Elements of a good Resume

A good resume opens the door to fresh and new opportunities. This is the first thing that a prospective employer reads to create an impression about you. Thus, it is very important that you put as much emphasis on writing a great resume as you will put on dressing up yourself on the day of interview.

Depending on the industry, there are normally two types of selection processes. In one process, knowingly or unknowingly, the prospective employer advances through the process of elimination. In this process, the employers eliminate one after another resume to shortlist the best people for the position. This process works when the employee is looking to hire experienced and specialists for the available posts. One need not say that, these posts are highly rewarding in terms of money and position.

In the second process, the prospective employees select for people that meet minimum criterion set for the post. Companies that want to employ in bulk often go for this type of selection process. Especially in case of posts that are performance or commission driven, companies adopt this technique. Otherwise, these posts are for fresh candidates.

This is the inside story about how the selection process actually works. This is the first filter that you must pass to get into the next level. In addition, in this round, everything depends on your resume. In addition, that is why it is very important to design a great resume.

If you note my words, you will see that in the last sentence, I did not write, "it is very important to write a great resume". Instead of using the word, "write", I used the word "design". It is not just about what you have done or what you want to do. The resume is actually an opportunity to hook the prospective employers.

There are some basic elements of a resume. For example, you can think of important details (name, address, contact information etc.), objective, achievements, experience, qualification etc. Now, you need to arrange these details according to your focus area.

Now what is a focus area in resume writing? Think about a situation where you are a fresh candidate who has just passed out of college. In this situation, your educational qualification can be the focus area that may hook the prospective employer. You can put your educational qualification at the top of the page, right under the career objective.

Now think of a situation where the same person has gained 5 years of experience in a reputed organization. Therefore, now, the focus area will shift to his or her work experience rather than the educational qualification. You need to change your resume accordingly.

A good resume is always work in progress. You must update it regularly to attract new employers.

5 Tips on Resume Writing

Preparing resumesa challenge! It’s not easy to shine out amongst hundreds of resumes no matter how extraordinary your skills or work experiences are. Here are 5 tips that will help you land in your dream job.
1) Match the Title/Heading with the Advertised Position

This is a ‘must’ to grab the employer’s attention quickly. As they have to scroll through hundreds of resumes, it is imperative that your resume should stand out amongst the crowd by listing titles that match the one used on the job position you are applying for which positon.

2) Design and Write Beautifully

The design of your resume must emphasize the most important information about your work experience, skills and educational qualifications. At first glance this information forms the image that employers have of your skills and abilities.

The content you include describing your skills and abilities determines how many interviews you will be considered for and what salary range you will be offered.

3) Use Powerful, Key Words specific to the Job

It helps to mention trade vocabulary words in the resume. These words are often found in the ad copy itself. Learn to observe the key words that employers use in ‘help wanted’ ads and use them when creating your resume and also in the subsequent interviews. If you haven’t already, learn to speak the jargon of the industry you are intending to work in.

4) Sell your skills

Most resumes provide a list of duties that the applicant has been responsible for without explaining the benefit of those skills to employers.

For example, a secretary's resume might state she can type 80 wpm and her accuracy is 99%. This statement lacks an explanation of how her typing speed and accuracy benefit an employer's bottom line. The real benefit is that the employee can produce high volume, high quality work and ultimately save the employer money. Sell the skills by mentioning how it will help the future employer.

5) Create an image to match salary needs