by Kelly Morris

Created on: August 30, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2011

In today's job market, if you want to get a job, you've got to have a good resume. Your resume is your ticket in the door. It's how you earn an interview. Without a decent resume, you don't have a chance.

So what do you need to know about writing a resume? Well, to start with, and this may sound obvious, but you must type it. Don't send a handwritten resume. Type it in a normal font, on plain white paper. Don't try to make it fancy so it will stand out. Your resume should be one to two pages long.

At the top of your resume, put your contact information. Your name, address, telephone number, and email address. Don't use a silly email address, by the way. Use something dignified.

Your resume should begin with your objective. Your objective should be short and simple. Usually one sentence will do it. It should say something like "to obtain a challenging and rewarding position in the field of human services" or "to achieve a sales position that will allow me to use my vast experience in the field of customer service."

Then your resume should list your work experience. You should include your last three jobs or where you have worked for the past ten years, whichever comes first. That means you will never list more than three jobs. List the name of the company, your job title, and the dates you worked there. You can list the months and the years, or just the years.

Then write a brief description of what you did there. Keep it brief- three or four sentences should do it. But make sure to include the important stuff. If you were the top sales associate, include that- don't just say that you sold washers and dryers.

It's not necessary to include contact information like addresses and phone numbers on your resume. You can provide that information at an interview, if you are called for one. (If you do go for an interview, make sure you take that info with you).

Then list your education. Put the name of the school and your degree or certificate. You can write a sentence or two about what you studied, what your major was, etc.

Finally, you can include a section to list whatever else is important that did not fit under your employment history or your education. Have you done volunteer work that is relevant to the position you are applying for? Do you speak a foreign language? Have military experience? Did you have a paper published in a professional journal?

At the bottom of your resume, write "References available upon request."

And there you have it. See sample below.

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