Resume Writing Guide...

Resume Essentials
Before you write, take time to do a self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills and abilities as well as your work experience and extracurricular activities. This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.


Contact Information
All your contact information should go at the top of your resume, including personal and contact details - Name, address, telephone, and e-mail address.

  • Avoid nicknames
  • Use a permanent address. Use your parents' address, a friend's address, or the address you plan to use after graduation
  • Preferable use a telephone number other than your work phone number. If you use an answering machine, record a neutral greeting.
  • Add your e-mail address. Many recruiters and employers will find it useful
  • Include your web site address only if the web page reflects your professional ambitions


Objective or Summary
 An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.
  • Be specific about the job you want and keep it brief
  • Tailor your objective to each employer you target/every job you seek


Personal Profile
 This is where you briefly describe your strengths and skills. Employers typically want to see:
  • Reflection of your abilities and purpose
  • Confidence in yourself and your professional abilities
  • Leadership skills
  • Team player attributes through past behaviors


Work Experience
 Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught your skills. Use action words to describe your job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order—that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. Include:
  • Title of position
  • Name of organization
  • Location of work
  • Dates of employment
Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements.


Education
New graduates without a lot of work experience should (maybe) list their educational information before the Work Experience section. Your most recent educational or professional qualification information is listed first.
  • Include your degree or qualification (B.Sc., B.A., MCSE, etc.), institution attended, major, minor/concentration
  • Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is higher than 3.0
  • Mention academic honors
  • other information – IT Skills, etc
  • You may want to add:
    • Key or special skills or competencies
    • Leadership experience in volunteer organizations
    • Participation in sports

For those in the IT sector, if you have not yet received topexecutives’ IT Skills Profiler, please make enquires. This will help you list and itemise your IT skills.


References
Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give their names to a potential employer. Do not include your reference information on your resume. Best add a note at the bottom of your resume indicating "References furnished on request."


Resume Review
You've written your resume. It's time to have it reviewed and critiqued by a peer, friend or another third party. You can also take the following steps to ensure quality content:
  • Run a spell check on your computer before anyone sees your resume
  • Get a friend (an English major would do nicely) to do a grammar review
  • Ask another friend to proofread it. The more people who see your resume, the more likely that misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).


Design Tips
These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an employer's database.
  • Use a word processing application like Word to draft your resume
  • Use white or off-white A4 paper
  • Print on one side of the paper only
  • Use a font size of 10 to 14 points
  • Use non-decorative typefaces – Arial, Times New Roman, etc
  • Choose one typeface and stick to it
  • Avoid italics, script, and underlined words
  • Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading
  • Try to avoid using tables
  • Do not fold or staple your resume
  • If you must mail your resume, put it in a large envelope