BEYOND Proven Tips For Writing A Resume

Please don't underestimate the power of this... Because while this may sound very basic, the following tips for writing a resume really do work:

First of all, please...please...please: FORGET about the old "Employment History" or "Chronological Style" resume. They just don't grab anyone's attention. Ack! Gack!

Whatever the job is that you're going after, and as long as you have the experience, BEGIN YOUR RESUME WITH IT!

In other words...drum roll please...
Begin your resume with a "headline" or "title."

That's right. Just like a newspaper. (Note the clever little "newspaper" photo? Isn't that cool?)

Look, if you see a headline that catches your eye, aren't you more likely to read the article that goes with it? (Note, in the next module, I was able to take a photo of how some of these "headlines" really look.)

Well, the same thing applies to your resume.

If you are an experienced accountant who is applying for an accounting job at the local medical center, and you have experience or a specific interest in working in the health industry, try this (Oh, by the way, I haven't figured out how to "center" the text in Squidoo, yet - so bear with the monotonous left-hand justified text):

Accountant with 20 Years Health Industry Experience

So, it's right up at the top - just under your name and contact information.

Let's say you are just starting out in the workforce, and don't really have any experience. But, let's say you are energetic and cheerful, and you really want that summer job with the local landscaping company. How does this sound for a headine:

Cheerful and Energetic Worker - Ready to Help Ajax Landscaping

Think that will grab their attention? Especially if all the other applicants are just filling out a standard application. There are a lot of helpful tips for writing a resume (and cover letter) if you use the resources at www.CreatingaResume.info.

Now, right under the headline, you want to put a sub-headline.

I LOVE this tip!

Let's go back to our "Accountant with 20 Years Health Industry Experience" example.

Let's say that this person has already gathered a bunch of information about himself (or herself) - such as what I discuss in my Creating A Resume lens. (And, hopefully you are finding at least some of these tips for writing a resume to be helpful!)

Let's say the person is very punctual, honest (uh... that better be the truth for everyone!), and has a few more likeable traits that will go over well in the work environment.

So, under the headline, we'll put 3 or 4 adjectives about ourselves, and we'll separate them with a dash, or a small "wingding" so that now the headline looks like this:

Accountant with Health Industry Experience
Punctual - Honest - Team-Player - Motivated

Or, using our "Cheerful and Energetic Worker.." headline, and adding the same type of sub-header, it might now look like this:

Cheerful and Energetic Worker - Ready to Help Ajax Landscaping
Punctual and Motivated with a Passion for the Outdoors

See how that works?

Take a look at the photo to see how it looks in "real life." (Caveat: I had to manually hold these samples in front of the web-camera, because I couldn't figure out how else to help you see, for real, how these tips for writing a resume actually look.)

There might be times where the sub-headline should place emphasis on a specific qualification or accomplishment.

When I'm trying to compile tips for writing a resume, especially for a platform such as we have here at Squidoo, I'm aware that I can only write so much before I bore you to tears.

So, what I'll do here is just write out a couple of examples that will hopefully give you enough information to apply to your own resume.

If you apply these little tips, your resume will "shout" out and clearly announce who you are quickly and accurately!

Have a look at these headlines and sub-headlines:
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

Whew! That's about enough for this lens! But, this should give you a good idea as to how you can proceed.

For a lot more help and other great tips for writing a resume, visit www.CreatingaResume.info.

Thanks for reading!