Resumes are a very important part of your job search. This is how a prospective employer gets to know more about you before deciding whether he wants to call you for an interview. It may seem daunting to have to write one but actually it is not that difficult once you know the procedure.
Writing a resume
1. Taking stock of your skills
The first thing to do is to make a list of your personal assets. That is your knowledge, skills and expertise. Begin by taking a sheet of paper and dividing it into 3 columns. The first columns should be entitled "Job/ Activity", the second one should be called " responsibilities" and finally the third column should be called "skills, personality traits, special knowledge".
Under the first column, list down all the jobs you have had, however minor, also any activity you took part in at school or in your community. In the second column, think of what you did and what your responsibilities were for each of the jobs/activities you listed out in the first column. And finally, in the third column, think of any special personality traits, or skill-training, knowledge that allowed you to carry out your responsibilities.
After doing this, you will find writing your resume a breeze. However, do keep in mind the job you are applying for. You will then choose the relevant experience you have for that particular job.
2. Personal Information
The first thing that your resume should include is your personal information. These should include your full name, title, home address, contact number and e-mail address.
3. Education
If you are a recent graduate, this should come before your description of any previous experience you have, but if you already have many years of relevant experience under your belt, education becomes less important and trickles down your resume.
Start by stating your most recent qualification. Give the name of the degree/diploma/certificate you obtained, the year you obtained it and the name of the institution you got it from. If you have tertiary education, your primary school is not worth mentioning.
4. Past Experiences
Start with the most recent one. You should give the title of your job first (with the period of time you were in that position in brackets), followed by a job description. You can then go on to describe your achievements in that job. You might also want to include other positions you had, for example as President of your School Committee, but only do so if it is relevant to the job you are applying to and if it helps beef up your resume.
5. IT Skills
Information technology skills are oh-so-important to employers now. Make sure you list down all the software applications you know how to use, or the programming languages you know. If you are a computer idiot, it would be a very good idea to sign up for some course. Your community centre may be offering some, so it is worth finding out.
6. Languages
You can also include the languages that you speak/read/write in. Some companies look for people who can speak more than language.
7. Other special skills
You can have an extra section for any special skills that you have that you know the employer is looking for. You could for example have a section that says you have a driving license or that you are a qualified life saver.
These tips shoulds help you to start off writing your resume. It is always a good idea to have it reviewed by someone who can give you an honest opinion and re-read it for any grammar mistakes.
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