by Amy Huang

Created on: May 14, 2008

To a potential employer, not only is your resume a slice of who you are, the way it is written also hint at your ability to organize and present information in the most effective way. Even before they meet you, they want to be able to see from your resume, your personal details as well as what you can do and what you are qualified to do. Sometimes, even with good experiences, a bad resume can show a lack of organization and presentation limiting the chances of a employer setting up an interview with you.

A good and effective resume should be kept to a minimal page count, and more often than not, employers will specify a one page limit to resumes. Therefore it is important to prioritize the information to ensure you include all the essential details an employer will look for to consider you as a candidate for their vacant position.

Consider the following suggestion on a format for your resume:

1. Your Personal Details
Obviously, the employer will want to know your name and your contact details should he/she want to contact you for further discussions. This section should always be at the top of your resume and be noticeable. The essential details to provide here are: Your name, your address, your contact phone numbers and your email address.

Some people may choose to include nationality, a personal website if they have one and their date of birth here too, however these are dependent on the job roles you are applying for and are generally not necessary.

2. Optional section: Personal Skills
This section is completely optional yet can provide better insight to your skills. Things like customer focus, open and fast learner are things that can be put here. As well as any other extra skills such as negotiation skills and your computer literacy can also be included here if they can assist you with the job role being applied for.

3. Optional: Your education details
If you have just finished school and are still studying at the university, it is essential to list both your school and university details. For a professional job seeker that do not have recent education history can omit this section.

Note: any details requiring dates should always be listed with the most recent first, followed by the next most recent.

4. Your Employment History
If you have no employment history, this section can be left out. However, should you be looking for further employment, you should be listing all your relevant employment here starting with the most recent.

It is important to format each of your

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