Proper resume writing is often the key to starting a successful career. You can be three times professional, but if you cannot convey this information, your potential employer may simply ignore you. That is why it is so important to know how to write a resume that clearly demonstrates all your strengths.
General rules
- Recruiters are busy people. Therefore, the goal of your resume should be to show as soon as possible why you are the ideal candidate. For this reason, it is necessary to indicate in the title which position you are applying for, and the text of the resume itself should be presented succinctly and thesis. You do not need to spread your thoughts along the tree for five pages of text – the recruiter simply does not have time to read such opuses. At best, he will not finish reading it to the end. In the worst case, it will not take up reading at all, being afraid of the large volume.
- Write correctly. Even one typo can characterize you as a person who is careless, inattentive to details. So reread the written text carefully before submitting it. And if spelling and punctuation are not your strengths, you can additionally ask someone close to read the resume.
- And the last one. If you are applying for positions in different companies, write under each separate resume. Creating a template document and sending it in bulk is a blunder that could cost you the job you want. But if you think about how to write a resume and adapt it for each job, it will guarantee you the result.
Select the type of resume
First, a few words about choosing the right type of resume. If you have systematically built a career within one industry, choose the chronological type. It focuses specifically on your career path. Have you often changed jobs in different industries or have serious gaps in your career history? Then it’s best to write a functional resume that highlights your skills and accomplishments. Are you okay with your skills and your career? Feel free to choose a hybrid type and reflect all your advantages in it. Alternatively, you can still write a creative resume, but it is suitable for an extremely narrow range of professions and deserves a separate article.
Resume design
File name
The file name must contain your full name and position (vacancy). For example, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich Logistics Manager . It is not at all necessary to write a “Summary”. The recruiter already knows what you sent him and why.
Size
The size of your resume with photo should not exceed 400-500 KB, otherwise it may be difficult to send it.
File format
Use the most common formats (doc or pdf) so that the recruiter won’t have any difficulties opening it.
Volume
The maximum size is 2 pages. All the details are on the interview.
Structuring text and using different fonts and colors in the design
How to make a resume? Use standard Word fonts (Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman). The text color is only black. From highlights – bold for headings. Clearly structure information with headings, lists, etc.
Resume structure
1. Photo
Most organizations now prefer a resume with a photo so that they can see the person applying for the position at a glance.
What to do:
- Choose a good quality color photograph on a neutral light background.
- Give preference to photos in business attire with moderate make-up. A minimum of accessories for women and a neat haircut for men.
- If the situation allows, you can take a photo at your current workplace.
What not to do:
- Send a group photo.
- Send photos from your vacation, in a swimsuit, or at home with a carpet.
- Send a photo with glasses or a hat covering your face.
- Ignore this item. Many recruiters simply won’t consider a resume without a photo.
Sample resume photo:
2. Accommodation
We indicate the city and district. If you are ready to move to another city, indicate: “Ready (s) to move to …”
3. Contacts
This is an extremely important point, so please be careful when filling it out.
What to do:
- Indicate several ways to contact you (contact numbers, e-mail).
- Make sure the specified contacts are working.
What not to do:
- Indicate a non-working phone number as a contact, or simply turn it off after sending your resume. It is enough to miss one call from a recruiter, and not you will be invited for an interview, and writing a resume, even a very high-quality one, will turn out to be a waste of work.
- Use a playful email name as a contact. If you do not have a registered e-mail yet, be sure to get one at the stage of your job search. Playful emails are the height of unprofessionalism and can be rejected as a job seeker.
4. Desired position
It would seem that everything is clear here: we indicate the position for which we are applying. Nevertheless, mistakes are often made on this point.
What to do:
- Make it clear what position you are applying for.
What not to do:
- List all vacant positions in the company, claiming to be able to handle any of them. You, of course, may well be such a man-orchestra, and yet you should have one goal. Otherwise, the recruiter may get the impression that you do not care who you work – and this is already a frivolous attitude towards the chosen position.
- Disregard this item. The recruiter should immediately understand the resume for which position he is reading. Nobody will read your work experience and skills, trying to guess what position you want to apply this experience and skills to.
