The Art of writing a Great Resume

You will never get a second chance to make the first impression

We hear people talking about great resume. There are hundreds of books on “how to

write a resume”. In these days of Web 2.0, we can find several

web sites dedicated to guide the readers on writing a resume that sells.

First let’s try to understand the definition of a great resume.

A Great Resume is the difference between

A New Job and No Job! 

Rules of A Great ResumeRule #1: Don’t lie.Rule #2: Know your reader.Rule #3: Know yourself.Rule #4: Include everything relevant to the

position that's important to your reader and to you.

Rule #5: Leave everything else off.

Results of a Great Resume:

The goal of a great resume is to secure interviews. It does this by qualifying a candidate for a specific position and enticing the reader to meet the candidate in person, to learn more.

Here are the 10 most important tips for a Great Resume

1. A clear job target

A generic resume that tries to cover too many bases will fall flat.

If you don’t write your resume to a specific target audience, your resume won’t speak to the recruiters reading it or help them connect you to the job they’re trying to fill.

Everything in your resume has to fall in line with what they’ll be looking for.

2. Personal branding

Especially in an economic downturn, personal branding makes more sense than ever.

Branding links your passions, key personal attributes, and strengths in a crystal clear message that differentiates you from your competition.

Companies are looking for vitality, good fit, and personal chemistry.

Branding generates chemistry and makes you come alive on the page.

3. Value propositionThe value you will bring to your next

employer needs to be abundantly evident, monetized, and linked to your personal brand.

SHOW THEM THE NUMBERS! And show them how you accomplished those advances.

4. Career success stories

Explain how you make things happenHow you were able to capture profitable

results This would help your target audience zero in

on what you’ll do for their organization.

5. Avoid anemic “Objective” statement.

No one cares that you want a “growth position that will utilize my expertise in XYZ”.

They want to know what you’ll do for them. Instead of leading your resume with a

statement saying what you want from the job, start with a professional headline spotlighting the relevant key word phrases readers will be looking for.

6. Avoid densely packed, hard-to-read information.

Shorter chunks of information are easier to read and will draw the reader to continue down the page.

Busy decision makers generally allow only 10 seconds or so for a resume to draw them in. They may go no further than that initial page view.

7. Avoid too many pages.

Keep it as close to less than 5 pages as you can.

Remember that resume is a career marketing document, not a career history.

It needs to incorporate just enough compelling information to generate interest in you.

8. Avoid typos, grammatical errors, and poor formatting.

Typos and errors in grammar are the kiss of death and may also convey misinformation.

Proofread several times and have someone else do it, too.

Keep the formatting attractive, consistent, and easy to read. Don’t use more than 2 different fonts (one for headings, another for content).

Make sure your contact information is correct.

9. Avoid tired resume-speak. Write your resume from your own voice.

You’re not like everyone else. Find the precise words that describe what

makes you unique and valuable. Keep the content interesting and don’t fall

back on dull phrases that don’t differentiate you – results-oriented, visionary leader, excellent communication skills, proven track record of success, etc.

10. Avoid passive verbs and repetitive job descriptions.

Avoid the over-used, boring phrase “responsible for”.

Show your vitality with robust action verbs and explain your niche expertise with relevant key words.

Use strong words like pioneered, envisioned, accelerated, benchmarked, incentivized, leveraged, etc.

Don’t waste precious space in the “Professional Experience” section reiterating obvious responsibilities.

"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius