by Anony Mili

Created on: June 24, 2009

There is no perfect way to write a resume but there are definitely ways to write your resume to make sure it gets you noticed and gets you that interview which 100s of other might be angling for.

Firstly when people say employers don't spend more than 30 seconds reading a resume, this is a myth. As someone who has been working in Human Resources now for 15 years I can say we DO read resumes and for more than 30 seconds! It might be that some people will scan a resume for just 30 seconds before deciding to put it in the reject pile or the pile for potential interviews. A catchy first few paragraphs might prevent you from getting into the reject pile but the rest of your resume needs to also read coherently and be stimulating enough not to make the reviewer yawn with boredom on page 2 or reject you because the rest of your resume doesn't match the bits that caught their eye in the first place.

Don't believe it when people say a resume should be no more than 1 or 2 pages. I work in the IT industry and a 1 page resume just would not cut it. By the time our potential employees mention academics (which we place great importance on) and relevant certifications; that alone would take up the whole resume if it were limited to 1 page. There is no perfect length for a resume, 2 pages might be sufficient but if you've 20 years of employment history and have had 3 or 4 or more jobs in that time, how can you cover all of that in a couple of pages along with your academic background?

Some people think you should start your resume off with a paragraph detailing your personal profile and a list of your key skills but this is by no means essential. You could always list this information as a summary in your covering letter (which is recommended) that you would submit with your resume. I would advise tailoring your cover letter for each job application that you make. Some people would also advise that you tailor your resume for every application but again this is not essential. As long as you have listed the major duties in your roles the sort of jobs you are applying for would presumably all be in the same sort of line so there really shouldn't be a need to change your resume from start to finish concentrating more on one skill area than another.

Don't believe that quantity is better than quality. Apply only for roles that you are suited to and are experienced and/or qualified for. What is the point of sending out 100s of applications to jobs you might be

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