How to Write a Professional Resume

Learning how to write a professional resume is of the utmost importance. It is an essential tool that you need to use to effectively sell yourself to a potential employer. The objective of a professional resume is to showcase you as an attractive choice for a job opening and guarantee a spot in the interview process. Employers are inundated with resumes, but by having the right professional resume in hand, you will increase your chances of having it read.

Before you Even Start Writing a Professional Resume

Before writing your resume, outline it. Write down all the job experiences, skills and accomplishments first and then select the ones that are best suited for the job you are applying for. If you are applying for a position as an executive assistant, it is highly unlikely that they will care you worked in a kitchen of a restaurant. However, and this is the caveat, if you can somehow demonstrate how you can translate the skills you learned in the kitchen to being an executive assistant, than write it in your resume. Just do not talk about the hours you spent in front of the top range.

Tips on How to Write a Professional Resume

A resume is a succinct summary of a person’s education, work experience, and relevant qualifications. Prior to writing a professional resume, research the company and the field you are applying for to specifically tailor the resume. Do not use standard templates when writing a professional resume as prospective employers can spot them a mile away. You want your professional resume to be personal and stand out from all the others.

Here is a list of things you need to do when writing your professional resume:

• Always tailor a resume for different employers by placing emphasis on the experience and skills you have that the company is looking for.

• Keep your resume to one page and do not use the backside.

• Make sure there are a lot of white spaces as well as a border.

• Use underline and bold for headings and only use one font and font size.

• Do not use first person or pronouns, but use action verbs whenever possible.

• Try to not repeat phrases or words in your resume.

• Utilize bullet points for lists as it makes it easier to read a resume rather than big, chunky paragraphs.

• Do not forget to proofread your professional resume when you are done as employers will disregard all resumes with grammatical and spelling errors, no matter how qualified for the job you may seem.

What Needs to be Included in a Professional Resume

Always make sure your name, address, phone number and email address are at the top of the page. Also to be included in your resume is work experience, accomplishments and all relevant skills. When possible, use numbers to provide a more accurate representation of the scale of projects you have undertaken. Give relevant examples showcasing various traits that are necessary for the new job opportunity, including communications skills and leadership skills. Do not say you have those skills, show that you do.

What not to Have in your Professional Resume

While there is much you need to put into your resume, there is also a lot that you need to keep out. Personal and unrelated information should never be included. You do not have to put down your religion, race, or any of that as employers are not allowed to ask. Do not write down salary expectations unless required to do so in a cover letter. Even then, give an approximation and write that you are flexible based on the requirements of the job. Do not include the phrase “references available upon request,” because an employer already assumes this to be true. It just takes up extra space on the resume.

While understanding how to write a professional resume may seem like a daunting task, it really is not. By knowing the right tools, you can whip up a professional resume in no time!