Resume Tips
A resume is normally a short description of an individual’s life, education background, experiences, and other qualification. It is a must-have when you are looking for a job since all employers will ask for it after which you might be called for an interview. It is therefore important that you make every effort to have the best resume that will sell you to employers. Make it sensible, realistic, honest and convincing.
A good CV can be a guarantee of you getting a job. Below are guidelines on things to put into consideration when writing your CV.
Resume Tips: What you should include
Personal details
This includes your official names, address, telephone number, your residence, and others. Note that when you are giving information such as your phone number, ensure it is right and accessible. Wrong details might leave you jobless.
Your statement
This is usually the first section that is possibly what will encourage the employer to keep reading. Do not make it wordy just a brief eye-catching explanation of your profile that is simple and clear.
Your education background
Start from your most recent levels. When writing the A-level section, include a few relevant grades you attained. You should ensure that the year’s calculations add up.
Work experience
If you have worked before, include with which organization and the duration you have worked there. This will make it easier for the employer to refer to the organization you worked with. Also, give some of the activities that you were doing then and how you benefited from them.
Other skill or qualifications
Here, it is advisable to only mention your other abilities but only if they are relevant to the job you are applying for i.e. knowledge on other foreign languages, computer skills, driving qualifications. This can be an added advantage to getting the job.
Your hobbies or interests
This will help the employer to know your other side. Your hobbies may blend with what the employer expects and this will earn you some points. However, avoid listing all your hobbies. Some may not be necessary. You can mention something like traveling, writing and reading among others.
References
This is the last section. Include at least two references with their full details. You can also just write that the references will be presented upon request which is after the job is offered to you.
Resume Tips Do’s and don’ts
What you should do.
- Ensure your personal details appear on every page. This is for a case where your papers may be mixed with others. It will be easy to retrieve them if they all have your details.
- Have a clear description of the job you are applying for. This will help you know the right information to include while writing according to the employers’ expectations. You will be able to know the right thing to include and what to avoid in your write-up.
- Your language and your choice of words should be positive and informative. Using non-informative words will make your resume wordy and less sensible.
- Always begin with important details first. Where you have to make a list, use the right chronological order. Starting with the important details on the first page is advisable because the reader may not finish reading your resumes and in such a case she or he will have read the important facts.
- Your resume should be presentable and readable. Check for small errors and neatly arrange your work. A clean resume will give the employer the impression that you are an organized person and well reliable.
- You can use other resumes for guidelines to come up with a good one. It will also assist you with the layout. Use the internet or books to access sample works. Be careful not to copy but rather just use the ideas to build your own.
What you should not do
- Including negative information. You definitely do not want to be judged. So leaving details such as failed attempts and divorce cases. Such things can easily be used as reasons not to give you the job.
- Writing a long cv. Reading a five seconds paper for five minutes can be very annoying and time taking. Your papers may end up not being read at all. Respect the fact that your employer has a busy schedule by avoiding a long CV. This will save both your time and the reader’s time.
- Including your payments expectations is something that you should not do unless you are asked to include that in your writing. If you were not asked to include the expected salary, including it may make you seem unprofessional.
- Telling a lie. As mentioned earlier, this may not be noticed at first but your lie will definitely catch up with you and there will be consequences such as being fired which is not good at all. Also, remember that you might be called for an interview and may be asked the same questions related to what you wrote just for clarification.
- Avoid attaching your photos in your papers unless there are special instructions to do so.
- When working on this, do not just hand-write and leave it at that. There are a lot of technologies nowadays and handwriting is a bit old fashioned.
- Avoid using phrases such as ‘given this chance’ when writing. They are not important in such a document. Moreover, someone might assume that you are only trying to make your write up lengthy.
- Avoid including any information that might make you feel like you are being discriminated. Such as your age and tribe. Yes, age might just be a number but that may not be recognized in some institutions. Therefore be careful about what you include in your writing.
Common CV mistake that should be avoided.
Briefly highlighted below are common mistakes often done by certain individuals
The length
Such a resume should not be long and at the same time not too short. A two page CV is advisable. Most employers find long resumes hard to finish because of time. Ensure you give important details on the first pages so that in case of anything, the employer will have read the important facts.
False or inaccurate details
This might not be noticed but it is still not advisable. Always give the correct information to avoid future inconveniences.
Spelling errors and grammar mistakes
Wrong grammar portrays a negative picture of you. For the spelling errors, you can use a spell check to make the corrections. Ti is however not so reliable.
A one-way resume
This is using one CV for all jobs. Remember you were only highlighting what is necessary for that specific job and it might be rejected if you use it in other fields.
Exaggeration
You want to come out the best so you will write everything to make sure you are good enough. However, do it in a clever way and don’t write something almost impossible.
The format
The format of your CV should be easy to access on any computer or other devices. Also how you save your CV is important. Include an extra detail to make it different from the others.
