Tips for Resume Writing and Going on an Interview

Look at your resume as a snapshot of yourself including your background, education and work experience. You want to put your best foot forward to potential employers. A well-written resume may help you get your foot in the door for many well- paying jobs.

You want to grab the prospective employer's attention without being too bold and overstating yourself. You want to keep it simple, attractive and neat. Do not use fancy fonts or bright colors. Keep your words simple and easily understandable.

Include as much information as possible without going overboard. You should try to keep the length to one to two pages unless you have extensive educational and work experience. The more brief your resume is, the better chance of it being read by prospective employers. Take great care to proofread and do not make spelling mistakes. Making simple errors such as spelling mistakes can get your resume tossed into the trash.

Basic information you will need to include would be name, address, phone number and email, educational experience including names and locations of schools and work experience with the names and addresses of each location, phone number and the name of your supervisor. List any certificates, diplomas or accreditations received.

It is acceptable to give a brief summary of your work situation. Example: "I have recently moved into the Washington D.C. area. I have worked extensively in the insurance industry for over 15 years and am seeking full-time employment." Your summary usually is the last item included on the resume.

There are some great resume templates available online to help you get started. Here are just a few:

Basic resumes - Templates - Microsoft Office Online

Resume Templates

Quickstart Resume Templates

When going on the job interview, it is important not to appear anxious or nervous. However, you should also take care not to appear lackadaisical in your attitude towards the potential job and interview. Be attentive, be talkative and be enthusiastic. Ask questions about the company and the job and offer up information as to why you would be a good fit with the company and the current job you are interviewing for. Many employers will tell you, they do not necessarily hire people based on job experience or education level. People often land jobs because of excellent interviewing skills and an interesting answer to a question or because they called back to follow-up after the interview.

Originally published on factoidz.com.