Writing an effective resume

Your career calling card

October 24, 2000
Web posted at: 2:38 p.m. EDT (1838 GMT)

By Larry Keller
CNN.com/career Senior Writer

(CNN) -- Show us the person with a flawed resume and we'll show you a job hunter venturing into the workplace jungle without a crucial weapon.

A well-crafted resume can be vital to getting an interview, career counselors agree. It's where a job applicant touts his or her skills, accomplishments, education and work history. Get it wrong, and you can be eaten alive in the job hunt.

Your name -- don't use a nickname -- should be at the top of the resume. If you have a gender-neutral name such as Kim or Chris, consider using Ms. or Mr. to indicate your gender. Here's what to include below your name.

•  State your objective. Explain in a few words what type of job you're seeking. This should be consistent with the accomplishments and skills you list on the resume. Applying for the job, say, of Harvard University president when you have a high school education may be deemed something less than a realistic objective. If you have several different job objectives, tailor a separate resume for each.

•  Stress your accomplishments. Don't just list your experience. If sales increased 15 percent in the department you supervise, say so. Try to list accomplishments that are germane to the job for which you're applying. Career advisers suggest you use "action terms" -- "achieved," "created," "developed" -- to convey those accomplishments. Don't write in a passive voice.

•  List current and previous jobs and education in reverse chronological order. Your most recent jobs and schooling come first. Work history should include your title; the name of the organization and where it's located; the dates you worked there; and your achievements. Education should include your degrees, if any, and workshops and seminars relevant to the position for which you're applying. If you had a grade-point average of 3.0 or better (overall or in your major), say so.

•  Create a category called "Additional Information" for anything that doesn't fit into the above categories. This could include foreign languages you speak, computer knowledge and special interests relevant to the job you seek.

A resume should be no more than two pages long, brevity is important. Don't include the following information.

•  The names of references. You may add a line at the bottom of your resume stating, "References furnished upon request." If you get an interview, provide a typed list of three references, with name, title, employer, address, business and home phone numbers of each person.

•  Hobbies -- unless they're relevant to your job objective or reveal a facet of your background that supports your job objective.

•  Height, weight, photo, religion, salary requirements or other irrelevant information.

Here are a few more tips to remember in composing a winning resume.

•  Don't lie or exaggerate about your background.

•  Use a high-quality, white or ivory-colored paper, but nothing too pretentious such as parchment paper.

•  Make sure there are no misspellings or clumsy sentences. Just one such gaffe can make a bad first impression.

•  Go for an attractive, uncluttered look that includes white space and uses a standard typeface and size.

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