skills. Therefore the resume should have detailed responsibilities that the applicant had in their volunteer work or previous job(s) (Beale, 2004).
The resume should include the following information. The biodata entails full name, permanent address or current address if they are different, telephone number, and an email address that is not fancy. An objective should be included when looking for a particular job. It describes the kind of job one wants and is tailored for that particular job. A wrong one could deny somebody a chance for an interview (Crosby, 1999). It could be a sentence or two. Schools attended are listed in a reverse chronology, giving the official names, physical location, and the period attended. Grades obtained and honors achieved are listed as it helps to show that one is intelligent. Courses relevant to the post may also be included. For a student they should list education before experiences though the right format is to list experience before education. The other thing is the experience, one lists their recent job at first, the name of the company, position title, period of work and description of the responsibilities held. The skills are also listed using action verbs and how they were learned. List the activities one took part in and emphasize the skills learned for example leadership. Awards are also listed but if one does not have any they omit the section and finally computer skills (Beale, 2004 &Crosby, 1999).
When writing the resume one should use an appropriate format. The most common is the reverse chronological where one begins with the recent experience. It is the format that most employees prefer. The resume should not be written in fancy types of face. It is best to stick to the commonly used typeface that is Times New Roman size 11- 12 and size 14-16 for the headings. The best color to use is black and one should use usual paper. The other thing is to ensure the resume is brief therefore action words should be used to keep the sentences short. The resume should not have spelling mistakes and any other errors. Proofreading is a must because resumes with errors usually do not stand a chance (Beale, 2004).
Cover letters should accompany a resume. A cover letter enables a job applicant to put across their focus and acts as an introduction (Campbell n.d). It is especially helpful when one does not have experience as it helps one to express enthusiasm (Crosby, 1999).
The cover letter should be written in its own words using standard business format. The words used should be polite and professional. Note that emailed cover letters do have a mailing address. The letter should be single-spaced with blocked paragraphs. Each paragraph is separated from another by skipping a line.
A cover letter should include: a salutation which should be addressed to a specific person as it stands a better chance of being looked into. A colon follows the name rather than a comma. The opening or introduction comes next. The first lines mention the job being applied for and how one learned of the post. If recommended by someone the reviewer knows they can be mentioned and if responding to an advertisement the source is given (Crosby, 1999; Campbell n.d).
Displaying the knowledge of the company is important. One can mention their experience with the services or products of the company or a recent achievement by the company without going into too many details. Next one mentions their qualifications without repeating the information in the resume. Therefore one should give a summary of their qualifications or additional information about remarkable achievements (Campbell n.d). Gaps in one work history can be addressed and negative information should not be given. The cover letter should have a positive tone. The conclusion should be used to thank the reviewer, express the readiness for an interview. This last paragraph should show commitment (Crosby, 1999).
Resumes and cover letters may enable one to get a job interview or not. Time should be taken to write them well to ensure that they portray the job applicant in the best way possible. A resume is the first point of contact with the prospective employer and first impressions matter a lot. Therefore create resumes and cover letters that appeal to the employers’ interests.
References
- Beale, A.V. (2004) Tips for Writing Winning Resumes: Answers to Students’ Most Frequently Asked Questions Techniques. Alexandria: 2004.Vol.79, No. 5; pg. 22, 4 pgs
- Campbell, S. Covering cover Letters.
- Crosby, O. (1999). Resumes, applications, and cover letters. Occupational Outlook Quarterly. Vol.43, No. 2; pg. 2, 13 pgs