By: Patrick Renick

Why Make a Good Resume? More often than not, your resume is the first impression that you’ll make on a potential employee. A Strong resume can occasionally itself secure you a job interview. A Poorly written resume can give a potential employer a negative impression of you as a candidate and bar you from securing that all important interview.

Resume Structure Start with your personal details. Full Name Contact Information Education History and professional qualifications should follow, including name of institutions and dates attended in reverse order. (University before High school) List GPA and any other certifications attained. Include what computer skills you have. List any recent training/development that is relevant to the role applied for.

Resume Structure Cont. Leave hobbies and interest to last and you want to keep this section short. References you can say, “Available upon Request”. Current salary details should not be included. A good cover letter should always accompany your resume. Your Resume and cover letter should combine to create a picture of you and your career-to-date and illustrate why you are different from the competition.

Chronological Resume Career history is presented in reverse date order starting with most recent. Achievements and responsibilities are listed against each role. More emphasis/information should be put on more recent jobs.

Functional Resume Sometimes more appropriate if you have held a number of unrelated jobs. This presentation emphasizes key skills, which can be grouped together under suitable headings. Career progression and the nature of jobs held can be unclear with this type of resume.

General Tips Your resume should be laser-printed in black ink using a plain type face, on good quality white paper. Decorative borders are not necessary, nor are photographs of yourself. If applying by mail, your resume and cover letter should be submitted in a suitable quality envelope, clearly addressed, with a first class stamp. If applying by , time should be taken designing and formatting to ensure your details read clearly. Send a copy to yourself to check before submitting it for a role.

General Tips Cont. Your resume should ideally cover no more than two pages and never more than three. Aim to ensure the content is clear, structured, concise and relevant. Using bullet points rather than full sentences can help minimize word usage. A basic resume may need tailoring with each job application to best suit the requirements of the role applied for. The completed resume needs to be checked carefully for grammar errors and spelling mistakes - which always leave a poor impression - and to ensure that it makes sense. Ask an 'independent' party to review the whole document before it is put into use.

General Tips Cont. Remember when writing and structuring your resume that it is essentially a marketing document for you and that a potential employer will use the details provided to form interview questions. It should be clear and easy to read. Gaps in career history should be explained and falsehoods and inaccuracies avoided at all costs. There is no reason to include your reasons for leaving each job on your resume but be prepared to answer these questions in your interview. Follow These instructions and tips and you should be well on your way to landing a good job.