Writing a Great Resume

Resume writing can be terrifying and paralyzing. If you weren't born with awesome connections (ahem, Paris Hilton) you must have a resume. 


To stand out from the crowd your resume must be great.


Forget perfecting the interview for now. A poorly constructed resume will close doors before you ever had the chance to show off that dazzling personality. 


We all have our own style but there are some basic rules to writing a resume people will read. 

1. Write the resume for someone who hates to read.
• Bullets draw the reader's eye to certain points you're making - you only have about 5 seconds to catch the reader’s interest.
• Recruiters don't have the time to read beautifully written poetry on your resume.
2. Don’t just list your duties.
• You do want to paint a picture of your experience and you do want to be brief but you don't want to have a "duties" only resume. It won't impress.
3. Brag about your accomplishments.
• Saved a company some money or added to their profits? Mention it! 
4. If you have metrics - Use them!
• Managers love metrics. This rule goes triple for anyone interested in sales and marketing. Numbers = attention.
5. Focus your resume.
• Looking for sales -> Focus your resume on sales. 
• Looking for management -> Focus your resume on management
• You get the drift
6. Create multiple resumes so you can adhere to #6
7. This is a you advertisement.
• Stand out but don’t be gimmicky
• Feel you're an asset to an employer? How so?
• When did you shine?
8. Proofread times three!
• Spell check will cover spelling errors but it will not correct silly mistakes, like forgetting the ‘f’ in ‘for’ -  ‘Or’ is still a word.
9. Always put the phone number that you want to be contacted on your resume
• This might seem like common sense but if you use your cell phone, put that on your resume. Home phone numbers aren’t the standard anymore.
10. Key words
• The job you're looking for requires 'Marshmallow Eating' experience and you have it? Make sure it's on your resume. 

There are a ton of great resources out there on how to write a perfect resume. Do your research and put a lot of care into yours. However, these ten simple rules will definitely increase your chances of being noticed. Once you're noticed it’s a cake. Mmmm cake.