Updated Free Resume Writing Help Here!

If there was only ONE "free resume writing help tip" that I had to give - oh wait - make that TWO tips. Alright...alright... THREE tips, I'd start here:
(This is especially useful for today's electronic resume submissions - not all companies want electronic resumes, but many do)

Use a lot of "white space" in your resume.
What this means is that you do not want your resume to be mostly print. It will look far too cluttered. I've tried to illustrate this in the photo of a sample resume that accompanies this module.

Use bullet points rather than paragraphs.
You have about 3 seconds to get someone's attention, so use those seconds wisely.

(NOTE: Some people say 5-10 seconds, but let's face it, if a recruiter is getting 100 resumes, how long is he or she really going to spend on any one of them? Unless it's YOURS, and you've been learning and applying these tips - about 3 - 5 seconds is my guess.
Maybe it's 'cause I have a short little attention span and a short little attention span...)

Anyway, no one is "reading" your resume - most people will just scan at first.
Bullets make it easier to scan. And they also make your resume less... ahem... boring (To see what "bored" looks like, please see photo above.)

Don't worry about using full sentences. For example, instead of "I have extensive experience working on Ford, Chevrolet, and Buick automobile engines..." you would be better off saying:

"Extensive engine repair experience - especially Ford, Chevrolet, Buick."

Remember - people are scanning, not "reading."

Which brings me to...

(When I say "quantify" I'm talking about SHOWING actual numbers and results instead of HINTING. You'll see in the example below...)

Ok. So, maybe I 'd better reword this: "If there were only FOUR free resume writing help tips..." LOL!

It's difficult for me to nail down "the" most important tip.

But this one is also very important. And it goes hand in hand with my tip number 3, above, where I tell you to NOT use full sentences.

Let's take the "Extensive engine repair experience..." example one step further.

How many years experience do you have?

If you have 5 years of experience, state it.
And when I say "5 years" that is what I mean for you to write. Don't write it out as "five years..."

People "see" numbers, and employers like to "see" it too. And, remember that little tidbit about how folks "scan" instead of "read."

So, you might say:
"5 years of extensive engine repair experience - especially Ford, Chevrolet, Buick."

Ahh... But what if you don't have that much experience?

Can you mention hours? Perhaps:
"Currently averaging 25+ hours per week focusing on Ford, Chevrolet and Buick engine repair."

If you sell widgets, tell the reader how many you sold over the course of x-number of months. For example:
"Sold 35,000 widgets to 25 corporate accounts in the tri-state area in 2008."

Getting the idea? Have a look at the YouTube video below for more ideas on quantifying!

Be done with the "chronological" or "Employment History" type of resume.

Give the employer what he or she is looking for right at the get-go. I discuss this particular magical, powerful and free resume writing help tip in greater detail in my "Tips for Writing A Resume" lens. Actually, I pretty much devote the whole lens to it - so please have a look.

Right under your name and contact info, get your prospect's attention with a solid headline and sub-headline that states exactly - EXACTLY - what your objective is.

Essentially what you're doing is giving your resume a "title" and "sub title." This is actually a copywriting technique - and let's face it, your resume is an advertisement for YOU, right?

Remember - the only purpose your resume has is to grab someone's attention enough that they MUST bring you in for an interview.

As you can see, putting a headline or title at the top instantly does away with the old-school, chronological style of resume.

So, using a few brief examples from my other lens (in case you don't want to go there), here are a few of the "headlines" that I used. (See the photo for how the outline looks.)

For someone looking for an office assistant position in a company's human resources department:
Skilled Administrative Assistant
With Specific Interest in Human Resources

A copywriter looking to help a company's website marketing:
Copywriter and Internet Marketing Specialist
With Keyword Research Expertise and Keyword Metatag & Text Placement

A person looking to run a youth program:
Program Coordinator - Acme Youth Solutions
Trustworthy - Attentive - Empathetic - Focused

A person applying to a private therapeutic school for troubled youth with an extensive outdoor recreational program:
Mentor, Outdoor Recreation & Practical Applications Specialist
Truthful & Consistent - Logical & Patient - Solution Based

Follow your headline with a great "How I Can Help You" or summary statement (see my lens on Creating A Resume for more discussion about this point).

Better yet, put the company's name that you are targeting in there (just remember to change it when you're targeting your resume for different companies!!).

For example:
"How my skills will benefit Acme Financial Services..."

Because after all is said and done, you want to be quickly perceived as the person you portray in your headline and initial statement - NOT what you were at your last job (which is what it would have looked like if you had stuck to the old chronological format!).

For additional free resume writing help and information, please feel free to visit my other lenses (see 'em all at the bottom of this page!) - I'll add more as I think up more good stuff!

And remember to visit www.CreatingAResume.info for a terrific tool that's helping a lot of people.

Bye for now, and thanks for reading!

There are a lot of other folks out there who offer resume writing help, and who have different ideas. Different people...different personalities...different ideas! This is good.

I personally enjoy some of the following Squidoo Lensmasters and their advice - so scroll on down, and have a look at some of these folks!
:) Kath