ResumeWriting

Education
Always look at your resume from a potential employer's perspective. Don't waste space by citing training that's not directly related to your target job.

• List the schools you have attended, major studies, exchange programs, off-campus study, and major areas of study.

• List your educational qualifications.

• List any of the relevant education or training you've received that relates to the job.

Work Experience
List all your job experiences-paid or unpaid-with a list of all the things you did while working at each one. Think about details. Under each job, list your job responsibilities and skills that were needed. If available, incorporate sentences from the actual job description. Don't worry yet about writing descriptions or narrowing your list. Make an inventory of your successes.

Activities
List your hobbies, clubs or groups you belong to, sports, church and school activities, organized groups, community involvement, and volunteer activities.
 
List things that interest you, including hobbies, travel experiences, and special talents.

Skills and Abilities
List everything you haven't covered under the other headings-even if it seems trivial. For each section, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are there things on this list I feel a sense of pride or accomplishment about?
• Can I make these things relate to what a prospective employer might be looking for?
• Which things on my list show different aspects of my personality or strengths?
• Which activities have been superseded by more recent experiences?

Start Writing
Now that you have everything down on paper, go back to each list and think about which items are relevant to your target job. Cross out anything that doesn't relate, even if this means entire jobs. Remember, if you have enough jobs listed, a particular job you held in high school may not be relevant. The purpose of a resume is to get your foot in the door. It is not meant to be an all-inclusive recollection of your life. If you have a long history of work experience, you may want to list only recent jobs that are related to your present objective.

Create clear and concise sentences
Take all your lists and make full sentences out of the remaining items listed for each job and experience. Combine any items that are related to prevent your phrases from being short and choppy. Each sentence should be structured so it is interesting and compelling. Use action verbs at the beginning of each sentence to make each sentence powerful (refer to the list of action words). Make sure that each work in every sentence means something and contributes to the quality of the phrase. If you are having trouble writing clear and concise sentences, ask a friend who's good with words to help you. Also, most schools offer free services to help you with your resume.

Insert targeted keywords
Your resume must contain specific keywords to get noticed. These include descriptive nouns or short phrases that may be used to find your qualifications in a keyword search of a resume database. These include talents, skills and relevant knowledge required to do your job.

The job description will be one of the best sources for keywords. Nearly every noun in a job postings and advertisements will be a keyword that employers use when searching through resumes. Make sure to use those words somewhere in your resume, including synonyms wherever you can. For example, if you are seeking a public relations position, you should describe your "communication skills" and "writing experience."

Never include a keyword on your resume that is not true or doesn't represent your experience. You're now finished with the hardest part of creating a resume. The only thing left is to format your information in a style that reflects your personality. Your finished product should be finely tuned marketing instrument that reflects who you are and motivates the employer to contact you for an interview.