Creating A Good Resume

The first thing to focus on when creating a good resume is that a resume is your marketing tool to get your foot in the door. You are looking to win an interview with your resume, not the job. You need to plan first before you put pen to paper.

You must do some basic research on company you are applying to. Why? Because when you create a good resume you'll more than likely be using the job ad to base your resume on. You will need to know that your skills and accomplishments match what is being asked. If they don't, you're wasting your time. A generic resume is not the way to succeed.

You must sell yourself and use language on the resume that shows this to the hiring manager. It is fact that most resumes get no more than a 20 second scan before a decision is made by the reader whether to bin the resume or continue reading.

A clear, concise, well set out and focused resume should get you past the 20 second mark.

Much ink has been spilt over what and what should not be included in a good, well written resume. The simple answer depends on who you listen to! I'm a firm believer that when creating a good resume you need to concentrate your efforts on writing a summary, followed by your skills and accomplishments. Use suitable language to convey this information to the reader. Everything else is mandatory - name, address, employment history etc.

If you're not sure on he best resume layout, I recommend the following - objective or summary, skills & accomplishments, work experience, education, exam passes and hobbies/interests. Try and keep your resume to one page.

The reason I use this layout is that it works as all the juicy bits that will land you the interview are near the top. This is the part the 20 second scan will pick up!

Find out how I fine-tuned my resume even more with the revealed resume secrets at Resume Builder

There are 3 basic types of resume structure. When creating a good resume, you need to understand which is the best for you.

The chronological resume is the more traditional structure for a resume. The Experience section is the main focus of the resume whereby each job (or the last several jobs) is described in some detail, and there is no major section of skills or accomplishments at the beginning of the resume. Use this structure when you are staying in the same profession or in the same type of work, particularly in very conservative fields. It is recommended that the chronological resume always have an Objective or Summary, to focus the reader.

A functional resume highlights your major skills and accomplishments from the very beginning. It helps the reader see clearly what you can do for them, rather than having to read through the job descriptions to find out. The functional resume is a must for career changers,for those with a wide range of skills in their given profession, for students, for military officers, for homemakers returning to the job market, and for those who want to make slight shifts in their career direction.

A combined resume includes elements of both the chronological and functional formats. It may be a shorter chronology of job descriptions preceded by a short "Skills and Accomplishments" section (or with a longer Summary including a skills list or a list of "qualifications"); or, it may be a standard functional resume with the accomplishments under headings of different jobs held.