Presenting a professional resume

In essence, the purpose of resume is to get you a job interview with a prospective employer. It is the first impression they will have of you – it is the marketing document selling you.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A RESUME

Personal Details

Name, Address, Telephone Number and e-mail Address: Use your first and last name only. Give a complete address without abbreviations. List your home phone, cell phone and e-mail address where you may be contacted.

Objective

This should be a short statement about the role you are seeking and why you are the best suited candidate for the position. The objective should be modified to be specific for the position you are applying for.
Example: A financial planner position in a large financial planning network seeking a highly motivated professional with extensive industry experience, excellent compliance record and good client relationship management skills.

Education

As a general rule, if you have recently completed a degree or a relevant qualification that will be well regarded for the position, list your education first.
Alternatively, if you have many years of related experience and perhaps don’t hold a relevant qualification or degree, list your experience first.
Discuss your education, the type of degree or expected date of completion, if applicable.
You may want to consider NOT listing the years you attended or graduated if you are concerned you may be discriminated against due to your age (eg if you are over 40).

Experience

This should describe your employment history in a chronological order. Start with your current or last position. If you have worked many years at one company, list individual positions you have held at that organization under separate paragraphs.
If you are short on work experience, list any volunteer or internships you might have had. Explain any gaps in your employment history.

Skills and/or Accomplishments

This is the place to list any promotions or awards, computer software skills, languages, in which you may be proficient.

Professional Affiliations and/or Certifications

Use this area to discuss professional association affiliations and/or certifications.

References

References provided upon request. It is generally accepted by most human resource professionals that a list of personal or professional references will be provided by you if requested, and it is not necessary to list them on your resume.

WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE IN A RESUME 

• Hobbies or interests on your resume unless they are somehow job related.
  
• Your age, race, religion, sex, national origin, marital or family status.
  
• Photographs.
  
• Reason for leaving your current job. You will probably be asked about your previous job and reasons for leaving in a face-to-face interview.
• 'Buzzwords' - in some companies the HR will screen the resumes before they are given to the hiring manager. It may be helpful to include a few ‘buzzwords’ that apply to the industry to insure getting beyond HR. Do not over do!

OTHER RESUME PREPARATION TIPS

• It is important to be neat, concise, interesting, truthful, and error free.
• Resumes should be typed in a typical font such as Arial or Times New Roman.
  
• They should be no longer than two pages.
  
• Try to avoid the use of the word "I". Since the resume is about you, it will be implied.
• Avoid using too many abbreviations or acronyms
  
• Use bullet points sparingly to emphasize important accomplishments or skills.
• If you use too many, they will lose their effectiveness.
  
• Make sure you are using words correctly. Filling a resume with a lot of seldom used long words will NOT make you seem more intelligent (especially if used incorrectly)
  
• Proofread: One of the most important things to do is proofread your resume several times and, if possible, get another person to proofread it for you.
  They may also offer suggestions to how your resume is written – if it is somebody you trust, consider any suggestions they should make.
  
• Answering machine: If you expect to be contacted by telephone, invest in an answering machine or service. Do not use a cute or whimsical greeting message for your voice mail recording.