Resume Tips: Guidelines to follow when writing a powerful resume

Layout and Design Tips:

• Layout:
• Add interest and clarity by using bullets, indents and varying font styles (bold and italics).
• Avoid using unconventional fonts or adding photos or graphics.
• Length (general rule is):
• 1-2 pages for early-career (entry level to 5-10 years)
• 2-3 pages for mid-to-senior career candidates
• Job Data:
• Provide the reader with relevant detail about your past and present employers, such as product information, size and physical location.
• Measurables:
• Quantify your job duties, reporting relationships and achievements with actual numbers.
• Dates:
• Make sure the dates are clear and without gaps.
• If you're a mid-to-late-career candidate, you can save space by lumping early-career jobs together.
• Credentials:
• Be accurate-and honest
• Misrepresenting your degree is unethical, and could result in consequences that are embarrassing-or worse.

Overview:

A resume is a reflection of you and your professional career, it should be absolutely perfect.

• Make sure your resume is as up-to-date as possible.
• Include all accomplishments.
• Include all contact information (phone, cell, voice and e-mail).
• Include your name on all pages.
• If you e-mail your resume, name the document after yourself (i.e. jackfrost.doc, not titles like myresume.doc or resume6.doc).
• List all positions and jobs in chronological order, starting with most recent.
• List in 'bullet' format legitimate, measurable and quantifiable accomplishments. Place them under the specific position in which they occurred, not in a general summary.
• Put the Month/Year next to all positions as well as your college graduation date.
• Include information on your specific type of degree, major and GPA.
• Proofread your resume at least 3 times.
• Show your resume to others to have them proofread it as well.

Be Specific With Information

• Name of Company, Division and Title of each position held.
• Accomplishments (measurable & quantifiable)
• E.g. Exact sales numbers, quota attainment, company rankings, territory volume and sales growth.
• E.g. Brief position description (customer base, products sold & territory).
• Dates of employment, education, accomplishments and training.
• Educational information (if you were a rank holder or in the top 10 percentile).

AVOID THE FOLLOWING

• Writing in paragraph form or being too wordy...be specific!
• Using the words "I" or 'me' too often.
• Gaps of time between positions without some form of explanation or reason.
• Putting down references or objectives, these statements are a waste of space.
• Extending more than 2 pages, three is just about ok, four or more is frowned upon.
• Just giving a job description without any specific information about what you have accomplished.
• Putting down personal or completely irrelevant information on the resume.
• Using the words 'References available upon request', this is a given and a waste of space!