General Do’s and Don’ts of Resume Writing

 

Content Do’s

• Present yourself accurately and positively

• Include only enough information to encourage an employer to find out more. List your most recent positions or areas of expertise first, and then work backwards.

• Include brief descriptions (where appropriate) of the companies where you worked: size, sales, volume, products, etc.

• Stress accomplishments. Include figures and brief examples to substantiate claims.

• Leave out data that might result in discrimination (i.e. race, marital status, religion).

• Put education near the end unless there is a special reason to put it up front (i.e. teaching position).

• Use strong, succinct action words (i.e. “designed vs. worked on formulation of).

• Make the resume attractive to the eye, and make sure it has absolutely NO errors. Wherever possible, avoid underlining and using more than one font.

• Use the language of your future work. Make sure your resume is related to an employers need.

• Have several others proofread and critique your resume for accuracy and impact.

Content Don’ts

• Don’t have someone else write your resume (ask for advice and input, but you know yourself best and will have to defend the content).

• Make sure you do not come across as arrogant or overly confident.

• Don’t exaggerate your strengths and talents.

• Don’t use pronouns, abbreviations, jargon or buzzwords unless the terms are widely known and accepted or are industry/company specific.

• Don’t crowd the margins or use excessively small type.

• Don’t include references. Reference requests are made when there is an actual hiring interest, not before. At the end of your resume you may state, “references available upon request,” or since this is normally assumed, the phrase may be omitted. As a matter of courtesy and to ensure that potential employers receive favorable references, always contact your references in advance.

• Avoid humor and vagueness.

• Don’t include personal information (weight, height, marital status, children, etc.)

 

Format Considerations

 

The appearance of your resume should invite further reading and ultimately assist in getting you in the door for an interview. Other things to consider include:

• Using a laser printer on good quality bond paper.

• Keep it between one and two pages in length.

• Make it easy to read. The size of the print should be comfortable (no smaller than 10-11) and the amount of information that is bold or underlines should enhance rather than overwhelm the reader. Allow plenty of white space on the page.

• Provide at least a one-inch margin on the left and right for the body of the document.

• Your resume must be flawless- no spelling errors, typos or grammatically incorrect phrases, incorrect dates of employment, correct phone numbers, etc.

• No two-sided resumes

• Print in black ink on plain white paper- even a light off-white can reduce scannability.

 

• Format your resume as simply as possible:

Avoid columns

No fancy fonts, small fonts, underlining (avoid where possible) or italics

Use boldface for headings

Replace bullets with characters like dashes (-), carrots (>) or asterisks (*)

No graphics or symbols

Use a font between 10 and 14 points and don’t crowd the letters

• When you mail your resume, do not use staples and do not fold (when possible). Be sure to send an original rather than a copy. Scanning equipment often has difficulty with copies (the same goes with faxed versions, so try mailing the original, unless you have the capability of faxing directly from your computer.

• When sending your resume as an email, protocol differs by company. Sometimes hiring managers want the resume in the body of the email, others as an attachment. Unless instructed otherwise, send your resume as a Word attachment.

 

Приложение 7

CATE JONES
6 Pine Street
Arlington, VA 12333
555.555.5555 (home)
566.486.2222 (cell)
phjones@vacapp.com

OBJECTIVE

 

Bilingual, customer service employee with strong written and oral communication skills is looking for a challenging position in the hospitality industry.

EDUCATION

 

ABC University, Philadelphia, USA

Bachelor of Arts, May 20XX

Major: Hotel Administration

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

Waitress, Austin's Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA            February 20XX - January 20XX

• Took orders, served meals, set and cleared tables

Cashier, ABC Convenient Store, Philadelphia, PA                    Summer 20XX

• Managed cash register, restocked shelves, and assisted customers with locating items
• Received award for best customer service two months in a row

Sales Assistant, DEF Departments, Philadelphia, PA                July 20XX - April 20XX

• Provided convenient service to customers
• Maintained and restocked inventory

Host, L’Amour Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA                 September 20XX-August 20XX

§ Welcomed and seated guests, ensuring each guest’s comfort and satisfaction

§ Spoke on the phone to book reservations and answer questions, always maintaining clear and positive communication

§ Scheduled dining reservations and arranged parties and special services for diners.

LANGUAGES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND SKILLS:

• Spanish – Intermediate level
• Mediation and conflict resolution certification, October 20XX
• Good computer skills: experience in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Excel
• Clean driving license

 

PERSONAL TRAITS

Result-oriented, motivated to succeed, energetic, independent worker, highly adaptable to ever-changing circumstances. Excellent communication skills. Trained and experienced in resolving customer complaints and promoting conflict resolution.