8 Resume Writing Tips

1. Know Your Objective

a. What job do you want? What are the skills and requirements necessary for this job?
b. Keep them in your mind as you write your resume so that the interviewer reading it will see that you are the person they are looking for.

2. Compile all your information

a. List down your personal particulars, education history, extra-curricular activities including positions held, employment history, seminars attended, achievements, etc.

b. Ensure the dates are correct. Leave out hobbies/interests, parent’s occupation etc.

c. Sort information under specific headings – Education, Work Experience, Achievements, Skills, Activities.

3. Start with your Name and Contact details
a. Write your full name, postal address, house and mobile numbers, email address.
b. Leave out your marital status, sex, race, parent’s name and occupation, birth details, etc.

4. Write your Employment details

a. Starting with your most recent work, list down all the jobs you have had, company names, dates of employment, position titles.

b. Using bullet points, write the job description, nature of work and responsibilities held for each position

c. Use key words: responsible for, coordinating, prepared, managed, monitored, presented, accomplished, achieved, analyzed, delegated, etc .

d. Highlight your achievements/job responsibilities.

5. List Education details
a. Lead with your highest education level to the lowest, include grades like CGPA.

b. State courses or papers studied, e.g. Psychology, Contract Law, Multimedia.

c. List activities like societies/clubs, position held and accomplishments if they are relevant to the job you are applying to. Otherwise, leave them out.

6. Include your Skills

List down your computer skills, language skills (and different dialects) including proficiency in reading and writing, and soft skills (public speaking, presentation, etc).

7. Reference

a. Not totally essential but if you need to mention references, choose people who know you personally and can give a good impression of you to the potential employer.

b. Remember to give your reference’s contact details.

c. Make sure you inform your referees that they may receive calls from your interviewers so that they can prepare. Send them copies of your resume so that they know who you are and what you did.

8. Miscellaneous
a. Be short and concise

- Resumes are usually read in only 30 seconds or less, so you have to be brief and go straight to the point.

- Resumes should be a maximum of two pages long. Use Size 12 fonts (Times New Roman or Garamond font) for easy read. Use three pages only if you have extensive professional experience.

- Use italic or bold fonts only to indicate important information or section breaks.

- Use a good printer, no stray marks, splotches, uneven or blurred letters.

- Use high quality A4 paper, white only. Do not use flashy colours like pink or red.

b. Be honest
Do not inflate your resume. Make sure you can back up what you claim. Do not cheat/lie.

c. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes
- Make sure your resume is free from spelling or grammar mistakes.
- Ask someone reliable to check it for you.
- Do not depend on your word processor’s Spell Check function.
- Most importantly, proof read until your resume is perfect.

d. Use Power Verbs
Action words add “oomph” to your writing and enables you to describe clearly.