The ability of Resume Creating
If you’re in pursuit of a job, you absolutely need a resume. It’s that straightforward. Even if your closest friend’s mother happens to be the CEO of Viacom, a well-structured resume is still a must. More precisely, you require a Professional Resume.
Seems easy, right? Well, it’s not always that simple.
Often, when individuals realize they need professional resume assistance, it appears as if they’ve reached a point of no return. By then, they’ve scoured job listings on Craigslist, Monster, and Indeed, and submitted their flawed resumes to tens or even hundreds of potential employers. Fast forward a few days, and unsurprisingly, no interview invitations have arrived.
But don’t despair; it’s never too late! At this juncture, you have two options: either invest the time to learn how to craft this essential career tool correctly or enlist the services of a professional resume provider to handle it for you.
Remember, this document pertains to your career, and even a single word, spelling error, or grammatical mistake can relegate your resume to the circular filing cabinet (a.k.a. the trash can). In fact, if you fail to include the crucial keywords that employers regularly use on popular online job search engines, your resume might not even be seen! You can’t hit a home run if you don’t step up to the plate! While we strongly recommend reaching out to a professional resume service, we understand that some of you are determined to go it alone, and we’re here to assist.
Read on for some important guidelines, and please review our sample resumes to gain a more comprehensive understanding of what your resume should resemble.
The Art of Crafting a Professional Resume
Objective
Keep it concise, limited to one sentence comprising no more than two to three lines, clearly conveying your career objectives to potential employers. Be specific about your skills. This is not the time to be modest. If you possess strong communication skills, state it; if you’re an accomplished leader, declare it. Regarding the job title, be cautious not to be overly specific unless you are absolutely certain about the role’s responsibilities. Alternatively, you can tailor the job title for each position you apply to (but be cautious not to mix up the job titles and potential employers).
Profile
This is one of the most critical yet often overlooked sections of the resume. If the Objective is your tagline, the Profile serves as your introduction. It communicates to the employer what you believe are your strongest qualities and what you can bring to the organization. Typically, a resume should contain anywhere from three to six bullet points under the Profile section.
Professional Achievements
If you’ve achieved it, showcase it! If you played a pivotal role in a significant merger, it should be on your resume. If you’ve met or exceeded your sales targets, this is where you highlight it. However, let us caution you: do not confuse professional achievements with job responsibilities. You were expected to perform your job duties; even if you believe those duties were exceptionally important, they may not qualify as achievements.
Professional Experience
This is the most critical section of any resume. While there may be variations in style, font, and content, it should generally be presented in chronological order. It should include the employer’s name (unless confidential), years of employment, job title, and job descriptions. This section is not a narrative, summary, or paragraph; it is a description. The best advice we can offer is to review as many samples as possible (feel free to check out some of our samples!)
Education and Professional Training
If you’ve authored numerous articles or books, these should be listed on a separate document not attached to your resume. On your resume itself, indicate “Additional articles or publications available upon request.” The same rule applies if you have numerous achievements that exceed the capacity of both your hands and feet. Depending on the extent of your education and professional training, they may often be grouped together. If you’ve completed numerous continuing education, management, or sales training courses, there is no need to list them all. You can include a statement such as “Select List” or similar phrasing.
Page Length
Ask any two professional resume writers, and you’ll receive two different answers. Nevertheless, trust us: one page maximum. Your interviewer wants to have one page in front of them, and just one page. Think of it this wayâif a potential employer misplaces the second page of your resume or it becomes detached for some reason, do you believe they’ll take the time to contact you and request another copy? Or if the potential employer has twenty resumes to review, and it’s 5 pm on a Friday. When they come across your 2-page resume with 8pt font and 0.25″ margins, do you think they’ll be pleased? Exactly.
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