TIPS FOR RESUME WRITING

—Never use professional jargon unless you are certain that your resume will be read by someone who knows the buzz-words.

—Never use so-called “action words” like “sparked,” “accelerated,” and “streamlined.” They are passé.

—Never provide salary information. Save it for the interview. If absolutely required to give this information, reveal it in a cover letter. Know salary ranges.

—Never LIE. You have to defend everything on your resume.

FOR SCANNED RESUMES

—Do not use fancy treatments such as italics, underline, shadows, and reverse(white letters on black background).

—Do not use two columns without setting tabs.

—Do not fold or staple.

—You may use bold-face type and/or all capital letters for section headings as long as the letters do not touch each other.

—Avoid vertical and horizontal lines.

—Do not condense spacing between letters.

—Leave a couple of spaces between bullets and the first letter of a line.

—The more skills and facts provided, the more opportunities you will have for your skills to match available positions.

Adapted from Robert Half International, Inc., “How to Get a Better Job in This Crazy World”.

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OBJECTIVES

Feelings run strong about whether or not to include an objective on a resume.

Case for inclusion:

A. Without an objective, the employer’s perception could be that you have no focus or direction and he must figure out where you would fit in his organization.

B. An employer likes to see the name of his job opening and company at the top of your resume.

Case for exclusion:

A job objective is too constricting and might exclude you from consideration for countless jobs you might be interested in and qualified for.

A solution:

A brief objective written in broad, non-specific terms such as: Marketing/Sales or Banking/Finance. The broader your objective, the greater frequency with which it will be retrieved and reviewed.

Conclusion:

You have the arguments for and against specific objectives. It is your resume and your decision! For the resumes you send out use the specific title of the position and company you are applying for. When placing your resume online or when you are not applying for a specific position, you may want to consider the broader, less specific objective.