by Christine Zibas

Created on: December 13, 2008

Your resume, in short, is you. It represents what you have learned, the accomplishments you have achieved, where you attended school, and what sorts of relevant skills and interests you bring to the marketplace. It is the single piece of paper that can get you the interview to your new career or stop it dead in its tracks. Because your resume carries so much weight, it is important that you craft the best resume possible for whatever job you desire. Some in the business world even suggest going so far as to customizing each resume for the job in question. While that's probably not generally necessary, it is important that your resume be a good reflection of the person you are and contains the pertinent information that will help you be selected for an interview.

WHAT A RESUME SHOULD CONTAIN

Many people begin with their "Objective," but this element of a resume is largely worthless because it's usually so general as to be meaningless. In some cases, having an Objective may actually hurt your case with regard to a particular job, so unless there's something you desperately want to spell out here, it's best to move on to what is really important to any potential employer: your skills and experience. The general categories found on most resumes include your Work Experience, Education, Interests (or Skills). Unless you are a recent college graduate, begin your resume with your work experience. Detail the name of company, dates worked, your title at that job, and some descriptive information about the work you did. After listing your job history, list your educational experience including degrees obtained, as well as any specialized certificates or industry designations that you may possess. Often there is a brief line or two about a person's Interests (relevant hobbies or clubs or industry memberships). Frequently, in place of listing Interests, a person will instead list Skills. This refers to software programs you are knowledgable about, programming skills, and specialized skills that may not be covered in your job history, but may be valuable to an employer.

WHAT A RESUME SHOULD NOT CONTAIN

People err on what they include in a resume just as much as in what they leave out. Never include your marital status, number of children, religious affiliation, salary, or any personal details (like height, weight, or age). Don't include references. If references are requested, include them on a separate sheet of paper instead. Do not include excessive amounts of information about previous jobs, just enough to cover your skills and responsibilities. Keep the information short and to the point.

Other general tips on what not to do for a resume include using a colored paper. Standard white is best. Use a plain typeface. Don't bold and underline excessively or use an unusual or difficult-to-read font. If your resume spills over to more than one page, that's better than cramming too many details in a tiny font just so that the information fits on a single page. Remember, easy readability is the key. The more distracting the style of your resume, the less likely the person receiving it is to pay to the information that counts.

Because your resume is the ultimate reflection of you (that is, putting your best foot forward with any employer), have at least one other person review it for spelling and grammar mistakes. Spell check alone will not catch every error. If there is something your friend or family member reviewing your resume doesn't understand, chances are the employer receiving it will have the same reaction. Creating a good resume isn't difficult. As a tool that will help you get the job you desire, however, its value is undeniable.

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