Resume Writing Guide: Top 12 Resume Guidelines

A step by step & easy to follow resume writing guide.
The guide contains all the basics you need on how to write a professional resume that works:
 What Do Employers Want
 First Quick Tips for a Winning Resume
 Deciding On the Resume Format
 Creating a Resume Draft
 The Resume Objective Statement
 Resume Career Summary
 Resume Work Experience – Work History in a Resume
 Using Action Verbs & Keywords
 List Your Achievements in the Resume
 the Skills section in the Resume
 The Education Section in a Resume
 Resume Headers/Headlines

Introduction on writing a resume – what is a resume? its importance and the challenge of writing a good resume.

Before diving into the resume writing, let’s focus on the mindset of the hiring managers in order to understand the main features to include in the resume.
If you have ever wondered what the person sitting on the other side of the table thinks while reading your resume or while interviewing you, read further to get a better idea.

If you want to take your job search seriously, avoid the one-size-fits-all resume.

The resume must be targeted to any single position you apply for – Do not use the same piece for information, resume, for every job opportunity out there – It is a strategy that will lead to no where.
Your key/strongest aspects in view of any employer could be your work history, education, skills and career achievement.
Therefore, locate your best assets as close to the top of the resume as possible.

The three most common resume types are the chronological resume, the functional resume and the combination resume.
The type you chose is highly related to your work experience, education and the field you’re applying for – If you present your assets in the right format, the reader will be able to identify your qualities quickly.

Realize that you will have to create multiple resumes. Since the point of targeting is to create a specific resume for a specific job, you may find that writing and revising multiple resumes is time consuming.
Therefore, even if you have some old versions, it would be wise to create a new draft from scratch. The draft doesn’t have to be formatted as a resume, but more of a data base of which you can later copy edited paragraphs and past onto the targeted resume.

The objective statement is arguably the most important paragraph in a resume.
When used, it goes directly below your contact information and concisely describes what kind of job you are seeking and what you are good at.
A resume objective statement is a short, powerful statement at the top of your resume that tells the employer exactly how you will be of value to their organization.

In many cases the resume objectives are not a proved practice.

However, the career summary (also can be called – summary of qualifications) can increase your resume effectiveness and potential.

Based on the job description, you can include a skills section in your resume to specify your personal and/or technical skills.

Your background could be one of your best assets.
The work experience is one of the first things that employers look for. They would want to asses your work history (i.e. background) as the first aspect about you as a potential employee.

Using Action verbs and keywordss in resumes are two of best ways to increase the chance that your resume will get noticed by potential employers.
Action Verbs give your resume power and direction and make your achievements sound even more impressive.

What person would you choose if you were an employer? A person with past record, achievements, who accomplished something in his career or someone who fulfilled duties, tasks and “was responsible for” – You will absolutely prefer a result oriented persona.

In general, educational information follows the job experience section or the key skills section in a resume – Located near the end of your resume.

The resume consists of various sections/paragraphs in which you can highlight your background and skills.
The article provides sample Headers/Headlines for the Resume Sections.
Again, there are no specific orders you have to use. You must select or invent headings that show you in the best possible light and are relevant to the job for which you are applying – one usually puts the most recent or impressive information first.