| |
| Your name, complete mailing address, and
telephone number(s) with area code are all the personal data required.
List the information in a "block" format instead of placing the
information on one line. |
| |
| Include an objective if you have a
specific career goal in mind, or you know the title of the job for which
you are applying. If you omit the objective on the resume, be sure to
communicate it elsewhere, such as in the cover letter. |
| |
| Generally employers will spend less than
10 seconds screening your resume the first time. Their goal is to
eliminate as many candidates as possible and concentrate on the best.
Therefore, highlighting your qualifications early in the resume is an
effective way to improve your chances for consideration. |
| |
| The resume format you choose will
determine the sequence of information. For a chronological resume,
employment history comes next. In a functional resume, the summary
sections would follow. The combination format would include both summary
sections and chronological listings. |
| |
| Unless you are a recent graduate, your
education should be placed toward the end of the resume. If you are a
recent graduate, then it may be listed earlier in the body. List only
education that is significant to your job search. There is no need to list
high school education if you have a college degree. If you have a GED,
list yourself as a high school graduate. |
| |
| List only those activities that relate to
your occupational goal and show skill or experience. It is best not to
mention specific religious or political organizations unless they directly
relate to your goal. Military experience may be listed as a separate
section or as a part of the work history. |
| |
Your references play a key role in your
job search success and although you may not list them as references, your
past employers (those individuals to whom you reported) will be contacted
as part of your background check. If your past employer wants to help you,
they will take five minutes on the telephone and sing your praises.
Likewise, one negative sentence spoken to a prospective employer, and your
next job offer may never happen.
|
| What can you do? The key to handling a
bad separation and/or bad reference from a previous employer is to not
over or under explain the situation to a prospective employer. Assuming
that a previous employer is "blackballing" you could be your
undoing. If the past employer does not give a bad reference you are
bringing up a negative subject to a prospective employer unnecessarily. Be
prepared to defend yourself against any potentially negative statements
from past employers by presenting a positive view of the same situation. |
