- The first thing you’ll have to do is brainstorm. Resume crafting is no different from essay writing; you’re attempting to sell an idea- only this time the idea is yourself. In order to avoid a mess or a halt when writing your resume, it’s important to write down all ideas for content down first; this means that you’ll make three lists: one for all past jobs (position filled and where), one for all education (degrees and where you obtained them), and one for all relevant skills/abilities. Having these listed prior to starting the final draft assures that your head is centered and you’re moving towards the right place.
- Now it’s time to actually begin the resume process. Start out by writing out your contact details; this includes: full name, address, telephone number, and email. There are different places in which you can position this, but the most common one is right on top and in the center of the page.
- After taking care of that, you can move on to writing out an objective. This is typically a very short (maybe two sentences) statement that clearly draws out what the owner of the resume intends to find with it (ex. a job at a law firm). Make sure that this, as well as the rest of the categories, is clearly labeled (maybe try out a bold font, or italic). You can find good examples of resume objectives online.
- The next step is pretty straightforward; simply label the three categories that you brainstormed about (work, education, skills) and write RELEVANT ones from your list onto the resume. I emphasize the word relevant because you don’t want to list ‘knows how to dance salsa’ on your skills section if what you’re looking for is a job as a marine biologist. Common sense. When it comes to the inventory of things you’ll write down under each category, make sure that you list from most recent to less recent.
- Lastly, include a phrase at the bottom of the resume that reads: ‘references available upon request.’ This simply gives the employer the option to verify facts if he/she wishes- it’s an act of courtesy.
The font, spacing, and page size and color are optional, but most people opt to go for a professional look, meaning either 12 point Arial or Times New Roman fonts, 1.5 line spacing, a standard white page, and black ink. Another thing to remember is that you should aim to fill in one page; anything over one page will most likely cause the resume reviewer to not even bother finishing to read the resume. Remember, the people looking over your resume have looked over countless resumes, so don't waste their time or lose their interest by including irrelevant information, unnecessary details, or anything else that may cause them to simply toss your resume.
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