CV Writing – Resume Writing Tips

So the time has come for you to take on that daunting task…the time has come for you to start working on your resume. Where writing a resume is concerned, most people don’t know where to start, what to include and what to avoid. The corporate world is a scary one but one where everyone wants to etch their names as they climb the corporate ladder. For this they need a resume that will get them noticed!

Understanding the purpose of writing a resume

Lets start by understanding what a resume or a CV is. Your resume is a document that helps you market your skills and highlights your achievements in the professional or corporate world. It is a tool that helps you communicate your objectives and your value to a prospective employer or company. A good resume has a proper structure and looks well planned. Haphazardly made resumes look sloppy and are not going to impress any one.

Some resume writing tips

Here are some tips that will help you make your process of writing a resume a little simpler. Though this article is not a resume or CV writing guide, it will help you understand resumes and resume writing a little better.

• Before you start writing your resume, you need to be sure of your objective. Once your objective is clear you can write a resume that is focused and complete.
  
• Make your resume your marketing tool. You need to market yourself in the corporate world, and the best way to do so is with a resume.
  
• Remember that your resume or CV will only get you an interview and cannot be relied upon to get you the job. People with the best resumes often do not get the best jobs because they haven’t nailed the art of interview giving, which is what will get you the job.
  
• Whilst writing a CV or resume, the formatting is important. Your resume needs to be created in such a manner that it catches the reader’s attention instantly. Its advisable to use bulleted sentences as this makes it easier to scan the resume. Also use action words that will add strength to your resume. Using symbols and numbers makes the resume stand out as well.
  
• Time is a constraint in everyone’s life. Keep this in mind while writing your resume and play up your strengths and include your achievements in the first half of your resume. Interviewers breeze through resumes and the strongest resume will pop for them. And this is what you need to do to make your resume pop for them.
  
• Do some research before writing your resume. Search for keywords and buzzwords most searched in ads and include those in your resume.
  
• Make sure that your resume focuses on the positive aspects of your professional life. If you feel some information will put you at a disadvantage, then leave it out!
  
• Decide on the format of your resume keeping in mind certain factors like education and work experience. You can choose from reverse chronological format resume, functional format resume and combination format resume.
  
• Proofread, proofread and proofread! A resume with spelling errors or grammatical errors is a major put off and will be added to the paper shredder within seconds. Ask a friend or family member to go through your resume, as they will be more useful and better critics of your resume than you would.

At the end of it all, keep your resume simple and precise. Avoid anything fancy including the paper and watch how your resume gets noticed.