Applying for that first job? Never created a resume before and not sure where to start or what to include then follow these tips!
1. The computer and the internet are you friend
First, use the internet to find resume formats online. That way you will have something concrete to fill in and the format will be perfectly correct. There will be no guesswork involved, you will just have to mimic what you found during your search. Now, use the Internet to search for common qualifications for the job you are applying for to give you an idea as to what specifics an employer may be looking for. You may be lucky and find actual resumes that can give you an idea of what others included. WARNING: Do not ever directly copy someone else’s resume it’s dishonest and you will be caught very easily.
2. Use action verbs and strong, descriptive adjectives
Be careful in your word choice do not chose boring and ordinary words. Chose words that exactly show and do not TELL what you did. Show them your qualifications through your actions and do this superficially with concrete action verbs and descriptive adjectives. Avoid words like did, accomplished, won, ran, et cetera. Be as specific as possible when listing what your prior experiences are. Do not say list “Basketball Coach” but write Coached Basketball for Special Needs Girls ages 5-12.”
3. Do not include something that you would not say
This is key for novice resume writers. Do not use words or phrases that you would not be comfortable saying in person and more importantly do not use phrases that you would see from someone else and they would make you uncomfortable or make you think ill of the person who wrote them. Be very careful with phrasing and avoid awkward syntax that one would not see in speech or other written documents. Avoid words that are overly stilted or biased. You will want to avoid from seeming over the top or “too good to be true” when someone is reading your resume. You will want to avoid too look cocky and over confident, but be careful you also do not want to appear reserved and incompetent either. It’s important to strike a good balance between humility and confidence when writing about yourself and your accomplishments and qualifications.
4. Appearance Matters
Looks absolutely, positively matter. This includes everything about how your documents look and will be perceived. Make sure formatting is done flawlessly. Margins are aligned, paragraphs indented when necessary, and lines skipped when needed. Fonts should be conservative in both size and style. They should be easy to read and should no have a lot of flair or artistic accents. Grammar and Spelling should be perfect. No word she is out of place. No period misused and no comma misplaced. Have someone you trust look over your article to ensure that everything looks perfect and that you have not missed anything yourself.
