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Resume Tips

A resume is a brief, written summary of your skills and experience. It is an overview of who you are and a tool to present yourself to employers. The goal of a well-written resume is to gain a job interview. Job interviews may lead to employment!

Employers and hiring managers are very busy and tend to rapidly review resumes. Therefore, your resume must quickly catch the employer's attention. Writing a brief, to the point description of your experience and skills can do this. Tell the truth on your resume. Write your resume to describe how your skills will meet the employer's needs.

When applying for a job, read the job advertisement or announcement very carefully. Then customize your resume by writing up your skills to describe and match what the employer is looking for. It is helpful to describe your experience and skills by using some of the same words the employer used in the job advertisement.  

  • Use action words to describe your work skills.

  • Stress skills and abilities that fulfill the job requirements.

  • Be specific about accomplishments, but do not stretch the truth.

  • Provide information about career goals.

  • Make it attractive.

  • Emphasize most recent jobs.

  • Proofread it for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.

  • Have someone else check your resume for errors.

  • Save references and personal data for the interview.

  • Avoid date of birth.

  • Avoid salaries or the reason for leaving the last job.

  • Ask yourself "Would I interview this person?"

  • Keep your resume current.

  • Finally, prepare a cover letter to introduce your resume.

A sample resume may be viewed here.

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