The first and most important, although often overlooked, aspect of resume writing is this: know the purpose of your resume. This might sound obvious, but some people don’t put a lot of thought into this simple fact; Your resume is for getting you an interview.

You need to craft a polished resume that reaches out and grabs the attention of the reader and  sells your abilities.

Many people just slap their employment history onto a piece of paper, add their name and contact information, and call it a resume. HAH !! Resume writing can be simple, but not  that simple.

Formatting

Whether you use a chronological or a functional format, your resume needs to be written for the position you’re seeking. For example, if you’re applying for a job that is an entry-level or based on a time line of work history, a chronological format is best.

 If you are applying for a professional position where skills are more important than History, it’s better to use a functional resume. This allows you to showcase your skills first; everything else can follows the most important elements.

Content

Your resume must have 3 basic sections.   At minimum, a resume needs a contact information section with your name, address, phone number, and email address, as well as a section for your work history and your education. This will serve basic resume needs. If you want to add more, you can. Other sections that may assist your likelihood to land an interview include: objective or personal statement, professional qualifications, technical qualifications, accomplishments, skills and abilities, and awards and achievements sections.

Overall Appearance

Your resume needs to use a simple, easy to read font. This is imperative. If you use fancy fonts and graphics, you’ll detract from the actual content and potentially annoy the reader with hard to read typefaces. Also, you need to allow adequate spacing between sections; empty space isn’t a bad thing. It actually draws the reader to the content that is there, allowing them to focus on what you’ve written. Additionally, you need to keep your formatting simple. Don’t use confusing layouts or templates. The simpler and clearer your resume is, the more likely it is to actually be read completely.

 

These three elements of resume writing are often overlooked because people are focused on what type of information is needed. However, the actual content is only a small part of a successful resume. By focusing on all of these elements, you can create a unique, polished resume that is sure to grab the attention of the employer.