Well, you’ve finished your education or you want a new job so now you’ve got to write your first resume or CV. How do you go about this?

Well first of all what is a resume – or for our European friends CV? It’s a document detailing your skills and experience that you send to a potential employer in order to ask for a job interview. Note interview not job – jobs are offered from a combination of your resume, your interview and references.

Well what’s in it then? About two pages of well written details about your education, skills, experience and professional accomplishments.

So how do I write a great resume then?

* Remember you have about 15 seconds to make a great impact – so concentrate on the top third of your first page.

* Don’t fall into the trap of red paper, flashy fonts etc unless you are seeking a career in design.

* Be truthful in your resume – lies will find you out, with potentially job losing results.

* Don’t forget your contact details! Not your work email or phone number though! Would you employ someone who uses company resources and time to find another job?

* Make sure that your email address, web site and answer phone message all convey your professional you – first impressions count.

* Make sure everything is spelt correctly and grammatically correct. I have seen resumes with the company name spelt incorrectly!

* Make your resume specific to each job you are applying for – prospective employers like to feel wanted.

* Detail what you have done – not what the team you were in have done. Don’t just copy out your job spec.

* Include a couple of professional achievements – or if a new graduate some college achievements.

Good resume writing is about standing out from the crowd, being noticed, fitting the job description, but it's also about clarity and brevity. Keep these tips in mind and you're far more likely to get that interview.

Other Articles