Preparing Your Job Resume # 9006

Communicating your qualifications to prospective employers is the next most important step in your job search. This is usually done through resumes and interviews. A resume should tell an employer your qualifications for a specific job position. It should focus attention on your strengths and your accomplishments. Employers prefer to see people “on paper” before scheduling an interview. Therefore, if you don’t pass the resume review stage of the hiring process you are not likely to get to the interview stage.

A resume and the cover letter that accompanies it are the first documents that explain to your prospective employer who you are and why you are applying for a job in his company. Because they are an employer’s first impression of you, it is important to prepare a resume and a cover letter that will have a strong impact on him. Remember, your goal is to get invited to a job interview. Your resume must sell you as competent, enthusiastic, and likeable—someone the prospective employer would like to interview for a closer look.


	In her book, Finding a Career that Works for You, Wilma Fellman helps readers prepare cover letters and resumes for their job search.
	The Purpose of a Resume
	Communicating your qualifications to prospective employers is the next most important step in your job search. This is usually done through resumes and interviews. A resume should tell an employer your qualifications for a specific job position. It should focus attention on your strengths and your accomplishments. Employers prefer to see people “on paper” before scheduling an interview. Therefore, if you don’t pass the resume review stage of the hiring process you are not likely to get to the interview stage. A resume and the cover letter that accompanies it are the first documents that explain to your prospective employer who you are and why you are applying for a job in his company. Because they are an employer’s first impression of you, it is important to prepare a resume and a cover letter that will have a strong impact on him. Remember, your goal is to get invited to a job interview. Your resume must sell you as competent, enthusiastic, and likeable—someone the prospective employer would like to interview for a closer look.
Here is What Your Resume Should Include

	Your resume should clearly communicate your major strengths—not just your educational achievements and your work history. Your resume should clearly communicate your objective—what you want to do for the employer. This may be the most important statement on your resume and it should stand out. It is often a good idea to include a “Summary of Qualifications” section after stating your objective. This contains a bulleted list of three to five of your qualifications. It helps the reader focus on the skills you could bring to the position. Employers generally prefer receiving one or two-page resumes (unless a curriculum vitae is specifically requested). Long resumes take too much time to read. A high-impact resume will be brief and to the point, containing enough information to persuade the employer to call you for an interview. If you have had a lot of jobs it is not necessary to list all of them. Only the ones most recent and relevant to the job you are applying for should be listed. Your resume may include special awards and training, particularly if they are relevant to the job for which you are applying. Your resume should not contain any reference to salary expectations. This should be discussed at the interview stage. Include references to hobbies or interests only if they strengthen your job qualifications. Specific references should be supplied at the time of the interview and should not be listed on your resume. Your resume may contain a statement that references will be available on request. Your resume should be appealing to the eye and should not be crammed with information. When formatting the resume leave plenty of white space, use bullets, and underline statements for emphasis. Select a good weight paper and appropriate color. You want your resume to have a “feel of importance.” However, don’t go to the extreme of using card stock or heavily textured paper. Conservative colors such as white, off-white, ivory, light tan or light grey for the paper with black, navy, or dark brown for the type are attractive.