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The Resume

Introduction

 A Resume is in simplest terms, a document that presents your abilities and work experience, if you have any, in a systematic way which gives the recruiter or an employer a general detailed overview of you as a prospective employee.

Writing a really great Resume is far from following specific rules and advice you hear from others. Some common notions like the Resume should just be a page long, etc. is very misleading. Every  Resume is one-of-a-kind “marketing communication”. It should be appropriate to the post applied for. It is about you, not fluff and pretty words and formats.

Resume writing is a critical task. Though it is easy to make your own Resume, what people do not take care of is the essence of Resume writing as to what is the purpose of making a Resume, or what exactly a Resume is supposed to portray. Writing a Resume is something that follows a set pattern. It is a simple presentation of your achievements or strong points in your career, be it educational or professional. The format in which you are supposed to present the information is quite simple and devoid of any decoration.

Resume Misconceptions

If you are thinking Resumes are your history stuffed with what you have done in all the various fields of your interest, a personal statement or some sort of self expression, then you are grossly wrong. It is simply an exhibition of your sellable qualities which will impress the employer or the recruiter and get you the opportunity for an interview and to be selected for the selection process.

Resume Importance

The importance lies in making the crucial first impression. If your Resume is well laid out, systematic, precise and to the point you are seen as sorted and organized. It is important because the Resume is what the employer or the recruiter sees, way before any interaction with you in person or on the telephone. So Human Resources (HR) person has to swim across the sheaf of papers and a pile of Resumes, an impressive and well formatted resume with relevant highlighted points really stands out.

Resume Purpose

Your Resume is a tool for winning an opportunity of the interview. It wouldn't be wrong to say that it is also an advertisement of yourself in the job market. So apart from putting in all that you have done and achieved so far, you also get a chance to assert and convey across to the reader that you are keen and dedicated to serve them and at the same time be aware of your own personal growth, through the “objective” section of the Resume.

Resume Content

In short, the Resume content has to be convincing to the reader about how good, useful and profitable an employee you can be to him or her or them. So the content should invariably revolve around what have you done in the field or industry till now, what were your responsibilities, what were your targets, what was the work profile or nature of job, etc.

Resume Focus

Keeping yourself in the employer's shoes is the key point here while answering the question as to what should be the focal point of a Resume. Ask yourself what makes you a perfect candidate for the said job. What does the employer really need and is looking for?

Parts of Resume

Resumes are made up of two generic sections, namely, the first where you mention your qualifications or things that you have achieved so far. And the second one being the details of all the information you gave and proof for the claims you made for being hired. [BSR]

And Finally…

Be sure to use words like: achieved, delivered, exceeded expectations, beat goals, acquired, etc.  Companies want to see an inventory of achievement and success, not a history of menial tasks.  If you are having trouble coming up with solid statements of achievement and results from your previous jobs, that’s a problem.

Companies aren’t looking for more people they need to herd and manage. They are always looking for their next leader.  It’s not always enough to say you’ve done the job; we need to be able to say we’ve done the job better than the other applicants in the Resume pile. With more people changing jobs more frequently these days, it’s important to be reviewing your Resume at least quarterly while you’re employed and adding the past quarters specific achievements and accomplishments.  If you go 3 months in your job and don’t have anything solid to add to your Resume, you’re not trying hard enough.

As the saying goes, the best time to find a job is when you have a job, so live each day at work as though you could lose your job tomorrow and you only have one day to add something significant to your Resume to position yourself as the best candidate for the next job.

Link to more information:

Sample Technology Resume

Courtesy: [bestsampleresume.com, getajobfast.com]

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