Tips For Creating The Best Possible Resume
1. If you get professional help, use a coach who has experience in your field.
Every profession has its own customs. For instance, Wall Street résumés should be tailored to readers with short attention spans.
2. Do not let a coach write the résumé for you.
Take a coach's advice, but write it yourself. "An HR person or a recruiter will immediately pick it up if a résumé has been written for a person," says Borland. "They can tell the words on the page are not words the candidate would use."
3. Treat your résumé as a marketing document.
This is the toughest challenge of résumé-writing: figuring out what's special about yourself. What's your personal brand?
4. Write a 40- to 50-word summary that includes three reasons someone should hire you.
The summary should vividly describe your personal brand, including three compelling reasons an employer would want you.
5. Break up text with bullet points detailing your accomplishments.
If you've worked for the same company for a long time, it's best to describe your work as a list of four to six achievements.
6. Include all awards and accolades.
Even if you won that citation 10 years ago and you worry the employer may never have heard of the award, everyone understands what a prize means. Do list any awards you've won.
7. Tailor your résumé for the position you're targeting.
You should have an all-purpose résumé for yourself, but do rework that 40- to 50-word summary to address each particular job you're after.
