Resume

A resume is like your "30 Sec Commercial", only with more detail and structure. Unfortunately you have less than 10 seconds to grab the attention of the reader, so you have to quickly sell the skills you have to offer, avoiding common pitfalls that quickly negate your chances for further consideration. Here is a guideline to help you in this process.

Do's and Don'ts

These are general rules to follow, and what you should be thinking about as you review your existing resume, or create a new one from scratch.

• Your sales brochure, not your autobiography.
• Supports your objective, not everything but the kitchen sink.
• Takes 30 sec or less to scan, not several minutes to read.
• Consists of one to two pages, not five.
• Contains truthful statements, not lies or fiction.
• Crisp and concise with bullets, not dull, boring or wordy.
• Uses action words and verbs.
• Printed on white, ivory or grey paper, not colored paper.
• Content related to job objective, not religion or political views.
• Contains names, numbers and specifics, not generalities.

Formating

The mechanical part of the resume is also important, covering fonts, margins and grammatical rules. Ignoring these is an easy way to frustrate your reader.

• Font Style: Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman
• Font Size: 10 .. 12
• Margins: 3/4" .. 1"
• Tables: (avoid them)
  
• Pages: 2 max. (no staples or paper clips) Consider placing your name and page number as a header on the 2nd page.
• Save using Word (.DOC) format.
• Avoid "&" unless part of a company name. 
• Avoid "(" and ")" within sentences, use "including" instead.
• Avoid "a", "an" and "the" words.
• Avoid "I", "we", "they" or "our", use 3rd Person voice instead. 
• Avoid "ie.", "eg." or "etc", use "as in", "for example" or "and more" instead.
  
• Avoid using "References available upon request."
• Avoid present tense unless still working at the company.
• Avoid writing out numbers for values less than 10.
  
• Spell out your college degree followed by the acronym in parentheses.
  Example: Bachelor of Science (BS), Business, College, City, State
• Use acronyms for Microsoft (MS), Apple (MAC) and Personal Compter (PC).
  Example: MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access
• Spell out industry acronyms followed by the acronym in parentheses. Use only the acronym later in the document.
  
• Add spaces before and after "/" characters.
• Have someone else proofread your resume. Spell check is not sufficient.
  

Structure

How a resume is put together is much like the parts of a building, each serving a different purpose. This provides the initial impact and format you'll use to present your case to your audience.

• Heading - Contains your name, address, phone and email. Make sure these are accurate. Try to use a non-personalized email address to keep a professional appearance.
• Summary - Brief description of your work experience and strength, emphasizing your knowledge, skills and qualifications. This section describes who you are, what you do, and why they should be interested. Select one of three formats: narrative, narrative with bullets, or bullets only. Be specific.
  
• Experience - Contains the company name, location (city, state), dates, position(s), brief statement of responsibilities and accomplishments for up to the last 10 years of employment. Use bullets to list your accomplishments.
• Education - Contains the degree, title, university name, city and state. It is not necessary to list the year, as this may "date" yourself.

Source: Right Management