Effective Resume Writing

Resume writing is an important skill in business whether you are seeking a promotion, changing careers, seeking financing or partnerships. To craft a strong resume you need to know how to capture and write about your unique selling propositions, understand and position key competencies, and sell your transferable experience -- challenges, actions, and results.[1] Resume writing is not routine essay writing. Instead, it is a highly formal writing which implies the use of the specific format and writing style.[2]

Focus on making that clear on either one or two pieces of paper. Include a headline that showcases your professional identity, a profile that communicates the big picture of what you can do for an employer, an areas of expertise section that details your skills, and themed competency categories that focus on your most important accomplishments.[3] Focus the resume on the last 5-10 years of your job history. You should consider trimming anything beyond the last 10 years.[4]

Employers or personnel officers may look through hundreds of applications and may spend only a few seconds reviewing your resume. To get someone to look at it longer, your resume must quickly convey that you are capable and competent enough to be worth interviewing.[5] Employers are less interested in titles and duties and more interested in previous accomplishments. The fact that you implemented cost-cutting measures that reduced your department's expenses by 15 percent is far more meaningful than simply stating you oversaw a budget.[6] Employers often ask this question when checking references. [7]

[1] bx.businessweek.com/resume-writing/
[2] essay-911.com/resumewritingservice.htm
[3] jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/02/26/resume-writing-advice/
[4] fpcnational.com/wrong-resume-format-can-hurt.html
[5] rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/resume.html
[6] .allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-resumes/11115-1.html
[7] provenresumes.com/fqa/ref.html