Creating the Perfect Modern Day Resume

The first step in applying for a job is the submission of a resume. Your resume is what employers will use to decide if they think you have the potential of being a good fit for their company. In the past, a resume was carefully typed or printed on good paper, placed in a matching envelope, and hand delivered or mailed to the prospective employer. Current technology has changed both the way we get the resume to the employer and how we put the resume together. Knowing what employers expect is an important step in getting any job.

Know what to expect

Many employers use programs that scan resumes for keywords and put the information into a database; they may not even see your resume if those words are not in it. Do not spend time trying to make your resume look pretty with paper and fonts, put your time into ensuring that the keywords that are relevant to the position your are applying for, as well as the company, are there.

Make your objective clear

Each resume you send out should have an objective that is well defined and specific to each employer. You can also use the objective to help you organize your resume to highlight the objective. The information you include should support your objective; include your work history, and state clearly any job duties you had, successes or achievements, and goals that can support your ability to do the job well.

The education part should include all of your college experience, any awards you received, and any credentials you have received. If you were at the top of the class, you can add that as well.

Remember to put in location information for your past employers, your job title, and when you worked there. This section of your resume should be detailed and filled with keywords specific to the industry and, if possible, the position you are applying for. Include any skills you learned and goals you met, as well as accomplishments and a short sentence about your job duties. Begin as many sentences as possible with action words that tell what you did: created, analyzed, performed, etc. It may also be helpful to include any specialized skills you have, including programs or machinery you are familiar with, languages you speak, or specialized abilities you have.

Finish it off

Resumes used to include a list of references, but many people are now just referring to the availability of them. If you chose to leave the reference list off, make sure you have it available for immediate use in case they ask for it. When you are done typing out your resume, print off a copy or two and sit down to read it with a red pen. It should be free of typos, grammatical errors, and spelling errors. It should also read extremely easy and the strongest points should “jump out” at the reader. Mark it up on your hard copy, go in and fix it on the computer, then print it out and do it again. When you are happy with it, send it to some friends and family members to look over.

Creating the Perfect Modern Day Resume