Your resume is a professional reflection of who you are.

When you send it to an employer, they have a chance to get a feeling for who you are and this document should encourage them to speak with you.

Since more people are fighting for the same positions than ever before, you need to ensure that you shine and that your resume gives you an edge in your job search.

This begins by having an opening to the resume that will capture the attention of the reader.

Your goal is going to be to have them want to read beyond the first couple of sentences and want to study the information on your resume. This means taking the time to ensure that the language is professional and free of grammatical and spelling errors.

Keep it Simple

Your resume should also be no more than a page at the most. Employers don’t want you to go back over your entire career, unless it has an impact on the position you are applying for. It is usually a good idea to just offer the last three relevant employers that you have worked for.

With this, you need to ensure that the resume is focused on the type of position that you are applying for. If you are looking to work in accounting, you wouldn’t include retail experience and babysitting jobs you have done.

On your resume, you also need to ensure that the prospective employer can read your information. Not only should they easily be able to find your name and contact information, but you also need to ensure that they can read your resume. Instead of choosing fonts that look good, it will be important to choose a font that is easy to read.

As you are composing your resume, focus on accomplishments in addition to what you did in a position. While you are doing that, refrain from putting in too excessive words and flowery language. It is better to be concise and to the point. The reason is that the people reading the resumes have hundreds to go through and they just want to know who you are, not how many words you know.

Here are 7 Free Resume Templates to help you get started.

Avoid Resume Killers

Be sure that you also avoid the resume killers that most people do. Lies on your resume are going to stand out and be the first thing that an interviewer will touch on in your resume. If you don’t meet the qualifications for a job, don’t try to make your resume sound like you. This will harm your chances for the position you apply for and any other future positions in a company.

It will also be important that you avoid putting in references as part of your resume. If a company wants this information from you, they will ask. It also helps to avoid putting your references in an uncomfortable position should a company decide to check your references before they even have you come in for an interview.

Building a resume doesn’t have to be a difficult thing as all. This is simply a reflection of your professional career and since you know everything that you have done in the past, it will be as simple as putting it down on paper and creating a true reflection of who you are as a professional.

Make sure to read our “How to Find a Career You Love” article for career finding tips.

HowOMG.com