How to Write a Basic Resume

A resume is a summary of one's employment history. Resumes may also include a variety of other useful information for an employer such as educational and personal data. You should take great care in preparing your resume. After all, your entire future could depend on your resume.

Remember that your resume is basically a sales message designed to interest prospective employers in your background and job qualifications. Your resume should be written in third person. Be sure to make it clear, to the point, well organized, and easy to understand. Your resume should be no more than two pages in length. It should also be professionally typed and printed on 8- x 11- inch paper. Be sure to edit your resume so that it contains no spelling, punctuation, grammatical, or typographical errors.

At the top of the page begin by putting your name, address, business, and home telephone numbers. If you are interested in only one type of job, then you'll want to continue by adding a job objective section. However, should you be interested in more than one type of job, it may be better to omit a job objective.

Next, you will need to list your prior employment history. When listing your prior employment history begin with your most recent job first and work backward in time. Emphasize your accomplishments and choose active verbs for each job you list. Be sure to mention any awards, performance records, or innovations for which you were responsible.

If you have a lengthy job history you should omit summer jobs, unless they indicate exceptional merit. If you have reached a professional or executive level, omit any manual or clerical jobs you may have held in the past. Avoid explanations for long absences from the work force on your resume. This is best discussed during the interview. Never give detailed explanations about why you left a job.

If your work record contains only brief lengths of employment you should place emphasis on your accomplishments rather than how long you were employed. In this case, list your jobs in order of importance rather than chronologically.

After listing your employment history, give your important educational qualifications. If applicable include your high school, if that is as far as you went, or college and graduate school. Be sure to include any honors. This section should be kept brief unless you are a recent graduate with little experience.

Conclude your resume by adding personal data you wish to make known such as marital status, number of children, honors, affiliations with professional associations, foreign languages spoken, or skills not reflected in your job record.