Professional Resume Writing 101-28

Professional Resume Writing 101-28 Professional Resume Writing Basic Rules Creating the perfect resume is not possibleas there are so manydecision makers all with varyingopinions.Each will have their own personal preferences and perspectives when it comes to reviewing your resume and extracting the information theyneed to determine if you are a viable candidate to them. A Certified Professional Resume Writer has onegoal, and that is to sell you on your resume in a way that will entice the majority of decision makers. Personal opinions and perspectives aside, here are some basic resume rulesthat everyone should follow: Age, sex, martial status: In North America, these details should be left out they have no impact on how you perform your job and can be used for discrimination. Political or religious affiliations: I shouldnt have to say this but we live in a diverse world where people do discriminate. Dont provide an opportunity to eliminate you from contention purely because of your political or religious persuasions. Do not refer toany religious or political affiliations on your resume. Volunteer work: This can bean integral component of a resume, as long as its non-political and non-religious. It shows the reader a number of critical attributes about yourself: you are sharing, caring, willing to learn and most of all you give your time for free. What a good message to send to a potential employer! Hobbies and leisure activities: Manyyears ago human resource professionals and recruiters may have beenlooking to see what you did outside your business life. NO MORE. A resume is a professional, business presentation. Unless your hobbies have a bearing on the position you are applying for, its wasted space. Employer information: Keep it brief, just provide the company name and location. Its not acceptable to include the name of your supervisor or manager, their telephone number or address. Keywords: It is necessary to includesome of your industrys jargon or buzzwords. It shows that you are up on current trends and technology and can interact well among your peers in their language. More importantly, it is likely your resume will be scanned for specific keywords. A missing keyword could result in alost opportuntity Compensation: Leave it out; including this information will damage your chances and possibly eliminate you from an interview. And even at the interview stage, do not initiateany dollar figures. It could easilyundersell you or over price you. Reasons for leaving previous employment: Your future employer doesnt need to read on a resume anything about why you are no longer employed with a particular company. Once youobtain an interview, you will beconfronted about the reasons for leaving a previous employer so remember, never criticise them. References: Not on your resume and do not include, references available upon request. This is a given and would be just as redundant as putting the heading, Resume at the top of your resume.Take your list of references on aseparate sheet of paper with the same heading as the resume and cover letter with you to the interview. Employment Gaps: Sometimes this is a controversial subject but yourresume is a truthful document andpeople willtake time off for personal, care giving,health reasons or they have simply have been unemployed. Whatever the reason, any employment gap will be seen as a red flag andwithout an explanation an employer could come to thewrong conclusion, soaccount for anygaps in your employment if possible. These are only a few basic resume rules. Find out if your resume will enitice the majority of decision makerswhen you send it for a freeresume critiquefrom aCertified Professional Resume Writer.