Drafting a killer resume

The secret to an irresistible resume is to address the specific need of a specific job. A tailored resume has infinitely more impact than a one-size-fits-all. To write such a resume, first organize information under specific headings such as education, work experience, achievements, skills and activities. When everything is on paper, decide on the proper format to play up your outstanding qualities that fit the job’s requirements.

Here are several types of resume for your reference:

Chronological resume

Recommended for candidates with solid working experience and a progressive job history in a specific field or history, and who would want to continue along this similar career path.

Most employers prefer this style as it is based on facts and easily digestible.

Very conventional, emphasizing on itemized employment history.

Important to present career milestones in reverse chronological order, starting with current position and moving backwards. Each position contains a description of relevant responsibilities and accomplishments.

Functional resume

Suitable for fresh graduates and job hoppers for a career change.

Helps to cover seemingly disconnected experiences by displaying transferable skills and related achievements.

Organize work history into sections that highlight skills and accomplishments deemed most appropriate for the position applied for.

Always include the company name in bulleted descriptions of your accomplishments. Do not miss out at least a brief chronological listing of your work experience.

Combination resume

This format tries to merge the best features of the chronological and functional type resumes by incorporating both a chronological work history and a skills and achievements section. Top focus is on skills and accomplishments, followed by work experience.

Though some employers will find this format long, repetitious and confusing. this type of resume can be good to someone with good editing skills.

Electronic resume

Adopted by many people to send resumes to electronic resume banks and make on-line job applications through JobStreet.com.

The resume is sent by email or can be viewed on the Internet. Specially formatted for scanning, and searching by optical scanning systems.

Fast becoming an increasingly popular and acceptale form of job application as it is fast, effective and convenient.

Comes in different file formats but most common are plain text, rich text and hypertext.

Resume writing tips

Know your objective

What job do you want? What are the skills and requirements necessary for this job?

Keep them in your mind as you write your resume so that the interviewer reading it will see that you are the person they are looking for.

Compile all your information

List down your personal particulars, education history, extra-curricular activities, including positions held, employment history, seminars attended, achievements, etc.

Ensure the dates are correct. Leave out hobbies/interests, parent’s occupation, etc.

Sort information under specific headings – Education, Work Experience, Achievements, Skills, Activities.

Start with your name and contact details

Write your full name, postal address, house and mobile numbers and email address.

Leave out your marital status, sex, race, parent’s name and occupation, birth details, etc.

Write your employment details

Starting with your most recent work, list down all jobs you have had, company names, dates of employment, position titles.

Using bullet points, write the job description, nature of work and responsibilities held for each position.

Use key words: responsible for: coordinating, prepared, managed, monitored, presented, accomplished, achieved, analyzed, delegated, etc.

Highlight your accomplishments/job responsibilities

List education details.

Lead with your highest education level to the lowest, include grades like CGPA.

State courses or papers studied, e.g. Psychology, Contract Law, Multimedia.

List activities like socities/clubs, position held and accomplishments if they are relevant to the job you are applying to. Otherwise, leave them out.

Include your skills

List down your computer skills, language skills (and different dialects) including proficiency in reading and writing, and soft skills (public speaking, presentation, etc.).

Reference

Not totally essential but if you need to mention references, choose people who know you personally and can give a good impression of you to the potential employer.

Remember to give your reference’s contact details.

Make sure you inform your referees that they may receive calls from your interviewers so that they can prepare. Send them copies of your resume so that they know who you are and what you did.

Miscellaneous

Be short and concise.

Resumes are usually read in only 30 seconds or less, so you have to be brief and go straight to the point.

Resumes should be a maximum of two pages long. Use size 12 fonts (Times New Roman or Garamond font) for easy read. Use three pages only if you have extensive professional experience.

Use italic or bold fonts only to indicate important information or section breaks.

Use a good printer, no stray marks, splotches, uneven or blurred letters.

Use high quality A4 paper, white only. Do not use flashy colours like pink or red.

Be honest.

Do not inflate your resume. Make sure you can back up what you claim. Do not cheat/lie.

Check for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Make sure your resume is free from spelling or grammar mistakes.

Ask someone reliable to check it for you.

Do not depend on your word processor’s spell check function.

Most importantly, proof read until your resume is perfect.

Use power verbs.

Action words add “comph” to your writing and enables you to describe clearly.

-From JobStreet.com’s career Center