5. Desired income level
A point that often becomes a stumbling block in resume writing.
What to do:
- Indicate how much payment you would like to receive after tax.
What not to do:
- Confuse the “desired” income level with the “dream” one. We all ould like to receive millions for our favorite work, but we need to soberly assess both our capabilities and the capabilities of the employer. Too high a number at this point can scare off a recruiter.
- It is unnecessary to be modest, indicating a figure below the average ay level in similar positions. Such an understatement does not at all guarantee that you will be hired for this position, wanting to save money. On the contrary, the recruiter may be alarmed by such low requirements. Perhaps you feel insufficiently competent for this position if you are ready to work for little money?
6. Key Skill
One of the main points.
What to do:
- Choose 5-7 of your skills that are best suited for the chosen position. These can be expertise that is important to the industry you want to work in, the ability to work with special programs or technology needed for your future position, or team management skills if you are applying for a leadership position.
What not to do:
- Specify more than seven skills. Stop only at the key ones.
- Emphasize skills that will do little to help you in the job you are applying for.
- Confuse skills and achievements. At this point, you indicate what you can do, not what you have achieved with these skills.
- Skills such as computer and foreign language skills are best indicated in the “Additional Information” section.
7. Achievements
Here you describe everything you have achieved thanks to the skills described in the sixth paragraph.
What to do:
- List up to five of your key accomplishments.
- Be sure to highlight this item.
- Use more numbers in the description of achievements: the number of clients brought, the percentage by which sales increased, etc.
- Have you won professional awards during your work? Be sure to include in this paragraph.
- If you are applying for a managerial position, be sure to include the achievements of your team. This characterizes you as a successful leader.
What not to do:
- Indicate achievements that have nothing to do with the position you are applying for.
- Attribute someone else’s achievements: you must be able to confirm everything that you indicate in this resume paragraph.
8. Work experience
Here we indicate our career path for the last 10 years (3 last jobs).
What to do:
- List previous 3 jobs in reverse chronological order (or all jobs in the last 10 years).
- The correct format for this clause is:
- month and year of start of work – month and year of graduation – position with indication of employment
- the name of the company (in full) and its form of ownership with a link to the website of the company and the city of its location
- scope of the company
- job responsibilities (briefly, 5-7 main ones)
- Everything that goes beyond ten years of work experience, we indicate briefly: year of start of work – year of graduation – name of organization – position.
What not to do:
- To keep silent about valuable work experience, if it is not confirmed by an entry in the work book. Your potential employer is first of all interested in what kind of work you can cope with, and only then – what is indicated there in your job. Therefore, be sure to describe all the work experience that may be useful to you in a new position. But do not forget to indicate on what conditions you worked (without registration, under a work contract, etc.).
- Allocate more than one record for one organization. Even if the company you worked for changed its name, or you moved to a similar position within the same holding, etc., describe it in one paragraph so as not to confuse the recruiter and not give the impression of changing jobs too often.
9. Education
What to do:
- Indicate primary and secondary (if any) higher and / or specialized secondary education in reverse chronological order.
- The correct format for this item is: graduation year – name of educational institution – faculty – specialty – qualifications.
- If necessary, you can specify additional education (courses, seminars, etc.) in the format: year of completion – name of educational institution – name of the course.
What not to do:
- Abbreviate educational institutions. A recruiter is not required to know all universities in the country by name, but must immediately understand where you studied.
- List all courses and seminars you have taken in your lifetime if they are not relevant to the position you are applying for.
- On the contrary, keep silent about seminars or trainings that have influenced your professional qualities.
- The training completed in the last 5-10 years is of particular value.
10. Additional information
As a rule, this item is reserved for skills that are not included in the sixth item.
What to do:
- Indicate the level of proficiency in foreign languages in accordance with the European classification (Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advanced, Fluent for English).
- Specify the level of computer proficiency (User, Confident user, Advanced user, Programmer). You can also specify programs that you own.
What not to do:
- Take this point as a place for your full biography. It will be enough to describe the above skills. More detailed information is best left for the interview.
11. Recommendations
Suffice it to say: “Recommendations are provided upon request.”