Resume Writing Guide

A resume is a document that tells about a person’s educational qualifications and experiences. A resume, also known as résumé or curriculum vitae (CV), is one of the most important tool in the business world. It highlights a candidate’ skills, job qualifications, experiences and is essential to create the first positive impression about the candidate. A resume is very essential if you are looking for a new job, or wish to secure a new client. Before looking at these free printable resume templates, let us take a look at the importance of a resume in the professional world in detail.

Importance of Resume

The candidate’s resume makes his/her first impression on the employer. And remember the old clichéd saying; ‘First impression is the last impression’. Experienced human resource managers notify that a resume can tell more about a person and also create some positive or negative impression in the mind of the employer before actually meeting the candidate. Hence, the resume has to be effective and impressive. If you find resume writing difficult, then here are free printable blank resume forms to help you. However, let us first have a look as to how to make a resume.

Essentials of a Resume Read the rest of this entry »

You probably have an idea of some of your personality traits that make you stand out as an executive, but to get a better idea, it doesn’t hurt to ask those close to you what they think as well. For instance, you could ask your co-workers what they think are some of your unique attributes. What are you doing when you shine the brightest? And when do they think you’re at your most competent?

You could also find out what they believe your weak points are so that you could have a few things to work on as you look for your next job. And if you have the nerve and a good relationship with some former clients, you could even ask them what makes your relationship work, what they see is the best in you and what do they think you could work on to help you build your resume and gain a new perspective on your career.

Flip Your Traits into Skills

Just as flipping houses results in a new and improved look for a home when sold, flipping your traits could turn them into new and improved skills when adding them to your resume. For instance, if you’re an instant charmer in your interactions with your sales clients, you could add to your resume that you’re “such a persuasive people-person that clients beg you to sell to them.”

Hey, if you have proof of this happening, why not mention it? Even better, if you have a good connection with the client that this has occurred with, you could ask them to write a testimonial to back up your statement.

Feel Good about Yourself

It’s no secret that resumes are able to take on a personality of their own. But they can only do this if the person writing them feels a certain way during the creation process. In other words, if you feel good about yourself when writing, you will choose words that reflect your feelings – and those will help to define who you are beyond the resume. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some time-tested resume writing tips. They will guide you in how to enumerate your personal details clearly, succinctly and in the correct order:

• State your full name, phone number, temporary and permanent address, and e-mail address
• State you educational qualifications, along with appropriate dates for each completed school, college and post-graduate course
• State you actual work experience, which should include internships, extracurricular activities, and significant volunteer work
• State your skills intelligently. Do not mention skills that have no bearing on the job for which you are applying and give relevant details for those that do
• State any academic and professional recognitions and awards conferred on you

Long, rambling resumes are no longer in favor and the single-page format gets the best results with employers. The accent is on short, pithy accounts of a prospective employee’s career to date. The details can appear either in chronological or functional format. In the chronological format, you start with your earliest job and work up to the latest you have held. In the functional format, you group your qualifications and experience under appropriate headings.

Your resume should not mention your personal hobbies, unless these have direct bearing on your chosen career path. Details of your extra-curricular activities should profile:

• Any value-adding skills that increase your profile and on-the-job value
• Any experience and qualifications you have gained in a job-relevant area that you excel in Read the rest of this entry »