12 Tips for Writing a Successful Resume

1. Position title and job description  
Provide your title, plus a detailed explanation of your daily activities and measurable results. Since job titles are often misleading or their function may vary from one company to another, your resume should tell the reader exactly what you’ve done. 

2.  Clarity of Dates and Places  
Document your work history accurately. Don’t leave the reader guessing where you were employed, or for how long. If you’ve had overlapping jobs, find a way to pull them apart on paper, or eliminate mentioning one to avoid confusion. 

3.   Detail      
Specify some of the more technical, or involved aspects of your past work or education. Have you performed tasks of any complexity, or significance? If so, don’t be shy, give one or two-sentence description. 

4.   Proportion  
Give appropriate attention to jobs or educational credentials according to their length, or importance to the reader. For example, if you wish to be considered for a position at a bank, don’t write one paragraph describing your current job as a loan officer, followed by three paragraphs about your high school summer job as a lifeguard. 

6.   Relevancy    
Confine your resume to that which is job-related or clearly demonstrates a pattern of success. For example, nobody really cares that your hobby is spear fishing, or that you weigh 98 kilograms, or that you belong to an activist youth group. Concentrate on the subject matter that addresses the needs of the employer. 

7.   Length
You should only fill up a page or two. If you write more than two pages, it becomes evident to the reader that you are unable to organize your thoughts, and that you are trying too hard to make a good impression. If the content of your resume is strong then there is no need for more than two pages. 

8. Spelling, Grammer and Punctuation  
Create an error free document that represents the educated person you are (or are striving to be). Always use a spell check program or better yet consult a professional writer.   

9.   Readability    
Organize your thoughts in a clear, concise manner. Avoid writing in a style that is fragmented or long winded. 

10. Appearance and Presentation  
Don’t deviate too much from the standard resume format in order to avoid being trashed due to difficulty in reading. 

11. Portray Yourself  
Portray yourself as someone who is active and gets things done. Do this by beginning sentences with action verbs. 

12. Use Headlines  
They really work. Headlines permit the reader  to skim through your resume and reach  the areas that they are interested in quickly.