5 Steps To A Great Resume

7 seconds. Just 7 seconds. Recent studies have shown that is all the time you have to make an impression good or bad on a potential employer. Knowing this it becomes apparent just how important a good resume is. Unfortunately many job seekers dont realize this fact to their own peril. During my 6 plus years of writing resumes professionally for www.QualityResumes.net I have seen a lot of mistakes misspellings missteps and miscues along the way. I can help you before you make some of them too. There are 5 basic mistakes that every jobseeker should avoid.

The first and most important is also the easiest to fix: poor writing. Things like typos misspellings verb tenses mixed and sentences butchered. A potential employer will not struggle to get through your resume. He will simply toss it into the circular file. Your resume must be easy to read; 7 seconds remember?

Second you need to use an easytoscan format; something one can glance over and have key details stand out. You should limit the amount of fancy formatting you do. Just because you can manipulate all of Microsoft Words functions doesnt mean you have to show it here. Keep it clean and simple. What you should have are the four standard sections: Objective Summary Work History and Education. Put enough detail in to sell yourself but no more.

Third and this is closely related to formatting do not over write. This is a trap all amateur writers fall into. The best authors know less is more and what works for books works for resumes too. Too often I have read resumes that have huge paragraphs of text explaining every single detail about their current job or even the company they currently work for. Employers and recruiters are not going to wade through volumes of text when they have another 100 or so resumes to get through. They need to know quickly and easily what you have done and what you can do. Most often a short bulleted list accomplishes this best.

Fourth you need to tell potential employers what you are capable of doing. Often when a client sends me their resume for a professional evaluation I see the job specs. Those could apply to anyone who has held that particular job. It is not singling them out as different better and more capable than the rest. List your achievements what you have done above and beyond not just the job requirements.

Fifth there is more than one type of resume. While just about every job seeker writing their own resume tries to make their professional life fit a chronological format it simply is not the way to go for many people. A skillsbased resume allows one to focus on abilities and potential rather that just past achievements. An educationbased resume allows employers to see your training in detail; this is especially useful for recent graduates. There really is a resume fit for every person. Experiment a little bit and find the style that fits you best.

Follow these five rules to avoid the mistakes of you jobseeking ancestors. A wellwritten resume is your first and best chance to make a good impression on potential employers. Make yours count. Remember 7 seconds goes by awfully fast.

About the writer:  Steve is the owner/manager of www.QualityResumes.net a resume writing service specializing in new graduates and entry level job seekers.

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