10 Effective Resume Writing Guidelines

10 Effective Resume Writing Guidelines

When I finished college, I never had to create a resume (curriculum vitae or CV) as the company where I went for attachment was after my skills. I never had to look for a job at this stage. I simply walked into my first job without applying for it. I had to learn a fast way of creating an effective resume while under pressure when a position arose with a multinational conglomerate 200 miles out of the capital. By the time I saw the advertisement for the job, I had literally 3 days to create a resume and application letter and swiftly get it into the hands of recruitment personnel. I look back at that resume (which I have kept for so many years) and I ask myself "What on earth was I communicating, and how come they hired me?" The resume leaves a lot to be desired. Of the 5 jobs I have had, I was only interviewed once. The rest were a result of people knowing what I can deliver and simply grabbing me. I may not have written that many resumes but I have read numerous encounters with tem as an employer and departmental head. It is important to note that your resume is the first contact that a potential employer has with you. Your resume is your ambassador that speaks well of you in all the organizations you may be courting.

1. You don't need to lie about what you have or don't have - Integrity is measure on the day of the interview and most people forget about what they would have lied about. Interviews simply ask about the contents or information they encountered and especially the information they shortlisted you based on. Sadly people who lie a lot tend to forget what they lied about and hence they are caught up in their own schemes. You don't have to tailor your resume to suit the advertisement. If you always have to do that then chances are that you are not the person they are looking for. If it is not on your original resume then please ignore that job and leave it to more serious and suitable people. Your own chance will come. Gamblers or speculators are treated as such, their resumes are simply shelved or trashed.

2. The shorter the resume the better - People are not interested in long stories, when they want such they visit the nearest library to borrow story books. Be as to the point as possible in your resume. Try by all means to highlight what you have in 3 pages at most. Know the things that "sell" about you and make highlights of those in shorter sentences. You can leave the elaboration for the day of the interview. You will not be selected as a result of your being over elaborate. Sometimes people end up having 6 to 8 page booklets with all sorts of decorations and flowery language. Yes, image is important but more importantly is what you have than what you are purporting to have.

3. Know what to put emphasis on - Most employers are not so keen on personal issues like how many children you have, allergies to specific foods, hobbies etc. Do not waste space volunteering personal information which is of no use to the potential employer. Your resume must be able to communicate the essential information which is your skills, experiences and education background. Some information that you put on the resume may work against you. If you put down such hobbies as surfing the internet, talking to friends, socializing, playing computer games etc then recruiters will get worried that you will not work but just show up to login to the internet and start chatting. Companies have lost enough revenue this way and as soon as you highlight such information, you have disqualified yourself to a greater extent.

4. Clarity is very important - It is not true that you will be selected based on how many big words you use but based on how much the potential employer gets to know about you through your resume. Big words should be left for high school public speaking contests. Use Basic English which is clear. Sometimes people who select you for an interview are not even as technical as you are hence they need to tell what you are about without having to enroll for your first degree to interpret your resume. Bullet points bring clarity than paragraphs of text. Number your headings and subheadings. Leave spaces between headings. Do not be tempted to just squash everything in one page when in actual fact you are simply being over elaborate.

5. Formatting makes the difference - Use fonts that are easy to read. Cursive writing is to be avoided. You do not want to strain your potential employer. You want them to know about you in the shortest possible time. Resumes with fonts that strain people's eyes are usually shelved for "later" scrutiny or trashing. Always use Tab to align your work nicely than use the space bar. Information that is not well structured communicates that you do not pay attention to detail, you are scruffy and lazy. Such attitudes can be deduced from the way you format your document. You cannot have a resume in ALL CAPS and with everything bold. Bold the subheadings and the text below must just be plain text. If you are not computer savvy (which you must be in this every advancing modern society), then I recommend that you hire a typist to type and format your resume.

6. Let there be order on your resume - Follow a logical sequence. As mentioned before people are really interested in your skills, attitudes, experience and education information more than person issues. The sequence I recommend as effective is one that has your name on cover, straight into your skills profile, then experience, the educational/professional profile, your personal data and lastly your traceable references. You are welcome to rearrange this as you see fit. There are a number of resume templates available on the internet. Different countries prescribe different resume formatting techniques hence you need to be sensitive and relevant by following the guidelines from the respective country.

7. How updated is your resume - Always print a fresh copy of your resume which shows everything about you to date. It is annoying for interviewers to then learn that you actually left work 6 months ago and yet your resume communicates that you are still employed. It is tantamount to your resume being labeled as a false document. Always check with your referees if they are still on the same numbers and email addresses you have. All the recent courses attended, all the results recently collected and so on, must be on the resume. Keep an electronic copy which you can append, amend and print on demand than print dozens of "soon to be obsolete" resumes.

8. References add credibility to your assertions - You references must be people who know you and preferably those who were your superiors in the various organizations. This is the reason why you must leave organizations properly and not sneak out like a thief. I keep receiving calls from potential employers of my former employees from all over the world. Sometimes I receive emails and in a majority of cases I receive phone calls. Some employers take references seriously. They want to know why you left and what kind of person you are. Please inform your references about it so that they are ready to answer questions when contacted. Do not surprise people by simply quoting their names and not informing them. It is actually rude and some references may end up giving you a wrong recommendation based on the annoyance they face. They may not even remember you hence the reason to tell them.

9. Create hooks that capture the audience - You could have a paragraph which shows that kind of person you are with books on it. Highlight major or notable achievement, ensure that you feel that they really are or else simply mention them as achievements. Under each sub heading also create hooks by highlight or summarizing key issues under the same point. Highlight your distinctions where applicable. Two people who have done the same degree with the same level of expertise will differ on how many hooks they choose to use or if they ever get to use them at all.

10. Creativity makes you stand out - By creative I am not referring to the fact that you need a graphic designer for your resume. You need to spice up the presentation through terms that you use and modes of distributing the resume. Instead of using usual terms like EDUCATION, you could change that to QUALIFICATIONS PROFILE just as an example. The most common modes of sending a resume are through printed format or through emails. Some creative ways that people are using more and more are: creating an interactive CD where the employer takes a tour of the employee's life and work through visuals and in some cases employees host websites with their resumes. While this is a possibility, always give the option for a printable version of your resume as some may still be traditional in approach. The advantage of an interactive CD and website is that you have the ability to "show" and not simply "tell" people what you have done. You can capture your major achievements and chronicle them in a self managing slideshow (with an auto run facility).

Rabison Shumba is a writer, businessman and philanthropist. Writer of the book The Greatness Manual which you can preview on http://greatnessmanual.wordpress.com. Founder and CEO of Infotech Solutions and Greatness Factory Trust. Rabison speaks about success, leadership, motivation and inspiration. His trust works with disadvantaged school children supporting them with school fees and general livelihood. He also helps to network artists (musicians of all genres) to facilitate information sharing and building of future celebrities. Rabison is well traveled having been to Asia, America, United Kingdom and all over Africa. He is married to Jacqueline Edwards and they have two children. They reside in Harare, Zimbabwe, Southern Africa.

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