Basic Guidelines for Your Resume

A resume is a summary of yourself and what you have to offer. It will present you in offices where you have never been. If done poorly, it represents you in offices you will never use. Therefore, it makes sense to take some pains with it.

A resume is a business document. It is not a life history. Be brief because five-page resumes don't get read. One page should do, or two at the most. A good resume emphasizes skills gained through past experience and achievements. It should describe what about you is relevant to getting a job. Your resume should provoke interest and confirm your ability to solve problems for employers.

Make your resume neat and easy to read. Use a clear crisp type and uncrowded format.

• Use high quality bond paper, which is white or off-white. Do not use brightly colored paper.
• List the most important items first, always remembering that whatever comes first on your resume is emphasized.
• Accent the positive. Emphasize your strengths, achievements and accomplishments.
• Describe with action verbs your skills, accomplishments and specific job responsibilities. Use short, to-the-point sentences.
• Spell correctly, and make certain your grammar is proper.
• Do not list personal data.
• Omit personal pronouns. "I" and "my" are not appropriate.
• Locate people to critique and proofread your resume before you have it printed.