by Conny Manero

Created on: August 19, 2009

For a single job posting an employer receives on average three hundred resumes. The person sifting through those resumes spends on average ten seconds per application.

As such, it stands to reason that your resume should stand out.

List your name and contact information at the top of the page, preferable in bold and in a larger font than the rest of the text of your resume.

Follow this by drawing attention to your accomplishments.
A resume reader does not have the time or the attention span to read over all your experience. What he is looking for is whether or not you are qualified to do the job.

The use of bullet points is the ideal way of drawing attention to your qualifications. Bullet points are clean, present well and don't require a lot of reading.

Next, list your education and knowledge.
Whether you have completed high school, college or university, list your diplomas and certificates. If you have taken professional courses, but sure to mention that.

Now it is time to go into more detail.
If you have captured the reviewer's attention with your accomplishments and education, he will want to know more. He will want to know where you have worked before.

State the name of any previous employers and their locations.
State your job title and the period of time you worked for that employer.
Follow this, preferably in the form of bullet points, with your responsibilities.

In this section of a resume, it is permitted, if not advisable, to go into as much detail as possible.

Listing your hobbies and special talents is only acceptable if they pertain to the job. Telling a potential employer that you are a keen gardener, when applying for the job of an accountant, is irrelevant.

Finish off by reading over your resume and doing a spell check. With one misspelled word you might lose credibility.

In general, avoid multiple fonts and font sizes.
Apart from your contact information, a resume should be written in Times New Roman or Arial. You may like a fancy font, but only Times New Roman and Arial are considered professional. Use size 11 or 12.

Avoid bolding too much text.
It is acceptable to bold your contact information and job titles, but no more than that.

Avoid italics.

Where it comes to contact information, be sure to have a professional looking email address. Your name and surname are is preferable over a playful call name.

When listing a phone number, be sure to mention in your resume whether or not there is voicemail.
Record a professional sounding voicemail greeting. A greeting that states "Hi, you know what to do and when to do it" is not going to score you any points.

Your resume is the key that might open a career door, polish it to perfection.

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