How to write a Resume? Three Basic Rules

In today's job-search market, you are often competing against large numbers of job seekers, and your CV or resume has to be good enough to make it past the first screening. The first people who read your CV or resume are often looking for a fast way to weed candidates out of consideration.

To reduce the possibility of your resume being eliminated during this round by following three simple rules described below.

One: Include Relevant Keywords.

If posting your resume on the internet or submitting it in digital format, make sure the search engines can find your resume and flag it resume for closer examination. Do this by including several keywords that are relevant to your desired position and your job skills. Include keywords specific to your industry. Also, include the names of major companies you worked with or for, as this often is important to employers. Include those in the "experience" section, as appropriate.

For example: Adobe Photoshop, International Standards (ISO), MBA, copy edit, CPMs, medical device, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and search engine marketing (SEM). Some job seekers add a separate "keywords" section at the bottom of digital-format resumes, or others list keywords as part of a "skills" section. These are possible catch-all areas specifically for the search engines to recognize.

Two: Remember that Less is More.

Your resume should read like a billboard, not an encyclopedia, so don't reveal everything. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a desire to meet with you to find out more. So don't fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer.

Skip the hobbies and personal information. Avoid too much detail that will cause a reader's eyes to glaze over. One page is ideal -- two pages only if you are a 15- to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.

Three: Be specific.

Don't just tell them what you did, but more importantly, ecplain the benefits of your accomplishments. For example, you may want to include several specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money. Identify measurable results; use numbers, or better yet dollars (or whatever currency is used where you live). Remember, the only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance.

Present examples of some of your accompishments. How can an employer think of you as a problem solver? If at all possible, state them in terms of money. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed.

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A CV and Resume as a Selling Tool

The CV and resume is a selling tool that outlines your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer's bottom line.

You may have all the requirements for a particular job, if the employer does not instantly come to the conclusion that you "have what it takes" for the position advertised, your CV/resume and cover letter have failed you. The first test your resume has to pass--whether it ends up in the "consider file" or the "reject file"--may take less than thirty seconds.

The most effective CVs/resumes are focused on a specific job title and address the employer's stated requirements for the position. The more you know about the duties and skills required for the job--and organize your resume around these points--the more effective the resume.

You will need information to write a good resume. Not just information about jobs you've held in the past but also information to select the most relevant accomplishments, skills and experience for THIS position. The more you know about the employer and the position, the more you can tailor your resume to fit the job.

Some people think of a resume as their "life on a page," but how could anyone put everything important about herself on a single piece of paper (or two)? Actually, resumes are much more specific, including only relevant information about you for specific employers. Like a life, however, a resume is always growing and changing. As your career goals shift or the job market changes--as you grow personally and professionally--chances are you will need to re-write your resume or at least create new versions. Writing a resume is a lifelong process.

How do you know what in your life--past, present, and future--is most relevant to prospective employers? How do you select which information to include? The quick answer to both these questions is "it depends." It depends on your individual career goals as well as on the professional goals of the companies hiring in your area or field of interest.

In the end, only you, through research, planning, questioning and self-reflection, can determine the shape and content of your resume, but the strategies below along with those on the job search can help you ask the right questions and begin exploring your options.

Depending on whom you ask, a CV or resume may be viewed as the single most important vehicle to securing your next job, or it may be viewed as an unnecessary nuisance.

In both cases, this is incorrect. A resume is a professional introduction meant to encourage a one-on-one interview situation - the opportunity for communication that can lead to a job offer.

It is a rare candidate who is hired by his or her resume alone. It is just as rare to be offered an interview without one.

A resume is often the first line of contact. It establishes a first impression of a potential job candidate's skills, background and hiring value. If written well, this impression can be a positive one, offering the reader a sense of the candidate's "fit" for the position and company being targeted.

If written really well, it may convince the reader that the job candidate is ideally suited for the job. When coupled with an effective cover letter, the resume can be a very strong marketing tool.

Preparing a resume may be seen as a nuisance, but having a well-constructed, well-designed resume is an important part of your job search. Consider that for each available job opening there may be as many as 100 to 1000 resumes submitted.

If your resume fails to adequately and accurately convey your hiring value (for the specific position), fails to establish your hiring value over competing candidates, or is difficult to follow, your ability to compete against those 100 to 1000 professionals vying for the same position your are will be greatly diminished.

If your resume secures an interview, it has done its job. If it sets you ahead of the competition in the mind of your interviewer, then it has given you a distinct advantage, and has gone beyond its job.

A great resume does what all good marketing pieces do: it sells the "consumer" (the potential employer or hiring manager) on the "product" (you).

Like it or not, the job of looking for employment is a job in sales and marketing. The product you are "selling" is you, and the "customer," who has unique needs and interests, needs to be sold on the fact that you have what it takes to get the job done and to meet the needs of the position.

He or she is going to want to know how you are going to solve his or her problems, and he or she is going to give your resume about 15 seconds, or less, to sell this. 15 seconds is the average time a hiring manager will allot to a new resume - before giving it a potential "yes" or "no" response.

