Candidates – Build Your Resume
The resume is an outline of what you have to offer a prospective employer. This is the first opportunity to make a good impression. Job-seekers who take the writing of a resume seriously have a decided advantage over their peers. Below is an outline of making your resume the best it can be.
- Brainstorm and organize your facts. Begin writing down the companies and positions held the past 10 years. List the educational institutions you’ve attended over the past 10 years, extracurricular activities involved in, certifications, and interests.
- The resume should be in reverse chronological order, if possible. The work experience and educational sections should be in this format. The most recent position comes first, followed by the previous position held, etc.
- Make resume visibly appealing. Be careful not to increase the font, bold, and underline too much. Keep the format simple. The employer is more concerned about the content than the design of the document.
- Be truthful. Never misrepresent any aspect of yourself or background.
The format for a good resume:
Employment Objective. This should differ depending on your experience. If you are very experienced in an industry, then your objective should be very specific. If you are a Director of Finance and looking for a promotional opportunity, your statement should read “Vice-President of Finance” seeing on how this is the next step on your career path.
If you have little experience, this should be a general statement such as “Acceptance into a management training program” or “Entry level position in public accounting”. If it’s too specific, you risk not being considered for other similar positions.
Work Experience. Highlight your achievements and contributions. Indicate the improvements you’ve made to your job, if and how you impacted the company’s bottom line, special projects you were a part of, and the number of employees supervised.
Education. List the institution, city, state, degree achieved, major/minor, year received, and GPA.
Extracurricular Activities. Emphasize any certifications earned such as CPA, CFA, etc. List any relevant associations you have membership in. This shows your dedication to the industry.
Skills. These can be business, computer, or anything that will separate you from the other candidates. Business skills can be an exceptional negotiator, delivering excellent customer service, and a good presenter. Computer skills range from Excel, Word, etc. to experience with hardware, software, and databases.
Miscellaneous/Interest. Examples of items here can be knowing someone in the field, revealing your diverse background, showing a glimpse into your personal life, and if the job is physical in nature, talking about your health would be a plus.
References. It’s better to list three professional references than to list “Will be furnished upon request”. Professors, clergy, and past employers are great references.
