Hannah Quinn

Resumes: Best Chance Tips For Your Resume and What Not To Do



Posted: Monday, July 30, 2007

by
Too-Write! Professional Services

How To Make Resumes More Professional

It is advisable, at least once, to have your resume prepared professionally. A professionally prepared resume provides you with a document to go forward with and base subsequent resumes on. However, whether to choose this course or not for your resume, depends on your skill level and how well you feel you can construct your document; what experience you have in job seeking and resume writing; what type of position you are applying for; and how confident you feel in your own writing ability. If you feel confident in all these areas, you can write your own, successful resume. If you don't feel confident in all or any of these areas, it is well worth considering investing in a professional service or professional resume writer.

Here are some basics on things to do and things not to do in your resume, all of which can have an important impact on your first impression with your prospective future employer. Following this advice will definitely improve your chances of achieving an interview and subsequently landing the job. 
 
DO:-
  • Ensure you read your resume through very carefully, and then read it through again.
  • Take a break, then come back and read it through again.
  • Get someone else to read it through; ensure that your someone is a person who will be able to pick up discrepancies and will tell you. You don't want someone to say it's fine if it actually has errors, oversights or ambiguities.
  • Ensure all the information is easy to read and easy to find, especially by a quick scan over the page/s. You might only be one of numerous applicants and a sifting process will have to take place.
  • Keep the writing active and positive. Put more effort in than just listing simple duties.
  • Demonstrate with examples what you have done, and how you did it.
  • Especially mention one or two problems you overcame and how.
  • Sound confident and proud without coming off as arrogant or pompous. This is a difficult thing to balance, but aim for clear, straightforward language without embellishing with words such as fantastic and supreme, for example.
  • Be realistic. You won't achieve a middle management position after six months as a junior clerk.
  • Don't be shy in listing achievements and awards you've earned at work or in work-transferable areas, and attach copies of any relevant certificates.

DON'T:-
  •  Ever use a gimmicky email address. If you have to, create a new one and put your full name @ ... It will look far more professional and thereby serious to your potential future employer.
  • Use jargon, slang, and especially sms shortcuts. Use clear, concise language and concentrate on verbs not adjectives.
  • Overdo the bullet points: whole sentences can help to balance your resume. A resume which is just headlines tells nothing to a prospective employer. They want examples and details which are quick and easy to ‘digest'.
  • Send your only copy of anything, whether the resume or any references or certificates. Send copies only and take the originals to the interview - and keep them afterwards whether you get the job or not.
  • Use fancy words, fancy papers, fancy fonts or fancy inks – the employer won't fancy you if you do.
  • Fill your resume with adjectives or pompous language. Use this KISS principle: keep it simple, smart.
  • Write your autobiography. If you have a substantial job history and experience, use only the relevant facts which suit the job you are applying for.
  • Never just tell the employer you are the best person for the job, instead show it with your examples.
  • Be afraid to give examples from your academic or extra-curricular activity experience if you have little or no job experience. It is how you handle situations which the employer is looking for, especially if it involves teamwork and initiative.
  • Be careful never to sound desperate on your resume - even if you are.
There is more to writing a resume, but these are some of the basic aspects which can make all the difference to how your 'Personal Selling Document' is received. You want it to make it to the short list, to the interview list and then the interview itself. Following these tips will make your document pro-active and will peak the right type of interest.

And, if there is one tip which is paramount when seeking either new or first-time employment: never give up.

This article is the intellectual property of Hannah Quinn and is protected under International and Australian Copyright  and Moral Rights Laws. Do not reproduce without the express permission of the author, Hannah Quinn.

© Hannah Quinn 2007

Hannah Quinn is an Australian author with a variety of national awards, produced plays and public readings to her credit. Novels and plays are her main focus when writing, but she also loves writing articles, short stories, ebooks, poetry and ballads. She is currently working on her fifth novel 'Olivia's Breath'.

Hannah co-owns Too-Write! an editing and professional writing service, specialising in resumes/CVs, including answering Selection Criteria, tertiary assignments and business writing. We also provide a quality service in logo and stationery design.

Hannah's writing blog is full of tips and techniques plus samples of her books and plays. The link is http://hannahquinn.wordpress.com Hannah is also on Twitter @nannahannah and Facebook.

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Ben Jones
 4 years 168 days ago.
71 fans.
Hannah, great article with some really simple and useful tips for everyone. Thanks for sharing them with us!
» left by 4 years 168 days ago.
Ben, Thank you for your appreciation and feedback. Hannah
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