Tips for Writing a Better Resume...

Having a strong resume can change your life. Your resume is your gateway into a new job. You want it to look professional and you want it to stand out to the person who will be reading it. Here are some tips to make your resume a little better.

1. Design each resume to fit each particular job. Make sure you are tweaking each resume that you send out so that it pertains to the job you are applying for. Sending out a generic resume does not stand out to a future employer.
2. Be specific. Use numbers, dates and names when describing something in your resume. The absence of dates on your employment history can raise some red flags.
3. Present information that is most impressive first. This will help you decide if you should put experience or education first on your resume.
4. Use everyday language and short, concise paragraphs. You do not want to sound like you used a thesaurus for every word in your resume. People can tell when you do that.
5. Get someone else's reaction to your resume before you send it out. Sometimes that person may catch a mistake that you did not see or they can help you improve the format of the resume.
6. Proofread for spelling and grammar before you type of the final copy. You do not want to submit a resume that has errors in it, as it does not look very professional.
7. Use boldface type, underlining and indentations to make your resume easy to read.
8. Make sure that you include all of your experience. You want to include all volunteer work, achievements, extracurricular activities (related to your job) and awards. But when doing so, do not put ridiculous things on here just to fill up space. If you got highest honors back in your junior year of high school and you are now 40 years old, don't include that. The employer will not care about something you did back in high school over 20 years ago.
9. Make sure that you have good references. You do not always have to include references on your resume, but it is a good idea. That way, the employer can see that you are willing to give them up front and will not have to call you for them. Make sure that your references are people that would be professional if they got called by one of your future employers.
10. Make sure that your resume reflects what the employer wants and not what you want. You want something that will be noticed by the employer, Look at from their point of view and then write.