The resume will not get you the job (well, it has happened, but it is extremely rare), but it can certainly secure your chances of being seen and interviewed, just as it can cause you to be passed over in favor of a candidate who offers a better presentation.

As with any type of marketing campaign, use your resume as one tool in your search. Continue to network, improve your interviewing skills, and use every avenue available to you to better your chances and opportunities.

And, after you have secured that next position, do this all over again. Always be prepared for the next opportunity. Keep your resume up-to-date and stay career fit.

So, essentially, a CV or resume is you in short form on paper. That is why having a good looking, easy to read resume is so important.

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How to Write a CV or a Resume - Introduction

Everyone in the business world knows that having a good, strong CV or resume can mean the difference between getting a job and not getting a job. You will need to have a resume that is crafted professionally and that will reflect you, your job abilities, and your experience.


The CV or resume is the basic tool of job hunting. It is one of the most important documents you will ever create. No CV or resume generally means not getting an interview; No interview generally means No job.


Writing your CV or resume is an opportunity to write your future.


This is a time to review who you are, ponder your passions, values, and skills. It’s a time to contemplate your life-work and your destiny – what is meaningful to you and how you will bring significance and value to your corner of the world.

You are what you write. At least to employers who don’t know much about you, how and what you write – both form and content tells them whether or not you are worth seeing in person. In fact, you usually make your first impression with employers on paper or on a computer screen in the form of a cover letter and resume. And first impressions are extremely important with employers. They make the difference between being immediately accepted or rejected for a job interview.

Resume writing is a unique combination of art and science; careful attention to detail and creative use of language; substance and style; and strategy and implementation. CVs and resumes are not just listings of past work experience and educational credentials, but rather they are documents designed to SELL job seekers into their next jobs.

This blog will show you a very systematic, no-nonsense approach to writing that will give you insider secrets to writing well-polished, well-positioned, and powerful resumes and CVs. If you follow the steps, activities, and strategies outlined in this book, you’ll be able to craft a resume that is sharp, distinctive, on-target, and effective in generating interviews and offers.

Despite the constant technological changes affecting the recruitment and job search process, you need to remember that the needs of employers do not change. They are in fact very simple. The most important need that employers have is this:

Employers are looking to hire talented individuals who can solve their problems and take their organizations to new levels of productivity and profitability.

Having a good looking resume is so important when you are searching for a job that it should be your number one priority. There are all sorts of ways you can go about crafting a resume that works, but there is no magic formula for a resume that will work all the time.

The choice really is up to you how you put together a CV or resume, but there are certain nuances that you will need to be included in your resume that every employer looks for.

It is not difficult to put together a CV or resume that works, but it is important that you not overlook what makes your resume most effective. This one or two page document speaks about you, your abilities, your experience, your education, and your accomplishments.

It is the first thing that a potential employer will see before he or she meets you, so you want it to really be compelling and make them want to pick up the phone and call you for an interview!

There are all sorts of schools of thought regarding how a CV and resume should look, what information it should contain, and how to put it together. However, most business people agree that when they look at such document of a potential employee, they want to the resume to be concise, to the point, and easy to read.

Whichever school of thought you, as a job seeker, subscribe to, you will still want your resume to be what a potential employer wants to see. That is why you will want as much information about resumes as possible so you can have something that you can be proud to send out as an introduction to you and what you can do for a company.

I will show you a few different ways to craft a CV, resume and cover letter. I will try to cover the important parts of this document and show you ways to make your resume a work of art! I will also reveal some tips and tricks to get your resume noticed over another applicant.

While we’re at it, I’ll also give you some advice about the job interview and what you can do to land that job. Finding the job of your dreams isn’t always as simple as just filling out a job application and then waiting for a call. It takes determination and commitment on your part and the right tools.

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CV or Resume: What's the difference?

The terms "resume" and "CV" are used in different ways all over the world.

• "CV" is used more often in Europe, New Zealand, and French Canada.


• In the United States and in the English-speaking areas of Canada, the word "resume" is used most of the time. These regions have begun to accept longer "resumes" that reflect CVs, the term "CV" is not particularly necessary.
  
• In India and Australia, the terms are generally interchangeable.

If there is any distiction made between the terms, then it is this:

A CV, or curriculum vitae is a longer (up to two or more pages), more detailed synopsis of your background and skills. A CV includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different types of positions.

Like a resume, a curriculum vitae should include your name, contact information, education, skills and experience. In addition to the basics, a CV includes research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards and other information relevant to the position you are applying for. Start by making a list of all your background information, then organize it into categories. Make sure you include dates on all the publications you include.

Whether your prospective employer uses the term "resume" or "CV", make sure that you know what he or she is looking for in the document. Once you have this information, you can work on creating a knock-out CV or resume and cover letter that will help you land your job.

When should job seekers use a curriculum vitae, commonly referred to as CV, rather than a resume? In the US, a curriculum vitae is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants.

When asking for a job in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, expect to submit a CV rather than a resume. Keep in mind that overseas employers often expect to read the type of personal information on a curriculum vitae that would never be included on an American resume, such as date of birth, nationality and place of birth. United States law on what information job applicants can be asked to provide does not apply outside the country.

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