Resume Tips
10 Tips on Creating a Great Resume
Your resume is your #1 selling tool during the early stages of your job search. Coupled with a professional cover letter, a polished resume will make you stand out among the masses of other job applicants. Below are a few tips that we have found to be effective when building a resume that gets results:
- Try to limit your resume to one or two pages
- Be sure to include your contact information at the top (name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address).
- Use bullet points and bold face type to organize your resume and allow for quick readability. Don’t over do it, but add some class and character. Always bold your name, headings (such as Objective, Experience, Education, etc.), and position titles with each company.
- List keywords that are relevant to the position you are seeking: computer software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint), industrial equipment and press sizes (Van Dorn, Cincinnati, Engel), materials (polypropylene, nylon, ABS), products (medical, automotive, consumer), and other relevant name brands.
- OBJECTIVE: Give an idea of the type of positions you are looking for, what you would like to accomplish, and what you are looking for in an employer.
- SUMMARY: Provide a paragraph summary of your experience background and skills. Following your paragraph is a great place to list key skills in bullet point form (see keyword section above).
- EXPERIENCE: Always start with your current job and work your way back. Be sure to list dates of employment (month and year), company name, city/state and job title for each position held. Below each title, list your top responsibilities (minimum of 3-5 bullet points each).
- EDUCATION: List your education at the bottom of your resume. Always start with your most recent certification first. List the name of the school, degree and year you received the degree. This is also a good place to list seminars and training courses you have completed that are relative to the position you are applying for.
- REFERENCES: List “References available upon request.” Do not list references on your resume. On a separate sheet of paper, list three to four references of people who have supervised you. You may offer the references when completing an interview. Be sure to ask your references for approval prior to giving out their name and number. List their name, current title, current company, telephone number, and relationship to you (i.e. former supervisor at XYZ Corporation).
- Proofread, proofread, proofread! Be sure to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Ask some one else to look your resume over. Review your resume each time you send it out to verify that it is current.
Congratulations! Now send it to Feggestad & Hill, Inc.