I haven't done a post like this in a long time and I kind of miss it. So, I thought why not especially since I'm in the process of updating my own resume/cover letters.
I don't know about you, but I hate talking or "selling" myself to potential employers. We grew up being told not to brag, but then selling yourself feels a lot like bragging so you feel so awkward the entire time. I am also just an awkward human and usually say something that throws off the interview. If you are also guilty of this let's give ourselves a little round of applause shall we? Okay, now let's get down to business.
So, with doing your resume or the layout, it's good to go with simple. You don't want anything too complex that someone has to have a map of how to read. It should be basic. I have had to deal with accepting resumes in the past and reviewing them. So, it is best to have something laid out into certain sections. Nothing to fancy and normally font of aria or times new roman. There are plenty of resume templates out there and for free as well. Just do a simple google search and plenty should come up. However, this website here has some pretty nice ones:
http://www.hloom.com/download-professional-resume-templates/
Okay, so now that you have your template set up on word it's time to start filling it in. Your name should clearly be at the top and your contact information. Now with contact information you should have your mailing address there, however, that is also up to you. Some people don't put their address especially if they are applying to places away because they believe that the employer may think they are not willing to move for the job. So, it's entirely up to you. I personally put my address there. You should also have any relevant websites here as well, for example your Linkedin web address if you have an updated one, or a website that you run.
After that the next heading is objective. This is also a hit or miss. If you are applying for a load of mall retail jobs.. it isn't really necessary. Everyone kind of understands your objective of "get full or part time job". However, if you are applying to a firm, or anything else at a specific company it is good to have an objective statement lined up for that designated company. Here are some examples of objective statements.
Next Should be Education if you are finished or looking for a job based on what you did in secondary school. However, again if you're going for a mall job you can leave education at the end and have your high school listed there and what year you are in. Otherwise, your next section should be past work which I will get to. For Education, you should have the University or College you attended. Your high school will not be needed there. So, it will appear like so:
University- Campus location
Program of study, year attending or completed
Current G.P.A
Next section is Relevant Course Work. Which again is a you can have there or leave out. I have it there and have the last few courses I took there. Generally, where I apply to next will most likely want a copy of my transcript so I just give a little overview. I also change some of the courses depending on the job I applied for.
The next section should be Skills. The most dreaded of all headings for the awkward humans like us. I hate this section since I never know what may or may not be considered an actual proper skill. Or if the skills I think are good may seem sub-pare to an employer. However, base these skills on your past work experience for example, "Effective time management skills from past position as a shift leader at [insert job]." Meaning you learned how to manage yourself and coworkers to quickly get things done on time. Also be sure to have that you a versed in Microsoft programs. If you're not most university libraries have a free class on how to get familiar with it as well there are countless YouTube videos on that topic.
The next section is Relevant Experience. So, this is for volunteer work or certificate training programs you have done that is relevant to the job at hand or backs your past working experience. So, for mine I have Hootsuite Certified and Superhost training. I want to be a content marketer and the training on did with Hootsuite makes me able to manage multiple social media accounts. My Superhost training backs my years of experience in tourism and hospitality.
The second last section is so important, it is your Professional Experience which of course means your past work experience. Go from most recent down to least recent, Over time when you have more job experiences you can slowly start to remove ones that are not as significant or do not really match with what you are trying to accomplish now. However, do not lie in this section. Potential employers can easily make a few phone calls and find out almost everything about you. So, be honest. So, for this sections you're going to list the organization in bold letters and have your job titles initialized underneath that. Next you should have 2-4 bullet points outlining your job duties and what you gained of importance from that position. On the side you will have the date you started there and the date you ended that job.
Finally, the last section on your resume should have references. You may need to have a full long reference letter for this part. However, generally, I put the references name, their title and job location and then a list of contact information section as home or cell phone and email.
Your resume will now be completed! Remember to be somewhat specific and also not too specific. Give a general view of what skills you learned and what duties you had in your position. It is an awkward thing to do especially if you do not enjoy talking about yourself. Try having a family member help you come up with your skills. Over time you'll be able to pick out what quality skills you have an slowly be able to take pride in the things you have done. The interview process may be more demanding in this sense, but we'll work on that next. For now, you will have a great resume.
If you would like to have this as a downloadable template just let me know and it shall be posted.
I hope you all found this helpful. What is your least favourite part about resume writing?
Thank you for stopping by!
Jessie xoxo
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