Find a Job with Effective Resume

Selling yourself on paper is a tough job. Gone are the days when a simple resume with no grammatical or spelling error used to work. While writing resume remember that there is no extra credit given for correct spelling, grammar or punctuation today. A simple mistake can take your resume to the waste paper basket. Proofreading and double-checking the final copy is very important. Edit your work twice. Make sure that the recruitment manager or HR of a company is not the first one to go through the finished product. Have someone else read it first.

Most of the people have a misconception about the purpose of a resume. The purpose of a resume is not to get you a job but to give the employers enough idea about you so that they call you for the interview. Writing a resume is an initial step to be taken before preparing for a job interview. Use the tests, interview, HR round etc to get the job. Another important thing to remember is that a single page resume is twice as effective as two or three page resume. People with 10 years of experience limit their resume to one-page because the employer will not spend more than 30 seconds to go through a resume.

While writing a resume people often get confused as to what they should write after their name, address, phone number and email-id. Well, opening with your career objective is a good idea. But you can omit this section if it is not relevant. Depending on the requirement you can put either education or experience next to your career objective.

Employers prefer resume that are not limited to job titles. Go beyond it and describe your jobs. For example if you were a reporter don’t just say that. Mention the areas or any special event or interview that you covered. Highlight the accomplishments you had in your job. Say whether you have achieved any award for your job. This will distinguish your resume from others.

Be professional. Don’t use cartoons or flashy things because gimmicks will only highlight lack of sophistication, professionalism and experience. You can use bold fonts wherever needed. But making the whole resume bold is probably not a good idea. Using clean and simple design can give you advantage over other applicants.

If you are not sure what else to include other than your whereabouts, education and experience you can go by these suggestions. Second and third languages (if you know any) must be included in your resume. Extracurricular activities, awards, scholarships, personal achievements are also important to include in your resume.

Always inform the person whom you want to mention as a reference and check whether it is ok with him or her. List a person as a reference only if he/she can give you a good word. If the employer call up a reference and hear something negative or irritating your chance is going to stop then and there.

With an effective resume it will not be difficult for you to find a job.