Useful Tips on Preparing a Resume
Preparing a resume is not as simple as filling out a bio data. It involves strategizing. Knowing what you are, what you want and what the nature of your future employers are and what they are looking for. Preparing a resume starts way before beginning to write it. It begins with knowing what your selling points are, your strongest qualities, your most pleasing skills, your background and your achievements. List down all these things and find the template of resume that will most effectively package all these.
For most people, making this list may not be as easy as it sounds. And if this does present a challenge, make a practical tabulation of them. Once you know the company you are trying to enter and the position you want to take a hold of, the next steps will be easier. Your table should be divided into education, job, voluntary work, extracurricular activities, certifications, and whatever you think is necessary.
In these columns, write down all that you can remember, starting with the most related to the company and position you are looking for, down to the least. For example, if you are applying for the position of editor-in-chief for a famous magazine and the latest degree you have acquired, next to a degree in journalism, is an MBA, then you should put first in your list your degree in journalism, rather than your latest master’s degree in business administration. Also, if your latest job was as an editor-in-chief for a daily newspaper, but prior to that, you were holding the similar position in an equally famous magazine, and then the latter should precede the former job experience.
When your table is complete, you are half-way done in preparing a resume. The next thing for you to do now is to start writing.
When writing, bear in mind that you are not in a feature writing competition where you need to use metaphors or analogies or big words to impress your readers. Keep in mind that your reader is a possible employer who is looking for nothing less than professionalism. When preparing a resume keep it simple yet comprehensive, and impressive yet concise.
Make sure you have no errors. A resume usually is just a page or 2. If you cannot make that perfect, you will risk looking uneducated, careless or stupid. Proofread your resume and have others read it. Grammatical, spelling errors and unpleasant spacing are not acceptable at any level. The saying “no body is perfect” does not apply here.
Stop by John Stevens’s site where you can get some useful tips on preparing a resume and to help you find a job right away.