Outline
of a Winning Resume
What Should Go in
a Resume to Make it Work?
When you write your own resume, there’s
some information about yourself that must be included.
What is a Winning Resume
Supposed to Achieve?
First of all, make sure you really understand
what a resume is supposed to achieve. A resume is not
to get you a job (although a bad one will prevent you from
landing a job).
A well written,
winning resume is a personal marketing tool, whose
purpose is to get you an interview. |
The resume is the first impression
a potential employer will have: it better be a good one. Therefore,
a winning resume must convey the right message to the company:
it must show your achievements and your value as an employee
in an assertive, sharp and proactive way.
Unfortunately, making a great impression
is not enough anymore. Because of the huge number of resumes
that hiring managers receive, they usually have only
a few moments to scan a resume and discard candidates
whose resumes are difficult to read or have the key information
buried under a morass of less important text.
Therefore, a
winning resume must convey the right message and must
do it quickly. |
Actually, there’s a third very important point: using
the right keywords in
your resume wording. Since this has nothing to do with
the resume outline, it’s discussed in another article.
Click here to learn
why sending a resume with the wrong keywords is a waste of
time.
The Winning Resume:
Your Personal Ad
Attract the hiring manager’s
attention, make a great impression, and do it in just a few
seconds.
Does this sound familiar? Of course, you’ve
seen it many times! This is exactly what an ad or TV spot
must do. And this is exactly what a resume is: it’s
your personal ad.
Always keep this in mind when writing your
own resume.
Winning Resume Outline
These are the most important sections in
a winning resume.
Resume Objective? No
Thanks. Profile Instead.
Never start your “personal ad”
(your resume) wasting the hiring manager’s time explaining
what YOU want to do. He or she couldn’t
care less.
The only thing that interests the prospective
employer is what you can do for THEM. Period.
Start your resume outline with a hard-hitting
opening statement packed with your skills, abilities, personal
attributes and accomplishments.
Your resume profile must
quickly show
- Who you are, and
- What you can do for the company.
Consider the
profile as an ad for the rest of the resume: it must
immediately convince the hiring manager to keep on
reading. |
Let’s compare a typical resume objective
and a winning resume profile:
Sample Resume Objective:
To obtain an
executive sales /marketing management position within
a growth oriented, progressive company. I want to
apply my business development/sales skills to an environment
where they will make a significant impact on the bottom
line. The ideal atmosphere would be entrepreneurial
and one in which new ideas are welcome and decision
making is required. |
After reading this, try to answer the following
questions:
- Who’s this person?
- What are his or her key abilities?
- What are his or her greatest accomplishments?
Now answer the same questions for this sample
resume profile:
Sample Resume Profile:
Master’s
degree in Drafting Engineering Technology, searching
for a Space Planner position in an internationally
oriented firm. Two years´ experience in design,
drafting and space planning. Proficient in AutoCAD,
Versa CAD, and manual systems. Served as Space Planner
for a large hospital. Accustomed to work in a team.
Proven leadership abilities and troubleshooting skills.
Able to conduct business in Spanish and French. |
The bottom line is: don’t
waste valuable resume ‘real estate’ with vague
and useless statements. The hiring manager won’t forgive
you.
Find out more on how to start your
resume outline:
Resume Achievements:
What Did You Contribute to Your Previous Employers?
Nothing is more convincing than a clear,
specific and concise explanation of how and how much you contributed
to your previous employers’ success.
When writing down your achievements, use
numbers to describe them. Do not generalize; instead, use
numbers and percentages to get your points across.
EasyJob provides you with a list of sample
achievements to get you started.
Find out how to include your achievements
in your resume outline:
Resume Work Experience
Before writing this section, it´s
important to know that:
- Employers are more interested in true responsibilities
and achievements than in job titles.
- Employers have neither the time nor the willingness to
look at unrelated job titles to try to figure out if the
applicant actually acquired skills related to the position
he or she held.
- The important thing is the work you did and the skills
you acquired. So, if your job title is weak (or inaccurate)
when compared with your actual duties, put a more descriptive
title in parentheses after you type your official title.
For example, Head Waitress (Night Manager).
How to include your work history
in your winning resume outline:
Resume Education
Education is always an advantage in the employment
market. However, it's important not to let stereotypical ideas
about education keep you from applying for the job you want.
Even if your education is incomplete, or
non standard, there are resume writing techniques that will
help you make Education one of your strongest points.
- Education:
learn how to make it one of your resume outline's strongest
points, even if your education is non-conventional or
incomplete.
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