Writing A Good Resume Tips To Get The Job Interview

As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, the quality of your resume will play a major role in helping you secure a good job. Since your resume is the first contact between you and your potential employer, it needs to stand out from those of competing candidates and impress the reviewers to the point that they will subsequently want to invite you for an interview. Before you even start to prepare your professional resume, it is important that you take time to undertake a thorough research of the particular job opportunity you are pursuing. This is key to customizing your resume to match the opportunity you are applying for. A generic resume often comes across as lacking attention to detail and ordinary and will easily fail to strike that winning cord with employers.

It is only after you are certain that you have completely understood the requirements of the job should you then proceed to build your resume. When it comes to resumes, the content of the resume will usually triumph the format of the resume. That said, format plays an important part in winning the battle for the good first impression. It is safe to go for a neat conservative format as opposed to a more artistic one unless the position applied for is in itself a design or artistic position.


A good resume needs to have the following sections:

* Personal Details - This should be the first section. After all, the person reading the resume first needs to know whose resume they are reading. The personal details should have your name and your contact details clearly indicated. You should avoid common errors or clichés like indicating ‘resume' or ‘curriculum vitae' at the top of your resume. Also ensure that the email address looks professional. It is difficult to be taken seriously for a senior executive position with an email address ‘chichi_the_itchy@abcxyz.com'.

* Personal Statement or Career Objective - This section is optional but is a good place to briefly sell yourself as you define what you stand for what your aspirations. Structure it in a way that is consistent with the position you applied for. Keep it brief and straight to the point. As an unwritten rule, it should not exceed four lines.

* Education Background and Qualifications - Arrange your education credentials staring with your most recent qualification. If you are applying for a technical job that requires a specific type of qualification (e.g. certain IT jobs), this is where you should indicate these types of qualifications.

* Work Experience - The professional work experience section is usually one of the most important sections for the employer. Hands-on experience is usually given more weight than academic qualification. Indicate your achievements and where possible use quantitative description. Do not be anxious though if you feel your experience in the job applied for comes short. In such cases, you can indicate jobs you have done that demonstrate your reliability and leadership skills. New graduates can indicate any internships they have been involved in.

* Additional Information - Under this section, include any extra skills or professional association memberships that are relevant for the position. This may include multiple language skills, first-aid skills and participation in community organizations.

* Referees - Indicate at least two referees providing their positions and contact details. Make sure you notify each referee beforehand before you include him or her on your resume.

Finally, proofread the document and have someone else do it just to be double sure. As petty as it may sound, your resume can be quickly dismissed on the basis of spelling errors regardless of how technically qualified you may be.