Home
Resume Service
THE Resume Book
Resume Outline
Resume Formats
Resume Examples
Free Templates
Resume Articles
Resume Tips
Printable Resume
Resume Samples
Ask the Expert
Cover Letters
Job Search
Job Interview
Your Experiences
Career Planning
My Passion
Resume Blog
Contact Us
Resume Distribution


Help Writing Your Resume

A Quick and Easy Guideline


Do you need help writing your resume? Writing a resume, while not complicated, is rather time-intensive and requires a fair amount of thought. You can't get around it, though. You need one. You need a GOOD one. Unless you are the CEO of a major corporation, you will need a resume just to get a foot in the door (Read: Get an Interview).

To start things off, don't think of the end result just yet. It is too much to think of all at once. Yes, it would be nice if you could simply snap your fingers and pop out an awesome resume, but it doesn't work like that, so it is best to take it in steps. One step at a time and you will end up with an amazing marketing piece that will "WOW" your next employer.

Help Writing Your Resume

Here are the steps you need to help you write your own resume:

Step 1
– Write down the last three jobs you have held and the following information for each one:
  1. Name of Employer, City and State
  2. Dates Employed
  3. Position(s) held
  4. Responsibilities
  5. Accomplishments (what did you do that made you so great)
Step 2
– Where did you go to school? (List college(s) or high school if you have no college experience)
  1. Name of Institution
  2. Dates Attended
  3. Degree conferred or area of study GPA (if over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale)
Step 3
– List any awards, honors, publications, foreign languages, or anything else that might make a difference to your next employer

Step 4
– Write down what you want to do at your next job (job target or objective)

Step 5
– Time to put it all together. At the top of the resume, you will list your name, address, city, state, zip code and phone number. Proofread it about 100 times to make sure it is right. If the prospective employer can't reach you, you have no hope of getting a job.

Next, list your objective statement. State what type of work you are looking for, but add a twist at the end to show the employer you want to fulfill the organization's needs above all else. It might look something like this:

"To work as a graphic designer, showcasing outstanding technological experience to further the market reach of XYZ Corporation's leading brand of excellent products"

help writing your resume,help writing resume
What you do from here depends on the type of format you use. For ease of explanation, this article will focus on the Chronological Format, although you could easily develop your qualifications into a Functional or Combination Format.

When you have your objective statement completed, it's time to focus on your education. Just list everything you identified in Step 2. Keep any tabs you use consistent throughout this section as well as throughout the resume.

Your work experience comes next. List your employment in reverse chronological order, meaning the most current position comes first, then the one before that, and so on. If at all possible, try to list your responsibilities in terms of results achieved rather than duties performed. Also, use verbs that imply action. These are often called Action Words or Keywords. You can find an example here: Action Keywords

If you have any related "Other" categories, list them after your work experience. This might include Volunteer Work or Professional Associations, Awards or Publications. If they will not help you look good in the eyes of the employer, it does very little good to list them, so think this section through carefully.

Writing a resume is a necessary evil. You have to have it, but it's a pain to write. At least you have the information you need to write it correctly. Everyone needs a little help every now and then.

If you need help distributing your resume to the various career and job websites that accept resume submission, you should seriously consider ResumeRabbit. It saves a lot of time and effort. Instead of you having to create accounts at the 75-80 or so websites, then post your resume in whatever format each particular site expects, ResumeRabbit does it for you. You upload your resume once and they do the rest of the work for you.

One-Stop Resume Posting to Over 75 Career Sites. Click Here

You owe it to yourself to at least take a look at what they have to offer. No cost for looking. It could save you a ton of time when you need it most - while you're starting your job search.

If you're finished with "Help Writing Your Resume", click here for some awesome Resume Tips

If you need more help writing your resume, take a look at this Resume Checklist


footer for help writing your resume page